Twins heading back to WCCO

[Seth Stohs]

According to a Phil Miller article in the Strib, the Twins will be heading back to WCCO in 2018. 

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-radio-broadcasts-will-move-back-to-wcco-radio/458079313/

 

 

 

For the first 46 years of their existence, the Twins could always be found on WCCO radio. So in a sense, they’re going home.

The Twins and WCCO will reunite for the 2018 season and beyond, multiple sources have confirmed, after 11 seasons on other outlets. An announcement is expected as soon as Friday.

Twins games have been broadcast on Go96.3, an FM station owned by team owner Jim Pohlad and his family, since 2013.

 

[luckylager]

^{Yay, I can listen on my old-timey 1930's console radio again!}  The AM + the tube hum puts the game atmosphere in a whole other realm. That, plus Go96 is not good baseball habitat.  

[ashbury]

All is right with the world again.

[Craig Arko]

I need to get a build your own crystal radio kit.

[drjim]

Great news, I'll finally be able to listen to a Twins game in my house (in St. Paul).

[Twins33]

Great news, I'll finally be able to listen to a Twins game in my house (in St. Paul).

Seconded.

[amjgt]

Thank heavens... that 96.3 signal was atrocious.

[Old Twins Cap]

Why did this even happen, leaving WCCO?

 

It's been a disaster, especially the Pohlad station.  In rural areas, I just put my phone on MLB and go.

 

Sad.

 

[Benchwarmerjim]

 

Why did this even happen, leaving WCCO?

 

It's been a disaster, especially the Pohlad station.  In rural areas, I just put my phone on MLB and go.

 

Sad.

 

Because back in the 2000s CBS Radio (which owns CCO and other "hertiage" radio station around the country) decided they didnt want to pay for baseball anymore. Thats how you got The Cardinals leaving KMOX (but eventually going back)

[Halsey Hall]

So I wonder how I'll get them up here on the North Shore.  KDAL maybe will keep them, hopefully.

[jctwins]

Great news. Now if they could just introduce proper post-game coverage beyond the regular 30 minutes following the team broadcast I would be ecstatic.

[Sarah]

This is the best news since...well, since they left WCCO. 96.3 comes in fine for me but I remember having trouble getting 1500 at my house...grr. Glad we are done dealing with this! 

[Doomtints]

Lots of great memories of listening to the Twins on WCCO. It seemed wrong when they moved on.

[USAFChief]

The Twins belong on CCO. Good move.

[Vanimal46]

My grandmother (RIP) would be thrilled with this news. Is WCCO on Tune-In, iHeartRadio, or one of the many apps out there? 

[Doomtints]

 

My grandmother (RIP) would be thrilled with this news. Is WCCO on Tune-In, iHeartRadio, or one of the many apps out there? 

 

Radio.com ... but I would imagine the Twins games would be inaccessible on the stream.

[Jerr]

If, only Herb Carneal, could come back, too......and throw in Halsey Hall      

 

[twinssporto]

I can't believe this move would make me so happy but it does.  To second another posters comment, "all is right with the world now..."

[jctwins]

Yeah you won't be able to listen online.  You'll need the mlb radio app to do that. Or your Sirius app subscription if you have one.

[Doomtints]

50,000 watts, suckas!

 

http://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/theloudhouse/images/d/d2/50%2C000_Instagram_followers.gif

[Brock Beauchamp]

What I most care about is whether the stream is ****ty AM radio again. It shouldn't be but the tech on this kind of stuff is usually out of the box and quite a bit behind where it should be.

[Linus]

I like it. It makes me think of Herb Carneal and that is a very good thing. "Hello again everybody......"

[amjgt]

So I wonder how I'll get them up here on the North Shore. KDAL maybe will keep them, hopefully.

I wouldn't think much of the rest of the Treasure Island Radio Network would change.

[amjgt]

Anyone know what kind of dollars we are talking about annually?

 

I assume it's in the single-digit millions.

[Longdistancetwins]

Yeah, the memories of pulling in the clear channel WCCO in New Jersey in the 1970s. M y brothers were good enough to extend a wire antenna from our roof, so I could "listen to Herb," as they put it.  I still couldn't get the games until after 11 PM Eastern time when the local station signed off (just in time for the bullpen to blow a game!).  Much of the time I was just "interpreting static."  

[Blackjack]

This GREAT news!!!!!!!

 

Currently in West Central MN I can be listening to the Twins on a Friday night and the local station will suddenly cut over to local high school volleyball or basket ball!!!

 

Or I remember one time when I was camping out in western MN, listening to the Twins play an extra inning game against Toronto, middle of a big inning, an all of a sudden at 20 after the hour they cut off to a commercial!!! I I was so pissed that on Monday morning I called the station manager! He said he had no control, that nobody was at the station, that the signal comes out over the network.

 

This will be great, I can eliminate the 3-4 stations on my push buttons and just catch them on CCO, daytime or nighttime!

 

 

[boomerb5]

Baseball on FM just does not sound right. Also, 96.3 barely came in at home (next to Rosedale Mall). 

Now I will get to listen on my vintage Silvertone, or Philco, or Grundig console. 

If only they'd just replace Gladden with Atteberry (or literally anyone), my ears would be so happy. Dazzle still has no clue how to actually call a game. How anyone can follow what is actually happening during the middle innings befuddles me.

[Benchwarmerjim]

Its going to stink when the Wolves (currently on CCO) are in the NBA Finals and the Twins get sidled to some other channel.

 

[The Wise One]

 

Anyone know what kind of dollars we are talking about annually?

I assume it's in the single-digit millions.

From my understanding of how some of this works with radio I will present a wayward bit of information. In radio ad revenue is dependent on ratings. No ratings, no revenue.  The stations would have to hope that the ratings increase at the station would boost the station overall so all of their spots are worth more.  The upper limit is the to what baseball is worth is the Yankee deal worth between 15-20 million per year.  WFAN keeps the people who listen to the games throughout the day, the station makes money.  The Twins ratings locally must not be so good.  The Twins likely received very little money from th rights.  Broadcast revenues get shared, station profits go into the family pockets. They must not be making enough to make it worth their while. to continue.  I don't bet on things out of my control but I would bet money on Pohlads being the most interested in positive cash flow.

[D. Hocking]

 

I wouldn't think much of the rest of the Treasure Island Radio Network would change.

 

Yes - I think it has stayed on KDAL during all of the station changes..

 

This made me check my childhood Twins staion, WELY.   I was shocked to see they have a play list of artists like Nirvana and Bruce Springsteen and a FM frequency.   

 

Back in the day, it was like a mixture of a radio version of Red Green and a cable access show with a fair amount of polka.   I also saw no reference to polka anywhere on their webpage (or fishing).  It was rather unsettling - some things you think will always be there and never change.