What? WTIC drops UConn basketball coverage??

[Rickster]

It looks like the bumped games will go to 1410-AM WPOP. I used to listen to that station all the time when I was a kid.

I can catch the WTIC UConn games in my car up to around Lenox-Pittsfield, Mass. Does anyone know the range of 97.9 FM? I'm in Torrington, and when I tune my radios to 97.9 I get CT Public Radio. Why, I have no idea.

 

[Buckaroobanzai]

While WTIC’s power5 conference shot at UConn may have been driven by sour grapes at losing UConn to IHeart radio, there is an uncomfortable kernel of truth in Phil Zachary’s insult. Uconn’s presence in the AAC has seen its football program become a bad joke and it’s men’s basketball program descend into mediocrity. While Geno’s reputation may for now protect the women’s basketball program, what is our future when the quality of our schedule is measured by out of conference games and our student athletes confront travel schedules that, to be charitable, are burdensome. When Geno departs, do any of us believe that his successor will be able to sell recruits on the AAC?

Since our miserable football program renders membership in either the ACC or Big 10 highly unlikely, perhaps the time has come to abandon grandiose ambition, run an independent football schedule, and try to inveigle an invitation to return to the Big East.

A closing insult: IHeart is in deep financial trouble and I have read speculation that a bankruptcy filing is in the offing. And for this we increased Benedict’s salary?

 

[willingtonfan]

This is so short-sighted as to be really sad, for a number of reasons.

1. I looked up this 97.9 FM station. They broadcast with a power of 3,400 watts. By contrast, WTIC AM broadcasts with a power of 50,000 watts, or approximately 16 times as powerful. I am willing to bet anyone a dollar that this 97.9 FM will not be able to picked up on a radio in, oh, say, for instance, Storrs! Where the university whose events they are broadcasting is located! And whereas AM radio stations like 1080 are more powerful at night (I was able to pick them up at night as far away as suburban Philadelphia) the same is not true of FM.

2. Unlike WTIC, this station as only one station. So if there are, as tomorrow, men's and women's games at the same time, we all know what will happen - radio (and its Tune In feed) will broadcast the men's game only, and only the UConn Huskies website will have the women's game.

I am curious what will happen to the other stations that were simulcasting the WTIC broadcast around the state, e.g. WILI in Willimantic. No comment in the press release about that.

All in all, very disappointing. If you want your university's athletics to get more attention, you want the strongest possible radio station broadcasting it, not one 1/16th the strength.

 

[huskymedic]

2. Unlike WTIC, this station as only one station. So if there are, as tomorrow, men's and women's games at the same time, we all know what will happen - radio (and its Tune In feed) will broadcast the men's game only, and only the UConn Huskies website will have the women's game.

I am curious what will happen to the other stations that were simulcasting the WTIC broadcast around the state, e.g. WILI in Willimantic. No comment in the press release about that.

All in all, very disappointing. If you want your university's athletics to get more attention, you want the strongest possible radio station broadcasting it, not one 1/16th the strength.

From Fuller article above:

>>iHeartMedia Hartford owns and operates WKSS-FM, WHCN-FM, WWYZ-FM, WUCS-FM, WPOP-AM, and is part of iHeartMedia. With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 129 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America. As the leader in multiplatform connections, it also serves over 150 local markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets, wearables and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.<<

Article also mentions that conflicts will be handled by other IHeart stations including WPOP AM.

For those who rely on terrestrial radio only to listen to games - there may be impact. For those who utilize the many other options to listen to games locally and nationally it will be an improvement.

 

[jimazee]

Over the last few years, I have morphed to using my Android 'smart' phone as my 'radio' receiving device. In fact iHeartRADIO is one of my main 'apps'. It offers hundreds of stations of all types, from just about everywhere...to just about anywhere. I regularly listen to some in TX, CO, FL, PA, etc.

When I need more sound presence in the house, I connect the phone/radio (phadio?) signal directly to one of many bluetooth speakers ... including one in the shower or to my in house 'stereo' receiver also via bluetooth. This 'stereo' receiver device is actually now an AVR that also receives Internet radio via the in house network.

When jogging/walking with my phadio I sometime use earbuds, sometimes just the phone speaker. When in my car I sometimes play the phadio through my car's system using bluetooth. There is a wired connection too, but I don't need it.

Podcasts are often available to download and replay material. "Broadcast" reception is always perfect. Together, it works a lot better than all my old radio gear...and is much smaller than my first 'portable' transistor radio...which was amazing in its day, and about the size of a trail camera of today

Give it a try...

 

[willingtonfan]

I will give it a try; however my real fear is who the people commenting on the game. Bob Joyce is, for my money, one of the best radio basketball announcers I can recall hearing, and Deb (Baer) Fiske brings her own personal experience as a UConn player and adds a lot to the broadcast. I don't know where iHeartRadio thinks they will get any duo as good as them; and before they think about getting them, Bob Joyce is under contract to WTIC so would be unavailable.

I'll give them a try (mostly because there is no alternative) but am not optimistic.

 

[RSJ14]

I will give it a try; however my real fear is who the people commenting on the game. Bob Joyce is, for my money, one of the best radio basketball announcers I can recall hearing, and Deb (Baer) Fiske brings her own personal experience as a UConn player and adds a lot to the broadcast. I don't know where iHeartRadio thinks they will get any duo as good as them; and before they think about getting them, Bob Joyce is under contract to WTIC so would be unavailable.

I'll give them a try (mostly because there is no alternative) but am not optimistic.

And how do you know he's under contract ?? Hmmmmm ??

 

[huskymedic]

I will give it a try; however my real fear is who the people commenting on the game. Bob Joyce is, for my money, one of the best radio basketball announcers I can recall hearing, and Deb (Baer) Fiske brings her own personal experience as a UConn player and adds a lot to the broadcast. I don't know where iHeartRadio thinks they will get any duo as good as them; and before they think about getting them, Bob Joyce is under contract to WTIC so would be unavailable.

I'll give them a try (mostly because there is no alternative) but am not optimistic.

From today's Jeff Jacob article:

...The deal with UConn expires as the end of the basketball season. I have made it clear Joe D’Ambrosio and Bob Joyce should be retained as play-by-play announcers. There has been speculation Joe D may be out. In the past couple of days, however, officials from iHeart, IMG and UConn have insisted there is no a decision. D’Ambrosio has a contract at WTIC that is believed to run out in June. Joyce does not have a contract at WTIC. New announcers would be employed by iHeart.,,