I am mad as hell.
Earlier I wrote a blog about the national media titled 'Nobody Loves Us and Why That is Good.' So what if the national media doesn't pay attention to the Grizzlies. We can use that to our advantage after all. I never expected it to become a local issue as well!
Sports 56 WHBQ, the radio station with the slogan 'The Voice of the Fan', has cancelled the post game Grizzlies call in show. It is a sad day when the top rated local sports radio station is unable to find sponsors to pay for a late night call in show. Especially when it is one that so obviously fits the stations demographics. What is more representative of a station wanting to be the 'voice of the fans' than a call-in show right after a game when people are at their emotional zenith? Don't you think the boards would have been flooded with calls after the Spurs game on Opening Night?
I don't want to make this sound like I am ignoring the call-in show on Soul Classics 103.5 FM but that station is known for Soul not sports. Nothing personal but you have to know what you do best and stick to it. I love that Soul Classics 103.5 FM broadcasts the games because the sound quality is superior but I want the static-laden, horse-sounding half drunk comments after the game coming over AM56 not FM103.5 (or ESPN 730AM or FoxSports 680AM, I am not limiting this to AM56).
According to Eli Savoy, WHBQ's offical position is:
What the Grizzlies fans need to do is start a campaign to bring back the voice of the fans to AM56 WHBQ. Demand their sales staff to find the needed sponsors. Talk to those businesses (we all know who they were after all) about renewing their commitment to the community and the team.
You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING! My life has VALUE!' I want to talk about the Grizzlies after the game on sports talk radio!
So listen, I want you to get up. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!'
We have to let the community and the businesses and the radio stations know that this callous indifference is not to be tolerated! 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!
Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme but you get the point.
We are the consumers. The businesses need to cater to our wants and desires. If we let the radios and the businesses know that we are willing to listen to their ads if they just let us talk about the game then everyone benefits. It is a win-win situation. The businesses get to pitch their services to the consumers, the radio station gets listeners and the people get to rant about the game in the proper format.
Write WHBQ an email and ask them to find the sponsors and put the show back on the air. Leave voice messages to the guys saying we want to have local sports talk on the air and not some national generic mile toast show. Call into the shows and ask the guys to spread the word.
Will it make a difference? Maybe. It can't hurt. I do know one thing. If you don't let the stations know what you want, don't complain when you don't get it. So make an effort to be heard and maybe, just maybe we can have our time to talk about the Grizzlies again.
Earlier I wrote a blog about the national media titled 'Nobody Loves Us and Why That is Good.' So what if the national media doesn't pay attention to the Grizzlies. We can use that to our advantage after all. I never expected it to become a local issue as well!
Sports 56 WHBQ, the radio station with the slogan 'The Voice of the Fan', has cancelled the post game Grizzlies call in show. It is a sad day when the top rated local sports radio station is unable to find sponsors to pay for a late night call in show. Especially when it is one that so obviously fits the stations demographics. What is more representative of a station wanting to be the 'voice of the fans' than a call-in show right after a game when people are at their emotional zenith? Don't you think the boards would have been flooded with calls after the Spurs game on Opening Night?
I don't want to make this sound like I am ignoring the call-in show on Soul Classics 103.5 FM but that station is known for Soul not sports. Nothing personal but you have to know what you do best and stick to it. I love that Soul Classics 103.5 FM broadcasts the games because the sound quality is superior but I want the static-laden, horse-sounding half drunk comments after the game coming over AM56 not FM103.5 (or ESPN 730AM or FoxSports 680AM, I am not limiting this to AM56).
According to Eli Savoy, WHBQ's offical position is:
We had a couple sponsors who pulled out so we are working on new sponsors right now and we may still do it this year, but for now we will not be doing the show.
What the Grizzlies fans need to do is start a campaign to bring back the voice of the fans to AM56 WHBQ. Demand their sales staff to find the needed sponsors. Talk to those businesses (we all know who they were after all) about renewing their commitment to the community and the team.
You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING! My life has VALUE!' I want to talk about the Grizzlies after the game on sports talk radio!
So listen, I want you to get up. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!'
We have to let the community and the businesses and the radio stations know that this callous indifference is not to be tolerated! 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!
Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme but you get the point.
We are the consumers. The businesses need to cater to our wants and desires. If we let the radios and the businesses know that we are willing to listen to their ads if they just let us talk about the game then everyone benefits. It is a win-win situation. The businesses get to pitch their services to the consumers, the radio station gets listeners and the people get to rant about the game in the proper format.
Write WHBQ an email and ask them to find the sponsors and put the show back on the air. Leave voice messages to the guys saying we want to have local sports talk on the air and not some national generic mile toast show. Call into the shows and ask the guys to spread the word.
Will it make a difference? Maybe. It can't hurt. I do know one thing. If you don't let the stations know what you want, don't complain when you don't get it. So make an effort to be heard and maybe, just maybe we can have our time to talk about the Grizzlies again.
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2 comments:
I would just like to say that as a station we at Sports 56 have enjoyed doing the Grizzlies pre and post game shows over the years and want to keep doing them, but as always, it takes sponsors to pay the bills. We are working hard trying to line up new sponsors to bring the shows back ASAP. If you own a business or know someone that does that would like to be a sponsor, please contact the station.
Yeah. What he said!
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