Where will we be listening to the Twins next year?

[jokin]

I've been paying attention to this for obvious reasons. Here is my take, fwiw, which is not much.

 

 

As for KTWN, I thnk it is typically brilliant Pohlad maneuvering. They buy a station, try to operate it so it doesn't lose money, but a good chunk of its value comes as leverage for their radio contract. I'm sure the Twins will claim that it will be nice to have their own all-day coverage which they can control. (And I don't doubt they believe it. They very much like to control their message.) They also have established this Treasure Island Baseball Network, and they could build that out. Finally, if the Twins move to KTWN, they would develop an asset for the Pohlads. But I just can't believe they'll actually moving to a fairly small FM station.

 

So ultimately, I think they'll end up on KSTP again. They can't afford to let them go. (And I think the Twins know that, which is why they float this KTWN thing.) Somehow the ESPN partnership will help them out. But if KFAN really wanted to try and deliver a death blow, they could commit to go strong and get it and see if it knocks KSTP out of the sports radio biz.

 

(Actually, that's another good point for the Twins staying with KSTP. Going to KFAN might mean no real competition - other than KTWN - at the next round of negotiations.)

Nice analysis and demonstration of how the Pohlad's conduct business and play for keeps. "Fairly small FM station"? I only know of the station's existence when accidentally landing on it, their numbers are microscopic, I didn't even know the call letters until yesterday. From MNPost in May: "K-TWIN, which dumped hip-hop for a rock-based format and local morning show, sunk like a stone. In March, the station had to a 1.7 percent share of the total Twin Cities audience, down from a 4.1 a year earlier."

[DPJ]

It was 830 when you were little. They just went to ****ty 1500 a few years ago.

My mistake, but I get 1500 on the boat and nothing helps fishing like listening to Blackburn get yanked in the 3rd.

[GCTF]

Also, is it just me or are there some nights, during the game broadcast that 1500 appears to be dead air?

That's just Gladden with his homerun call.

[nicksaviking]

I still listen to KFAN, but only PA and Common attempt to give the Twins proper coverage, and one is rarely critical because he's got so many connections to the team, and the other is rarely positive because sarcasm is his bit.

 

Otherwise you get stuff like the Power Trip that gets hijacked by Cory Cove every day trying to make everyone think stuff that he doesn't care for is boring and pointless and the only league that matters is the NBA. Sorry John, but I'm still ticked off at that guy for spoiling the Olympic results yesterday morning without giving any spoiler alert warnings. He said it so smugly it was easy to tell he was enjoying ruining the broadcast later in the evening for anyone who was planning on watching.

[Rosterman]

I drive from St. Paul to White Bear and lose the game totally.

 

Also, not a lot of admiration for pre and post game showcases, on the whole. For any of his shortcomings, still liked Dark Star after a game.

 

Pohlad radio, pure leverage. The Twins Broadcast network...basically what the major TV stations do...we control the product and the advertising and maybe throw a few local biggets your way to keep you happy.

[John Bonnes]

Well, I'll stick up for my boys and PA too, and not just because I know them.

 

I've been a fan of P.A. & Dubay since literally their first week of replacing Jesse and I still like that show. I love that he loves sports and is unapologetic for it. I love that he loves the home teams (me too) and is unapologetic for it. And I don't have a problem with him being subjective provided he doesn't pretend to be objective, and he absolutely doesn't. And he knows a lot of sports several levels deeper than most. He's the closest thing to a sports geek in this market.

 

As for the Powertrip, I haven't always been an avid listener - for instance back when there was the whole Stomp The Star thing. They also don't pretend that they LOVE sports, or that's all they want to talk about (except maybe football. Lord, do all three of them love football.) So if I only wanted sports talk, they're probably not my choice. But they're entertaining way beyond sports and I can honestly say that the reason I go in there twice per week is because I can count on at least one good belly laugh, sometimes of the gross variety, and that's not something we middle-aged dads get to do very often. FWIW, they're the second rated morning show in the Twin Cities and within a couple of percentage points of KQ, last I heard.

[John Bonnes]

Also, about "do they know where their signal is strong or weak" I think the answer is yes, they hear about that. But it's complicated to fix. I get the sense that some radios work in a certain area and some don't, or that the signal can be affected by electrical interference on some roads but not on others. In general, I think the FM signal is stronger these days, which is one reason that KFAN switched. (The other reason is that a lot of people have FM only radios now.)

[BrentMpls]

On the subject of station quality, I think it can be broken down to the appeal of either personality or content, and if you are lucky enough to have both.

 

When it comes to KFAN, my opinion on the shows are:

 

Power Trip - Having a local show on before 9am is nice. Sludge lives up to his name and is hard to listen to, he is very negative and has tastes that don't mesh with mine in the slightest. Hearing about how 311 is better than the Beatles daily - need more be said? Chris I don't have a strong opinion on other than again, very different interests. Mike can have fun stories and in general is fun to listen to, I like him. I never go out of my way to turn this show on however, it just isn't that good. I remember in 2010 when the Twins were playing game 1 vs the Yanks in the post season they didn't mention the Twins ONCE during the entire show when they giggled about it at the end before sign off and said "oh yeah I guess the Twins are playing tonight" after spending hours blabbing about meaningless Vikings preseason minutia.

 

PA - Unlistenable. PA is all about promoting PA. Anything non-Vikings related discussed is most likely due to the partnership with FSN where they send Coom-Dog, Laudner or someone else over to endure him for a segment of Baseball. Judd and Phunn on the other dial however is probably the best sports show in town right now - two fairly normal guys having decent discussions. Nothing too in depth, but at least its something.

 

Common - Common can be a lot of fun, he points out the ridiculous nature of PA and Rosen and others, but in a way they are comfortable with of course. It isn't a sports show even when sports are discussed, but he does tend to break things down on a normal level rather than keep things pedestalized more often than not. The Dark Star segment was always fun for Twins talk, even if Dark was towing the line most obviously for them. Over on the other dial Reusse and Mackey will talk ball more than any other program but Reusse never offers any insight and is usually promoting an agenda. Mackey can sometimes have a fun topic, but more than often will bring up something obnoxious and beat it to death (Obsessed over bringing Punto back, "Mauer-haters" are morons, not focussing on anything other than one aspect of the topic, LeBron love overload, etc....). So it's a tough listen. Baseball will be there but it's not good hosts. Common might not break down last nights game but he can be entertaining at least.

 

Barreiro - See section on PA only add bad politics. I'll take Souch any day of the week over this.

 

Gleeman & the Geek is the only sports related content on KFAN that offers anything insight or fun discussion on baseball.

[Mike Sixel]

Well, we could not disagree more on the various personalities.....as for where the games are carried, I prefer a dedicated sports station, so we get good shows and discussions, especially pre and post game

[jctwins]

On the subject of station quality, I think it can be broken down to the appeal of either personality or content, and if you are lucky enough to have both.

 

When it comes to KFAN, my opinion on the shows are:

 

Power Trip - Having a local show on before 9am is nice. Sludge lives up to his name and is hard to listen to, he is very negative and has tastes that don't mesh with mine in the slightest. Hearing about how 311 is better than the Beatles daily - need more be said? Chris I don't have a strong opinion on other than again, very different interests. Mike can have fun stories and in general is fun to listen to, I like him. I never go out of my way to turn this show on however, it just isn't that good. I remember in 2010 when the Twins were playing game 1 vs the Yanks in the post season they didn't mention the Twins ONCE during the entire show when they giggled about it at the end before sign off and said "oh yeah I guess the Twins are playing tonight" after spending hours blabbing about meaningless Vikings preseason minutia.

 

PA - Unlistenable. PA is all about promoting PA. Anything non-Vikings related discussed is most likely due to the partnership with FSN where they send Coom-Dog, Laudner or someone else over to endure him for a segment of Baseball. Judd and Phunn on the other dial however is probably the best sports show in town right now - two fairly normal guys having decent discussions. Nothing too in depth, but at least its something.

 

Common - Common can be a lot of fun, he points out the ridiculous nature of PA and Rosen and others, but in a way they are comfortable with of course. It isn't a sports show even when sports are discussed, but he does tend to break things down on a normal level rather than keep things pedestalized more often than not. The Dark Star segment was always fun for Twins talk, even if Dark was towing the line most obviously for them. Over on the other dial Reusse and Mackey will talk ball more than any other program but Reusse never offers any insight and is usually promoting an agenda. Mackey can sometimes have a fun topic, but more than often will bring up something obnoxious and beat it to death (Obsessed over bringing Punto back, "Mauer-haters" are morons, not focussing on anything other than one aspect of the topic, LeBron love overload, etc....). So it's a tough listen. Baseball will be there but it's not good hosts. Common might not break down last nights game but he can be entertaining at least.

 

Barreiro - See section on PA only add bad politics. I'll take Souch any day of the week over this.

 

Gleeman & the Geek is the only sports related content on KFAN that offers anything insight or fun discussion on baseball.

Pretty much everything in this post is right. PA is awful, unlistenable, and any other adjective that means bad.

 

Common is the best thing going on radio today.

 

Power Trip is only OK when Rosey is on.

[TheLeviathan]

Pretty much everything in this post is right. PA is awful, unlistenable, and any other adjective that means bad.

 

Common is the best thing going on radio today.

 

Power Trip is only OK when Rosey is on.

This. PA isn't awful because he is a blatant homer - he's awful because he sounds like one of the radio guys on The Simpsons. Annoying sounders, obnoxious (borderline creepy at times) jokes, over-the-top catchphrases, and non-stop shallow opinions. The only time his show is tolerable is when Charch is adding expertise and normalcy to his otherwise streaming mass of stupidity.

 

The Power Trip couldn't name half the teams in baseball. All of Morris' takes boil down to "You know....that player....could be really good....if he, um.....plays good." Sadly, he's the most insightful, talented, and entertaining of the bunch. Their ratings are more a product of limited competition than actual entertainment value.

 

I like Bump, but Barreiro is better when he talks politics and social issues than sports. Personally, I like that. If it's all sports all the time you get 47 consecutive days of "will Dwight Howard" be traded. Eventually even sports can become nauseatingly repetitive if it isn't balanced out.

[Guest USAFChief]

I still think it was a mistake to take a few more dollars and leave 'CCO.

[John Bonnes]

I still think it was a mistake to take a few more dollars and leave 'CCO.

I would agree if it was just the money, but could WCCO cover the Twins the way KSTP does? I don't think so. WCCO was never going to be an all sports station and it's nowhere near the talk station giant it used to be. I'm not sure why - they certainly have the signal strength. But they seem a little lost. I'm not sure a talk station can be super-successful any more if it doesn't focus on either sports or politics (and it has to be either a left or right side of politics). So long as they don't embrace one of these, I'm not sure they can still succeed as the "community focused talk station" that they used to be.

 

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Gophers - both football and hockey/basketball - dropped them too.

[jctwins]

I would agree if it was just the money, but could WCCO cover the Twins the way KSTP does? I don't think so. WCCO was never going to be an all sports station and it's nowhere near the talk station giant it used to be. I'm not sure why - they certainly have the signal strength. But they seem a little lost. I'm not sure a talk station can be super-successful any more if it doesn't focus on either sports or politics (and it has to be either a left or right side of politics). So long as they don't embrace one of these, I'm not sure they can still succeed as the "community focused talk station" that they used to be.

 

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Gophers - both football and hockey/basketball - dropped them too.

As long as I have to listen to Soucheray bitch about stuff like flashlights and starting the lawn mower in the garage, 1500 will never be a sports station. WCCO could do the same thing they do in a heartbeat.

[ltwedt]

ANYTHING but AM1500!!!!!

[Guest USAFChief]

I would agree if it was just the money, but could WCCO cover the Twins the way KSTP does? I don't think so. WCCO was never going to be an all sports station and it's nowhere near the talk station giant it used to be. I'm not sure why - they certainly have the signal strength. But they seem a little lost. I'm not sure a talk station can be super-successful any more if it doesn't focus on either sports or politics (and it has to be either a left or right side of politics). So long as they don't embrace one of these, I'm not sure they can still succeed as the "community focused talk station" that they used to be.

 

I don't think it's a coincidence that the Gophers - both football and hockey/basketball - dropped them too.

Nothing says "major league" like a third rate AM station that can't be heard a few miles from the stadium.

[mrmpls]

Interesting.

 

As far as the All-Star game goes, they won't announce that until some time next year. I think it happens in the May time frame. They didn't announce the 2013 ASG until May 16th. Most people knew where it was going to be already. In the announcement for the 2013 game, they even mentioned that the 2014 ASG will most likely be held at Target Field.

Twins will wait till season ticket renewal date and use it as a lure for people to renew. its all about the $$$$

[snepp]

Nothing says "major league" like a third rate AM station that can't be heard a few miles from the stadium.

Pretty much.

 

 

We used to listen to the Twins on 830....in the very southwest corner of Minnesota.

[Mike Sixel]

I still think it was a mistake to take a few more dollars and leave 'CCO.

I like 1500 more, because the games are not interrupted for rain and hail reports from old people calling into the station. I really like to hear the game when the game is going on. Big plus for 1500.

[nokomismod]

I can't get KFAN up north on my boat so screw them, NTM no regulars on that stations know jack-sh*t about baseball.

 

Hope they stay with 1500, it's been that way since I was little and I ****ing hate change.

Man, I agree that KFan's hosts are horrible when it comes to baseball. I almost think it's on purpose to drive down the value of the Twins for the upcoming negotiations.

[nokomismod]

Barrero has some good guests and he gets some good discussions going. I do think he talks a ton of sh*t about pitch to contact and Mauer. He stills seems to have some complex about not being from Mn (just needs to get over that).

[Guest USAFChief]

Barrero has some good guests and he gets some good discussions going. I do think he talks a ton of sh*t about pitch to contact and Mauer. He stills seems to have some complex about not being from Mn (just needs to get over that).

I work a lot of night shift and have a 1.5 hr drive to work. I listen to Barreiro almost every day on the way (IHeartRadio is pretty neat), and I think he's one of the more entertaining and fascinating sports talk hosts I've ever heard.

[greengoblinrulz]

Never thought Souchery is a good lead in for Twins as the diehard sports fans waiting for the game turn him off.

Would think the Twins would want a more baseball themed show for the preceding couple hrs. Could that be a negotiating tool as Souch has really started to limit his hrs on station over past couple yrs.

[Darin Bratsch]

I miss the days of Twins games on 'CCO out here in WC Minnesota. It was easy to get them on the radio and they didn't fade out at night like now even with local radio stations on the network. GO back to WCCO!

[purplesoldier]

John, remember KQRS bid on the deal and really wanted in on the broadcast rights. In fact, if I remember correctly, KQ had the most lucrative offer.