Audacy is Killing the MLB Radio Experience

[Thiéres Rabelo]

I'm all for improvements in the service and cutting down on ads, but I don't think the current service is a "scam". Quite the opposite, actually. Living outside the US, it is the only way we can listen to radio broadcasts of the games and I listen to every game in it. I think each user might be experiencing it differently. For instance, I've never experienced any of the problems you listed. Luckily for me, listening to the games on the MLB site or the At-Bat app has always been great.

[BuxtonBonanza]

Thank you for writing this! I thought I was taking crazy pills listening to MLB Radio this spring and having major ad bleed into innings (1/2 an inning lost or more at a time). I sometimes skip between audio feeds since they are synched up differently but this is a ridiculous way to be in 2023. Hopefully if enough people and newspapers complain it will cause change?

[Dave Borton]

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Extremely delayed live broadcasts, overly loud betting ads, and more are taking away an essential form of baseball consumption...

I have experienced the same delays. I listen with GameDay up on one tab and the broadcast on another. The delay is always at least one batter behind.

Ads are so loud I silence them as they are much, much too loud. And betting ads? Enough already. MLB is not taking the long view on taking money from gambling ad revenue. This is going to end up biting MLB right in the butt. Short term gain for inevitable long term scandal.

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Both Audacy and MLB did not respond for request to comment ... In a story on GeekWire, MLB responded by noting, “Due to technological limitations in the digital space, latency of the feeds is unavoidable.

That is pure non-sense. The technology is there. Fix it. Good grief.

Thanks for the timely article,
A radio baseball listener for 70+ years.

[Monkeypaws]

2023: A Baseball Audacy.

[Eephus]

the delay is strange and the repetition of the ads is also bad. I must have heard the Scott's turf builder ad 20 times in one game a couple of weeks ago. Almost as bad as the Guaranteed Offer billboards only in your ear.

[Jocko87]

Comments to this post brought to you by the Audacy delay. 

[theBOMisthebomb]

While I can certainly understand the frustration with technical issues and would ask for a credit or refund if I were in your situation, I have to wonder if there isn't room to gain some perspective. If you are that deeply engrossed in an April matchup between the Mariners and Cubs, possibly it's time to reevaluate priorities. I'm not trying to be judgmental, just making a suggestion. It's okay to miss an occasional play, or even miss an entire game. 

[jmlease1]

Is there a reason this post has been at the top of the website for like 3 days?

[lecroy24fan]

I'm not sure why but when I listen on the Audacy app or MLB.TV I'm not getting these national ads other than the Snoop Dogg one. But it's the same ads every break. I get the same ads that are played on the radio. And none of them are loud. 

 

However Bally Sports North is now over a minute behind radio and close to 1:30 behind twitter.

[Peter Labuza]

A partnership with Audacy is slowly destroying the radio experience across baseball everywhere.

When first introduced in 2002, MLB TV became a revolutionary way for baseball fans to follow teams outside of their home market. Fans across the United States could tune into almost any game broadcast—sans blackouts—and enjoy the teams that mattered to us most. For some, the TV part is what matters. For others, MLB TV also comes with rights to every game on radio. The radio is an essential piece of the deal—whether it’s for listening at work, on the road, or in spaces where you might not be able to carry an AM radio. (Additionally, those of us who might want to avoid John Smoltz’s playoff commentary can switch over to local broadcasters). 

But now a second year into operating for all 162 games + playoffs with the audio streaming company Audacy, MLB is allowing the company to destroy the product. Extremely delayed live broadcasts, overly loud betting ads, and more are taking away an essential form of baseball consumption. And as MLB contemplates a different form of television consumption, it is time they seriously invest in radio. 

Both Audacy and MLB did not respond for request to comment on this story. In a story on GeekWire, MLB responded by noting, “Due to technological limitations in the digital space, latency of the feeds is unavoidable. We have had success working with our partner to reduce the latency times and we will continue to work on further improvements.”

Audacy’s “disruption” into MLB radio is to replace the game’s local ads. So rather than get Sheboygan Sausage ads with Byron Buxton, I will get ads for local Honda dealers in Southern California. However, these ads often start before the inning is over and last long into the next inning. I will often get updates on my phone about the new score of the game minutes before the radio broadcast returns. (Additionally, these ads come over streaming — meaning they do not apply to the CALM Act that limits the volume of ads).

I’ll just start with one example from earlier this week: I was watching the Mariners play the Cubs on MLB TV. I needed to start dinner, so I did what I usually do: put the TV on mute, and turn on the radio broadcast in my kitchen. It’s a perfect compromise: the radio calls the game with more description, so I can listen carefully, and if there’s a critical play, I can step over to the TV to watch the replay.

I then proceeded to hear over seven minutes of ads. Much longer than they should by a mile; I walked over to the TV and noticed that the game already had two outs. By the time the Mariners had retired the side on the TV broadcast, Audacy was still feeding me ads. When it finally returned, the broadcast cut into the game already with two outs and the batter had a 1-1 count. 10 seconds later, the batter was retired. Audacy had essentially skipped the bottom of the ninth.

Since the delays began in 2022, I have contacted Audacy multiple times. According to Audacy’s Support Representatives, this is essentially a function of the delay of broadcast and “expected behavior.” An understandable delay of 5-15 seconds, which is what most streams of sports usually provide compared to OTA and Cable broadcasts, is nowhere near what Audacy is providing. Instead, the game is often six to seven pitches behind. More so, MLB TV offers an option to sync the radio broadcast with the TV broadcast, which brings the game more or less in real time. It is possible to get an on time broadcast, but Audacy’s pursuit of ads is literally slowing down the game.

If you’re an old school fan who loves listening to the radio at the ballpark, you’re best bet is to bring an actual radio than rely on this scam of a product. For those of us on Twitter or in Discord channels watching the game with others, it can ruin the surprise of a home run.

As much as I miss Buxton singing about sausage, I won’t argue against Audacy trying to make money via advertising. So far this year, Audacy has cut down on what felt like at least 50% ads for gambling, a true scourge on the sport. But this is the second year of this partnership and the technical issues have only become worse. And given that MLB can at least do a stream either faster or at least in real time without Audacy, perhaps it is time to return to what worked before.

What will actually get Audacy to fix the problem? Probably nothing, which is why I recommend those who love MLB on the radio to deliberately work against it and boycott Audacy's programs. Those with an MLB TV subscription can listen to non-Audacy broadcasts via KODI. Or, fans can use the MLB radio broadcast option via MLB TV—this has the problem of requiring the iPhone screen to stay on, not the best for those of us driving, but it at least works.

MLB has taken some small but at least notable steps this season toward expanding baseball by listening to fans, though not without ignoring the cries of some others. It’s time Rob Manfred take this step too and make Audacy deliver a workable product. 

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[Craig Arko]

This is a fascinating experiment in time travel.

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, Craig Arko said:

This is a fascinating experiment in time travel.

And missing posts. 

[Craig Arko]

3 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

And missing posts. 

I think the posts are being multiplied by i (square root of -1) and are rotated out of phase of our normal perception. Maybe the same is happening with the broadcasts.

[ashbury]

40 minutes ago, Craig Arko said:

I think the posts are being multiplied by i (square root of -1) and are rotated out of phase of our normal perception. Maybe the same is happening with the broadcasts.

An imaginary point of view that when combined with the others becomes surprisingly complex.

[TouchEmAllGuy]

I can't stand it! Listening on the MLB app with my MLB TV subscription is insane. I will get a notification that the game is over and it's still 1-2 batters away on the audio feed. It hasn't been this bad through the app historically. Really disappointed with this service this year.