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husker70

husker70

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The radio home of The Gophers is disingrating before your ears. Buyouts, talent shifts, and buying late night programing from Chicago. There are roughly 130 comments on the Star Tribune stating WCCO is off presets. The station is alienating listeners. Joel are you sure this is where you want to hang the Radio Home? I know 50,000 watts of clear channel, but we need every fan we can reach. If you broadcast a game and nobody listens was it actually played? I am no fan of Dave Lee, but this is more serious than his slow witted delivery. This will be all about, an overall decline in market share, relevance, and being in the right place and the right time.

I know, or at least I am told it is a joint decision between the Athletic Department and Learfield as to whom the rights are awarded. I have no clue of the contract length, but this is serious enough in my opinion to review the options.
 

Yes, the "good neighbor" was on life support for about 10 years now but I am ready to pull the blanket over its life-less eyes.

Like most young people, I had little time for WCCO when I was a college kid back in the mid/late 80's. I ended up working a summer job as a highway department surveyor for a rural MN county. I was issued a small ranger pickup when I was at work. For "entertainment", it only had an AM radio. No FM. No music. So, just to hear something... I couldn't help but listen to the only choice that would always come in: WCCO.

A strange thing happened: I actually went from tolerating it to liking it. The daily flow of personalities and guests was actually okay. I even smirked at Steve Cannon's jokes/characters and learned to appreciate pretty much all the shows (except Ruth K... I never came around on that one). So, as college turned into adulthood, I found that WCCO was a good choice to hear the news each morning as my clock/alarm went off. I found talk to be better than music when I was driving to work early in the morning too. It took a while... but somehow that station found a way to turn me into my parents.

That is pretty much all gone now. With Eric Eskola and Tim Russel leaving, I can get pretty much the same thing as what is left of their morning program by buying a loaf of country hearth bread and reading the label for 45 minutes each morning. I am one of those people leaving in droves. What a loss of a Minnesota institution. If you like 45 minutes of every hour being devoted to hocking product and droning on with commercials... it is the station for you.
 

husker70 said:
The radio home of The Gophers is disingrating before your ears. Buyouts, talent shifts, and buying late night programing from Chicago. There are roughly 130 comments on the Star Tribune stating WCCO is off presets. The station is alienating listeners. Joel are you sure this is where you want to hang the Radio Home? I know 50,000 watts of clear channel, but we need every fan we can reach. If you broadcast a game and nobody listens was it actually played? I am no fan of Dave Lee, but this is more serious than his slow witted delivery. This will be all about, an overall decline in market share, relevance, and being in the right place and the right time.

I know, or at least I am told it is a joint decision between the Athletic Department and Learfield as to whom the rights are awarded. I have no clue of the contract length, but this is serious enough in my opinion to review the options.
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Isn't the change at WCCO a preemptive move by Mick Anselmo to make the station relevant down the road? The current format appealed to an audience set that was not getting any younger and as a result the station would have seen a precipitous decline in the future. Hopefully fewer commercial, traffic and weather breaks are coming in the near future. The only thing I identify with the station is severe weather, traffic, Country Hearth, Walser Honda, Kinetico, TCF Bank, Washburn McGrevy, ect.
 


wait!what? said:
farm reports. that place should be shuttered
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Do you have any idea, any at all, how big of a factor agriculture is the the twin cities economy? Cargill, CHS, General Mills, Land O Lakes, these are some heavy hitters in the local economy.
 


I remember trying to tune in to Gopher basketball games on WCCO up in the northwestern part of the state, because at the time there wasn't a local station that had the games. It wasn't easy, it took a good radio, but you could just barely get it.

Farm reports are irrelevant to people living in the Twin Cities, but it is a strong station that goes out a long way into the farm areas. Perhaps they should be "farmed out" to more local stations though.
 

It was a long time ago, but not forgotten. My first gig in Minneapolis was night management at 24 hour restaurant. Along about 1:30 or 2:00 AM as things wound down, I listened to Hobbs House. This guy was so connected, he not only bought the air time from the station he sold his own advertising. But music and interviews it was top rate entertainment. Along about 5 or 6 AM it was Manard Spies and later Chuck Liligren with the farm report, and that lead into Boone and Erickson. I would have missed Jergen Nash and Howard Viken, but in the car heading to Work it was Steve Cannon. And they were the go to station for news, of course weather, and live local reports. The original Sports Huddle feature Liligren and Hartman. And it at times was heated. Everyone will point to Ray Christensen, but there were a couple of seasons of Gopher Hockey with Steve Cannon on color and his broadcast partner Al "Close" Shaver. It was Golden. Cannon had names long before Chris Burman. A young reporter started with Cannon, his tag was Eric 'The Sarf' Eskola. And the hippy dippy weather dude, was Mike Lunch. This was when CCO was the place for Golden Gopher Sports.


That place and time is long gone. There is not even a shell of what it was. Maybe Anselmo can bring WCCO to an all commerical station. Just extened the Country Hearth slots you could maybe get some guy in Chicago to do the reads.
 

husker70 said:
It was a long time ago, but not forgotten. My first gig in Minneapolis was night management at 24 hour restaurant. Along about 1:30 or 2:00 AM as things wound down, I listened to Hobbs House. This guy was so connected, he not only bought the air time from the station he sold his own advertising. But music and interviews it was top rate entertainment. Along about 5 or 6 AM it was Manard Spies and later Chuck Liligren with the farm report, and that lead into Boone and Erickson. I would have missed Jergen Nash and Howard Viken, but in the car heading to Work it was Steve Cannon. And they were the go to station for news, of course weather, and live local reports. The original Sports Huddle feature Liligren and Hartman. And it at times was heated. Everyone will point to Ray Christensen, but there were a couple of seasons of Gopher Hockey with Steve Cannon on color and his broadcast partner Al "Close" Shaver. It was Golden. Cannon had names long before Chris Burman. A young reporter started with Cannon, his tag was Eric 'The Sarf' Eskola. And the hippy dippy weather dude, was Mike Lunch. This was when CCO was the place for Golden Gopher Sports.


That place and time is long gone. There is not even a shell of what it was. Maybe Anselmo can bring WCCO to an all commerical station. Just extened the Country Hearth slots you could maybe get some guy in Chicago to do the reads.
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In my mid 40's those are all names that I can remember. They were on in the car, at home, in the garage, ...etc.

I would love for Learfield to get us off of WCCO.
 

I could see the Gophs leaving WCCO after our current contract is up (although I have no idea when that is), but where do they go? KFAN? 1500? I guess 1500 would be the most agreeable to me, but nobody has the signal strength that WCCO has.
 



"Franklin Hobbs from Gull Lake". We use to have the radio on Hobbs House to go to sleep to when we were kids. "Dulcet tones" indeed.:)

WCCO has been caught in a demographics dilemma for quite awhile now. They weren't attracting new listeners and if they made changes to try and attract them the present listeners put up quite a squawk. Now, unfortunately for everybody, those listeners are dying-off.

It looks like WCCO finally decided to go for it all. There is also another side to this. If you're management and you watch ratings and advertising rates fall how can you justify the high salaries that the long term players are getting? They made their money because they made their numbers. Those numbers aren't there anymore and neither is the money.

Learfield and the Gophers find themselves tied to a 50,000 watt clear channel station that is going down, but may still, for the Gophers, be the best option around. The problem for them is what radio station isn't that happening to? AM1500 ratings go up when the Twins do well, but otherwise are miserly. KFAN's signal is about as weak as it comes at night, when most basketball and now some football games are played. That aside, does anybody really want that band of professional cynics in charge of your flagship station?

No real good answers to find here. Both WCCO and the Gophers need the station's conversion to go well. An iffy proposition at best, but maybe their only real hope.

That and a play-by-play man who does a LOT more homework before a broadcast!:horse:
 

wait!what? said:
farm reports. that place should be shuttered
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More than just farmers listen to the markets. Commodity trading isn't only for simple country bumpkins. Also, this is Minnesota. Agriculture is kind of a big deal here. Comments like this and the somewhat conceded attitude of some (notice the use of the word some because I am living in the metro also!) city dwellers towards the out state Minnesota populations is what has hurt the following of Gopher athletics in out state Minnesota.
 

Fake Play-by-play

The production values at 'CCO have been pathetic for years. With all the commercial minutes per hour, both the Twins and Gopher broadcasts are filled with fake play-by-play to cover for missed action.

How many times did you heard John Gordon (on 'CCO) say "There's a strike to Cuddyer...the Detroit pitcher right back, another strike...and here's the pitch, a single to center for Cuddyer..."?

Or on football broadcasts (I might give too much credit here for accuracy of content) "A run off tackle for the Gophers, it will be second and seven...Minnesota right back up to the line...it's incomplete...third and seven...and Minnesota hurrying up right back to the line..."?

Same in basketball.

FAKE. FRAUD.

All of those things occurred during the commerical break. Happens every game, repeatedly. Ray Christiensen never did it, but these current hacks have no problem.

Go away 'CCO. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
 

And another blast from yesteryear, who didn't listen for Today's Sports Hero with Sid. Back then it was better than Sports Center, but back then there was no ESPN.


And the idea Learfield cannot take broadcast somewhere else due to signal strength is false and it denies the idea of Gopher Network. Who cares where it orignates? Work on the Learfield Network of stations that do carry the games.

But for please sake sack Dave Lee, he maybe able to sell everything they give him but he cannot do play by play. I have heard some of the best including Ray Christensen, and Mr. Lee is not in that league. I have questioned if he is in some way paying to do the game, has comprising photos of Joel. It refelcts badly on both Learfield and the University. How can a University claim to be World Class with Lee as the voice you hear on Saturday?
 



husker70 said:
And another blast from yesteryear, who didn't listen for Today's Sports Hero with Sid. Back then it was better than Sports Center, but back then there was no ESPN.


And the idea Learfield cannot take broadcast somewhere else due to signal strength is false and it denies the idea of Gopher Network. Who cares where it orignates? Work on the Learfield Network of stations that do carry the games.

But for please sake sack Dave Lee, he maybe able to sell everything they give him but he cannot do play by play. I have heard some of the best including Ray Christensen, and Mr. Lee is not in that league. I have questioned if he is in some way paying to do the game, has comprising photos of Joel. It refelcts badly on both Learfield and the University. How can a University claim to be World Class with Lee as the voice you hear on Saturday?
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If you ever listen to the halftime of Gopher football games you hear the touchdown calls of other Big Ten games. Gary Dolphin is the Iowa guy and I forgot the name of Becky's but they sound like anouncers. Dave Lee, nice guy but AWFUL play by play guy. Production is very poor.
 

I started thinking about WCCO today here at Purdue. Sports Center had a thing on Ernie Harwell and they had a few people about how they fell asleep listening to him growing up. Made me think of the countless times I feel asleep listening to Herb Carenel, then John Gordan and Dan Gladden or the post game show or even after that "Sports Tonight with Dark Star." Or listening to the Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave going to and coming from church. I doubt I'm the only one here that did that.

Growing up in Greater Minnesota WCCO has been a connection to the Twins Cities. It's something that all Minnesotan's share. When the Twins left WCCO it felt like a slap in the face, sure I could still get with a local station, but it isn't the same. I would also bet the Twins radio share dropped to. If you give people the choice between listening to the Twins on WCCO or the local affliate 9 out of 10 would say WCCO.

Any way back to the Gopher's. They are truely Minnesota's team and Minnesota's radio station is WCCO. People in Greater Minnesota want to listen to the Gopher's on WCCO and frankly the athletic department owe's is to them. I know that sound's arrogant but in nursing home's all across our great state-yes, I still consider myself a Minnesotan-there are people who get on the Maroon and Gold everytime they Gopher's play.

The the Gopher's NEED to stay on WCCO. As much as some people hate it to admit it something are bigger are than the Twin Cities.

Now Dave Lee is a different issue.
 

A couple of years ago when the Gophs played at Colorado State, My buddies and I hopped in my mom's mini-van after the game and headed for home. While waiting to leave the parking lot we found good-old 'CCO coming through clear as a bell all the way in Fort Collins. We listened to the post game show after a great Gopher beat down and it basically lasted all the way to Minnesota. It was a good night of driving.

By the way, does anybody remember the radio guys that did the Vikings games before they moved to KFAN. I always thought they called a great game. I think one or both of them went to San Diego after the station change.?

.....and paleeese get rid of Dave Lee.
 

Those of you calling for Learfield to take the Gophers off WCCO are putting your faith in the affiliate network. This is an EXTREMELY risky proposition. Like it or not, WCCO and the Gophers have been intertwined for a LONG time. One Saturday night while surfing the dial in the SW metro, I picked up the Mizzou Tigers (getting drubbed by Nebraska) on KMOX, and Colorado Buffalo football on KOA from Denver.

Speaking of the affiliates, I'm not trying to crap all over them, but just how many of us know an outstate Gopher station that is NOT WCCO? I know one out in Worthington, but that's it. Learfield doesn't exactly do a great job of getting the info out there of who's on the network.

Ask the Twins about getting a crap flagship signal and promoting the hell out of low-power affiliates. It is a sad state of affairs for the KSTP signal when the Twins get KRWC Buffalo to cover their western flank. After nightfall, KSTP cannot be heard worth a damn north and west of the Crow River.

By the way, does anybody remember the radio guys that did the Vikings games before they moved to KFAN. I always thought they called a great game. I think one or both of them went to San Diego after the station change.?
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Dan Rowe was the voice of the Vikings before the move to KFAN. He's still the best football PBP guy I've heard, and I think he works for KDWA Hastings in the fall.

I think one line that got him chopped was during the postgame of the 41-0 NFC Championship debacle. It went something like "If you're still with us after all of that, you deserve a medal."
 

GopherRock said:
It went something like "If you're still with us after all of that, you deserve a medal."
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I completely remember that, that was a great line. Thanks for the info, I wish Dan Rowe could call the Gopher games, I would have my headset on during the game without a doubt.
 

gophervet said:
More than just farmers listen to the markets. Commodity trading isn't only for simple country bumpkins. Also, this is Minnesota. Agriculture is kind of a big deal here. Comments like this and the somewhat conceded attitude of some (notice the use of the word some because I am living in the metro also!) city dwellers towards the out state Minnesota populations is what has hurt the following of Gopher athletics in out state Minnesota.
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Traders aren't listening to the radio.

Hell, is anyone listening to the radio anymore?

I watched the first 2 minutes of the Minnesota NCAA bball game on my phone while stuck in traffic in the back of a cab. Welcome to 2010.
 

Three of the worst PBP announcers I've ever heard

are Dave Lee, Dan Gladden and Paul Allen. Perhaps I'm out of touch, but these three guys annoy me like no other announcers ever have. I have to believe Paul Allen has some sort of personality disorder. Now, I happen to like John Gordon alot, but have you noticed how often he corrects himself or just says the wrong thing? I realize how difficult the job must be, but I never recall Herb Carneal, Ray Scott, Ray Christensen or the other old-timers making so many blunders. "That's strike one...correction....strike two", "Hardy will come around third and score...excuse me that's Delmon Young who scored..." "Mauer is 2 for 3 tonight....scratch that...he's actually two for four tonight". I'm surprised I never hear anyone else comment on that. Maybe because I can't solve my own problems, I look to pick on guys like Gordon.:(
 

BreakTheGopherCurse said:
are Dave Lee, Dan Gladden and Paul Allen. Perhaps I'm out of touch, but these three guys annoy me like no other announcers ever have. I have to believe Paul Allen has some sort of personality disorder. Now, I happen to like John Gordon alot, but have you noticed how often he corrects himself or just says the wrong thing? I realize how difficult the job must be, but I never recall Herb Carneal, Ray Scott, Ray Christensen or the other old-timers making so many blunders. "That's strike one...correction....strike two", "Hardy will come around third and score...excuse me that's Delmon Young who scored..." "Mauer is 2 for 3 tonight....scratch that...he's actually two for four tonight". I'm surprised I never hear anyone else comment on that. Maybe because I can't solve my own problems, I look to pick on guys like Gordon.:(
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I really, really enjoy listening to Dazzle and John. I can handle a few mistakes because he does correct them right away (unlike Dave Lee) and because of the fact that they convey thousands upon thousands of bits of information every season. As Poz stated in his Harwell comment: for baseball anouncers due to the amount of time you will be spending with them it is more important to have someone come across as a friend than get every detail right.
 

ruralgopher said:
Do you have any idea, any at all, how big of a factor agriculture is the the twin cities economy? Cargill, CHS, General Mills, Land O Lakes, these are some heavy hitters in the local economy.
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Farmers now get their info like the rest of us via the net on a pc or a phone. You should introduce yourself to a real farmer and find out that they aren't stuck in the 50's like WCCO.
 

wait!what? said:
Farmers now get their info like the rest of us via the net on a pc or a phone. You should introduce yourself to a real farmerand find out that they aren't stuck in the 50's like WCCO.
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Thats funny. While it is true that many farmers use the latest tech devises, almost all also listen to the radio for analysts opinion, such as Al Kluis (from MPLS), Bob Utterback, Gary Willhelmi from the CBOT floor. And you would be amazed to find out that our call traffic (I run a grain elevator) picks up around 11:30 when the midday reports come on.

But that doesn't address my original point that farm news has a huge effect on the Twin Cities economy due to the large number of ag business headquartered in MPLS and 'burbs. When I worked at Cargill, we listened, as well as when I worked at CHS. Why? Not because it enlightened us, but rather because it is what our customers were listening to and it would not be uncommon for a customer to call in and start the conversation with "I heard on the radio..." If I was listening to the radio I was already steps ahead in the conversation. Rant over.
 

wait!what? said:
Farmers now get their info like the rest of us via the net on a pc or a phone. You should introduce yourself to a real farmer and find out that they aren't stuck in the 50's like WCCO.
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You think someone with the handle "ruralgopher" needs to "introduce [himself] to a real farmer"? Do you know what the word "rural" means?
 

I am glad to see we agree. 'While it is true that many farmers use the latest tech devises'.

we have the same number of posts 458.
 

Moving to 1130 or 1500 would be a great move for gopher athletics (especially football).
 

wait!what? said:
stuck in the 50's like WCCO.
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That's why part of me is okay with WCCO clearing house the way they are. I have no idea what the real motives are here with the WCCO management in doing some of this, but if it is to finally bring WCCO into the 21st century like other large market powerhouse AM stations, then I'm all for it. Frankly, I can live without another Eric Eskola report from the capitol filled with minute details that are meant for newspaper print, not airwaves. I can live without Tim Russell's impersonations of celebrities from 25-years ago. I can live without Dark Star's uninformed opinions on things he has no idea about (particularly Gopher athletics).

Now, the question is, was this all just a cost-cutting move or was it a genuine start to trying to re-build a powerhouse AM station? WCCO needs to get more edgy and authoritative, follow the lead of great-rated AM stations like WLW (Cincinnati), WBZ (Boston), KMOX (St. Louis), KOA (Denver), KGO (SF), WABC (NYC), and others.
 

I would not mind the move to 1500 or 1130. It's just that those stations in particular do not come in very clearly for me due to the HUGE radar in our town.

CCO never has had issues. For instance the Twins games, after 9:00 I lose the signal. and have to go online or watch tv to see how the game ended. Tough to do when one is out fishing or camping.

besides no I will have to change my location!!!
 

The contract with WCCO is up after the upcoming academic year.

It seems as if KSTP and KFAN/Clear Channel will go after them. Joel very much would like to see the Gophers stay on WCCO, but as we all know, money talks. Also, Twins are up after this season and where they end up will likely impact where the Gophers end up as one station might not be able to afford both. And with FB and MLB overlapping for at least a month, there are thoughts that one station might not want both or might not be able to pull off both.

And Joel, technically, doesn't have the last word. Learfield does.
 

Moving to KSPAM would put a muzzle on the pricks that make up the voice of that miserable station. Might not be a bad idea to move over there. It would be very difficult for Burrito Boy and others to pound the Gophs, kind of like biting the hand that feeds them. Please don't bring the worthless Dave Lee with though.
 

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