2019-2020 MLB Offseason Thread

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

15 minutes ago, pmoehrin said:

 

They are keeping the deal with KHTK based out of Sacramento, but the KTRB deal is dead.

 

I don't think its that big of a deal. Thirty years ago, it would have been a different story, but people have been tuning out of listening to AM radio for the last decade-plus. Its outdated technology with a limited shelf life. That's why Howard Stern left the medium 15 years ago.

 

You look at AM radio now and its dominated almost exclusively by conservative talk shows. KTRB is no different, and a lot of A's fans apparently expressed displeasure in listening to a radio station like that, even if it's just for A's games. But that's about all that's out there anymore when it comes to AM radio, so I think the A's just said screw it, we'll do all satellite this year, and revisit the problem next year.

 

Its a far cry from the issues they had in the '70s when their radio signal didn't even reach every part of Oakland.

 

Ah, I see.  Thanks for the update.

I agree that AM radio is done.  That is kind of unfortunate, because I cherish my memories of DXing games on clear channel stations (referring to the high power, not to the conglomerate!), and being able on any given night to listen to the Orioles, Red Sox, Indians, Blue Jays, and Phillies on AM radio.

Of course, one can do all that and more today on the internet.  And I have read that the A's games will be available to everyone on TuneIn.  So it does not appear that the A's are, in any meaningful sense, abandoning radio broadcasts.

[Digby]

Will they be available on the free TuneIn tier? My local games all get blocked on TuneIn; I've tried every Red Sox affiliate station in New England and every single one of them goes silent when the games are on.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

22 minutes ago, Digby said:

Will they be available on the free TuneIn tier? My local games all get blocked on TuneIn; I've tried every Red Sox affiliate station in New England and every single one of them goes silent when the games are on.

 

A team press release refers to "free live streaming of all A’s games in-territory".  So, I guess if your IP address counts as local, you'll be able to stream the games.  And a Mercury News story says: "Anyone who might want to listen to the game will need to download the TuneIn smart phone application."  (Though I am not sure whether that is strictly true, as you could probably listen through your computer at the TuneIn site.)

[Digby]

10 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

A team press release refers to "free live streaming of all A’s games in-territory".  So, I guess if your IP address counts as local, you'll be able to stream the games.  And a Mercury News story says: "Anyone who might want to listen to the game will need to download the TuneIn smart phone application."  (Though I am not sure whether that is strictly true, as you could probably listen through your computer at the TuneIn site.)

 

Hm, interesting -- would be a frustrating use case if that's to be taken literally. I've always used TuneIn on my computer, when it lets me, because I don't have a radio in my house, but still stick to the dust-wheezing radio in my car. Live-streaming radio via my phone in my car seems like a great way to destroy my data plan for the month?

[The_Admiral]

All radio play-by-play streaming should be free like the NHL does. Can't see anything! Throw us a bone here!

[Shumway]

Seeing all the games on the mlb.tv screen makes me so happy today

[pmoehrin]

MLB in 2019: We're going to eliminate all those blackout restrictions nobody likes, because its the 21st century, and we understand that people are no longer slaves to their cable provider for televised content.

 

MLB in 2020: Just kidding. We're doubling down on blackout restrictions this year. We now consider Vancouver to be part of the Jays' local TV market. 

 

Fear not, though. We have heard Iowans complain about being blacked out of roughly 1/4th of all MLB games, which is why we're giving them a regular-season game that will pay tribute to a movie that came out 30 years ago.

 

No, we're not going to play this game in a city with an existing ballpark that has MLB dimensions like Des Moines or Cedar Rapids. That would be silly. We're going to play this game on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Who cares that it will be a logistical nightmare for everyone involved. This game isn't being played because either a network executive or someone in the league office has a Kevin Costner fetish. It's for the fans.

[dfwabel]

On 2/18/2020 at 12:12 PM, the admiral said:

The Oakland A's will no longer have free radio broadcasts. Congratulations on having less media presence than AA teams.

Weekend homestands will still have an AM radio broadcast...in Spanish only.

On 2/18/2020 at 1:40 PM, pmoehrin said:

 

They are keeping the deal with KHTK based out of Sacramento, but the KTRB deal is dead.

 

I don't think its that big of a deal. Thirty years ago, it would have been a different story, but people have been tuning out of listening to AM radio for the last decade-plus. Its outdated technology with a limited shelf life. That's why Howard Stern left the medium 15 years ago.

 

You look at AM radio now and its dominated almost exclusively by conservative talk shows. KTRB is no different, and a lot of A's fans apparently expressed displeasure in listening to a radio station like that, even if it's just for A's games. But that's about all that's out there anymore when it comes to AM radio, so I think the A's just said screw it, we'll do all satellite this year, and revisit the problem next year.

 

Its a far cry from the issues they had in the '70s when their radio signal didn't even reach every part of Oakland.

They dropped their Marin affiliate due to this TuneIn agreement, but there are 11 radio affiliates remaining. 

Thing is even when they went 95.7 The Game on FM, it was difficult to hear night games east of the Coliseum in bedroom communities like the Tri-Valler (Dublin/Pleasanton/Livermore) and Contra Costa County (Walnut Creek and Concord) which both are about 20 miles away.  Then the station, which is still the #2 sports station in the area behind KNBR, acquired the rights to the Warriors in 2016.  That game the A's tier 3 status even with 162 games, now behind the Raiders and winning Warriors in terms of coverage. 

 

[FiddySicks]

The whole reason I even lost interest in the A’s years ago was due to lack of access. They were on CSN California (same network as the Sharks), which half of the cable companies in Northern California either don’t carry, or have buried deep in some expensive third tier sports package. 

 

The A’s can complain all they want about the Giants blocking their access to San Jose (which is a lazy, flimsy argument at very best). The real reason they have such an issue in the Bay Area is because they basically push themselves out of the market’s collective consciousness with dumb decisions like this. 

 

Nobody is gonna give a about your dumb baseball team if they can’t watch.