Sources: Yankees to stay on WCBS (radio)

Stop the radio music! According to multiple sources late yesterday, the Yankees have, at least for one more season, chosen to remain on WCBS 880 AM, rejecting ESPN’s offer to buy team radio rights. A move to ESPN would have placed the Yankees on ESPN-NY’s new 98.7 FM — which on Saturday becomes the local station’s sole carrier, leaving 1050 AM (which soon will become an ESPN Spanish-language sports station). Such a decision could sustain the team’s broadcast team of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

That the Yankees apparently have temporarily spurned a bidding war — ESPN Radio is eager to land Yankees’ or Mets’ radio rights — is curious, given WCBS’s deal, for an unretrievable $12 million-$14 million per season, seemed to place moneyed ESPN Radio in what late Yankees radio man Red Barber called, “The Catbird Seat.” CBS recently began the national CBS Sports Radio Network, and early seems to be throwing a lot of money and energy in its direction.

Torre leaves. Crying Suzyn (”this is rough, he’s your friend”) is consoled by John (”Well Suzyn, in life unfortunately all good things must come to an end”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PePGaKx1JpQ

a post by “Craig” on the NYC Radio Messageboard:
>>I suppose CBS had TWO reasons to bid high to keep the Yankees:
The principal reason is because the Yankees really contribute to WCBS’s revenues. A couple of years ago, WCBS had the highest revenue of any radio station in NYC. It’s always one of the top earners. Yankee fans get recycled into the station’s All-News format.

>>But the second reason is to stop 98.7 WEPN from getting the Yankees. If the Yankees stay on WCBS and the Mets stay on WFAN, it keeps WEPN from getting an MLB franchise. And when it comes to successful Sports stations, nearly all of them have an MLB franchise.

>>I’m surprised the Yankees didn’t ask for an AM-FM simulcast, using WCBS-FM. CBS gives AM-FM simulcasts to the Phillies and the Tigers. I wonder if WEPN ending its own 1050-98.7 simulcast hurt them in the competition? We know there are plenty of Yankee fans who live beyond a 45 mile radius of the Empire State Building. They can’t get a good signal from 98.7 but have no problem getting 50,000 watt 880.

Interesting. I would have thought ESPN would be moving to WABC, since Clear Channel’s purchase of WOR would seem to indicate that Rush and all the conservative talkers are about to head over there.

I wonder if WEPN ending its own 1050-98.7 simulcast hurt them in the competition? We know there are plenty of Yankee fans who live beyond a 45 mile radius of the Empire State Building. They can’t get a good signal from 98.7 but have no problem getting 50,000 watt 880.

That's like years ago the Pittsburgh Penguins had their games on KDKA-AM, a 50kW signal that covers 38 states. Then one year they moved the games to KQV, which is a 5000 watt station whose signal barely gets beyond city limits. The fan base was jumping ugly!

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