Wow, KSTP 1500 to go all sports, take on KFAN!!

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That's a start, but there are no new personalities yet. Soucheray and Reusse, and a lot of ESPN. It would be nice to have a new, enthusiastic local sports fan on board (not necessarily a homer, but not a complete cynic, either).
 

Bye Bye KFAN!!

This is pretty good news for us sports junkies. Hopefully this station will be better at anything that KFAN does or says.

Amen.:clap:
 

It's going to take much better on-air talent to overtake KFAN. I don't see people switching from Dan Barriero to Joe Anderson. Joe seems like a good guy, but he's a sidekick at best. When he filled in as the host back in the day, it was boring. Do you think the likes of Reusse and Soucheray are going to attract new listeners, or convert former KFAN-ites? Not going to happen. They need new blood to get it done at KSTP.
 

Iceland12 said:
True. If this was in the works for awhile, which one would assume, why in the world would KFAN have went into the tirade against Gopherhole on if you believe the posts, both the Common AND Barrerio shows?

If explains Chad Abbott's sudden interest in people's opinions around here, but why do it in the first place? To set yourself up as a "take no prisoners" station? Doing that by "taking on" a free specialized Gopher site just seems well, odd at best.:confused:

Whatever happens, just think of the day when there's no longer any "KFAN" threads. :rockon:

Okay now cue the dipstick post:

"Yeah, but they'll be KSTP threads". :D
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Maybe it's just pants-crapping on the part of KFAN. With a competitor coming in, I could see how their thin skins would get even thinner. Lashing out at potential listeners isn't a rational strategy, but it's not all that uncommon.

They're feeling the heat of competition, and they don't like it one bit.
 


no matter how bad this new station is, i will listen to it just to spite KFAN.....yes, i have issues.
 

GopherRock said:
There are lots of stations in the Gopher Radio Network. However, getting people to listen to them who don't already listen to them is a different matter. Like it or not, the place that people are ingrained to listen to for Gopher stuff is WCCO.
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It might require adding more stations near the metro area. WCCO has a strong signal that goes a long way, if KSTP took over the Gophers games, it might leave some areas that are too far out to get KSTP, but too close in to get the other satellite stations.

Or maybe we could chip in to send Dave Lee to sportscaster camp. :D
 

This was great news. KFAN has been a sinking ship since several rounds of layoffs. I quit listening to Danny B after last week's meltdown, and now have a reason to never listen again.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Fat Pat may be a breath of fresh for me over KFAN. But it will be interesting to see if any of the KFAN personalities move over to 1500, or if Fat Pat is pushed out.

Glad Danny B didn't sign with 1500 when KFAN matched the offer (last year, or the year before?).
 

I'm happy mainly because some of those arrogant SOB's on KFAN may take a hit.

Not really expecting much at the start though. Ruesse is already stretching himself pretty thin (um, so to speak). He'll get on some bit and just beat it into the ground. Soucheray is even lazier. He's a former sportswriter who decided most sports were beneath him. If you think Dan B. is uniformed about Gopher sports wait until you get a load of Joe. If he has any interest at all in amateur sports, it stops with Cretin and St. Thomas.

Also, KSTP can't be heard too far east of the St. Croix River and there aren't too many stations out thataway wanting to pick up Gopher broadcasts for some reason.
 



RodentRampage said:
Maybe it's just pants-crapping on the part of KFAN. With a competitor coming in, I could see how their thin skins would get even thinner. Lashing out at potential listeners isn't a rational strategy, but it's not all that uncommon.

They're feeling the heat of competition, and they don't like it one bit.
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This isn't competition. This looks like the end of KFAN. Clear Channel isn't going to just sit back an laugh-off the continual marketshare loss.

And as a brand, KFAN is in no position to circle-the-wagons and become the real sportstalk station. And they are a log way from being able to brand themselves as the sports station that loves Minnesota (and are .... gasp ... "homers" :eek:) versus ESPN Radio and AM 1500's 100+ MLB games.

Clear Channel will probably just move all of the KTLK shows over to 1130. I have heard that station is struggling on FM, but would be a very viable AM format. 100.3 would probably go back to a Rock format to compete with the Citadel stations.

I predict Dan B. and Joe Anderson end up on 1500 at night (after 6PM and bookending Twins broadcasts).

Ultimately, I don't think this will mean much for the Gophers
 

Goldmember said:
This looks like the end of KFAN.
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You think that this is the end of KFAN? Why?

KSTP is not offering anything that new that will force KFAN to do anything differently. This won't even make the folks at KFAN raise an eyebrow.

KSTP will not have any local sports talk programming until NOON. "Mike and Mike" and "Colin Cowherd" will be non-factors here, going up against Bernard, Power Trip, WCCO Morning News, MPR, etc. Reusse was getting killed in the ratings in the morning, so why would they get any better in the midday? And, Barreiro was already beating Soucheray in the afternoon, so nothing changes there. Soucheray said yesterday he wasn't changing his Garage Logic program to all-sports, so that is a non-factor.

So, exactly how is this going to be the end of KFAN?

Some station could put a dent into KFAN's sports image, but this all-Reusse/all-Soucheray all-the-time certainly isn't going to do it. This looks to me like KSTP decided they were losing too much money so this was a good excuse to go cheap (syndication and let go your news staff and your other on-air folks go). They are now basically paying three on-air people instead of 7 or 8 and a news staff.

If someone is going to topple KFAN, they will need to go local throughout the day and talk serious X's and O's; get good sports guests, and get some play-by-play rights. Problem is all of that costs money and there is no money in the radio biz right now.
 

I agree with tjgopher. ESPN carries the NBA and MLB playoffs, but the NBA playoffs will be pre-empted by the Twins most of the time. ESPN also has the BCS radio rights.

I like the Herd vs PA, but the local content will carry the day in ratings, but I think KSTP's ratings will go up with the change from Prebyl & Murphy.

Common vs Reusse? I think Common wins big.

Barreiro is already beating Sooch

The only big changes will be the World Series and BCS on KSTP vs KFAN.
 

KSTP entering the market explains the recent PA Golden time of Day and new "KFAN loves the U" mantra. I knew something was up. I knew there was reason for the breakdown of the dichotomy. Now we know.

Almost expect KSTP to steal the U sports from CCO...bye bye Dave Lee.
 



Ski U Mah Gopher said:
I agree with tjgopher. ESPN carries the NBA and MLB playoffs, but the NBA playoffs will be pre-empted by the Twins most of the time. ESPN also has the BCS radio rights.

I like the Herd vs PA, but the local content will carry the day in ratings, but I think KSTP's ratings will go up with the change from Prebyl & Murphy.

Common vs Reusse? I think Common wins big.

Barreiro is already beating Sooch

The only big changes will be the World Series and BCS on KSTP vs KFAN.
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I agree that this is the beginning of the end of KFAN as the go-to local sports talk station. The KSTP program line-up that was announced yesterday will look substantially different at this time next year. KSTP will be constantly tweaking their programming and nibbling away at KFAN's sports audience. Eventually, KSTP will start luring away some of KFAN's on-air personalities because they will be willing to pay higher salaries than the notoriously cheap Clear Channel. KSTP will also take a run at the Vikings the next time their contract with KFAN expires.

For Gopher fans, I think KSTP will be a huge improvement over KFAN. The Hubbards are U of M supporters and will never allow their on-air staff to make a career out of ridiculing and and demeaning Gopher sports the way KFAN has been doing for years. Although Reusse's criticism of Brewster goes way over the top, at least Pat goes to games and makes some effort to inform himself about what's going on with the teams. Very few people at KFAN ever get anywhere near a Gopher's game of any kind.
 

tpbeight said:
It's going to take much better on-air talent to overtake KFAN. I don't see people switching from Dan Barriero to Joe Anderson. Joe seems like a good guy, but he's a sidekick at best. When he filled in as the host back in the day, it was boring. Do you think the likes of Reusse and Soucheray are going to attract new listeners, or convert former KFAN-ites? Not going to happen. They need new blood to get it done at KSTP.
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They should really go after Henry Lake. He has got great takes, knowledgable, passionate, takes callers, etc. H-Lake and Sludge had a great show together. Maybe KSTP goes after both Phil Mackey and H-Lake and put them up at 12-2 against Common. They would kill Common.
 


FireDaveLee said:
Stop this blasphemy, RIGHT NOW!!! :D

He's award winning! He wins awards!
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Does he win awards from the National Society against Quality Sports Broadcasting, for his work in degrading sports broadcasting? :D

If you don't actually listen to what he says, he sounds like a sports broadcaster. Actually, its more what he doesn't say. We should give him a checklist of things he might want to mention on the air. Little details like whether or not the pass was actually caught. How many yards the play gained. How many yards to go for a first down. Those are the sort of things that someone covering a 9-man high school game knows to mention. He skips over the most vital parts of covering a game. How many times have we been left guessing listening to games?
 

I think the demise of KFAN is highly unlikely. KFAN's ratings may take a hit, unless having a second station actually increases the audience for sports talk. But that doesn't mean that they would drop to the point where they would do better with a format change. I do think that the current format of both stations is likely to change as the result of competitive pressures.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
Eventually, KSTP will start luring away some of KFAN's on-air personalities
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UpnorthGo4 said:
The Hubbards are U of M supporters and will never allow their on-air staff to make a career out of ridiculing and and demeaning Gopher sports
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Well, which guys on KFAN will they lure to KSTP and then put a muzzle on them about Gophers sports?

I'll tell you right now, the best way for KSTP to win the all-sports battle is to create their own lineup with good personalities who KNOW THE GAME and actually talk sports. KFAN has some really good personalities, but very few actually know sports in detail. Do you think if you cold-called Barierro right now and asked him to name as many Gopher football players as he could that he'd get to double digits? No way. Could Barierro give you the Twins top pitching prospect? Not a chance. Could Common Man name the Tubby's starting five? Nope. Doesn't mean they are bad talk show hosts, just means they are technically not sports talk hosts. They are talk hosts. KSTP can tap into a market for diehard fans by creating their own unique SPORTS lineup. Unfortunately, what was announced yesterday does not. Soucheray is an average lay person when it comes to sports and openly admitted he wouldn't talk a lot of sports on his GL show.
 

There are other KFAN personalities besides PA, Common, and Barreiro.

If KSTP could get Corey Cove, Henry Lake, or Phil Mackey they would be doing themselves very well. These guys are all relatively young and still live and breath sports.

Phil Mackey is extremely knowledgable about the Twins.
 

tjgopher said:
Well, which guys on KFAN will they lure to KSTP and then put a muzzle on them about Gophers sports?

I'll tell you right now, the best way for KSTP to win the all-sports battle is to create their own lineup with good personalities who KNOW THE GAME and actually talk sports. KFAN has some really good personalities, but very few actually know sports in detail. Do you think if you cold-called Barierro right now and asked him to name as many Gopher football players as he could that he'd get to double digits? No way. Could Common Man name the Twins top pitching prospect? Nope. Doesn't mean they are bad talk show hosts, just means they are technically not sports talk hosts. They are talk hosts. KSTP can tap into a market for diehard fans by creating their own unique SPORTS lineup. Unfortunately, what was announced yesterday does not. Soucheray is an average lay person when it comes to sports and openly admitted he wouldn't talk a lot of sports on his GL show.
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Like I said in my first post, the program line up that KSTP announced yesterday will be substantially different within 12 months, maybe even 6 months. The Hubbards have never been hesitant to make personnel changes. They are in this for the long term and they are going to do whatever it takes to try to make this work. Don't downplay the ESPN connection as a significant asset for any sports talk station. I don't know who KSTP would consider hiring from KFAN. Maybe nobody. But if they do decide to go after someone they will have a good chance of getting them because they will be willing to pay more than Clear Channel ever will.
 

I am a Reusse detractor for many of his columns and opinions. However, I still think he can be a big upgrade over many of the personalities at KFAN. The difference is I think he actually likes sports. I think he attends more events and usually has some knowledge of what he is talking about. You don't get any of that from most of the KFAN crew.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I am a Reusse detractor for many of his columns and opinions. However, I still think he can be a big upgrade over many of the personalities at KFAN. The difference is I think he actually likes sports. I think he attends more events and usually has some knowledge of what he is talking about. You don't get any of that from most of the KFAN crew.
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Now the people complaining that "informed coverage, even if negative, is better than the uninformed coverage of KFAN" are going to get what they wish for. I don't think anyone can say Reusse isn't an informed local sports guy. Negative as he may be against T-Brew, he'll likely be a very 100x more knowledgeable about Gopher sports than the guys on KFAN.
 

RaT said:
They should really go after Henry Lake. He has got great takes, knowledgable, passionate, takes callers, etc. H-Lake and Sludge had a great show together. Maybe KSTP goes after both Phil Mackey and H-Lake and put them up at 12-2 against Common. They would kill Common.
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Lake and Mackey are both basketball guys and this is not a basketball state. I don't want to listen to 2 hoop-heads try to muddle their way through other sports during the spring & summer. I think they both have a niche, but i don't think anyone wants to hear them talk baseball or football.

I predict John Hanson from TC Live will get a show on the network at some point. He comes from a sports talk radio background.
 

tpbeight said:
Lake and Mackey are both basketball guys and this is not a basketball state. I don't want to listen to 2 hoop-heads try to muddle their way through other sports during the spring & summer. I think they both have a niche, but i don't think anyone wants to hear them talk baseball or football.

I predict John Hanson from TC Live will get a show on the network at some point. He comes from a sports talk radio background.
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What on earth are you talking about? I think he's a total d*uche, but Phil Mackey lives and breathes baseball, and probably knows more about it than 99.9% of the planet.
 

Actually, Minnesota is a pretty big basketball state. We just don't give a *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# about the NBA (Maybe because it's not actually basketball, but that's not for this conversation). HS and college basketball are very popular here. There's a market out there for discussion on those two levels.
 

dpodoll68 said:
What on earth are you talking about? I think he's a total d*uche, but Phil Mackey lives and breathes baseball, and probably knows more about it than 99.9% of the planet.
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I must have Mackey mixed up with someone else. Maybe Sludge.
 

tpbeight said:
It's going to take much better on-air talent to overtake KFAN. I don't see people switching from Dan Barriero to Joe Anderson. Joe seems like a good guy, but he's a sidekick at best. When he filled in as the host back in the day, it was boring. Do you think the likes of Reusse and Soucheray are going to attract new listeners, or convert former KFAN-ites? Not going to happen. They need new blood to get it done at KSTP.
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I think there's a real opening for KSTP against Barriero - all he talks is politics with the occasional sports thrown in. I long ago quit listening to him. How can they be K"FAN" when they don't talk sports? And I don't know what the Common Man talks about in his "stream of conscious" garbage... (yes, I used and elipsis - so sue me)
 

nc2mn said:
I think there's a real opening for KSTP against Barriero - all he talks is politics with the occasional sports thrown in. I long ago quit listening to him. How can they be K"FAN" when they don't talk sports? And I don't know what the Common Man talks about in his "stream of conscious" garbage... (yes, I used and elipsis - so sue me)
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The problem with KSTP is that Sooch doesn't like to talk sports either.
 

tjgopher said:
You think that this is the end of KFAN? Why?

KSTP is not offering anything that new that will force KFAN to do anything differently. This won't even make the folks at KFAN raise an eyebrow.
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Really? No one at KFAN will notice another sports station in the market?:rolleyes:

KFAN will probably fall <2.0 share this Spring/Summer when the state starts following the Twins again. This was the same number that caused panic at KSTP in November-December. The question is wheather Clear Channel will pull the plug on the format or wait to see what happens next Fall when the public tunes-out the Twins in favor of football season and Favre-mania.

And as much as some Gopherholers may dislike Pat Reusse, his morning show shattered expectations. Over the summer his show beat KFAN's in KFAN's demographic. By all accounts, Pat has beat all expectations KSTP had for the show. There are a couple of big things that haven't worked for KSTP, but Reusse isn't one of them.

Where this will cause marketshare erosion for KFAN is that Prebil & Murphy and Kelly Webb (which have absolutely destroyed Soucheray's ratings) are being replaced by ESPN Radio. And this is happening on the station that already has Twins fans tuned-in. Reusse is to Twins fans what PA is to Vikings fans -- and he is the perfect lead-in to Soucheray.

UpNorth is right too. 1500 will make other moves to bend their format towards sports. Based on the fall-off in ratings they experienced after the Twins season ended, I would bet they are taking a hard look at getting broadcast rights to a winter sport. Hockey seems perfect for them.
 

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