Category Archives: Athletics

04.19.11
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Isaac and Suke to take ballpark issue on today

Listening to the end of the Monty show, Isaac and Suke came on to tease that they were going to talak ballpark during some part of their 10-1 slot. Monty weighed as an Oakland-backer, saying that the team won’t be the same. Isaac talked about the difficult choices to be made about revenue for the future. Should be interesting, coming up.

Update 10:50 – Awesome call Jeffrey. BTW, still no Victory Court EIR.

Update 11:40 – I’ve liked the discussion so far. Isaac and Suke admittedly don’t know everything about the subject, but they’re giving everyone a shot to give their two cents. If they have people going with the crazy talk on the station’s Facebook page like “These guys are being paid by Wolff” they’re covering it well. It’s not an easy topic to cover and people tend to act more from emotion than pragmatism. Also – good call about the impact of redevelopment. It’s the lengthiest discussion on the radio about the A’s stadium issue ever, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Also, thanks for the plugs callers.

04.17.11
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San Jose City Council Session 4/28 Agenda

An agenda for the April 28 (9-12 AM) City Council Special Session was posted recently (PDF) at the City of San Jose website. The relevant stuff:

Note one of the focus items: HP Pavilion. Undoubtedly, the City and the Arena Authority are looking at what’s transpiring in both Sacramento and Anaheim and they’re using that information as a guide for a future NBA team pursuit, if/when the opportunity arises. Honda Center has more square footage than HP Pavilion due to having three concourses, but its footprint is slightly smaller than HP Pavilion (though there’s more room to expand in Anaheim). Should Anaheim get the green light for the Kings/Royals, the cost baseline will be set by the final, league-approved agreement between the team and arena operator.

Beyond that, the City Council is looking to approve the Draft Diridon Station Area Plan. The most recent version was released this month, so if you’re interested in the vision it’s worth a look. Keep in mind that this new transit hub vision isn’t going to get built until at least after the end of the next presidential term. With that in mind, the discussion is expected to be long-range, though there may also be some mention of the impacts of federal transportation funding cutbacks and $4-per-gallon gas.

There are a ton of interesting details in the plan, which if approved would be subject to a lengthy CEQA review.

  • The six-block area between the ballpark site and arena has a 130′ building height limit. That would make it higher than both the arena’s roof and probably higher than the light standards at the ballpark. The area remains small, but having 10-story buildings could make up for that somewhat. All of the development there would be commercial in nature.
  • The Central Zone, which includes the ballpark site and the six blocks between the ballpark and arena, would be slated for up to 140,000 square feet of retail, 1.14 million square feet of office space, 250 hotel rooms, and 920 spaces (all in garages).
  • Montgomery Street is the designated retail corridor and would be closed off to vehicular traffic for special events. Those scenes on Autumn Street outside HP Pavilion during Sharks games? They’ll be moved to Montgomery.
  • The only new venue-specific parking would be the garage north of HP Pavilion that was approved by the City last year. Additional mixed-use parking may be available should new office development occur in the industrial areas north and west of the arena. Total parking for both: 6,832 spaces, almost all of them in garages.
  • Residential development would be confined to the Southern Zone, south of Park Avenue.

It’s probable that much of this stuff won’t get built. The EIR process may dictate lower building heights, and the market for office space and retail may not warrant extensive building even a decade from now. Changes to the redevelopment may curb the scope of development in the area. Even so, city and community have been shaping this for the last three years and if San Jose is going to be less car-centric city, this is a huge step forward. That’s the point of defining a vision.

04.15.11
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The future of radio on 95.7

First, a couple of select quotes from around the industry. From the legendary Ben Fong-Torres:

“The A’s deserve a terrific radio signal to be on,” said Dwight Walker, VP and market manager for Entercom/SF. Weak reception “has diminished their exposure in the past.” He said “The Wolf” and baseball broadcasts are a good fit. “Baseball is the national pastime, and there’s no better place to put that than with America’s original music form, country.”

Before the A’s finalized their deal with KBWF, they needed a local station to air the Giants series and called on KFRC. “They needed the favor and we were happy to do it,” said Doug Harvill, Senior VP/market manager at CBS Radio.

KTRB is carrying on with a barebones staff and, now, without the A’s and Dito’s “Press Box,” which ended Friday. “We’re still programming the station,” said Barr, whose syndicated Sports Byline stable of talk shows fills many hours each day. “The station’s still in play. The A’s could still buy it. Maybe Entercom (which also owns KUFX, “KFOX,” which carries San Jose Sharks games) buys KTRB and puts the Sharks and the A’s on it.”

Next up, Inside Radio suggests that some of the programming could be provided by Sporting News Radio.

(Entercom) is looking to leverage a lot of the lessons it’s learned in Boston where sports WEEI (850) has been a dominant station for many years. WEEI VP of programming Jason Wolfe is working with consultant Rick Scott to develop the new San Francisco station’s line-up. They’ll also use network shows from Sporting News Radio.

My guess is that SNR will be used for the late night/overnight hours and weekends. It’s relatively cheap and a step up professionally from Sports Byline.

As mentioned as an update to the previous post, Sacramento’s Rob, Arnie and Sports Show will fill the 4-6 PM block. That’s important, because a lot of the time that programming will be preempted by A’s pre and postgame, plus games on the East Coast. This applies for the Sharks too. It’s a big deal because there won’t be a local host whose ego could be bruised by constant preemption, a la Damon Bruce.

The rest of the regular weekday lineup is up in the air. Surely some of the talent from Sports Byline wants in, especially Roxy Bernstein. Former KNBR host Larry Krueger, who is currently on Sirius satellite radio, might want a shot. I’m curious to see what Chris Townsend’s regular slot will be.

One thing we might see: one of the current local sports anchors on with a regular co-hosting gig. Here’s a list of current anchors on OTA and cable (CSN):

  • Larry Beil
  • Mike Shumann
  • Dennis O’Donnell
  • Kim Coyle
  • Raj Mathai
  • Laurence Scott
  • Mark Ibanez
  • Fred Inglis
  • Joe Fonzi
  • Greg Papa
  • Jim Kozimor
  • Mychael Urban

There’s also the possibility that some KNBR guys could jump ship such as Gary Radnich, who I believe is under contract at the moment. AN regulars have been calling into the Townsend’s show today. I could see AN radio as a weekly hour if it’s be done right. One thing you probably won’t hear: new A’s ballpark radio. I’m pretty sure that would be the most boring thing ever to disgrace the airwaves.

One side benefit of moving to FM is the availability of HD radio. Until now, the HD1 channel has carried the regular analog signal while HD2 had a Classic Country format. HD1 retains the normal FM feed. Anyone out there with a HD radio who can tell me what’s happening with the HD2 channel? Entercom could keep this as is or deploy different programming if they choose.

I’m geeking out right now. And on tax day, no less!

04.15.11
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KBWF becomes Sports Radio 95.7

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The new KBWF homepage

So, how do you like ‘dem apples?

Entercom switched KBWF‘s format from country to sports radio today, though the station is only playing loops of clips and sports-related rock right now. The Sharks will come along for the ride, though it is unknown if the Sharks broadcasts will switch over from sister station KUFX starting tomorrow, or if there will be a simulcast for the time being. Either way, this is FANTASTIC news for the A’s and anyone who wants an alternative to KNBR. It’s pretty horrible for the country programming folks with the old format, though that’s the way the business works. This will also allow KUFX to hone on expanding its excellent ratings in the South Bay to the Greater Bay Area. It’d be a good idea for Entercom to figure out a way to strengthen signal south of San Jose, as that’s a weak spot for KBWF right now.

Update: Relevant links:

It’ll be interesting to see what other content is brought in. Entercom’s biggest sports property is WEEI in Boston, which like KNBR is an ESPN-affiliated (but not operated) station. I would not be surprised if some of the WEEI talent came to SF as part of the transition. Unlike former KTRB parent Pappas, Entercom has the resources and reach to take Cumulus’s KNBR head on. They also have the enough inherent corporate bureaucracy to make running a station serious drudgery if they want. I’m looking forward to it.

More from Susan Slusser at The Drumbeat:

If this station picks up Stanford and if the A’s ever get permission to move to San Jose, Entercom might have positioned itself well as a South Bay alternative to KNBR. In addition, the A’s and Sharks have fan bases that feel particularly under-served by KNBR, so that gives 95.7 FM some hungry listeners from the get-go.

Walker tells me that listener studies show that 80 percent of those who listen to the radio stay on the FM side and never switch over to AM at all. He and Entercom believe there are plenty of sports fans in general who are listening to FM radio and who are currently under-served. SportsRadio 95.7 FM is calling itself the biggest large-market all-sports station in the country.

“We’ll be talking A’s and Sharks, two winning franchises that aren’t getting as much attention as they could,” he said. “But we’ll also be talking Warriors, Giants, Earthquakes, SaberCats.”

One other observation. To Ken Pries, Ken Korach and Lew Wolff: This is a damned good Plan B. Stations that switch to sports radio tend to be stable there as the content is cheap and limitless. Well played.

Update 2:10 PM – The first programming announcement is the addition of KCTC-AM afternoon drivetime show “The Rob, Arnie & Sports Show” to the 4-6 PM weekday block. KCTC, an ESPN affiliate, is owned by Entercom.

04.15.11
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Phil Taylor on Mr. T & Byrnes show

New KNBR host Eric Byrnes filled in for Ralph Barbieri on the blowtorch’s afternoon drivetime show on Thursday. Byrnes and Tom Tolbert interviewed SI’s Phil Taylor, who is writing a feature for the magazine on how difficult it is to be an A’s fan amidst the Giants’ recent success (sounds like a must-read). The interview can be found here (MP3). The arguments coming from the three participants are familiar, and rather than selectively quoting them I suggest that you listen to the whole thing and then come back here and comment if you feel like it. The best comments will be excerpted and placed in this post.

04.14.11
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Waiting for the Victory Court EIR

Yesterday I sent an email to Oakland CEDA Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning, Eric Angstadt, asking for an update on the Victory Court Draft EIR. Angstadt has been the point man for the project. So far I haven’t received a response. Now it’s nice that we’ve got the regular season going to get our minds and eyes focused on the field instead of off, but someone had to ask. It’s the middle of April and there’s no word on when it’ll be released. Hopefully it’ll be soon. I’m dying to look at it, and I’m sure that pro-Oaklanders want something – anything – to help keep the December momentum going.

If you’re interested, click the link above and send in a request.

04.06.11
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Bloomberg profile on Wolff

Update 12:50 PM – Several items have been added to the end of the post.

Last, Bloomberg’s Nadja Brandt put up a profile of Lew Wolff in which he indicates that his LA-based real estate firm, Maritz Wolff, is looking to sell up to $1.8 Billion in various luxury hotel properties by 2015. There’s one interesting takeway.

  • Wolff helped keep the St. Louis Blues in town when they threatened to move in the late 80’s. He and partner Philip Maritz were part of a large business consortium that built a new arena, now known as Scottrade Center, which kept the Blues in St. Louis.

That doesn’t mean the comparisons to Wally Haas should start. But it does show that Wolff has had crucial experience in this realm that stretches way back. Coincidentally, that consortium, Clark Enterprises, ran the Blues and arena at a significant loss for several years before eventually selling the team to Bill Laurie.

Both San Jose and Oakland partisans will be fixated on a couple other takeaways. Chief among them is this easily misinterpreted quote:

“I have no emotional ties to any property,” Wolff said. “They are inanimate objects. That’s the only way we can be fair to our long-term investors who trust us to do what’s best.”

In the ongoing effort to demonize Wolff, his detractors will seize upon that as a sign that Wolff is a cold, emotionless moneygrubber. The Blues experience would seem to belie that. Wolff is neither saint nor devil. He’s laying out his vision for what he thinks is the best path forward for the A’s. Unless someone steps in to buy the team from Wolff and Fisher with a mindblowing offer, that vision is going to be seen through. Which leads me to this:

“Where it may make sense to sell is if you’re in a gateway city with a trophy hotel that doesn’t need significant capital expenditures,” he said. “Bidding for those has been crazy.”

Extend Wolff’s contrarian real estate investment philosophy to owning a team, and it would appear that Wolff intends to hold on until his vision, a new ballpark, is achieved. There’s no bigger capital investment for a sports franchise than building your own stadium. After that, who knows?

Also, it’s a bit much to think that these hotel sales will suddenly mean hundreds of millions will get plowed into a ballpark. That’s not how it works. A ballpark will be financed just like every other ballpark because no one invests cash in a stadium these days and it’s crazy not to take advantage of low interest rates.

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In other news, Evan Weiner has a good overview of the history of territorial rights and franchise moves.

The SNY (Mets) and YES (Yankees) networks are under pressure to renew carriage deals with satellite providers Dish and DirecTV.

A vigil will be held tonight in LA for Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who was beaten outside Dodger Stadium after last Thursday’s Opening Day game. The Giants will dedicate their Friday opener to Stow. The reward for his assailants’ arrest has been upped to $100,000. Stow is a 42-year old Santa Cruz paramedic and father of two.

If you haven’t read it yet, read Josh Koehn’s feature for Metro from last week. It’s about San Jose’s efforts thus far, and when coupled with Robert Gammon’s 2006 Fremont-oriented piece for the East Bay Express, should bring anyone with a passing interest up-to-date.

Oakland City Attorney John Russo appears to be on his way to becoming the next Alameda City Manager.

Cuts to Caltrain service will not be as bad as once feared, though the Giants and some secondary stations are getting the brunt of it.

  • Weekday service will be slashed from 88 daily trains to 76.
  • Special service, such as Giants pre and postgame trains, will be cut.
  • Four lightly used stations will be closed on the weekdays, several more will be closed on the weekends.
  • Fares will rise 25 cents.

It could have been much worse.

03.31.11
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A’s sign 4-year radio deal with KBWF-FM 95.7 “The Wolf”

The A’s press release is available now.

For some part of the next four years, A’s games will be broadcast on 95.7, KBWF-FM, a.k.a. “The Wolf.” It’s a country station, broadcasting with a Class B license atop San Bruno Mountain at 6,900 watts. The coverage map from radio-locator looks like this:

While 6,900 watts is not the most powerful of signals, KBWF is augmented by a 186 W (that’s right) repeater near Mt. Diablo, which is meant to help the station’s coverage in Contra Costa County. The FCC’s service contour map can be found here, though it should be pointed out that the single line in that map reflects the same coverage as the red line in the map above.

Perhaps the biggest and most unknown takeaway of all of this is the fact that the deal was with Entercom, the radio giant that owns Sharks broadcaster KUFX. Entercom isn’t looking to sell individual stations, so the chance that it might unload one of its properties to a non-radio entity like the A’s is slim. It’s unclear what this means for KTRB. The A’s press release makes no mention of Comerica Bank-owned station. If this was yet another hardball tactic in ongoing negotiations, it may push the bank to take a less hard line stance. As for KTRB, the A’s pursuit of the station is over according to Susan Slusser. Via SuSlu’s Twitter feed:

The #Athletics pursuit of 860 AM is at an end. They offered more than double what it was worth and had signed letter of intent to buy.

#Athletics VP Ken Pries on the receiver’s motives for terminating team broadcasts: “You can speculate. Leverage? Up the offer? Hardball?”

If the receiver for 860 AM was trying to play hardball, she lost big-time. Only the #Athletics had incentive to overpay for troubled station

Pries says the team will now try to find affiliate in Monterey area with demise of 860 AM. #athletics

That last tweet is for Bleacher Dave. If the A’s simply thought the price was too high, it’s possible that KTRB’s existence as the other sports radio station in the Bay Area will be short-lived, as whomever buys the station will surely go with a different format.

We can’t end this without a joke, this one from Ken Arneson:

So I’m assuming that the A’s new radio station “95.7 The Wolf” will soon change its name to “The Wolff”?

It’s a sad day for the many of us who wanted an alternative to the KNBR hegemony. At least the A’s have a broadcast deal going forward. How long this one lasts… well, we wouldn’t be A’s fans if we knew.

P.S. – Wherever you are in the Bay Area, please turn on KBWF and let us know how the coverage sounds. The signal is constant day and night, so it should not be affected by the transmission power rules that plagued previous stations.

P.P.S. – Pre and postgame coverage will remain as is with Chris Townsend doing the honors (he is employed by the A’s). Over the last couple of months, KBWF has garnered a 1.1 rating, good for 26th in the San Francisco market (#4 nationwide) and just above rival country station KRTY, which pulled in a 1.0. In the San Jose market (#34), KRTY gets a 3.1 while KBWF (13th) pulls in 0.7 (30th).

03.28.11
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Radio update and other news for 3/28/11

The weekend came and went with no movement on the KTRB front. Strangely, the Bay Bridge Series will be broadcast on former flagship KFRC-1550 AM. Why? I don’t know, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to have a Plan B. Still holding out for a final resolution, which Rick Tittle suggests could be coming today. Time for a poll.

The Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick wrote what amounts to a eulogy for the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. Worth reading.

In related news, details are emerging about the deal that will bring the Kings to Anaheim. Not included in the $75 million relocation cost are the payment terms of existing debt the Maloofs have with the Kings.

The Maloofs inherited the terms of a $70 million loan from the previous Kings owner when they bought the team, and there’s a reported $67 million left on the loan, which also stipulates a prepayment penalty of $9 million.

That $76 million would have to be paid in full if the Kings relocate or else the Maloofs would lose their arena and the City of Sacramento would acquire a $25 million stake in the team.

Wondering how the 2022 World Cup in Qatar can occur in the hot desert with no domed stadia? Try artificial clouds.

That thing hovering over the stadium? That's a cloud.

Attendance at the Cactus League is down, leading me to believe that it’s oversaturated. From USA Today’s Bob Nightengale:

The Cactus League has essentially been divided into the haves and have-nots, with nine of the 15 teams located on the economically troubled west side of Phoenix. Instead, fans in Arizona are choosing to watch games on the Valley’s east side, where the San Francisco Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Cubs are responsible for more than one-third of the Cactus League’s draw.

AEG chose Gensler to be the lead architect on the downtown LA football stadium, if it happens.

gojohn10 is promoting a worthwhile fundraiser event.

Please join me in supporting Children’s Hospital Oakland by attending an A’s game. I am organizing a fundraiser for the Aug 13th game vs Texas. This is Ray Fosse Bobblehead day and will likely be an important game that will propel the A’s toward the AL West Crown. Tickets are in the Plaza level and are $20 (regularly $24). $8 from every sale gets donated toward the hospital.

If you are unable to attend the game, please consider purchasing a ticket or two anyhow, and donating them. We will be working with various departments in the hospital to identify patient families in need and we will donate as many tickets as possible so that the kids and their families can be present at the game too!

Tickets sales have to go through us and are on sale at the hospital. Since this is inconvenient for most of you, I can purchase the tickets for you if you paypal me. For more information contact me at the email I’ve set up for the event: ballgame@mail.cho.org.

P.S.
I want to sell as many tickets as possible so I am willing to split up the seating so pro-Oaklanders and pro-SJers can enjoy the game in peace 😉

Thanks,
John

More on the radio situation as it happens.

Update 4:00 PM – Rich Lieberman has the latest. Have the A’s walked away from the table? Is it like going to a car dealership and getting up to leave as a negotiating tactic? We’ll see.

03.25.11
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KTRB broadcast deal in jeopardy

Apparently, playing hardball extends to the board room when you’re the A’s. They started the offseason haggling with Hisashi Iwakuma, now they end it haggling over a radio station. BANG’s Joe Stiglich reports tonight that the A’s and Comerica Bank are still duking it out over the final price to buy KTRB. The bank, which owns the station as part of bankruptcy and receivership proceedings, may be pulling A’s broadcasts off the air as a negotiating tactic.

According to the source, the receiver is looking for a higher bid than the A’s are willing to offer, and might be threatening to pull games off the air as leverage.

But it’s also possible that one of the sides budges and a compromise is struck to continue airing games before next Friday’s opener.

I was afraid that this would hold up the sale. Lew Wolff and Ken Pries have a week to prevent this from being a disaster. Do the right thing. Git er done.