Catters kicked off radio

[DenisGScott]

Donde está 'Wildcatters, Cowboys games on Southeast Texas radio?

By CHRIS DABE, The Enterprise

04/17/2007

Updated 04/17/2007 12:21:08 AM CDT

The Texas Wildcatters and Dallas Cowboys found themselves to be alike in at least one aspect Monday.

Neither has a Southeast Texas radio home.

A format change on KIKR-AM might have left the Wildcatters without an over-the-air radio station for the team's first-ever home playoff game Wednesday night. Wildcatters and Cowboys games had been broadcast on the station before a format change from all sports to a full-time Spanish language format early Monday morning.

The change is likely to prevent the Wildcatters from being broadcast over the air in Southeast Texas, said Cumulus-Beaumont vice president and market manager Jim Ray.

KIKR is owned by Cumulus-Beaumont.

Ray said he was 70 percent certain the Wildcatters would not be put on the radio. Ray said he feared losing a Spanish language listener base by broadcasting the hockey game.

"If people are really interested in the games, we figure they'll be there," said Ray, who added that the broadcast would still be available at the Wildcatters Web site.

The Wildcatters play at 7 p.m. against the Gwinnett Gladiators. Each team has won once in the best-of-five series.

Wildcatters radio announcer Anthony Langella Jr. said he thought the team had a contract with the station for all games, regular season and playoffs, to be broadcast.

Langella Jr. said he was disappointed in the change.

"But I'm not the person to talk about that," said Langella Jr., referring questions to Wildcatters managing partner Rick Adams.

Adams did not return two phone messages Monday.

The Wildcatters were not the only team surprised by the format change.

Dallas Cowboys affiliate relations manager and senior producer Jon Ingham said he had not known of the format change until a reporter told him Monday.

"This is news to me," Ingham said.

Ingham said most affiliate agreements are for two years. He said the 2007 season is the second year of the current agreement with KIKR and was unsure if the format change violated the agreement.

Ingham said putting the team's Spanish language broadcast on KIKR and shifting the English language broadcast to another Cumulus-Beaumont station might be an option.

Ray said he hopes to shift the Cowboys broadcasts to KQYX-FM 94.1, KAYD-FM 101.7 or KTCX-FM 102.5. All are owned by Cumulus-Beaumont.

National sports programming formerly on KIKR can be heard on KFNC-FM 97.5, an ESPN Radio station called The Ticket.

The station's program director, Jon Madani, said National Football League territorial broadcast restrictions prevented his or any station that reaches within 50 miles of Houston from airing Cowboys games.

Madani said the Wildcatters would not be on KFNC.

Stations closest to Beaumont to air Cowboys games are KAOK-AM 1400 in Lake Charles and KTBQ-FM 107.7 in the Lufkin/Nacogdoches area

[KFDM COOP]

Thoughts on this Dennis.

[DenisGScott]

My thoughts are I hope Rick and the Catters sue the living hell out of Cumulus.  I have no legal background so I dont know if they would have a case or not.  That being said, with my media background and people I know in media here, I've known this move was coming for a few months now, but why do it in the middle of the playoffs??  This would be like doing the same thing to Lamar in the midst of the NCAA tournament.  And spare me the upset the spanish listener base....if ESPN radio didnt have a listener base in 2 years how in the hell could a spanish station have one in 2 days???  And love how they will accomodate the Cowboys onto FM but screw hockey.  It all comes down to money as usual.  The sales staff there at Cumulus focuses on selling 94.1, 101.7 etc not on the ESPN signal or what was the ESPN signal.  And add to that the signal itself sucked, especially at night but thats an FCC deal I know.

[AshlyHasBeen]

Just another sad blow. When will our area fans and media learn that unless you support local teams there won't be local teams. I know hockey will never become mainstream but considering this is our team and I'm from here I do whatever I can to support them.