(02-18-2019 02:02 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 01:31 PM)brock20 Wrote:  I thought 104.9 had been upgraded awhile back. Regardless, why would ETSU athletics put their games on WETS for free instead of getting paid by Cumulus to put them on AM640 or WKOS?

Again..........."coverage area, coverage area, coverage area........."

I'd be interested to know how much Cumulus pays ETSU for those rights, but I would bet it's not huge money - in the grand scale of ETSU athletics. And if I remember correctly, didn't *we* have to pay somebody to carry games not all that many years ago? That certainly was what was said on the old board. (I have no knowledge of those things.) To my set of friends, colleagues, business associates, etc., ETSU's following was greatest in the "surrounding areas" back when the games *were* on WETS-FM. It was very common to see folks coming from Western NC, SW VA, Greenville, Rogersville, Marion, etc., etc. I'm sure a few of those folks still come to games, but I think that attendance has really dropped off. Of course I'm comparing now to then when we also had 10-11,000 crowds in the Dome, too. And I doubt many will drive from Marion or Rogersville to see games in person they can watch on that interet machine.

NOT TO MENTION...........instead of commercials, we could have updates of all kinds of ETSU happenings, both academic and cultural. NOT TO MENTION.......you would have a captive audience to give a few "please donate to the radio station" or whatever pitches to. I suspect we could get more university income via those routes than whatever Cumulus pays us, but that's just speculation. By broadcasting on the campus station, you attract new fans with the much larger coverage area, and you attract new fans to the NPR station for much wider purposes. It's a no-brainer, as I've always said. Dick Ellis would tell you the same thing. It worked well then; it should work well now.

I should have known better than to respond. Unreal.

Coverage means very little, You have a computer or phone? You can listen to WXSM in Japan.

(02-18-2019 02:36 PM)brock20 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 02:02 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 01:31 PM)brock20 Wrote:  I thought 104.9 had been upgraded awhile back. Regardless, why would ETSU athletics put their games on WETS for free instead of getting paid by Cumulus to put them on AM640 or WKOS?

Again..........."coverage area, coverage area, coverage area........."

I'd be interested to know how much Cumulus pays ETSU for those rights, but I would bet it's not huge money - in the grand scale of ETSU athletics. And if I remember correctly, didn't *we* have to pay somebody to carry games not all that many years ago? That certainly was what was said on the old board. (I have no knowledge of those things.) To my set of friends, colleagues, business associates, etc., ETSU's following was greatest in the "surrounding areas" back when the games *were* on WETS-FM. It was very common to see folks coming from Western NC, SW VA, Greenville, Rogersville, Marion, etc., etc. I'm sure a few of those folks still come to games, but I think that attendance has really dropped off. Of course I'm comparing now to then when we also had 10-11,000 crowds in the Dome, too. And I doubt many will drive from Marion or Rogersville to see games in person they can watch on that interet machine.

NOT TO MENTION...........instead of commercials, we could have updates of all kinds of ETSU happenings, both academic and cultural. NOT TO MENTION.......you would have a captive audience to give a few "please donate to the radio station" or whatever pitches to. I suspect we could get more university income via those routes than whatever Cumulus pays us, but that's just speculation. By broadcasting on the campus station, you attract new fans with the much larger coverage area, and you attract new fans to the NPR station for much wider purposes. It's a no-brainer, as I've always said. Dick Ellis would tell you the same thing. It worked well then; it should work well now.

I should have known better than to respond. Unreal.

Not taking issue but when was ETSU sports on WETS?

I remember being on WJCW 910 but not WETS.

(02-18-2019 02:51 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  Coverage means very little, You have a computer or phone? You can listen to WXSM in Japan.

Exactly.

(02-18-2019 02:02 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 01:31 PM)brock20 Wrote:  I thought 104.9 had been upgraded awhile back. Regardless, why would ETSU athletics put their games on WETS for free instead of getting paid by Cumulus to put them on AM640 or WKOS?

Again..........."coverage area, coverage area, coverage area........."

I'd be interested to know how much Cumulus pays ETSU for those rights, but I would bet it's not huge money - in the grand scale of ETSU athletics. And if I remember correctly, didn't *we* have to pay somebody to carry games not all that many years ago? That certainly was what was said on the old board. (I have no knowledge of those things.) To my set of friends, colleagues, business associates, etc., ETSU's following was greatest in the "surrounding areas" back when the games *were* on WETS-FM. It was very common to see folks coming from Western NC, SW VA, Greenville, Rogersville, Marion, etc., etc. I'm sure a few of those folks still come to games, but I think that attendance has really dropped off. Of course I'm comparing now to then when we also had 10-11,000 crowds in the Dome, too. And I doubt many will drive from Marion or Rogersville to see games in person they can watch on that interet machine.

NOT TO MENTION...........instead of commercials, we could have updates of all kinds of ETSU happenings, both academic and cultural. NOT TO MENTION.......you would have a captive audience to give a few "please donate to the radio station" or whatever pitches to. I suspect we could get more university income via those routes than whatever Cumulus pays us, but that's just speculation. By broadcasting on the campus station, you attract new fans with the much larger coverage area, and you attract new fans to the NPR station for much wider purposes. It's a no-brainer, as I've always said. Dick Ellis would tell you the same thing. It worked well then; it should work well now.

640 AM can be listened to on the internet. Deep in the hollow in which I reside neither 640 AM or 104.9 FM is a really pleasant alternative at night. If I am forced to because of technical glitches at ESPN, this is what I listen to. Don't bother going to the WXSM website, it is almost as bad as ESPN trying to get to where you can listen to a broadcast. I stumbled onto this link some time ago. It pops up right at the player for the broadcast and away you go. http://player.listenlive.co/26431/en

(02-18-2019 03:16 PM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 02:02 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 01:31 PM)brock20 Wrote:  I thought 104.9 had been upgraded awhile back. Regardless, why would ETSU athletics put their games on WETS for free instead of getting paid by Cumulus to put them on AM640 or WKOS?

Again..........."coverage area, coverage area, coverage area........."

I'd be interested to know how much Cumulus pays ETSU for those rights, but I would bet it's not huge money - in the grand scale of ETSU athletics. And if I remember correctly, didn't *we* have to pay somebody to carry games not all that many years ago? That certainly was what was said on the old board. (I have no knowledge of those things.) To my set of friends, colleagues, business associates, etc., ETSU's following was greatest in the "surrounding areas" back when the games *were* on WETS-FM. It was very common to see folks coming from Western NC, SW VA, Greenville, Rogersville, Marion, etc., etc. I'm sure a few of those folks still come to games, but I think that attendance has really dropped off. Of course I'm comparing now to then when we also had 10-11,000 crowds in the Dome, too. And I doubt many will drive from Marion or Rogersville to see games in person they can watch on that interet machine.

NOT TO MENTION...........instead of commercials, we could have updates of all kinds of ETSU happenings, both academic and cultural. NOT TO MENTION.......you would have a captive audience to give a few "please donate to the radio station" or whatever pitches to. I suspect we could get more university income via those routes than whatever Cumulus pays us, but that's just speculation. By broadcasting on the campus station, you attract new fans with the much larger coverage area, and you attract new fans to the NPR station for much wider purposes. It's a no-brainer, as I've always said. Dick Ellis would tell you the same thing. It worked well then; it should work well now.

640 AM can be listened to on the internet. Deep in the hollow in which I reside neither 640 AM or 104.9 FM is a really pleasant alternative at night. If I am forced to because of technical glitches at ESPN, this is what I listen to. Don't bother going to the WXSM website, it is almost as bad as ESPN trying to get to where you can listen to a broadcast. I stumbled onto this link some time ago. It pops up right at the player for the broadcast and away you go. http://player.listenlive.co/26431/en

You can use Tunein as well

https://tunein.com/radio/640-WXSM-s29106/

I use IHeartRadio

(02-18-2019 03:51 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  I use IHeartRadio

I use Simple Radio and WiFi. You can listen to radio stations from all over the world crystal clear.

Just FYI, WETS has been approached many times and asked to provide airtime for ETSU athletics events. They have declined, saying it doesn't fit their format or audience. Remember, it is public radio, so there are also issues regarding the fact the Buccaneer Sports Network exists to help generate revenue. So, not that any particular person is standing in the way of a good idea or anything -- and sure the program would like the coverage WETS provides -- but it won't happen for a multitude of reasons. Ultimately, the whole broadcast landscape is changing, with the BSN now producing live streaming games across ESPN's platforms, most people listening to Jay's broadcasts on their phones through the IHeart App, and the network even producing a daily, one-hour podcast (which by the way is exceptionally well produced and a fun listen for those that haven't caught it yet).

(02-16-2019 06:50 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  I personally think what's going on is that Forbes, for whatever reasons in his head (and I don't mean that negatively) has shortened the bench just to make his decision-making easier. If he only has to think about 9 guys (except on some rare occasion), then it's easier on him - even if it means losing some of them due to transfer. That's *totally* a guess. Curtis and Bernard are the biggest mysteries. He called Bernard "a bigger version of Burrell", and Curtis was a *3-star* recruit. And we all loved his h.s. tapes. Where's Nate Morrabito?

Actually, Forbes answered this issue tonight - it has everything to do with defense. In fact, he said "99.9% of the time if a player isn't getting in, it's due to their defense in practice."

Shockingly, he didn't say "I don't play those guys because it's easier on me."

(02-18-2019 07:20 PM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  

(02-16-2019 06:50 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  I personally think what's going on is that Forbes, for whatever reasons in his head (and I don't mean that negatively) has shortened the bench just to make his decision-making easier. If he only has to think about 9 guys (except on some rare occasion), then it's easier on him - even if it means losing some of them due to transfer. That's *totally* a guess. Curtis and Bernard are the biggest mysteries. He called Bernard "a bigger version of Burrell", and Curtis was a *3-star* recruit. And we all loved his h.s. tapes. Where's Nate Morrabito?

Actually, Forbes answered this issue tonight - it has everything to do with defense. In fact, he said "99.9% of the time if a player isn't getting in, it's due to their defense in practice."

Shockingly, he didn't say "I don't play those guys because it's easier on me."

Yes I thought he did a good job answering why the two are not playing much.You have to respect Coach's honesty and also that he knows what he is doing with who plays and who he does not play. He said practice Monday through Wednesday determines a lot of playing time but he did say Carlos was not feeling well Saturday and was not well today.

(02-18-2019 05:18 PM)Bucfreak23 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 03:51 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  I use IHeartRadio

I use Simple Radio and WiFi. You can listen to radio stations from all over the world crystal clear.

Alexa play 640 WXSM

Instead of spending beaucoups time responding to each point, I'll try and cut to the chase as succintly as possible, knowing I'll likely fail in that; so, in semi-chronological order:


WETS-FM carried Bucs game from the beginning of the station, in 1974(?). Dick Ellis was not only the station manager, but was the play-by-play broadcaster for both hoops and gridiron action. It's obviously been a long time, but I kinda think there may have been some overlap where for a period of time the broadcasts were over *both* WETS and WJCW (simultaneously), but don't quote me on that. Then they were transitioned over to WJCW, and some of the time there were satellite stations carrying it, too, but no chance I could remember those details. I'm virtually certain WETS was still broadcasting them when hoops was moved to the Dome, but again, don't quote me on that. I think that continued until sometime in the mid-(?)'80s.
WETS tweaked it's "mission statement" (and I can prove it if anyone doubts this) when they changed formats back 7-8 years ago, to (mostly) eliminate music. A sad day in southern Appalachia, but I digress.......
Point being, any mission statement can be changed, and that in and of itself doesn't prevent them from carrying ETSU ballgames. (And yes, of course it's far from being that simple. This forum isn't the best place to get into the nuts and bolts of that.)

Some of you are missing the point about having the best possible distribution of ETSU sporting events via the best broadcasting medium in the area. Yes, I can use some digital media device, and yes, everyone on this forum can, too. I don't do "apps", tho, so that eliminates some channels. But nevertheless, those kinds of arguments are preaching to the choir, as the mere fact you all are reading this indicates. Regular, old-fashioned broadcast radio still exists because it works and still has an audience. There's a whole universe of people within, oh, 75-100 milies of Johnson City who don't use digital media for their broadcast reception. Probably 1/3-1/2 of my friends don't do so, and that's (generally) pretty-well-educated citizens. ESPECIALLY "mountain folks" don't "do" digital because they don't have a signal for that, but they can sure pick up a strong FM signal. There used to be quite a large contingent of Western NC people who would come over the mountain to games from Buladeen, Burnsville, etc. I knew those people, and they don't come anymore because they can't hear the games and to some extent they've therefore lost interest. Although, yes, some of them have passed on. And I can also tell you there are plenty of "hollers" in Unicoi and Carter counties that don't have digital access. Same for eastern Sullivan County, SW VA,etc. A lot of people from up there came down even before Brad Nuckles came along (some of them inspired by Talford, of course). Anyway.....thousands of potential fans falling by the wayside.

Now...........all that said..............I know this is almost certainly, unfortunately, a dead end. We had this discussion back when football was about to return, and I tried to get a movement going to get WETS to carry the games, to no avail, obviously. I know some of the obstacles, and some I don't know. Some of the ones I know I can't rightly put on this forum for privacy reasons. Remember, I'm an idealist, searching and hoping for the best way to do stuff - all the while knowing some of those ideas are not gonna happen.
Buccaneer Sports Network................I probably shouldn't go deep into that. Yes, it's designed to make money - but is that necessarily a good thing - meaning is the 'cost' worth the benefit? Since I don't know dollar amounts, and Scott almost certainly wouldn't reveal that to me, it's hard for me to directly comment. But consider how I view the extortionist BASA memberships, the excessive and profiteering parking schemes, etc. I'm guessin', if I knew the details, that I'd term the BSN more of a harm than not (assuming WETS would provide access instead). And I say that knowing likley most here will disagree. But I just don't think you're seeing the big picture if that's the case.

Again..........we're missing a large chunk of the younger generation(s) - and some of it is the cost of being included. I've pointed out how small a portion of the atheletic budget ticket sales are. I could go on, but most of you all know all my views on that stuff. I see the Atheltics "Machine" as being more akin to a "maximize-profit-for-the-short-run" mentality rather than a "build-it-and-they-will-come" mentality (meaning building the fan base). And you all know I speak the truth on this. The average age of attending fan nowadays, excluding students, is probably over 55. It could easily be over 60. Twenty years ago I'll bet it was around 45; 50 tops. Squeezing fewer fans (as they age out) harder and harder is a recipe for success ……...NOT.

Sorry for the length. I could have written much more. I'll comment on Forbes's comments in a separate post.

(02-18-2019 07:50 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:20 PM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  

(02-16-2019 06:50 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  I personally think what's going on is that Forbes, for whatever reasons in his head (and I don't mean that negatively) has shortened the bench just to make his decision-making easier. If he only has to think about 9 guys (except on some rare occasion), then it's easier on him - even if it means losing some of them due to transfer. That's *totally* a guess. Curtis and Bernard are the biggest mysteries. He called Bernard "a bigger version of Burrell", and Curtis was a *3-star* recruit. And we all loved his h.s. tapes. Where's Nate Morrabito?

Actually, Forbes answered this issue tonight - it has everything to do with defense. In fact, he said "99.9% of the time if a player isn't getting in, it's due to their defense in practice."

Shockingly, he didn't say "I don't play those guys because it's easier on me."

Yes I thought he did a good job answering why the two are not playing much.You have to respect Coach's honesty and also that he knows what he is doing with who plays and who he does not play. He said practice Monday through Wednesday determines a lot of playing time but he did say Carlos was not feeling well Saturday and was not well today.

Ok...…….I'm glad to hear someone must have actually asked the question. I guess we'll leave it at that and just keep trusting him. But I'll still be very surprised if we don't lose 1 or more before next year. Thank you all for providing that info.

I guess he missed the post where Mike said WETS said they don't want to carry the games?

(02-19-2019 06:59 AM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  I guess he missed the post where Mike said WETS said they don't want to carry the games?

It’s not just Bucs losing attendance, it’s across the board in all college and pro sports. It’s certainly not which radio station carries the games to blame. Fan apathy is rooted in cost, HDTV so much better now, people can’t look away from phone now to actually watch a game, etc. You can blame a lot so things but it is not radio coverage.

I did ask Coach Forbes during the coaches show about Bernard. Steve hinted that the main reason Bernard doesn't play is that he doesn't trust him at all on defense. Said he was one of the most vocal and positive personalities in practice, but he doesn't have minutes to give him yet.... He made an inclination that he offered Bernard a chance to enter with Rasnick, but Bernard (and others) was feeling cold after being on the bench. Also, Coach spoke highly of Jeromy, I think he may be his favorite player yet at ETSU. Just from the tone I hear him speak.

Unrelated, but has Mladen won a tip-off at any point this season? I can't remember a single one. He has been the first to the ball often, but it always ends up going the other direction.

(02-19-2019 06:59 AM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  I guess he missed the post where Mike said WETS said they don't want to carry the games?

No, I didn't miss that, and I think I addressed that to the degree I can in this forum.