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No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:24 am
by TC Talks
Currently, Traverse City has no sports outlet. Tigers, Lions, and I think Michigan can be heard on 93.7 Cadillac, and Bob FM runs high school football (as WTCM dropped that).

How does the economics work for sports talk given the success attracting men is larger markets? Are these team feeds 100% barter?

Do we just not care about sports in smaller markets?

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:45 am
by Ben Zonia
I heard that WCCW 1310 planned to run Sports PBP if they can get a translator. For now, they are obtaining an extension of their STA for 3250/1875 watts. The CP calls for 15000 watts Day and 0 watts Night nondirectional. As current rules only would allow something like 12 watts Night nondirectional to protect WIBA Madison, without a short efficient design Night antenna site in Downtown Traverse City, that wouldn't work.

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 3:07 pm
by TC Talks
An AM daytimer? That seems valuable. No night games then eh?

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:48 pm
by Ben Zonia
TC Talks wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2023 3:07 pm
An AM daytimer? That seems valuable. No night games then eh?
That is likely why they reportedly want an FM translator. Also, they are extending the STA, which is for 1875 watts nondirectional Night, which is a lot better than 12 watts. Their blanket PSSA was 31 watts in the 1980s, but they didn't license it. Now the FCC recalculated the power permissible for PSSA Night power, the new calculation is for about 12 watts nondirectional.

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2023 7:02 pm
by Mega Hertz
Who really wants to waste time broadcasting the garbage teams down here? Who in TC wants to hear the Pistons lose 115-94 59 times a year? Or the Tigers? Or Red Wings?

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:07 pm
by TC Talks
Mega Hertz wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2023 7:02 pm
Who really wants to waste time broadcasting the garbage teams down here? Who in TC wants to hear the Pistons lose 115-94 59 times a year? Or the Tigers? Or Red Wings?
We are actually closer to Green Bay than Detroit.

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:10 pm
by Mega Hertz
TC Talks wrote:
Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:07 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2023 7:02 pm
Who really wants to waste time broadcasting the garbage teams down here? Who in TC wants to hear the Pistons lose 115-94 59 times a year? Or the Tigers? Or Red Wings?
We are actually closer to Green Bay than Detroit.
I figured as much, and was going to mention the Packers, but the OP was Detroit teams. There's nothing there.

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:20 pm
by Ben Zonia
TC Talks wrote:
Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:07 pm
We are actually closer to Green Bay than Detroit.
But unless you fly, ferry, or otherwise boat across Lake Michigan, you're closer to Detroit.

Judging from the number of "Friday Night Lights" illegal AM operations, they probably would sell out all the local and area Sports PBP. Many AM stations were running Day power for the duration of games, because otherwise, the advertisers wouldn't buy. The 1875 watt engineering STA Night and an FM translator would help with that. WCCW 1310 actually did have a decent signal with 15/7.5 DA-2.

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 6:51 pm
by Matt
Ben Zonia wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:45 am
I heard that WCCW 1310 planned to run Sports PBP if they can get a translator. For now, they are obtaining an extension of their STA for 3250/1875 watts. The CP calls for 15000 watts Day and 0 watts Night nondirectional. As current rules only would allow something like 12 watts Night nondirectional to protect WIBA Madison, without a short efficient design Night antenna site in Downtown Traverse City, that wouldn't work.
Would you say that when it comes to sports - "TC Shuts Up"?

Re: No Sports in Traverse City

Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 8:28 pm
by Mega Hertz
Matt wrote:
Thu Sep 28, 2023 6:51 pm
Ben Zonia wrote:
Wed Sep 27, 2023 10:45 am
I heard that WCCW 1310 planned to run Sports PBP if they can get a translator. For now, they are obtaining an extension of their STA for 3250/1875 watts. The CP calls for 15000 watts Day and 0 watts Night nondirectional. As current rules only would allow something like 12 watts Night nondirectional to protect WIBA Madison, without a short efficient design Night antenna site in Downtown Traverse City, that wouldn't work.
Would you say that when it comes to sports - "TC Shuts Up"?
Remember "Dr. Sheldon Cooper"? Something about all this rings familiar.