(02-19-2019 01:31 PM)BucDoctor Wrote: (02-19-2019 01:04 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote: (02-19-2019 12:47 PM)BucDoctor Wrote: Thought this discussion needed its own thread.
WETS FM is FCC licensed as a noncommercial educational FM station.
WETS FCC Information
Exactly. Would increase the listenability of game broadcasts enormously.
Who reimburses athletics for the loss of revenue from VanWagner, SoCon ESPN contract, etc.
Would student sports personalities increase the listenability?
That's (the reimbursement) a separate, but related question. I think the whole model is wrong. And of course I think there should be a huge increase in (partially subsidized) public radio. 95% of commercial radio is crap, and I think most would agree. Those who don't agree really don't know what they're missing.
This forum can't begin to discuss adequately these funding questions, but I would argue that athletic departments are FAR too big. Does ETSU actually 'need' 14 football coaches (not counting the other associated jobs)? Does ETSU actually 'need' a separate coach *just* for defensive ends? For both inside *and* outside linebackers? I'm just throwing those questions out there - I am NOT trying to throw anyone under the bus, or denigrate those individuals. Does the world need a UT (or Alabama or whoever) with their ultra-massive staffs? I'm saying/arguing that the world could do with about half, or likely far less, of the incredibly expensive infrastructure that revolves around such expensive undertakings.
Now, we know how competition works, and Alabama, or Georgia, et al, will want to 'build' the biggest 'machine' they can in order to win prestige, honor,
more money, etc. They want to beat the massive machines of their rivals. It's a free world, and nobody should be able to tell Saban he can't 'build' however big a machine he wants to. Nobody's holding a gun to the head of the fans in that state to make them buy tickets, gear, etc. None of that is news to me, of course. But we, as a society, have taken this stuff too far.
We didn't have ESPN money (or very little) 3 years ago, right? And we 'survived' just fine without it, right? And how much do we get now? Is Scott going to tell us that? Is Iamarino? I'm just sayin' that there should be (and is, whether we recognize it or not) a limit to how big this stuff can get. Do we really "need" JC Honda, or Coke, or whoever, when that can be replaced by more fans, more university interest, more civic involvement, greater building of youth interest, etc., etc.? I'm just asking the questions, and I think they're important questions. Is it not a legitimate question to ask, if the 'power' of the Power 5 conferences is too great? And I'm not speaking for just "the rest of us", but for the sport in general. A golden goose will only get so big before it will quit being the golden goose - and history has shown us over and over again that when that point comes, it will only be recognized in highsight.
As to student sports personalities increasing the listening? Hmmm........don't know. Would depend on the personalities. If one catches some E&H sports broadcasts while trying to catch music on that NPR station, one can see that it's an interesting proposition. More amateurish, of course, but still very workable. Works fine for them.
And.........if I get your point (not sure) are you asking if we'd do away with Jay? I didn't mean that (altho I'm less of a fan of him than many of you (he's certainly WAY better than many, but also just as certainly has his failings)) we'd not have a professional broadcaster. I didn't mean to make everything volunteer or amateur. Just that there's a middle ground. Without knowing the numbers, just guessing, I'd personally be fine with less commercial money and a better broadcasting situation. No doubt about that, from my perspective.
To me, and this isn't exactly analogous, but it does remind me of it, is Ballad/MSHA subsidizing/"sponsoring"/advertising. Do you all know what their budget is for such stuff? It would make you blanche. And now the pace car for Bristol races will be "Ballad Health". I know nearly a dozen people (probably far more, in actuality) who've lost their jobs in this merger (which is not to say I was necessarily anti-merger). That's a digression - or is it? Does ETSU's mission include having a specialized defensive end coach? I could go on and on on this topic. While I think ETSU is a decent steward of their funds, they're far from perfect - and I'm NOT equating them with the largesse, waste, etc. that we all could ascribe to MSHA/Ballad. I'm just sayin' that our dearly beloved institution should be VERY careful about the directions we go in.