The decline of Vancouver sports media & its effect on Lions

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Jim Mullin
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With all the games televised the actual play-by-play product lacks value. It's the elements around it which have value like pre and post. With a distinct lack of competition in the radio market in terms of sports (News 1130 is irrelevant, and CKNW stopped trying years ago) both the Lions and the Whitecaps will have to take a look at subsidizing and reselling broadcasts if they continue to think there is value in it. Two contracts ago, the Lions fetched $265,000 for their deal. Now it's likely worth what they can get out of it.

Oddly enough, the TV deal the league got from Bell Media has played a contributing role in destroying the viability of the radio product.

The sooner the team can be sold to a broad based local group who gets value from having their businesses aligned with the local team, the better. This extends to media platforms as much as anything else.
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Hambone
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Jim Mullin wrote:Corus is skewing to a female audience, and only an arrangement like Calgary (where the Stamps drive 9% of station cluster revenue) is the Corus-sports relationship healthy. Don't count on CKNW to make a move on the Lions or the Whitecaps.
I don't think I've listened to CKNW since you were there Jim. I used to switch over from Fan590 to 'NW for the noon news and your sports report before switching back to Fan590 for McCown's show. Given the good natured barbs you sent her way during the post-sports handoff I've wondered if you run into her now do you call her Premier Clark, Christy or Premier Toots? :wink:
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Qman
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Jim Mullin wrote:With all the games televised the actual play-by-play product lacks value. It's the elements around it which have value like pre and post. With a distinct lack of competition in the radio market in terms of sports (News 1130 is irrelevant, and CKNW stopped trying years ago) both the Lions and the Whitecaps will have to take a look at subsidizing and reselling broadcasts if they continue to think there is value in it. Two contracts ago, the Lions fetched $265,000 for their deal. Now it's likely worth what they can get out of it.

Oddly enough, the TV deal the league got from Bell Media has played a contributing role in destroying the viability of the radio product.

The sooner the team can be sold to a broad based local group who gets value from having their businesses aligned with the local team, the better. This extends to media platforms as much as anything else.
Lions have to stay on 1040. Its all the tie-in coverage they get there, not the actual 3-hour broadcasts that count. Maybe the next p-b-p guy will be contract guy that works for TSN & the lions. Seems like its almost to that point with Shorthouse/abbott with the canucks, they seem like they are actually canuck employees instead of working for a broadcaster.

Jim: going to throw your hat in the ring?
Last edited by Qman on Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TheLionKing
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The guys I like gone from TSN is Dave Pratt is Matt Suckeris.
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Jim Mullin
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There's a rumour out there that Rintoul will assume Dan Russell's old Sportstalk spot on CKNW. If that is true, things could get interesting.
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cromartie
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The pre-game and post game shows are the best part of the whole package. But I would take RIntoul 10 times out of 10 over Rod Black, and do.

I guess it's Vancouver, because the callers on the post-game show are pretty much garbage that detracts from an otherwise terrific product. Which is bizarre, because the callers to, say the Ti-Cats broadcasts are terrific. I chalk it up to smart Lionbackers having post game entertainment options that Ti-Cat fans don't.
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DanoT
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cromartie wrote:The pre-game and post game shows are the best part of the whole package. But I would take RIntoul 10 times out of 10 over Rod Black, and do.

I guess it's Vancouver, because the callers on the post-game show are pretty much garbage that detracts from an otherwise terrific product. Which is bizarre, because the callers to, say the Ti-Cats broadcasts are terrific. I chalk it up to smart Lionbackers having post game entertainment options that Ti-Cat fans don't.
Is there an independent Tiger-Cat fan forum that is similar to Lionbackers or is it all bloggers?
Qman
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On a side note, with the change in technology i follow Farhan and LU way more the Beamish' stuff
especially LU, with twitter and radio i notice his stuff way more than i used to. It was a really good move for his great content, doubt the paycheck is the same though.

I guess in a few years, all the 3-4 local beat writers will be basically radio/internet guys for both the lions and canucks. Now with 24 sports station, 1040 just goes to LU at lions walk-though/practice and get all the info minute. Same with DT at canucks practice. old style beat writer is now a dinosaur.
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Belize City Lion
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The Lions will stay on 1040/1410. It's a good relationship for both organisations. TSN Radio needs to be the home of the sports teams and the teams need to be on all sports radio. Both Lions and TSN Radio would probably love to have Rintoul calling PxP for continuity sake. There is no heir apparent, and with all respect to Scott, he was already a step down from Rick Ball (who in my opinion was the best CFL radio PxP man in a generation). Scott was just getting good, I think they will find a way to keep him doing Lions games. Unless he finds work elsewhere.

What you may see in the years to come is the teams (all of them) actually purchasing the airtime and producing their own broadcasts. The Lions have already done a pretty good job of generating their own electronic print content, and as newspapers continue to shrink that is definitely the way of the future. It's all about tweets and shares now. Radio will soon go that way too. Netflix, HBO Go, etc. are killing cable. Sports TV will migrate to on-line subscription based delivery sooner or later.
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BC 1988
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Sekeres spent the whole 4 hour show today beating the drum to defend Bell's right to simsub the Super Bowl (this is the first year, by CRTC ruling, the US originating stations will have original US ads. Canadian channels will still be allowed to simsub).

Apparently (he said) Bell used the lost Super Bowl ad revenue to justify the firing of staff.
He was a bit over the top (it was almost like Jim Rome's "I love Soccer" joke show of about 15 years ago.)

On the topic of Rintoul, I think he was very competent doing Lions play by play (the times I've followed it). I thought he was a good show host as well. I'm aware some don't like the sound of his voice, but I can tolerate him more than the shouting of Jeff Paterson and Jon Abbott (who sounds like a Paterson clone). Paterson does know what he's talking about, but that shouting "Weather Man" delivery really grates on my ears.
TheLionKing
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BC 1988 wrote: I thought he was a good show host as well. I'm aware some don't like the sound of his voice, but I can tolerate him more than the shouting of Jeff Paterson and Jon Abbott (who sounds like a Paterson clone). Paterson does know what he's talking about, but that shouting "Weather Man" delivery really grates on my ears.
I agree. You can add Sekeres and Blake Price to that group as well.
Last edited by TheLionKing on Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BC 1988
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B.C.FAN wrote:I love sports radio but not many people in Metro Vancouver do. The average combined listening audience of TSN 1040 and TSN 1410 would barely fill the Langley Events Centre. TSN 1410 is the bottom-rated station in the market, with an average audience of 500. Combined, the two stations have less than 5% of the local radio market. Bell isn't making money off these stations and they won't want to pay much for talent or broadcast rights.

Fall 2016 Numeris ratings
I'm also a hard-core 1040 listener during the 9-5 M-F workday (when I'm near the radio at work or driving.) I did listen to Jim Rome years ago, but got tired of his shtick.
I'm not surprised 1410 is at the bottom, it's all US filler, when there aren't game broadcasts.
I'd like to know what the numbers are for the Pratt-Bro Jake hours, that show has lasted a lot longer than I expected it too. It's so nice to hear anyone else but them filling in when they are away. Always sounds like a completely different show.
Rocko604
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Haven't listened to 1040 in months since getting SiriusXM. 1040 has been a total dumpster fire since Bro Jake and Pratt were brought on. Occasionally I'll listen to the odd Ray Ferraro, Farhan or Julio interview, though.

Really hope the Rintoul/Sportstalk rumour is true. Would definitely tune into that when I can.
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B.C.FAN
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I'm loving the nightly Moj and Burns shows from the Super Bowl this week. They're a great football broadcast team, CFL or NFL, and Moj knows everyone from the annual Super Bowl circuit. Tonight they had newly appointed Ticats defensive coordinator Jeff Reinebold as a guest, talking Super Bowl, CFL and the NFL's future in London. I didn't realize that Reinebold serves as an NFL analyst for Sky Sports in London in his spare time. I wish TSN 1040 would have more non-game programming devoted to football. By getting rid of Rintoul, they have one less host who is comfortable talking football.
Rocko604
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B.C.FAN wrote: I wish TSN 1040 would have more non-game programming devoted to football. By getting rid of Rintoul, they have one less host who is comfortable talking football.
Don't count on it. In fact, expect even less football talk. The cuts are basically forcing 1040 to talk Cancuks all day, every day.
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