WTIC no longer to broadcast UConn sports?

[31GuardTrap]

I don’t listen often - but forget the live audience and get in a studio. The on location shows are a brutal listen.

Won't happen. The coach's have alot of input as to where it is held.

 

[J187Money]

If it is on iHeartRadio, I might hear the UConn game on my IHeart app...Great...

The games will continue to be on Tune In. IMG has the streaming rights and all of their colleges are on Tune In.

 

[2Infinity]

I arrived at the hockey game early last night and as I was waiting for my wife while she used the ladies room I saw Joe D holding court with about 5-8 people by the elevator to go to the boxes. He was pretty loud so it was hard not to hear him and he was pretty emphatic that he was done broadcasting UConn sporting events after the seasons ended. He made no bones about the fact he was out.

This appears to be all about posturing, letting everyone know that it was Joe D who was leaving UConn broadcasts, not them leaving him. His insecure ego will not allow him to accept a change like this, in either a professional or gracious manner. It's just who he is. The irony is that it wouldn't be surprising to see him back calling the men's hoop games. Just in case he's not though, he's let everyone know that it was he who's done with UConn! Also, by him doing it this way, he sets himself up to take a bow for "convincing" iHeart/IMG radio to hire him back, should he get the BB gig. If they do, just watch ...he WILL say something like that!

 

[FDNY99]

This appears to be all about posturing, letting everyone know that it was Joe D who was leaving UConn broadcasts, not them leaving him. His insecure ego will not allow him to accept a change like this, in either a professional or gracious manner. It's just who he is. The irony is that it wouldn't be surprising to see him back calling the men's hoop games. Just in case he's not though, he's let everyone know that it was he who's done with UConn! Also, by him doing it this way, he sets himself up to take a bow for "convincing" iHeart/IMG radio to hire him back, should he get the BB gig. If they do, just watch ...he WILL say something like that!

He sure did look butt hurt...like he got kicked square in the nuts and didn’t see it coming... At the end of the day I hope he isn’t brought back...his arrogant attitude/act has grown old. I also don’t think he would be able to take not being “THE voice of UConn athletics”.

 

[Skiblets]

He sure did look butt hurt...like he got kicked square in the nuts and didn’t see it coming... At the end of the day I hope he isn’t brought back...his arrogant attitude/act has grown old. I also don’t think he would be able to take not being “THE voice of UConn athletics”.

Joe D needs to learn humility. His popularity rose because of the rise of UConn sports, not because he was the greatest play by play man ever. There's a reason why the bigger markets never came a calling. I've met him a few times around UConn events Not the kind of guy you'd want to go grab a beer with..

 

[blue93]

Joe D is the voice we're used to associating UConn sports with, but he's not irreplaceable.

The station change doesn't bother me either. WTIC is always spotty where I am anyway, so I've gotten used to using the app when I need to. It does a decent job.

None of this is a big deal to me.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Yeah, when playing with the kids in the back yard I like to stream audio rather than the live tv broadcast even though I could do both. I listen to many Met games this way....until last year when I had to take a long break from the messy Metz.

Doesn't look like they're gonna be much better this year. As soon as Girardi got fired the Mets should have picked him up. Nothing against Callaway. He will make the pitching staff even better, but that offense is awful. Guess seems fitting I like the baseball team with a terrible offense being a UCONN football fan

 

[weyuo]

I was never a fan of Joe D'. Just don't like his snotty attitude and sick, twisted bias towards NY teams on a radio station that broadcasts Red Sox games.

 

[huskymedic]

Tad late to the dance?


>>Reached by The Courant, Zachary declined to provide more details. “I don’t want to dredge it up any further,’’ he said.<<

 

[Coach J]

Tad late to the dance?


>>Reached by The Courant, Zachary declined to provide more details. “I don’t want to dredge it up any further,’’ he said.<<

An editorial in yesterday's Republican American disputes this. It also explains a lot about how that school is run these days.

UConn versus WTIC-AM: Impartiality in the airwaves?
February 20, 2018 - Editorials - 3 comments

The University of Connecticut claims to be an impartial institution. “Through freedom of academic inquiry and expression, we create and disseminate knowledge by means of scholarly and creative achievements, graduate and professional education, and outreach,” reads UConn’s mission statement. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe UConn is on a mission to silence conseratives. That may eventually hurt the university’s academic reputation.

Feb. 16 witnessed the news that the 26-year-old relationship between UConn and Hartford-based WTIC-AM will end with the close of the 2017-18 athletic year. Beginning next year, WUCS-FM, an affiliate of ESPN, will broadcast the games of UConn’s football, basketball and hockey teams. The university’s relationship with WTIC ended for a number of reasons, but Phil Zachary, senior vice president and market manager for WTIC’s parent company Entercom Radio, has highlighted a troubling one.

“The school felt the conservative programming that WTIC airs is at odds with the best interest of the university,” Mr. Zachary told the (Manchester) Journal Inquirer.

It is reasonable to conclude from Mr. Zachary’s comments that Connecticut’s flagship university is targeting conservative speech. That is all the more plausible when one considers that in late November, UConn police essentially allowed the disruption of an on-campus presentation (or more accurately, attempted presentation) by conservative writer Lucian Wintrich.

A university or college that truly values academic freedom doesn’t take sides in political debates. With its actions, UConn is looking like a cheerleader for liberalism. That is no way to encourage the critical-thinking skills the United States and Connecticut sorely need. Additionally, the fiscal year 2017-18 budget for UConn’s main campus in Storrs and four regional campuses (one of which is in Waterbury) is $1.3 billion, and a quarter of this figure is covered by taxpayers, according to a December article in the university publication UConn Today. Not all Connecticut taxpayers are liberal, and the university’s political maneuvering is disrespectful to non-liberal Constitution State residents.

UConn has done well on surveys of American universities’ academic excellence. For example, according to U.S. News & World Report, it is tied for 18th place among public universities and is tied for 56th place overall. However, if UConn keeps playing political games, its standing may slip.

University President Susan Herbst and the board of trustees – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ex officio board president – are obligated to explain why UConn is willing to silence the conservative message. No one is well-served by the status quo.

 

[Bubba1957]

An editorial in yesterday's Republican American disputes this. It also explains a lot about how that school is run these days.

UConn versus WTIC-AM: Impartiality in the airwaves?
February 20, 2018 - Editorials - 3 comments

The University of Connecticut claims to be an impartial institution. “Through freedom of academic inquiry and expression, we create and disseminate knowledge by means of scholarly and creative achievements, graduate and professional education, and outreach,” reads UConn’s mission statement. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe UConn is on a mission to silence conseratives. That may eventually hurt the university’s academic reputation.

Feb. 16 witnessed the news that the 26-year-old relationship between UConn and Hartford-based WTIC-AM will end with the close of the 2017-18 athletic year. Beginning next year, WUCS-FM, an affiliate of ESPN, will broadcast the games of UConn’s football, basketball and hockey teams. The university’s relationship with WTIC ended for a number of reasons, but Phil Zachary, senior vice president and market manager for WTIC’s parent company Entercom Radio, has highlighted a troubling one.

“The school felt the conservative programming that WTIC airs is at odds with the best interest of the university,” Mr. Zachary told the (Manchester) Journal Inquirer.

It is reasonable to conclude from Mr. Zachary’s comments that Connecticut’s flagship university is targeting conservative speech. That is all the more plausible when one considers that in late November, UConn police essentially allowed the disruption of an on-campus presentation (or more accurately, attempted presentation) by conservative writer Lucian Wintrich.

A university or college that truly values academic freedom doesn’t take sides in political debates. With its actions, UConn is looking like a cheerleader for liberalism. That is no way to encourage the critical-thinking skills the United States and Connecticut sorely need. Additionally, the fiscal year 2017-18 budget for UConn’s main campus in Storrs and four regional campuses (one of which is in Waterbury) is $1.3 billion, and a quarter of this figure is covered by taxpayers, according to a December article in the university publication UConn Today. Not all Connecticut taxpayers are liberal, and the university’s political maneuvering is disrespectful to non-liberal Constitution State residents.

UConn has done well on surveys of American universities’ academic excellence. For example, according to U.S. News & World Report, it is tied for 18th place among public universities and is tied for 56th place overall. However, if UConn keeps playing political games, its standing may slip.

University President Susan Herbst and the board of trustees – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ex officio board president – are obligated to explain why UConn is willing to silence the conservative message. No one is well-served by the status quo.

I don’t buy this at all. Just more negativity from a press that just can’t find its way to be positive about anything CT related. The article fails to mention the conservative speakers that have been there without incident. Perhaps UConn just wants to reach a more age diverse demographic than the typical TIC listeners? Maybe an ad promoting ticket sales in the middle of sports broadcasting would reach more potential buyers than one in the middle of Rush. TIC is all politics all day, regardless of left or right the school is much better served by associating with a sports station. This crap about them wanting to stifle conservative views is just nonsense.

 

[blue93]

A university or college that truly values academic freedom doesn’t take sides in political debates. With its actions, UConn is looking like a cheerleader for liberalism. That is no way to encourage the critical-thinking skills the United States and Connecticut sorely need. Additionally, the fiscal year 2017-18 budget for UConn’s main campus in Storrs and four regional campuses (one of which is in Waterbury) is $1.3 billion, and a quarter of this figure is covered by taxpayers, according to a December article in the university publication UConn Today. Not all Connecticut taxpayers are liberal, and the university’s political maneuvering is disrespectful to non-liberal Constitution State residents.

I have no desire to turn this into a political debate, but couldn't one argue that by staying with WTIC, UConn would be "looking like a cheerleader" for conservative views? It'd be one thing if they switched to a left-leaning station, but the university changed to a SPORTS station for coverage of their SPORTS.

This is such a Connecticut story it hurts.

 

[J187Money]

Or maybe it was the specific targeting of the school and the administration by some of the on-air folks? The local guys, not the syndicated programming.

Hey - let's slam UCONN all morning, but come back at 7 for the hoops game!

If there was friction, I would imagine that it was specific to any UCONN related content - and not to the station being conservative in general.

 

[Coach J]

I have no desire to turn this into a political debate, but couldn't one argue that by staying with WTIC, UConn would be "looking like a cheerleader" for conservative views? It'd be one thing if they switched to a left-leaning station, but the university changed to a SPORTS station for coverage of their SPORTS.

This is such a Connecticut story it hurts.

Minus the politics on both sides wouldn't the best thing for UConn athletics be to stay on a station with the largest reach for it's fans?

The signal on the other station is definitely limited in comparison, just another way to alienate and further diminish the fan base.

 

[huskymedic]

An editorial in yesterday's Republican American disputes this. It also explains a lot about how that school is run these days.

UConn versus WTIC-AM: Impartiality in the airwaves?
February 20, 2018 - Editorials - 3 comments

The University of Connecticut claims to be an impartial institution. “Through freedom of academic inquiry and expression, we create and disseminate knowledge by means of scholarly and creative achievements, graduate and professional education, and outreach,” reads UConn’s mission statement. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe UConn is on a mission to silence conseratives. That may eventually hurt the university’s academic reputation.

Feb. 16 witnessed the news that the 26-year-old relationship between UConn and Hartford-based WTIC-AM will end with the close of the 2017-18 athletic year. Beginning next year, WUCS-FM, an affiliate of ESPN, will broadcast the games of UConn’s football, basketball and hockey teams. The university’s relationship with WTIC ended for a number of reasons, but Phil Zachary, senior vice president and market manager for WTIC’s parent company Entercom Radio, has highlighted a troubling one.

“The school felt the conservative programming that WTIC airs is at odds with the best interest of the university,” Mr. Zachary told the (Manchester) Journal Inquirer.

It is reasonable to conclude from Mr. Zachary’s comments that Connecticut’s flagship university is targeting conservative speech. That is all the more plausible when one considers that in late November, UConn police essentially allowed the disruption of an on-campus presentation (or more accurately, attempted presentation) by conservative writer Lucian Wintrich.

A university or college that truly values academic freedom doesn’t take sides in political debates. With its actions, UConn is looking like a cheerleader for liberalism. That is no way to encourage the critical-thinking skills the United States and Connecticut sorely need. Additionally, the fiscal year 2017-18 budget for UConn’s main campus in Storrs and four regional campuses (one of which is in Waterbury) is $1.3 billion, and a quarter of this figure is covered by taxpayers, according to a December article in the university publication UConn Today. Not all Connecticut taxpayers are liberal, and the university’s political maneuvering is disrespectful to non-liberal Constitution State residents.

UConn has done well on surveys of American universities’ academic excellence. For example, according to U.S. News & World Report, it is tied for 18th place among public universities and is tied for 56th place overall. However, if UConn keeps playing political games, its standing may slip.

University President Susan Herbst and the board of trustees – Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ex officio board president – are obligated to explain why UConn is willing to silence the conservative message. No one is well-served by the status quo.

Since the Rep-Amer is a subscription site I can’t tell - is that a Rep-Amer Editorial Board piece or a Guest Editorial?

(Whoever wrote it forgot to mention that “UConn” just had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus about a month ago).

 

[blue93]

Minus the politics on both sides wouldn't the best thing for UConn athletics be to stay on a station with the largest reach for it's fans?

The signal on the other station is definitely limited in comparison, just another way to alienate and further diminish the fan base.

If you have a cell phone or a computer, you're within reach. Even with WTIC, I've been using the app. It'll be an adjustment for some, but I think you'll come to find that it's not a big deal.

 

[J187Money]

UConn's President Herbst On WTIC

Go listen from 13:28 on...

 

[Alum86]

Since the Rep-Amer is a subscription site I can’t tell - is that a Rep-Amer Editorial Board piece or a Guest Editorial?

(Whoever wrote it forgot to mention that “UConn” just had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus about a month ago).

Because this time the admin and keystone cops knew all eyes would be on them after they screwed the pooch prior.

 

[Exit 4]

Politics aside, I don't want us to be stuck on AM any longer. It can't be over emphasized how people under 40, no matter how powerful the AM broadcast maybe, will never find your UConn sports because they never touch the AM band. Put us on FM and then people bouncing around terrestrial radio just might find us...and find us in stereo. We have a much better chance of finding a bigger audience on the FM dial even if the footprint is smaller.

 

[Jimdish255]

UConn's President Herbst On WTIC

Go listen from 13:28 on...

Yeah there's an issue there when your "flagship" athletics station is at odds politically with the goals of the University and this has obviously been bothering a few people including Pres Herbst for awhile. Ideally you'd put your brand on a less polarizing platform than right wing radio in a left leaning market, but it's hard to know how much CBS/ENTERCOM/WTIC pays for that programming. It may be very little and is pretty much plug n play.

On the other hand Entercom is building a fairly large network of sports talk stations and maybe that's what they were pushing for and meeting a lot of resistance. They can cry a river about wanting to silence conservative voices considering they saturate most markets even where other formats would generate better ratings. Ironically WUCS is owned by iheart which of course owns a lot of other conservative talk outlets but it is a sports format.

I assume the plan includes putting the games up on the stream instead of dropping them as WTIC did. If so it should be an easy transition for most fans to drop a link on their phones.

Listen to 97-9 ESPN Live - Hartford’s Sports Leader | iHeartRadio

If ING prohibits that then you'll have to use their link instead. Not an ideal situation but we do have a contract just not sure of the specifics. Would be nice to have a decent fm station here in ffc but apparently no takers or not a strong outreach.

 

[Padutch5]

Since the Rep-Amer is a subscription site I can’t tell - is that a Rep-Amer Editorial Board piece or a Guest Editorial?

(Whoever wrote it forgot to mention that “UConn” just had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus about a month ago).

?i didn’t think we were allowed to have political commentary on this site. Give it up re attacking WTIC because of its political views. The fact is that it was a student organization not UCONN that had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus. I think you will find that there are signicantly more liberal speakers on campus than conservatives. We used to call it free speech?

 

[Jimdish255]

?i didn’t think we were allowed to have political commentary on this site. Give it up re attacking WTIC because of its political views. The fact is that it was a student organization not UCONN that had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus. I think you will find that there are signicantly more liberal speakers on campus than conservatives. We used to call it free speech?

This issue happens to be linked to both. We going to shut down the topic?

 

[J187Money]

Ironically WUCS is owned by iheart which of course owns a lot of other conservative talk outlets but it is a sports format.

I assume the plan includes putting the games up on the stream instead of dropping them as WTIC did. If so it should be an easy transition for most fans to drop a link on their phones.

Listen to 97-9 ESPN Live - Hartford’s Sports Leader | iHeartRadio

If ING prohibits that then you'll have to use their link instead. Not an ideal situation but we do have a contract just not sure of the specifics. Would be nice to have a decent fm station here in ffc but apparently no takers or not a strong outreach.

WUCS stands for W UConn Sports. My understanding is that they tried to get the deal last go around and were outbid.

You can stream the station on the iHeartRadio app (which I do most of the time), but the games will still be on Tune In because IMG has an overall streaming deal with Tune In for all of their properties.

 

[Jimdish255]

WUCS stands for W UConn Sports. My understanding is that they tried to get the deal last go around and were outbid.

You can stream the station on the app (which I do most of the time), but the games will still be on Tune In because IMG has an overall streaming deal with Tune In for all of their properties.

That makes sense. They're not paying to compete with a simulcast but it usually works out pretty good even in my car but I also have Sirius.

 

[huskymedic]

?i didn’t think we were allowed to have political commentary on this site. Give it up re attacking WTIC because of its political views. The fact is that it was a student organization not UCONN that had conservative commentator Ben Shapiro on campus ?

It was also a UConn student run organization that brought in Lucian Wintrich in November that the editorial piece references (4th paragraph) ... the point is they (whoever wrote the editorial article) has a short memory when trying to make their points. No more, no less.

(And I’m not sure where you derive I was “attacking WTIC” by my comment)