As you will read in Chapter 7 of the Handbook, the success of the sports talk radio format began with the creation of WFAN-AM New York back in 1987. The amazing part of the evolution of this format is that it's really a Cinderella story...an underdog that overcame great odds. When Emmis Broadcasting purchased the rights to WHN (later changed to WFAN) in 1987, there really was no such thing as sports talk radio. Only one other radio station (KMVP in Denver) had ever attempted all-sports programming and that attempt failed miserably. In fact, when WFAN first began, critics and those with knowledge of the radio industry thought it would never last. The prevailing thought was that the topic of sports "was too narrow-that nobody would listen to sports all day." Well, almost 21 years later, WFAN is one of the most successful radio stations in history and the sports talk radio format is featured by hundreds of other stations all across the United States.
http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/story/10230568
The article that I've posted isn't a controversial piece or even an article that really raises any issues. WFAN celebrated its 20 year anniversary last summer, a benchmark for a radio station that wasn't supposed to survive one year. Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, I have always been a loyal listener of the station. Last summer, I was interning at the FAN as they celebrated their 20-year achievement. I'm not old enough to remember/imagine a time when sports talk radio would not have been considered relevant. The point is, we as fans in this day and age, devote so much of our time to following the games we love and voicing our opinions in discussions and debates about games/players/teams/etc. The question is why? Just 20 years ago, this idea of around the clock sports coverage/talk was considered ludicrous. Yet, in a span of two decades, it has become an industry standard.
Again, the question I pose to the group is why? Sure we love sports and we're consumed by it as American fans. But why have mediums like WFAN and ESPN and all the other exclusive sports media outlets found so much success? In the current day the answer seems simple, but this idea was considered impossible a short time ago. How have we changed as a society to provide so much success for such an idea? No doubt we value sports in this country and take great pride in rooting for our teams...but all day every day? Why are we not more focused on other aspects of our lives or life in general? Or do we use sports as an excuse to avoid our problems...the ultimate procrastination method?
There are a lot of different ways to look at the evolution of the sports talk format. On the radio, it all began with WFAN 21 years ago...let's figure out why.
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The success that WFAN has had over the years has been truly amazing. As our handbook pointed out not only was WFAN responsible for the increase in sports talk radio shows but also in the revitalization of AM radio. But to answer the question as to why mediums such as WFAN and ESPN have found so much success I think it’s quite simple; America is obsessed with sports and competition. There are fans out there, (including myself) that need sports 24/7. Sport’s is something that happens year round and pretty much all day and all night.
American culture runs on competition and that is one of the driving forces of sports, so it’s not surprising that mediums such as WFAN and ESPN which offer sports all the time have found success. I personally love watching sports just to relax and also when I’m stressed out. I feel that people create such a strong connection with their teams that when their team are up they are as well and the same when their team’s are down. I like to keep updated with my teams every day, I use newspapers or online coverage or mediums like ESPN and WFAN to get the information I need on my teams. My roommate and I will listen to Mike and the Mad dog all day, because their funny and they talk about sports issues that I want to hear about. Because of fans like myself I feel that 24/7 sports mediums will only continue to grow.
I believe the sports driven mediums have been so successful mainly because professional sports are America’s form of entertainment. Take a minute and think what you would be doing on a Sunday afternoon or Monday evening during the Fall and Winter months without the NFL. It’s hard to imagine our lives without some form of sports entertainment. Sure there are other forms of entertainment such as music and the film industry but that is why MTV, VH1, HBO, and STARZ have been just as successful. A similar example to those, such as ESPN and WFAN, are networks like the Food Network; twenty-four hours a day of all food and cooking. Now, why would someone watch the Food Network all day? For the same reason we watch ESPN or listen to WFAN all day. According to Chapter 9 in the handbook, ESPN has dominated the sports cable industry since ’79. (As if we didn’t already know) Since ’79 when the first Sportscenter broadcast came from inside a trailer in a parking lot ESPN has been delivering countless hours of sports entertainment for the enthusiast. People ask why all day and why so many sports. Well, ESPN wanted to reach a diverse group of people from all over the world, yes I said world (ESPN broadcasts in over 16 languages). This way a bass fisherman in South Carolina could watch the same program as a cricket fan in Australia. ESPN President George Bodenheimer offers a quote in chapter 9 stating, “We are selling and creating all the time”. And since 1996 when Bodenheimer made this comment, the company has grown to become a powerhouse. (Just a fun fact – Bodenheimer started out at ESPN in the mailroom and as a chauffer to the on-air talent and executives. With now 11 different parts of ESPN, Inc., and they already have in the works new programming, they truly have expanded across all forms of media.
It is amazing to see the growth of the phenomenon of sports talk radio and WFAM. Sports talk radio like WFAM and networks like ESPN provide all day and all night sports coverage of their favorite sports and their favorite teams. So much of their success is obviously based on their listeners and viewers.
There is no doubt that sports is one of the largest forms of entertainment in America and even the world. The fan base of sports in general is giagantic and there are so many sports and teams to support. As mentioned in Chapter 7 of the handbook, people stand by their sports teams like they stand by their country. Sports networks such as WFAM and ESPN are a way for sports fanatics to get their fill and keep up with their favorite sports, teams and players.
This past summer I was exposed to the behind the scenes environment of sports radio every Monday-Friday from the beginning of June until the end of August. Needless to say I learned a lot about the sports radio industry. I interned at WEEI 850 AM Boston Sports Radio Network, one of the top rated sports radio stations in the country. WEEI covers the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, New England Revolution, Boston College Basketball and Boston College Football. Before I Interned at WEEI I was aware that Boston sports fans were diehards. However, I was baffled by the number of loyal diehard fans that do exist around the city of Boston. The phones at WEEI were constantly ringing day in and day out. Many people who called in were calling from work or from the car on their way to or from work. Sports radio is very convenient for those who can not tune into their favorite sports television stations whenever they want. Sports radio is also different from watching shows such as Sports Center because fans can often call in and state their personal opinions about the subject that the sports radio hosts are discussing.
Chapter 7 in the "Handbook of Sports and Media" discusses sports coverage on the radio. The author, John W. Owens, opens the chapter up by explaining how there are more options in this era to get sports coverage due to digital technology. Radio is considered to be old technology. Owens states, "However, sports fans understand that despite the limitation of providing only audio coverage of a sporting event, radio encourages its listeners to produce their own highlights with an unlimited palette of images supplied by the human mind." Radio allows listeners to imagine the sporting event taking place or allows listeners to picture an event that radio hosts are discussing that was previously broadcasted. The radio has been broadcasting sports for longer than most can remember but this does not mean that people view the radio as ordinary. I feel as though those devoted to sports shows on the radio will never stop tuning in.
After reading Chapter 7 and Chris' blog post I was introduced to the sports radio station WFAN. Like WEEI, WFAN has also been very successful in the sports radio industry. I feel as though stations such as WEEI, WFAN and ESPN Radio are successful and will continue to be successful regardless of the digital technology era because of this nation's love for sports entertainment. The radio offers sports coverage every day and every night. People can listen to the radio anywhere they go. The radio is an extremely accessible medium. I feel as though people are able to focus on their everyday activities while listening to the radio. This does not include ALL activities. For example, I doubt one would turn on their favorite sports radio station in a place such as church. My point is people can listen to the radio when they are diving their kids to activities or driving themselves to work. Many people can listen to their radio quietly in their work offices or cubicles. A majority of radio stations are now streaming live from their websites allowing those without a radio to conveniently listen from their computers. So many people take pride in rooting for their favorite teams and sports continues to be one of the greatest forms of entertainment in the United States.
To answer the question as to 'why' Americans, or any other country, really, watches, listens, or even plays sports all the time can be both very simple and complex. I think the reason why networks like ESPN, all their affiliates and extraneous networks, and sports talk radio like WFAN have found success is because sports is the one category that everyone can agree on. That is not to say you can agree on rooting for one team, but rather, that everyone HAS a team to root for, has a favorite sport. The sports out there are as diverse as the people who love them, and I think that is the key to why such mediums mentioned in the post are successful- in sports, unlike most things, has something for everyone. And that, concurrently, aides such networks and radio shows because it constantly provides them with content- year after year, season after season, etc. Sports rotate, and with that rotation comes new listeners, new viewers, new recreational or professional players.
And it is not just Americans who thrive on a competitive culture- that phenomenon exists around the world. It is something that allows you to relate to others, to communicate through the language of sport and the atmosphere of camaraderie when literal language cannot suffice. Just from having the opportunity to study the history of media, and be a part of a tech savvy era, we see how far institutions like WFAN and ESPN have comes since their launches, and these mediums will continue to grow and adapt to serve the sport fan.
Yet in that same idea, I think sports fans have the ultimate respect for sports talk radio. Much like sports itself, I think that sports radio can be like a tradition passed down. Generally speaking, when you don't have access to a TV or the internet, you would probably have a radio near by- an old stand. As the Handbook states in Chapter 7, that "sports fans understand that despite the limitation of providing only audio coverage of a sporting event, radio encourages its listeners to produce their own highlights with an unlimited palette of images supplied by the human mind." There are countless highlight reels spun out by ESPN, NESN, and the like. No matter how good the camera angle, the production quality or commentary, those don't stick with me. What does bring back memories is listening to the Sox game on the radio in the car with my dad when I was younger. There's a timeless quality to radio that strips sports down to the classic game that it truly is.
The key notion to WFAN's success can be seen by looking through the eye's of its hometown's, NYC, sporting life. Even in the 19th Century, New York was obsessed with the idea of sporting events as America's past time began to take the Northeast by storm. Owners of baseball teams such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and the New York Knickerbockers(baseball team) first starteed charging in New York because people would pay. In other words, people were obsessed with sports then and they continue to be in today's society. New York has so many franchises, with such large fan bases, that it is no surprise that WFAN found sucess in 1987. Perhaps if they had started this in another city, such as Philadelphia, it may not have worked. The bottom line is, New York is a highly populated area, with most of the population having some sort of interest in sports. It's easy for fan bases to tune into AM for a game or talk, while at work, while driving, while relaxing at home, which has lead to WFAN's vast success.
There is entertainment in the idea of being able to follow "your" team and in some way relate yourselves to them. Therefore such diehard fans will listen to sports radio talk, will listen to the games on the radio when they cannot afford a ticket to the game or find a television to watch. Similiar to what it says in Chapter 7, it gives you the ability to create the plays and highlights in your mind as you hear the commentary on the radio. I compared it to reading a book, you envision the characters, you envision each play, each scene, the crowd. It leaves the creation of the atmosphere to your mind.
Being from the area, I have been exposed to WFAN for a long time. It's well known that many people are surprised that the all-sports radio station has been so monumentally successful. However after reading Chapter 7 in the handbook, it really shouldn't be that surprising.
"And, as predicted, sports programming helped move radio receivers from store shelves to home living rooms...it was estimated that it (Dempsey-Tunney bout) generated sales of over $90,000 worth of radio receivers in one New York department store alone."
Boxing along with baseball grew in popularity nearly simultaneously with the radio. The chapter also mentions that the radio was able to compete with the invention of television in large part because of baseball.
Sports have been such a large part of our society for so long that the long lasting link between sports and radio shouldn't make the success of WFAN and other sports talk radio channels so surprising
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