Scrambling for BSU radio rights
Don Day | September 3, 2007
Who will come up with rights to the Boise State football contract? The deal with KBOI/Citadel ends after this season, and you can expect a royal fight to snag the deal.
Let’s look at the players, shall we?
Citadel – KBOI-AM is the long time home of the contract, and Paul J. Schneider is entering his 35th season broadcasting the games for the station. KBOI builds it station-image around Boise State – with a Blue & Orange logo and “Broncos Radio” positioner. Citadel also cross-pollinates the rights on other stations, including KTIK and the FM stations, helping bring a boost to the entire cluster. Citadel will have a big fight on its hands to keep the rights in house.
Peak – CEO Todd Lawley told his staff last March he intended to ‘make Citadel write a very very big check’ to hang on to radio rights. This shows that he either intends to pay up for the rights – or drive up the price to an astronomical level for Citadel. Lawley said that there isn’t a bigger brand than Boise State athletics in Boise – and clearly thinks that brand should be attached to his properties. Where the money will come from could be the lingering question. Also, the other factor is – would Peak hire Paul J., or would this be the end of the road for his association with Boise State? Could PB already be lining up potential talent for the games?
Tester – The FM Idaho/Tester group publicly stated its desire for the rights when it announced the flip of KTMB to 99.1 Man FM earlier this summer. The group has built a station with a HUGE FM footprint (from Twin Falls to Ontario, north to McCall in essence) – and would give the games generally better audio quality than an AM play. Tester Broadcasting/FM Idaho has pretty deep pockets, and has put in some serious capital upgrades of late. Also, snagging the rights would instantly give the group “status.” Right now I think most people still think of Boise as a three-group town – but the BSU rights would help bring the Tester group into parity with Journal, Citadel and Peak.
Journal – It doesn’t seem like JBG’s style to plunk down a huge sum of cash for the rights, but Bob Rosenthal is clearly a major BSU backer (and still the PA announcer). I don’t want to stray in to TV territory here – but a package deal between KIVI and a Journal radio station could be an option.
Boise State – Could the University take the rights in house? Yes. It would have to begin producing the games itself, but the cost factor is fairly low on that score. The State of Idaho owns radio stations already housed on the BSU campus (KBSU is home to BSU women’s basketball broadcasts). Boise State could keep the rights for itself, hire whomever it wants to do play-by-play – and sell the game itself. The only tough part of that deal would be Boise State Radio’s current lack of commercials. Bringing in BSU sports and stuffing it full of spots would be somewhat of a mismatch. Instead, the school could produce and sell the games itself, then buy airtime from one of the above-named radio groups.
Don, An excellent write-up on the state of BSU and its upcoming radio rights. It should make for an interesting game of one upsmanship regardless. I can see the ego battle already shaping up in offices across the Valley.
I can see it now, Dave Tester, Voice of the Broncos! EWWWWWW!
Yes, I had that thought too… After years of working with the Vandals… What an Irony it would be.
If I’m Citadel, doesn’t it make more sense to put the games on KTIK, then have other stations around the state join as part of the Bronco Sports Network? If you have a 50,000 watt monster, having a network makes zero sense, but I’m willing to bet stations from Spokane to Pocatello & most points in between would LOVE to sign up for that. And for sales, wouldn’t it make more sense to sell to national sales as being carried on a network rather than one station?
put the Broncos on Boomer! it was one of the top stations, according to the Statesman, after all!
Ken … you’re killing me!!!!!
oh, you spotted my tongue hidden way in my cheek, didja? just being silly for the hell of it.
Good point. Does the present BSU radio set up with KBOI provide for a network the way that Vandal sports does?
Of course a newtork can be set up. At one time there was but stations lost interest and dropped out.
Any station in Northern Idaho want to run BSU sports? Anyone?
I would support a Bronco Radio Network as long as Paul J. and Jeff are doing the game. I think a network would be feasible now that BSU has a top tier football program and the basketball programs are improving. However, the success of the network is predicated upon the fact the announcers are decent. Paul J. and Jeff do a great job. Bringing Tester back would be disastrous.
That’s a good point about North Idaho…but then again given the recent Vandal’s football program track record, you never know… sad but true. Oh, for the good old days.
Stations in Spokane have carried University of Washington games before, so I’m willing to bet a Spokane station would pick up the feed.
But I also only hear Vandal games in Boise, not in Pocatello or Twin Falls. If the Vandal Sports Network can have over 20 stations for a sub .500 football team, couldn’t the Bronco Sports Network get at least that many for a BCS team?
Hey, the Vandals are on KUPI-AM … uh I mean whatever the call letters are now for the Spanish. Just like Skyline Grizzlies and Idaho Falls Tigers! (980 AM in eastern Idaho)
Also, the ISU Bengals even have their own network, based out of KSEI-AM 930/KRXK-1230. It’s just KTFI in Twin and KCID in the Treasure Valley but that’s better than nothing. :) (and yes, on the FM band too, on KGTM 98.1)
Yes, and for those of you who remember back a few years ago, the Vandal Sports Radio Network was broadcasting the football games on 99.1 when it was also a music format. I think 580 KFXD had it before it lost it to them for whatever reason. So at one time the football games were in FM mode here in this part of the world.
Anyone out there know the details of this one…
they were on kido for a while..i ran the network feed for that. also on kvni and a bunch of others. problem was that at that time it was phone feed and the stations generally dropped out after the end of the game. did not want to carry the forever long post game show with bob curtis…sponsors did nto want to be in the end of that broadcast when they were likely not going to air on all the stations.
I wonder how well BSU games would do on 99.1. Let’s remember that is a rimshot signell. There were places in Boise I couldn’t pick it up to well. However, twards the end of my stay their, it did sound better. I just hope the signel isn’t as spotty as some of the rimshots in Salt Lake.
How strong is the KBSU signal now? I remember trying to listen to BSU women’s hoops and not being able to pull a strong signal from Boise to Caldwell. I still like the idea of a Bronco Sports Network that would agree to broadcast football, men’s & women’s basketball, and the new baseball team.
“How strong is the KBSU signal now?” The last time I heard it was very powerfull during the day. But at night they lower the power Signifently. I have heard that during the day you can get the signal in Bend before. I don’t having a BSU Network for football, Basketball and Baseball is a bad idea.
You must be refering to the AM? 730 Kc, since I dont know of any FM’s that have to lower there output at night?
Not to be sarcastic, or anything like that, but does anyone know about the upcoming BSU football contract? With Citadel stock falling like a rock, Peak having its own financial problems and Tester Broadcasting with its many technical glitches making the stations sound like they are hobbies, does anyone have the money to bid on the contract?
Maybe BSU should just give a barter contract to a long shot (KDJQ if it ever comes back on the air) and hope.