Baker Mayfield, who went to the Univ. of Oklahoma, is a primary reason for KAKC's deal with the BrownsGETTY IMAGES
The Browns and Tulsa-based KAKC-AM have signed a three-year deal for the station to "carry about 7 1/2 hours of Browns programming every game day," according to Bill Haisten of the TULSA WORLD. Every game day, KAKC will have "two hours of pregame, followed by the game broadcast, followed by two hours of postgame coverage." The "extensive" commitment includes a "Cleveland preview show Wednesday nights and coach Freddie Kitchens' weekly show Thursday nights." Browns QB Baker Mayfield's presence is a "primary reason" why a Browns preseason game "has some relevance" in Oklahoma. Mayfield is also "why you can hear the Browns Radio Network call on a Tulsa radio station" (TULSA WORLD, 8/6).
VIRAL MARKETING: In Cleveland, Marc Bona wonders if a video of Mayfield at Saturday's Indians game "shotgunning a can of Miller Lite" could "drive endorsements" for the QB. Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said, "Baker has done a good job of staying close to that personality that makes him polarizing. Coming out of college here's a guy who's not afraid to voice his opinions and you can tell he has a good time. There are certain sponsors -- sports sponsors -- that love that type of personality. With his on-field success last year that helps as well. Viral moments like this create an opportunity that attracts a certain type of sponsor. Other ones will run away from this." Lawrence added that other than retweets of the shotgunning video, there have been "more than 200 media outlets sharing the Mayfield video within 48 hours" of its posting (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/6).
BAD BOYS APPEAL: ESPN Radio's Mike Golic said of the Browns, "Not only are they up and coming, but they're loud. They're not just knocking on the door, they're banging on the door." ESPN Radio 850 Cleveland's Aaron Goldhammer said, "For so long in the NFL, you had to be the good soldier. You had to say what your coach wanted you to say and answer all the questions the right way. The Browns are an NBA team that plays football. Their personalities are NBA-level stars and they carry themselves with a sense of individuality, which in the NFL has been frowned on forever" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 8/5).
