Cumulus Media trying to drop White Sox/Bulls from WLS

[Tnetennba]

TheAthleticCHI:

What's going on with the Bulls and White Sox's broadcast rights? Here's a statement courtesy of both teams:

 

 

TheAthleticCHI

[southsider2k5]

Oh crap, didn't realize they had less than 4 months to find a new station. Yikes.

[ptatc]

Oh crap, didn't realize they had less than 4 months to find a new station. Yikes.

Less than 2 months if you want to hear Spring Training games.

[southsider2k5]

Less than 2 months if you want to hear Spring Training games.

 

Good point.

 

[Dick Allen]

What is going to happen with the Bulls? Do they go right away, or does the Swirsk finish out the season on WLS?

[southsider2k5]

What is going to happen with the Bulls? Do they go right away, or does the Swirsk finish out the season on WLS?

 

They would only have until the drop dead date, which would be a mess.

[Harry Chappas]

WSCR should pick up any Bulls game that does not conflict with the cubs.

 

I always thought it was dumb move to go there.

[demonbluess]

Too many Illini and DePaul games

[soxfan18]

If they are losing money on the radio deal, that isn't a very good sign for the TV deal that comes up next year.

Eh, the 2 really have nothing to do with each other. Very different business models, at least on the cable side.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I think the Sox games should be podcasted, to be uploaded 4-5 days after each game, and have advertisements for Blue Apron and Dollar Shave Club in between every inning.

[caulfield12]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0125-story.html

 

White Sox deserve a better radio partner

 

[chetkincaid]

This is my dream come true. I HATE the Sox being on WLS. The reception is terrible even on the eastern side of Schaumburg and there is virtually no talk of the Sox outside of the games and White Sox Weekly podcast. The White Sox need to be on a sports station. I'm sick of the Score, which has turned into WCUB. I heard Bernstein and Bruce Levine discussing the White Sox yesterday and almost fainted.

 

Put the White Sox back on ESPN 1000. Please.

[InTheDriversSeat]

This is my dream come true. I HATE the Sox being on WLS. The reception is terrible even on the eastern side of Schaumburg and there is virtually no talk of the Sox outside of the games and White Sox Weekly podcast. The White Sox need to be on a sports station. I'm sick of the Score, which has turned into WCUB. I heard Bernstein and Bruce Levine discussing the White Sox yesterday and almost fainted.

 

Put the White Sox back on ESPN 1000. Please.

 

 

You should be able to receive WLS with no problem in Schaumburg. The station is a clear channel, transmitting with 50,000 watts. Might be a problem with your radio. Actually WLS did alot of talking and cross-promoting about the White Sox during the station's 3 live & local shows: John Howell and Ray Stevens, Bob and Marianne, and Steve Dahl, who is a huge White Sox fan. WLS had many video interviews with players on the station's website. There is 'White Sox Weekly' which airs at 12 Noon every Sunday year round for free on the radio (not just a podcast). WLS broadcasted live from Soxfest at 2016 and 2017, and the station is supposed to be at Soxfest again this weekend despite everything that is going on right now.

 

For most seasons in White Sox history, the team has aired on radio stations which did not have a Sports Talk format. Doesn't bother me.

 

But I would agree that AM 1000 WMVP (ESPN Radio) is the most likely choice where the Sox could end up in 2018, although there are several other possibilities.

 

 

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[Chicago White Sox]

I think it’s time the Sox stop looking as radio as a revenue driver and start seeing it as marketing tool. WLS was a complete joke and I’m still bitter that I had to tune in to that s***ty station if I was in the car and wanted to listen to the Sox. I truly believe the Sox need to find a way to get on AM 1000 even if they lose dollars in the process. Just being on a sports station will result in more people listening to their games and while they won’t benefit from that directly, it should create more interest/excitement in the team which can indirectly have a financial impact. Lots of business have loss leading products and I think it’s time for radio to become such a thing.

[black jack]

You should be able to receive WLS with no problem in Schaumburg. The station is a clear channel, transmitting with 50,000 watts. Might be a problem with your radio. Actually WLS did alot of talking and cross-promoting about the White Sox during the station's 3 live & local shows: John Howell and Ray Stevens, Bob and Marianne, and Steve Dahl, who is a huge White Sox fan. WLS had many video interviews with players on the station's website. There is 'White Sox Weekly' which airs at 12 Noon every Sunday year round for free on the radio (not just a podcast). WLS broadcasted live from Soxfest at 2016 and 2017, and the station is supposed to be at Soxfest again this weekend despite everything that is going on right now.

 

For most seasons in White Sox history, the team has aired on radio stations which did not have a Sports Talk format. Doesn't bother me.

 

But I would agree that AM 1000 WMVP (ESPN Radio) is the most likely choice where the Sox could end up in 2018, although there are several other possibilities.

 

 

.

The station sucks (the reception, not content).

 

I've got a 2016 vehicle and my wife's 2012 model has a new sound system. It's not the radio.

I lose reception when I get north of Lake Cook Rd or west of 355. So that means unless i'm in Cook County I can't listen. It's terrible because I used to listen to every day game since i'm always in my vehicle.

Edited January 27, 2018 by Jimmy3Putt

[Kyyle23]

The station sucks (the reception, not content).

 

I've got a 2016 vehicle and my wife's 2012 model has a new sound system. It's not the radio.

I lose reception when I get north of Lake Cook Rd or west of 355. So that means unless i'm in Cook County I can't listen. It's terrible because I used to listen to every day game since i'm always in my vehicle.

 

I have listened to wscr past Rockford, I’m not sure what’s up with your reception. I live in Lake in the Hills and drive to work in Elgin every day and listen to it with zero issues, and I have 98 model car

[Heads22]

Gregor tweeting that the new radio home may be on FM.

 

 

Farmio in stereo

[InTheDriversSeat]

 

Gregor tweeting that the new radio home may be on FM.

 

 

My guess is that could be 97.9 WLUP 'The Loop'.

 

Most major market FM music stations that are owned by big broadcasting corporations and subscribe to Arbitron (or whatever the ratings service is named now nowadays), are not going to pre-empt nonstop music formats for any sports play-by-play. But Randy Michaels, the man in charge of Merlin Media, the company that is about to regain ownership and control of WLUP and WKQX, is known to think outside the box. He supports non-music, spoken word programming on FM.

 

I remember that some Stanley Cup hockey playoffs, also football aired a couple years ago on WLUP and All News WIQI (now WKQX) when Randy Michaels was in charge.

 

 

 

The station sucks (the reception, not content).

 

I've got a 2016 vehicle and my wife's 2012 model has a new sound system. It's not the radio.

I lose reception when I get north of Lake Cook Rd or west of 355. So that means unless i'm in Cook County I can't listen. It's terrible because I used to listen to every day game since i'm always in my vehicle.

 

 

I'm located north of Lake Cook Road, right in the center of Lake County (Illinois), and WLS comes in just fine using a $20 radio. I listened to 5 hours of the Soxfest live broadcast today (from 10 AM to 3 PM), with no problems. Plus, I'm sure if I drive anywhere in the suburbs west Interstate 355 (which runs from Itasca to New Lenox), I could easily hear WLS in my car.

 

Perhaps your reception problem is because you are located in McHenry County, which is quite a distance from the WLS transmitter at Tinley Park. Also, if you have a cell phone charger in your vehicle, don't plug it in while listening to AM. There are high performance AM radios made by C. Crane which will solve everything for you when listening indoors, but that doesn't help your reception problem in your car.

 

 

 

WLS was a complete joke and I’m still bitter that I had to tune in to that s***ty station if I was in the car and wanted to listen to the Sox. I truly believe the Sox need to find a way to get on AM 1000 even if they lose dollars in the process. Just being on a sports station will result in more people listening to their games and while they won’t benefit from that directly, it should create more interest/excitement in the team which can indirectly have a financial impact. Lots of business have loss leading products and I think it’s time for radio to become such a thing.

 

 

Well then the Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls are "complete jokes" too because those teams do not air on Sports Talk stations either. Chicago Bears - WBBM / WCFS-FM (format: All News), Chicago Blackhawks - WGN (format: Talk), Chicago Bulls - WLS (format: Talk).

 

 

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[Dick Allen]

My guess is that could be 97.9 WLUP 'The Loop'.

 

Most major market FM music stations that are owned by big broadcasting corporations and subscribe to Arbitron (or whatever the ratings service is named now nowadays), are not going to pre-empt nonstop music formats for any sports play-by-play. But Randy Michaels, the man in charge of Merlin Media, the company that is about to regain ownership and control of WLUP and WKQX, is known to think outside the box. He supports non-music, spoken word programming on FM.

 

I remember that some Stanley Cup hockey playoffs, also football aired a couple years ago on WLUP and All News WIQI (now WKQX) when Randy Michaels was in charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm located north of Lake Cook Road, right in the center of Lake County (Illinois), and WLS comes in just fine using a $20 radio. I listened to 5 hours of the Soxfest live broadcast today (from 10 AM to 3 PM), with no problems. Plus, I'm sure if I drive anywhere in the suburbs west Interstate 355 (which runs from Itasca to New Lenox), I could easily hear WLS in my car.

 

Perhaps your reception problem is because you are located in McHenry County, which is quite a distance from the WLS transmitter at Tinley Park. Also, if you have a cell phone charger in your vehicle, don't plug it in while listening to AM. There are high performance AM radios made by C. Crane which will solve everything for you when listening indoors, but that doesn't help your reception problem in your car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well then the Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls are "complete jokes" too because those teams do not air on Sports Talk stations either. Chicago Bears - WBBM / WCFS-FM (format: All News), Chicago Blackhawks - WGN (format: Talk), Chicago Bulls - WLS (format: Talk).

 

 

.

Cumulus is also backing out of its purchase of the Loop so I doubt it is them.

 

[InTheDriversSeat]

 

Cumulus is also backing out of its purchase of the Loop so I doubt it is them.

 

 

Merlin Media, the company that actually owns WLUP and WKQX, has indicated that it will operate the stations after Cumulus gets approval from the bankruptcy judge to back out of the arrangement. My guess is that the Bulls and White Sox may be talking to Randy Michaels (the man in charge of Merlin Media).

 

I may be totally wrong, but I don't see many possibilities for the Bulls & Sox to land on any other big music-orientend FM station in Chicago. Perhaps the Bulls could go to the new Rap Oldies station owned by Entercom (formerly CBS), '104.3 Jams' WBMX (formerly Classic Hits 'K-Hits' WJMK).

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-...0119-story.html

 

 

 

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[Dick Allen]

Merlin Media, the company that actually owns WLUP and WKQX, has indicated that it will operate the stations after Cumulus gets approval from the bankruptcy judge to back out of the arrangement. My guess is that the Bulls and White Sox may be talking to Randy Michaels (the man in charge of Merlin Media).

 

I may be totally wrong, but I don't see many possibilities for the Bulls & Sox to land on any other big music-orientend FM station in Chicago. Perhaps the Bulls could go to the new Rap Oldies station owned by Entercom (formerly CBS), '104.3 Jams' WBMX (formerly Classic Hits 'K-Hits' WJMK).

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-...0119-story.html

 

 

 

.

 

105.9 is my guess.

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Merlin Media, the company that actually owns WLUP and WKQX, has indicated that it will operate the stations after Cumulus gets approval from the bankruptcy judge to back out of the arrangement. My guess is that the Bulls and White Sox may be talking to Randy Michaels (the man in charge of Merlin Media).

 

I may be totally wrong, but I don't see many possibilities for the Bulls & Sox to land on any other big music-orientend FM station in Chicago. Perhaps the Bulls could go to the new Rap Oldies station owned by Entercom (formerly CBS), '104.3 Jams' WBMX (formerly Classic Hits 'K-Hits' WJMK).

 

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-...0119-story.html

 

 

 

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Omg, if the Sox went to 104.3, I would never need to change the station in the summer.

[BlackSox13]

This is my dream come true. I HATE the Sox being on WLS. The reception is terrible even on the eastern side of Schaumburg and there is virtually no talk of the Sox outside of the games and White Sox Weekly podcast. The White Sox need to be on a sports station. I'm sick of the Score, which has turned into WCUB. I heard Bernstein and Bruce Levine discussing the White Sox yesterday and almost fainted.

 

Put the White Sox back on ESPN 1000. Please.

Well come on over to the west side of Schaumburg then. Reception is decent and the beer tastes better too.

[Steve9347]

Put the White Sox back on ESPN 1000. Please.

Bring back John Rooney while you're at it.

[Bob Sacamano]

Bring back John Rooney while you're at it.

 

This. Let Farmer retire and spend time with his family and get better.