Jump to content

Reinsdorf mad at WMVP 1000


sox-r-us

Recommended Posts

Reinsdorf's a little baby. He's like the kid who doesn't completely get his way, so he takes his ball and bat and goes home.

 

I hate Mariotti, but I do absolutely love the fact that Jay is calling out and ripping Reinsdorf on the same radio station that hosts the Sox and Bulls. For someone who claims that he "never reads the papers or listens to talk radio," Mr. Reinsdorf sure seems upset and flustered lately. Hmmmm. I guess the truth hurts.

 

 

 

:jerry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Radio static for Reinsdorf

Owner at odds with WMVP, host

 

E-mail this story

 

Printer-friendly format

Search archives

 

 

What's your view?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

What side are you on in the Jerry Reinsdorf-WMVP rift?

 

Reinsdorf

WMVP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a considerable rift building between Jerry Reinsdorf and WMVP-AM 1000.

 

Reinsdorf is fuming over the station's new on-air personality, while WMVP says it has lost millions of dollars because of the poor performance of Reinsdorf's White Sox and Bulls in recent years. The dispute could result in the teams going elsewhere when their contracts with WMVP expire in two years.

 

Things came to a head when WMVP recently hired Jay Mariotti as host for its 9-11 a.m. slot. If the Sun-Times columnist is indeed a polarizing personality, as station general manager Bob Snyder describes him, then Reinsdorf's dislike of Mariotti is far, far south of Antarctica.

 

Mariotti has battered Reinsdorf early and often through the years. This is a hate-hate relationship. Short of buying the newspaper, there is little Reinsdorf can do about Mariotti at the Sun-Times. The chairman of the Sox and Bulls, however, thought he had a voice in what airs on WMVP.

 

WMVP shells out more than $7 million per year to broadcast Sox and Bulls games. As the station's most important business partner, Reinsdorf expects to have a say in programming outside of the games. According to sources, the original 10-year contract Reinsdorf signed with the station in 1996 gave him some control over the station's on-air personalities, but that language was taken out when ABC purchased the station in 1998.

 

The situation parallels ESPN and its original series "Playmakers." The ratings were good, but when the NFL voiced strong objections over its content, the show was dropped before a second season. The network said it didn't want to anger its most important business partner.

 

The ESPN-owned radio station, however, isn't following the precedent set at the home office in Bristol, Conn. Snyder was well aware of Reinsdorf's strong dislike of Mariotti in talks during the last six months. Yet the station went ahead and hired him, preferring another local show to Tony Kornheiser's national broadcast.

 

Sure enough, Mariotti wasted no time in launching attacks on Reinsdorf and the teams he operates.

 

Reinsdorf declined to address the issue personally, opting to express his views through White Sox public relations director Scott Reifert.

 

"The thing we question is that they have invested millions of dollars in promoting these teams," Reifert said. "Now they are bringing in somebody who has made it his business to devalue those investments. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective."

 

Reifert acknowledges the nature of sports talk radio and says the teams don't have a problem accepting criticism from on-air personalities. But Mariotti, he contends, has demonstrated an agenda that precludes him from giving "a balanced and fair representation."

 

Snyder disputed that assessment.

 

"I don't think the average Chicago sports fan sees the kind of criticism Jay provides as devaluing the franchise," Snyder said. "I believe they are the thoughts shared by some of the most ardent fans in town."

 

It turns out Snyder is one of those fans. The station says it has suffered significant financial losses stemming from the downfall of the Bulls after Michael Jordan and the failure of the Sox to win consistently.

 

"Unfortunately, the impact these two teams have had on this station, both on the field and in our books, has been detrimental to our business," Snyder said. "While we enjoy our relationship, as partners they haven't provided us with a lot of help."

 

Snyder concedes that the situation might be different if the Sox and Bulls were winning and making money for the station. WMVP might have acquiesced to Reinsdorf's wishes.

 

Because he says the opposite is occurring, Snyder decided to go ahead and hire Mariotti despite Reinsdorf's objections.

 

"We each have to do what's best for our business," Snyder said. "The last I checked, we had little say over whether the Sox kept Bartolo Colon."

 

The hard feelings are likely to make things interesting when negotiations for a new deal begin next year. Reinsdorf doesn't have many choices on the AM dial. It is basically between WSCR-AM 670 and WMVP.

 

The Sox's Reifert doesn't rule out Reinsdorf's teams staying with WMVP, saying, "Two years is a long way away."

 

Even if things simmer down, it will come down to money.

 

"Either we will pass on the opportunity do business again, or we have to have a healthier relationship where both sides win," Snyder said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope that JR dumps MVP. f*** them for hiring the worst newspaper columnist in sports. Besides how stupid is it of MVP to hiring someone that trashes the biggest product that they have to sell? That's like me advertising for a competing firm on my work computer, and then wondering why they want to fire me. :bang

 

And I can't leave this without :fyou Kotex-Boy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am going to actually side with WMVP on this one.

 

Now I know all of you people hate Mariotti, but I don't at all. I am sure he's an asshole and an arrogant SOB, but he also entertains me. I find it rather humorous that JR is getting all pissy over this, but Mariotti is also telling it how it is on a lot of fronts. Maybe if JR actually did something to improve this franchise, Jay wouldn't be constantly ripping them. Instead, JR is going to b**** and complain and make a big deal about this. Here's a hint JR: Do something instead of complaining when someone calls you out for what you really are: A Lame Worthless Excuse for an owner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am going to actually side with WMVP on this one. 

 

Now I know all of you people hate Mariotti, but I don't at all.  I am sure he's an asshole and an arrogant SOB, but he also entertains me.  I find it rather humorous that JR is getting all pissy over this, but Mariotti is also telling it how it is on a lot of fronts.  Maybe if JR actually did something to improve this franchise, Jay wouldn't be constantly ripping them.  Instead, JR is going to b**** and complain and make a big deal about this.  Here's a hint JR: Do something instead of complaining when someone calls you out for what you really are: A Lame Worthless Excuse for an owner.

I have no problem with what Mariotti is saying, because it's a variation on what everyone here has been saying for months, or years.

My problem is that I don't find him the least bit entertaining.

His "style" is the same know-it-all blowhard junk you can find littering sports talk radio everywhere. It's just incredible to me that the guy following him on MVP actually does the same format even worse than Mariotti does.

 

New slogan for the WMVP weekday format:

"Mike & Mike, Then Take A Hike"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with what Mariotti is saying, because it's a variation on what everyone here has been saying for months, or years.

My problem is that I don't find him the least bit entertaining.

His "style" is the same know-it-all blowhard junk you can find littering sports talk radio everywhere. It's just incredible to me that the guy following him on MVP actually does the same format even worse than Mariotti does.

 

New slogan for the WMVP weekday format:

"Mike & Mike, Then Take A Hike"

:lolhitting :lolhitting :lolhitting

 

That's a good one, maybe I am just partial to Mariotti because I like sports writers who rip all of the time rather than praise. He is a columnist, not a reporter, so he can write whatever he wants regardless of whether or not he constantly contradicts himself. And someone must be reading and listening to him, otherwise he wouldn't have a job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MVP is clearly in the right on this. As JR always states, its a business, if he doesn't like it, make the ratings better or take a flying leap off a bridge. The guy doesn't run the radio station nor does he have a lot of options. He used the Bulls to negotiate the last contract otherwise MVP would not have chosen to air the whitesox because there are only 15,000 of us plus the people that are on the boards. (tongue in cheek)

 

In my opinion the pressure is mounting on JR. If this team or teams do not progress quickly he will even find his 12,000 season ticket holder base erode, much like the blackhawks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with everything Mariooti says about the Reinsdorf owned sports teams. I am as die har as any white sox fan, but under his ownership we have only won two playoff games in the last twenty seasons three total.

 

He torpedoed the White Sox's best chance at a world series in recent years when he went hawkish on the players union in 94.

 

He let Jerry "organiztions win champoinships Krause" implode one of the greatest basketball dynasties for a cuple of high school kids and his fishing buddy Tim Floyd.

 

Reinsdorf deserves every arrow of of anger Mariotti fires at him.

 

Perhaps even worse to Sox fans, Reinsdorf seems content to let the sox fall further into oblivion while the tribsters and the casual baseball fans on the northside legitimaly are attempting to win a title while die hards like us are left feeling as though are interest in the white sox is meaningless because we criticize Reinsdorf and his assanine moves.

 

more power to mariotti

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone think the fact that ESPN may be getting ready to cancel Around the Horn due to the fact that Kellerman is no longer going to be with the show has anything to do with Mariotti venturing out into the radio world?

 

Me thinks so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He torpedoed the White Sox's best chance at a world series in recent years when he went hawkish on the players union in 94.

 

He let Jerry "organiztions win champoinships Krause" implode one of the greatest basketball dynasties for a cuple of high school kids and his fishing buddy Tim Floyd.

It was the union that caused the strike in 1994, not Reinsdorf.

 

 

As for the Bulls, it was Jerry Krause that put together the championship teams in the first place, so you can't blame him for the Bulls fall from grace unless you also give him credit for the team's 6 championships.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...