TEAM 1410: Lions new permanent radio home

[Soundy]

If you go to the team today, you'll notice a change in the website. When clicking on "Listen Live" a window will appear with a choice for either number 1040, or 1410. This will be seamless and painless. Much ado about nothing.

No doubt.

Why do I get the feeling that if they'd moved the Canucks to 1410 instead, this lot would be complaining that their poor, undervalued, hard-done-by, ever-disrespected Lions were being left behind at the crusty old frequency while their media-darling cousins got the shiny new frequency?

[Jim Mullin]

If you go to the team today, you'll notice a change in the website. When clicking on "Listen Live" a window will appear with a choice for either number 1040, or 1410. This will be seamless and painless. Much ado about nothing.

No doubt.

Why do I get the feeling that if they'd moved the Canucks to 1410 instead, this lot would be complaining that their poor, undervalued, hard-done-by, ever-disrespected Lions were being left behind at the crusty old frequency while their media-darling cousins got the shiny new frequency?

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

This move is fine for the hardcores, but it will not extend the reach of the Lions brand in this market.

Corus has already learned you can't split your format without cannibalizing your numbers. Does anyone remember NW2?

[Stresd]

I dont like it. So during the early football season what will 1040 be running?. Whatever it runs will be in direct competition
to the lions and pull the lions share down. I fail to understand how a mean nothing game game for the nucks in Oct or Nov can be any more important or draw higher ratings than the Lions if they are close in a playoff race..The Nucks should have been shifted to 1410 and the lions should have remained on 1040. I think it will matter not anyway as I doubt that 1410 will remain in this format for long as it will be a money losing failed experiment. So we will have to wait and see what the reshuffle will hold

[Jim Mullin]

Just an additional note... If the Lions were to move from TEAM to another carrier, it doesn't mean that the TEAM would dispose of their pre and post game coverage, which does turn a profit.

During a game either you're in the stadium or in front of a TV.

[SammyGreene]

Hockey and football overlap for 1 month a year yet 1040 can't find some kind of balance. Pretty sad.

Exactly .... 1 month overlap and one football game per week and it apparently can't be pulled off.

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

This move is fine for the hardcores, but it will not extend the reach of the Lions brand in this market.

Great point .... diehards would be tuning into BCIT radio if that's where the Lions ended up.
This is about reaching out to potential new fans — you know the ones who could one day occupy those 32,000 empty seats we see each home game. Not sure how many of those are listening to a replay of the Dan Patrick Show. And what will 1040 be serving up opposite Lions broadcasts?

On the record the Lions are fine with the move. Off the record, according to LU, they are not. So it should be interesting when the deal with CHUM expires after next season.

[B.C.FAN]

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

This move is fine for the hardcores, but it will not extend the reach of the Lions brand in this market.

Great point .... diehards would be tuning into BCIT radio if that's where the Lions ended up.
This is about reaching out to potential new fans — you know the ones who could one day occupy those 32,000 empty seats we see each home game. Not sure how many of those are listening to a replay of the Dan Patrick Show. And what will 1040 be serving up opposite Lions broadcasts?

This switch has been a godsend. In three days of listening to 1410, I've heard lots of football and not one mention of hockey. I think a lot of hardcore Lions fans would rather listen to Rome, Patrick and NCAA football on 1410 than hockey all day on 1040.

[Soundy]

If you go to the team today, you'll notice a change in the website. When clicking on "Listen Live" a window will appear with a choice for either number 1040, or 1410. This will be seamless and painless. Much ado about nothing.

No doubt.

Why do I get the feeling that if they'd moved the Canucks to 1410 instead, this lot would be complaining that their poor, undervalued, hard-done-by, ever-disrespected Lions were being left behind at the crusty old frequency while their media-darling cousins got the shiny new frequency?

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

Oh come on, Mullin, you've been around here enough to know this bunch better than that

[Soundy]

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

This move is fine for the hardcores, but it will not extend the reach of the Lions brand in this market.

Great point .... diehards would be tuning into BCIT radio if that's where the Lions ended up.
This is about reaching out to potential new fans — you know the ones who could one day occupy those 32,000 empty seats we see each home game. Not sure how many of those are listening to a replay of the Dan Patrick Show. And what will 1040 be serving up opposite Lions broadcasts?

Seriously? How many people do you honestly believe have become Lions fans and started attending the games simply because they happened to stumble across a game on the radio dial?

On the record the Lions are fine with the move. Off the record, according to LU, they are not. So it should be interesting when the deal with CHUM expires after next season.

Well, maybe you'll all get your wish and they'll go back to NW... then instead of being sandwiched between Jim Rome and Dan Patrick, they can live between Christy Clark and Roy Green. I'm sure the Christy fans who leave the radio on in the background after her show is over, will be MUCH more likely to stick around when the game comes on, than those Rome fans who forgot to change the station.

[Jim Mullin]

You wouldn't because the Lions would have remained on the station that draws the 4.2 share, not the soon to be 0.8 share.

Oh come on, Mullin, you've been around here enough to know this bunch better than that

Touche!

[Jim Mullin]

How many people do you honestly believe have become Lions fans and started attending the games simply because they happened to stumble across a game on the radio dial?

On the record the Lions are fine with the move. Off the record, according to LU, they are not. So it should be interesting when the deal with CHUM expires after next season.

Well, maybe you'll all get your wish and they'll go back to NW... then instead of being sandwiched between Jim Rome and Dan Patrick, they can live between Christy Clark and Roy Green. I'm sure the Christy fans who leave the radio on in the background after her show is over, will be MUCH more likely to stick around when the game comes on, than those Rome fans who forgot to change the station.

I think the biggest questions here are:

1.) What is the most attractive cluster to promote the club; TEAM 1, 2, QM and The Beat versus NW, Rock 101, Fox and AM 730. How does either cluster achieve the goals of the football team for more effective promotion with males and younger fans? Both have a lot to offer.

2.) What is the perception of being relegated to also ran status within the TEAM concept? IMHO, it's a little patronizing saying to fans that the Lions are the "anchor tenant" of 1410. Saying that it's the only live, local programming would be a little more accurate.

3.) Is there any difference to have your games broadcast on a station with a 10.7 where sports is only a component, versus a station with less than a 1.0 where sports which are secondary in this market surround your product?

As long as the TEAM has time to fill in this market, there will be some kind of Lions content in the summer, and in spots in the fall if they don't renew at the end of 2010.

[Hambone]

I fail to understand how a mean nothing game game for the nucks in Oct or Nov can be any more important or draw higher ratings than the Lions if they are close in a playoff race..The Nucks should have been shifted to 1410 and the lions should have remained on 1040.

I guess it all depends on where your bread is buttered and how thick. Two different entities each being paid significant rightsholder coin. I have no idea how much CHUM is paying for Canucks' rights versus Lions' rights but would guess the gap is fairly large in favour of the pucks. So as a radio station if you are paying say 4X the money per game for a hockey broadcast with a listenership that is 4X larger than the football listenership what would you do?

[Hambone]

I always find this debate amusing. Personally I'm every bit as much a hockey fan as football fan and it took many, many years for football to catch up to hockey in that regard. Even at that as much as I'm a CFL and Lions' fan and Grey Cup regular the NHL still probably holds a slight edge. I'm not sure which hurt more this weekend; the Lions losing to Edmonton or the Wings losing to the Leafs.

What intrigues me is how the Lion fanbase seems to believe the Leos should literally receive an even 50/50 split of coverage with the Canucks even if it is clearly evident the two markets are very different in size. It's like the thought is there are 2 teams therefore they should get equal billing. If that's the case should the Whitecaps and Canadians not also get an equal share? Most Lion fans seem to think the Canucks get a disproportionate share of coverage. Yet can the same not also be said when comparing Lion coverage with that of the other Vancouver professional sports teams the Whitecaps and Canadians? Maybe this new Team1040/1410 split gives us a chance to put our ears where our mouths have been. If the Lions deserve the sort of radio attention folks here believe they do then there should be no problem raising the 1410 numbers up close to the 1040 numbers and prove to them that they deserve more.

[Soundy]

I always find this debate amusing. Personally I'm every bit as much a hockey fan as football fan and it took many, many years for football to catch up to hockey in that regard. Even at that as much as I'm a CFL and Lions' fan and Grey Cup regular the NHL still probably holds a slight edge. I'm not sure which hurt more this weekend; the Lions losing to Edmonton or the Wings losing to the Leafs.

What intrigues me is how the Lion fanbase seems to believe the Leos should literally receive an even 50/50 split of coverage with the Canucks even if it is clearly evident the two markets are very different in size. It's like the thought is there are 2 teams therefore they should get equal billing. If that's the case should the Whitecaps and Canadians not also get an equal share? Most Lion fans seem to think the Canucks get a disproportionate share of coverage. Yet can the same not also be said when comparing Lion coverage with that of the other Vancouver professional sports teams the Whitecaps and Canadians? Maybe this new Team1040/1410 split gives us a chance to put our ears where our mouths have been. If the Lions deserve the sort of radio attention folks here believe they do then there should be no problem raising the 1410 numbers up close to the 1040 numbers and prove to them that they deserve more.

The whole "us vs. them" mentality doesn't do service to ANYONE.

[Belize City Lion]

Team1040/1410 split gives us a chance to put our ears where our mouths have been. If the Lions deserve the sort of radio attention folks here believe they do then there should be no problem raising the 1410 numbers up close to the 1040 numbers and prove to them that they deserve more.

TEAM 1410 is not a competitor of TEAM 1040, it is an extension of TEAM RADIO. 1410 will not feature any programming that will compete directly against programming on 1040 (the lone exception being when Canucks and Lions game day broadcasts conflict). As Jim said, they run the risk of cannibalizing their numbers if they do. All CHUM is doing is trying to find the cheapest possible way to keep 1410 on air rather than let the frequency go off the air. None of the broadcast companies want to relinquish a frequency, even if it is not making money, because if once they give up a license they may never get it back. The plan is to hold on to any license in case the day ever comes that media companies figure out how to make money from AM radio once again.

So for now 1410 will feature mostly low cost syndicated programs and re-runs. The company will use it as a "value added" for sales on 1040 (ie: buy so much Pratt & Taylor and we'll give you bonus spots on Jim Rome for free). I think the main reason the Lions have been moved to 1410 is to create awareness that TEAM 1410 even exists. Likely the only programming that will attract any sort of audience will be the LIons pre and post game shows, and I think that is exactly how TEAM RADIO wants it to be.

But again, I still don't see this as any sort of disrespect to the Lions or Lions fans who listen to TEAM RADIO. Everything we always had is still there, only now there is even more sports programming to choose from.

[Solar Max]

3.) Is there any difference to have your games broadcast on a station with a 10.7 where sports is only a component, versus a station with less than a 1.0 where sports which are secondary in this market surround your product?

Why yes, yes there is.

Having your broadcast reach an audience at 10.7 vastly outweighs reaching one at 4.2, let alone 1.0 (let's be generous here)

Here is what I know, here in the sticks: when the Lions went to 1040 from NW, people here had one helluva time finding them, even when I explained the move. They finally after a couple of seasons, got the fact that 1040 was the spot. Now I am asked why the football game wasn't on the radio last week on 1040. Sigh.

Moving the Lions laterally does NOT help the perception in the market; this anchor tenant thing is like being proclaimed king of the outhouse after you've been banished from the main house.

Example: Why doesn't GM sell cars these days? After all, JD Power and even Consumer Reports says that GM and Ford rival and even exceed initial quality of Toyota and Honda.

Perception is the reason. People don't care what the facts are, they care what they FEEL they want the facts to BE. And being in the little house with the crescent moon and the turlet paper is NOT going to make anyone think this is a step up in the world.