As your Dallas Mavericks prepare for a draft pick this Thursday and a recruiting strategy of Dwight Howard this summer, they're also pondering a move to a new radio station next season.
The Mavs, who have been on 103.3 ESPN since before their first run to The NBA Finals in '06, are radio free agents in the wake of
their four-year contract expiring after the 2013 season. And, according to radio industry sources, the team is at least "kicking the tires" on a potential move to 105.3 The Fan.
When asked about his team's radio status via email, owner Mark Cuban responded "Nothing new to report."
For a couple reasons, however, The Fan seems primed to steal the basketball away from ESPN.
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At ESPN the Mavs had to share the spotlight with the Texas Rangers. Their games in April-May sometimes conflicted, with most of the time baseball moved to AM sister station 660 KSKY. And if you've tried to listen to games at night on ESPN, you know how splotchy its signal can get.
At The Fan, the Mavs would obviously bat second behind the Dallas Cowboys and in front of NASCAR. But they'd get the benefit of CBS' 100,000-watt signal and few, if any, game conflicts with the Cowboys. Football plays mainly on Sundays and Mondays, and the overlap would be only November-December, when the Mavs are just getting ramped up and the Cowboys are traditionally spiraling toward the non-playoffs.
Last season, for example, the Mavs would have had only one conflict with the Cowboys, when on the night of Dec. 30 they played Spurs and the Cowboys visited the Redskins in their season finale.
Further sweetening its flirtation, The Fan has comfortable built-in Mavs' connections in afternoon co-host Jeff "Skin" Wade (who provides color analysis on the team's home TV games), beat reporter Mike Fisher (who provides studio analysis on Fox Sports Southwest TV games) and night co-host Chris Arnold (long the team's on-court emcee for home games at American Airlines Center.)
If indeed The Fan is recruiting the Mavs, however, they aren't yet applying their full-court press. Because, as of this morning, there are no station plans for any sort of special NBA Draft coverage Thursday night.
If the MAVS moved to The Fan they would get more love from shows like New School and Elf and Slater while ESPN has their national show on in those time slots.
ReplyDelete103.3 has signal problems at night? I listen in mckinney almost daily to rangers in and never have issues. Or were you trying to say 660 has the signal issues?
ReplyDeleteWhere does Chuck land if this goes down?
Coop goes where the MAVS go he is a staple for MAVS radio
Deleteat night the 103.3 signal is very weak at best. I hate trying to work outside and listen to rangers or mavs.
DeleteSlim in Stephenville
Well dude you're in stephenville, what do you expect?
DeleteI live and work in Arlington. I cant listen to the Rangers because the signal is so bad. Like today vs the Yankees.. that's not Stephenville smart ass, can you explain that?
DeleteWell i'd be able to pick the gamw up while working, it's a little tough trying to listen to the game on a portable radio
ReplyDeleteI am ok with that, I love The Fan! Bring on the Mavs!
ReplyDeleteI thought the G-bag nation will be broadcasting live at the AAC with Fish.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks for Gbag. They'd be pre-empted like 50 times minimum during basketball season.
ReplyDelete@Im_a_recruiter
Since Dick Whitt is wrong about everything I'm guessing the Mavs will be at 103.3 for years to come.
ReplyDeletePanties - get yourself out of a wad! Richie did not set this up as anything for him to be "right or wrong" about. He said Mavs contract is up...they can move, or stay where they are. It is too early in the morning to deal with comments that are not very well thought out. If you don't appreciate the way Whitt reports news on his blog, please move on to another blog you may find more appealing. Thanks!
DeleteLindsey P. in Waco (Sic'EM!)
"The Fan seems primed to steal the basketball away from ESPN"
DeleteShouldn't you be in church you little Baptist skank?
"...traditionally spiraling toward the non-playoffs..." Good one Richie
ReplyDeleteAnd this is incorrect because.....
Deletefrom Jan 1997 to now...8 playoff appearances....and 1 win...over 16 years.
You mad bro?
I'll believe this when I see it. Jerry doesn't want anything getting in the way of the hegemony he has, especially with the radio station he has wrapped around his finger. There's even less doubt in my mind he pressured The Fan into saying bye bye to the Rangers just months after they won their first pennant; made no damn sense any other way. C'mon Rich, you can admit this now.
ReplyDeleteRichie,
ReplyDeleteTell us what real benefits stations gain from being the radio home of a certain team. Do the advertising dollars generated during pregame, game and postgame pay for what the rights cost? If it is a break even proposition, I can see why having the tag "Home of" and gaining access to more players/team admin types for shows/interviews would be worth it. However, is this market so messed up because of the Ticket that actually being the "Home of" isnt really worth the cash? For instance, I know as a "brainwashed" (couldnt resist) P1 that I will listen to Cowboys pregame on the Ticket and tune into the game on TV (who wants to go to JerryWorld anyway). Then I will tune in for Norm after the bloodbath. Just curious as to your take.
No, that wasnt the question. Do you like being chief of police?
Jerry will never allow this.
ReplyDeleteRichie will never admit to this but I'm told the dollars the fan spends to keep the cowboys doesn't add up. What does it bring? It's not like it's brought more listeners over, it's not like the fan has some scope that the other 2 stations don't.
ReplyDeleteI do think Richie will give us a real answer on this. He has no reason to hold back.
DeleteI'd rather listen to Bob do pre game because he wasn't born a fan of the team he seems to be able to tell the truth about the team.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.....you can watch games on TV, internet, tablet, phone, watch...whatever. Who listens to games on the radio anymore?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of a car?
DeleteI agree to some extent. Thats why I am curious as to what Richie has to say about the cost/benefit of being the "Radio Home" of various sports teams. I have a feeling that the radio is skewed more in this market than in others and that the "prestige" associated with being the "Radio Home" is well worth it in other markets.
DeleteSo Richie, analyze this for us....
1. In general
2. In this market
3. And dont dodge my Chief of Police question
Or work. I spent all of College doing valet work, so when I would sit around and do nothing, or I was parking a vehicle, guess what I listened to? BTW listening to Eric Nadel is one of my fondest memores.
DeleteI watch all the games on my sweater.
DeleteI would rather listen to Raceweek.
DeleteBeing tied with a team to broadcast their games doesn't seem like a benefit if your doing sports talk. It costs money and makes it harder to be negative when needed towards the team.
ReplyDeleteThat 100,000 watt signal has done wonders for the FAN's ratings - maybe not. At least Mav games will mean the FAN doesn't have to trot out its normal garbage for us to NOT listen to.
ReplyDeleteHmm. That's weird. The mavs play at night... which is gbag nation. The show that has top 2-3 ratings out of all stations. Noob.
DeleteCorrect me if I am wrong Mr. Witt, but isnt ESPN a 100,000 watt station too? Just with a northern placed tower in Allen or Mckinney? So while the fan comes in great to the south, its not so great up north where ESPN does? clever marketing, but also deceiving making it sound like the other station isnt 100k.
ReplyDeleteI work in downtown Fort Worth and can barely pick up ESPN. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me.
DeleteESPN does have a strange signal. I would listen to Galloway over THL if it wasn't for that weak signal.
ReplyDelete