Tag / WBBM

by admin

Radio Free Chicago

For the third time in four years, the White Sox may find themselves on a new radio flagship for the upcoming season.  News broke yesterday that Cumulus Media, the parent company of WLS, had filed motions in US Bankruptcy Court seeking to get out from under “a handful of extremely unprofitable contracts, including those with the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls.”  The Sox and Bulls issued a joint statement Friday, acknowledging they have worked with Cumulus “to find an amicable solution that would provide broadcast continuity to our fans, while addressing Cumulus’ financial issue” but have failed to come to an agreement.

The White Sox moved to WLS in 2016, signing a 6 year deal that took them away from the Score after 10 seasons.  Following that move, the Cubs, who spent one year on WBBM after 7 decades on WGN, moved down the dial to the Score.  Should the Sox find themselves looking for a new home, the options may be limited.  After losing the Cubs, WGN may want to get back in the baseball business, especially if they can get a good deal.  The only other option would appear to be a return to ESPN 1000, which the team left in 2005 following their World Series championship.

The decision from the bankruptcy count is due on February 1, leaving a little less than 2 months before opening day for the team to reach a new deal, if necessary.

by admin

Radio Nuggets

The White Sox announced that they have agreed to one-year contract extensions with Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson, keeping them in the radio booth next season as the team moves up the dial to WLS.  2016 will be Farmer’s 25th season in the booth, his 8th with Jackson as his color commentator.

Meanwhile, now that the Cubs season has come to an end, more rumors have started to leak regarding their move down the dial from WBBM to the Score, the former home of the White Sox.  The team had one opportunity to do so during this offseason, otherwise they would be stuck on WBBM for the remaining 6 years on their deal with CBS radio.  While this season was more successful than anyone could have imagined, the fit between the all-news station and the Cubs has been poor.  There were even reports of the station cutting away from one of the NLCS games mid-inning for a traffic report.  These issues should not occur on an all-sports station like the Score.

by jim

Moving Up The Dial

After months of speculation, word broke yesterday that the White Sox will be leaving their radio home since 2006, WSCR The Score, at the end of this season and will be moving up the dial to WLS.  The former Big 89, which beat out WGN along with The Score, are expected to sign a 6 year deal with the White Sox later this week.

No word yet on whether the current broadcast team of Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson will make the move.  Farmer followed the club from ESPN 1000 to The Score following the 2005 season, but will be 66 by opening day 2016.  Jackson, who turns 52 in August, is the young pup of the White Sox broadcast team.

Now that the first domino has fallen in the Chicago radio rights game, expect the next to come rather quickly.  CBS Radio, knowing that the Sox contact was due to expire, set up a clause in their Cubs deal that allows them to move those broadcasts to The Score from WBBM.  Given the poor fit that Cubs baseball has been on the all news station, I expect them to do so sooner rather than later.

by jim

Radio Musical Chairs

Last summer, the Cubs left their longtime radio home of WGN, signing a 7 year deal with CBS radio to move their games to WBBM starting this year.  Coincidentally, the White Sox radio deal expires after this season, and reports surfaced today that they are exploring options with 3 different radio stations: WGN, WLS, and their current home, The Score.

If the White Sox end up leaving the Score, their radio home since 2006, that might kick off another upheaval for the Cubs.  CBS Radio, owners of both WBBM and The Score, have the right to move the Cubs off of WBBM, their all news station and really a bad fit for baseball, to The Score should the White Sox leave.

So no matter what happens later this summer, there will be baseball on The Score next year.  Soon we shall learn where else.

 

by jim

You Can Catch It All On WG… Oh, Wait

Wrigley FieldAfter a 90 year relationship, and a 57 year consecutive run, word broke yesterday that the Cubs would be leaving their radio home on WGN after this season and will be moving up the dial to WBBM.  The current broadcast team of Pat Hughes and Ron (It’s Not A) Coomer are expected to make the move as well.  So, really, there should be no difference to anyone who is able to work a radio dial.

Which, based on some of the Internet reaction, may not be many Cub fans.  The main complaints seem to be 1) History! and 2) the lyrics to Go Cubs Go are now factually incorrect.  While the Cubs have been associated with WGN for 90 years, this isn’t their first foray to other stations.  Not to mention, by the time the new deal expires, it is just as likely that as many, if not more people will be listening via the MLB AtBat app or through an online stream.  The broadcast station will likely be irrelevant.

To the second point, the song also claims that the Cubs are going to win today, and that has been inaccurate more often than not in the 30 years since the song was released.