Washington advertising community sources tell me the Nationals and Bonneville Radio are putting the final touches on a deal to keep the team for years to come on 1500-AM/107.7 FM – now known as 3WT Radio. It keeps the Nats with the only radio company they have worked with since moving to Washington.
The details of the new deal seem to be centered on the Nationals receiving airtime from 3WT in lieu of a rights fee. That would allow the team retain the vast majority of commercial time to sell and generate revenue. Meanwhile, 3WT would get a small amount of ads to sell both within the game as well some spots in the pre- and post-game shows.
This is a radio formula many baseball teams are adopting. It gives the team control and allows it to bundle ad packages so radio can be part of signage and other stadium-related, ad-based revenue.
Many regional and national companies will want to be part of the Nats’ new stadium. The team should be able to generate more cash from on-air advertising than the $1 or $2 million per year rights fee it may have gotten from a number of bidders. There is no word yet on a possible Spanish language outlet, something necessary that the market deserves.
The radio side of the equation is important. While fans do watch the team on MASN, baseball still draws a sizable radio following.
As for TV, the Nats will pull down in excess of $50 million in 2008 from their deals with MASN and Major League Baseball, keeping them in the top 10 when it comes to baseball broadcasting rights.
In the ironic category, Dave Maffei of the San Diego-based daily North County Times recently ranked the best local broadcasting teams in baseball. Coming in second behind Los Angeles Dodgers legend Vin Scully? The Nats’ team of Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton, whom he called “outstanding.” Shame they won’t be together in 2008, as it was announced Carpenter will not be back.
The rumor mill has started and Chip Caray’s name keeps popping up as a replacement for Carpenter. He will be doing a national game of the week on TBS next season but little else. Expect to hear many more names bandied about because the open seat next to Sutton is the hottest opening in baseball broadcasting.
Turner Talkers
Turner’s broadcasting crew lineup for the MLB playoffs on TBS and TNT:
» Studio crew: Ernie Johnson, CalRipken and Frank Thomas.
» Lead broadcast team: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Tony Gwynn (analyst).
» Other broadcast teams: Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Bob Brenly (analyst); Ted Robinson (play-by-play) and Steve Stone (analyst); Don Orsillo (play-by-play) joining Joe Simpson (analyst).
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on www.examiner.com.
