What? WTIC drops UConn basketball coverage?? | The Boneyard

What? WTIC drops UConn basketball coverage??

Blakeon18

Blakeon18

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There is a thread on the men's board indicating just that....no coverage from WTIC after this year.
Apparently it means both men and women.
I find this hard to believe.
 
They're almost definitely going to 97.9 FM
 
Two things :

1. I wonder if IMG network will pick up whomever DOES broadcast the games?

2. Now I can delete WTIC from my saved channel listings.
 
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I think IMG has the rights and WTIC was carrying their broadcast. When you use TuneIn, it's IMG you have to look for, not WTIC.
 
WTIC bye. Ray Dunaway good riddance. Time to retire. WTIC preset in car delete.
 
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Huskee11 said:
Memo to iHeart radio/97.9 ESPN - hire Bob Joyce!

He is really terrific IMHO.
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“I have the highest respect for UConn athletic director David Benedict and his goals for the university,” said Entercom senior vice president and Hartford market manager Phil Zachary. “Having grown up in Connecticut, there’s a special place in my heart for UConn basketball. However, I couldn’t justify what they were seeking when compared to more successful partnerships Entercom enjoys with elite Power 5 institutions.”

OUCH.
 
Conference afflilliation means $$$$$ when it comes to rights fees. IMG negotiating on UConn's behalf for P5-type conference $$$$$$ & Enterconm said not worth in from their seat in their world....pretty simple....
 
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Blaneylover said:
“I have the highest respect for UConn athletic director David Benedict and his goals for the university,” said Entercom senior vice president and Hartford market manager Phil Zachary. “Having grown up in Connecticut, there’s a special place in my heart for UConn basketball. However, I couldn’t justify what they were seeking when compared to more successful partnerships Entercom enjoys with elite Power 5 institutions.”

OUCH.
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Even Phil knows how to hurt the AAC conference, not bitter much! :rolleyes:
 
Well, I guess I don't have to listen to WTIC anymore. [ ] UConn sports was the only reason I tuned them in. I hope the broadcast teams come out OK.
 
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Sounds like it's not WTIC dropping them but an ESPN affiliate paying more for it. Only time will tell if it's a good thing.
Without Joe D the men's won't be the same at all. ANYTHING affiliated with ESPN gives me pause.
 
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ICMI

From the official release:

IMG today announced a transformative 10-year, multimillion-dollar partnership with iHeartMedia and 97.9 ESPN, Hartford’s Sport Station, to serve as the Home of the UConn Huskies.

97.9 ESPN will become the new home for the UConn-IMG Radio Network beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. Following the conclusion of the current UConn athletic seasons, it will serve as the exclusive terrestrial radio home for UConn Athletics airing regular season and post-season play-by-play for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s hockey. Additionally, iHeartMedia plans to broadcast select UConn Olympic sports contests.

“Our new relationship with iHeartMedia and 97.9 ESPN provides UConn Athletics with a powerful reach and the prospect of building an extensive affiliate network throughout the state and the Northeast,” director of athletics David Benedict said. “Our new partnership with a dedicated sports platform hosted by the most powerful sports and media company in the country, will offer fans and listeners more opportunities to interact with our teams and coaches.”

The relationship between the UConn-IMG Radio Network and 97.9 ESPN will also include pre- and post-game shows as well as the UConn Women’s Basketball Coach’s Radio Show with Geno Auriemma, the UConn Men’s Basketball Coach's Radio Show with Kevin Ollie, UConn Football Coach’s Radio Show with Randy Edsall, and the UConn Hockey Coach’s Radio Show with Michael Cavanaugh.

“This partnership joins three iconic brands,” said Steve Honeycomb, Region President for iHeartMedia. “Having UConn sports on iHeartMedia’s 97.9 ESPN has been our long term goal. This is the perfect partnership and offers even more entertaining programming for UConn Nation.”

In the event of conflicting game schedules, iHeartMedia will broadcast UConn Athletics events on an affiliate station. IMG also provides fans a variety of ways to follow UConn Athletics audio broadcasts including on their mobile device with the Tunein App and on satellite radio via partnerships with Sirius/XM radio...

[MORE]

Also, this:


​



 
What are the other "affiliated" stations" because at least once or twice a year the women will get bumped?
 
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
willingtonfan said:
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.
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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.
 
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