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Post by HCFC45 on Jan 3, 2021 13:25:48 GMT -5
Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere but there will be no radio broadcasts of HC basketball this year. And, if there is spring football there will be no radio broadcast coverage either. The contract has expired. Efforts to keep us on the air have not been productive... DL may have called his last game....
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Post by DiMarz on Jan 3, 2021 15:02:41 GMT -5
Use to be radio was the only way to keep up on game day if one wasn't at the game...Today all the games are streamed live, stats are available in real time...Radio is going the way of black and white TV's...
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Post by Tom on Jan 3, 2021 15:14:03 GMT -5
I posted someplace else, but I think that the radio was effectively an infomercial. As I understand it, HC buys all the time on 1440 AM. If ad revenue was covering the costs, WEEI would do it on their own. This is an expense for the school in a year when budgets are tight. I am hopeful HC will be back on the radio when there is a return to normalcy
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 3, 2021 18:03:31 GMT -5
Paging Clock...
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 3, 2021 18:28:34 GMT -5
Holy Cross owns an FM station (WCHC 88.1) that has the ability to put it's broadcast online. That would help snowbirds like MM67 pick up the games in the Caribbean where ESPN+ doesn't come in for some reason and anyone else who has access to the internet but not ESPN+. I wonder if the student station is planning on carrying the games this season?
I think DL is great and enjoyed listening to his pre and post game shows on the radio online and then watching the game on Stadium. I never dropped ESPN+ because I like the UFC but will miss being able to get Dick's take.
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Post by efg72 on Jan 3, 2021 18:41:08 GMT -5
Have WChC hire him for a rate that saves money in 2021, and return to normal in the summer/fall of 21
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Post by HCFC45 on Jan 3, 2021 18:58:21 GMT -5
ACTP is no longer affiliated with WEEI....
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 3, 2021 19:56:11 GMT -5
Have WChC hire him for a rate that saves money in 2021, and return to normal in the summer/fall of 21 The local Catholic broadcasting station, Emmanuel Radio (1230 AM) used to carry Women's game during Bob Fouracre's victory lap after he stepped down from the Men's games but continued with the women. His pipes were weaker but his schtick was still strong. I assume they can go up online also.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jan 3, 2021 20:23:06 GMT -5
I posted someplace else, but I think that the radio was effectively an infomercial. As I understand it, HC buys all the time on 1440 AM. If ad revenue was covering the costs, WEEI would do it on their own. This is an expense for the school in a year when budgets are tight. I am hopeful HC will be back on the radio when there is a return to normalcy Nails it. With no sponsorship $ coming in to HC, the means to pay for the airtime evaporated. And sadly, as mentioned above, Dick's time as the voice of HC has likely come to an end regardless of what happens in the future. He was terrific, and will be missed.
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joshua1
Climbing Mt. St. James
Posts: 94
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Post by joshua1 on Jan 4, 2021 0:41:12 GMT -5
So how would we be able to listen to football if we don’t have ESPN+
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 4, 2021 1:37:52 GMT -5
Maybe the economy will be close to normal in the fall and local sponsors such as Percy's and Diamond Chevrolet will want to advertise on the games which will make football broadcasts feasible. The Football team is the defending league champs while basketball is the cellar dweller so that might make football more sellable.
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Post by hc6774 on Jan 4, 2021 7:26:51 GMT -5
It would be interesting to see ESPN's PL ratings broken down by team
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jan 4, 2021 8:28:26 GMT -5
HC is in a bad spot moving forward to get sponsors. They were advised to be proactive, creative, and aggressive in securing new sponsors the moment it was announced the Paw Sox were coming as there is only so much local $ to go around for such advertising, but they weren't, and now the pandemic's effects on businesses has put HC in a much tougher spot.
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Post by alum on Jan 4, 2021 8:50:37 GMT -5
What kind of money was HC paying to buy the time on the radio? What did they charge for ads? Anybody know?
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Post by efg72 on Jan 4, 2021 8:56:05 GMT -5
And what is the data on listeners/audience?
Perhaps if it was a positive community service, someone will earmark a donation to the Alumni Fund to keep it going.
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Post by Tom on Jan 4, 2021 8:59:44 GMT -5
I have no idea what they were paying, but it was enough that HC was bumping other live sports from the WEEI network.
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 4, 2021 9:02:08 GMT -5
WCHC should be the route with webcasting available. So long as students are permitted at the game (and if they are "staff" versus "spectator" there may be even more special dispensation given), a hungry wannabe broadcaster has a big opportunity at their fingertips.
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Post by Tom on Jan 4, 2021 9:08:39 GMT -5
I wondered about WCHC myself.
Logistics probably aren't in place with the radio station shut down since Spring. In the past, if there were local kids doing the games, I think they came in over Christmas break and did broadcast. Potentially WCHC could get going when the students come back
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 4, 2021 9:17:01 GMT -5
I drove up from NY during Christmas break to do at least one game (driving snow, uphill both ways!), because I had a passion for doing it. Takes one person in the studio to answer the remote (and frankly, if you enjoy dead air for a bit, it can be done by one person, but not encouraged). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about how my work schedule could fit it in this season...
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 4, 2021 9:47:23 GMT -5
I got the sense over the years that much of the energy and personal relationships for selling ads came from Bob Fouracre and Bill Gibbons, Jr.
Fouracre because I have a friend who worked at Diamond Chevrolet and he told me Bob was in there all the time talking up Holy Cross, and the businesses owned by the owners, the Massad family were steady sponsors.
Gibbons because he had a passion to keep his TV show on the air and it lasted for years after the men's basketball show died. I thought maybe that was partly because RW wasn't a natural ham like BG, but the men's show never came back on under MB as I recall.
With those two gone, apparently no one picked up the ball.
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Post by purplehaze on Jan 4, 2021 9:53:10 GMT -5
I really don't excuse HC for dropping the ball on this - some sort of internet radio broadcast should have been arranged with wchc the logical option - I wonder how many mid-majors have also dropped any audio only coverage ? And I guess we can delete the 'WEEI 1440' banner at the top of the page
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Post by Ray on Jan 4, 2021 10:09:36 GMT -5
Just to play devil's advocate... what exactly is the need here? There's a reason "terrestrial" radio is under siege. Since you can stream ESPN+ on any device, you effectively have access to that broadcast wherever you go. Sure, that broadcast is going to be a little more tailored to the TV experience than radio, so you won't get "Wade brings the ball upcourt, moving from left to right on your radio dial"... but is that really such a loss? I mean, for as long as I've been a poster here, there have been complaints about the quality of these radio broadcasts. I don't think a stream of a TV-specific feed done at ESPN-level production quality is going to be any kind of a downgrade, even if you're only listening to the audio part.
In normal times, I bet WCHC will get back into this space. But I have no trouble understanding why the athletic department and a local radio station aren't putting in the effort/expense to get a radio feed going for the three luddites driving around Worcester on a Saturday afternoon who want to check in on the game.
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Post by Tom on Jan 4, 2021 10:40:29 GMT -5
I got the sense over the years that much of the energy and personal relationships for selling ads came from Bob Fouracre and Bill Gibbons, Jr. Fouracre because I have a friend who worked at Diamond Chevrolet and he told me Bob was in there all the time talking up Holy Cross, and the businesses owned by the owners, the Massad family were steady sponsors. Gibbons because he had a passion to keep his TV show on the air and it lasted for years after the men's basketball show died. I thought maybe that was partly because RW wasn't a natural ham like BG, but the men's show never came back on under MB as I recall. With those two gone, apparently no one picked up the ball. I believe you are correct in the past tense. I think Fouracre did all the leg work and presented the full package to radio stations. That is one reason we bounced around (including a couple of years on a station I had trouble picking up one town away from Worcester). In those days, HC routinely got bumped by the IceCats/Sharks and some Boston pro sports. The school took things over some years ago including selling the ads. I don't know, but I assume that HC pays the station more money because wasn't getting pre-empted the last few years
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Post by WCHC Sports on Jan 4, 2021 11:15:34 GMT -5
Just to play devil's advocate... what exactly is the need here? There's a reason "terrestrial" radio is under siege. Since you can stream ESPN+ on any device, you effectively have access to that broadcast wherever you go. Sure, that broadcast is going to be a little more tailored to the TV experience than radio, so you won't get "Wade brings the ball upcourt, moving from left to right on your radio dial"... but is that really such a loss? I mean, for as long as I've been a poster here, there have been complaints about the quality of these radio broadcasts. I don't think a stream of a TV-specific feed done at ESPN-level production quality is going to be any kind of a downgrade, even if you're only listening to the audio part. In normal times, I bet WCHC will get back into this space. But I have no trouble understanding why the athletic department and a local radio station aren't putting in the effort/expense to get a radio feed going for the three luddites driving around Worcester on a Saturday afternoon who want to check in on the game. Ray, you are right that the production level of ESPN+, equipped with an app so you can watch the game live on your mobile device, will be unparalleled. However, if I didn't want to pay $6 a month to ESPN-- who I already pay extra for their crap TV programming-- I don't have any other options. Radio is free hundred dollars a month. You get what you pay for, but HC should have that angle covered if it's practical. For a kid that wants to sit court side (again, COVID regulations permitting) and broadcast a game and live out a dream, it's a no-brainer. Much of what WCHC did when I was there was not with the major driving support of the whole college, it was driven individuals. There were times when the administration stepped up to help, no doubt-- and much appreciated here-- but somebody has to lead a horse to water on this angle.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jan 4, 2021 11:56:08 GMT -5
Just to play devil's advocate... what exactly is the need here? There's a reason "terrestrial" radio is under siege. Since you can stream ESPN+ on any device, you effectively have access to that broadcast wherever you go. Sure, that broadcast is going to be a little more tailored to the TV experience than radio, so you won't get "Wade brings the ball upcourt, moving from left to right on your radio dial"... but is that really such a loss? I mean, for as long as I've been a poster here, there have been complaints about the quality of these radio broadcasts. I don't think a stream of a TV-specific feed done at ESPN-level production quality is going to be any kind of a downgrade, even if you're only listening to the audio part. In normal times, I bet WCHC will get back into this space. But I have no trouble understanding why the athletic department and a local radio station aren't putting in the effort/expense to get a radio feed going for the three luddites driving around Worcester on a Saturday afternoon who want to check in on the game. I don't have any stake in the matter whatsoever, but... - Tell me when there was a complaint of the quality of the WEEI broadcasts the past 5 years other than one MBB game where the hard line feed got tripped over, came unplugged, and feed was lost for 10 mins or so. WEEI had a dedicated professional producer in it's studio for every HC broadcast to make sure everything went smoothly, and he was lauded by those at HC for making sure every sponsor commercial played as agreed upon. - There are plenty of people who will not pay to watch/listen to the games - Joshua in this thread alone is asking how to listen w/o paying. - Given the average age of HC's core fan base, terrestrial radio is right in their wheelhouse, as an app on a smartphone certainly is not. Also every D1 program worth it's salt has a terrestrial radio agreement. - WEEI bent over backwards to accommodate HC on every front, and the athletic dept. was grateful. So terrestrial radio may not be your thing Ray, but until HC engages a younger local casual fan base (which they aren't doing much of despite repeated suggestions of it's importance), not having the games on local radio - whether it be WEEI or another local station, is hurting the current, local, aging fan base.
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