Despite the move to TuneIn, Ken Korach (l) and Vince Cotroneo (r) will return to the A's boothVINCE COTRONEO
The A’s are "betting on a more tech-savvy generation" by not having a Bay Area radio station this season and moving all of their audio content to TuneIn, according to Shayna Rubin of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. The A's "planned to pursue an all-digital approach last season" before a deal with KTRB-AM emerged. KTRB was the team’s 12th radio home since its arrival in '68, and the fifth since '00. Despite the move to TuneIn, Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo will return to the A's broadcast booth. The A’s got some "negative feedback from fans last season because KTRB features conservative on-air personalities." Mike Shields, the GM of Salem Media Group, which owns the station, said that the A’s "gave notice last week that they would not be renewing their contract." Shields said that the broadcast partnership was "productive from his view and the station was planning for another season of broadcasting games." Shields "didn’t close the door on a reunion -- even this season, if the A’s so choose." Rubin notes fans on Twitter had "mixed reviews" on the A's decision. Some are "excited to embrace the new broadcasting methods, some are already accustomed to streaming, while others question how it might alienate fans who don’t have easy access to the necessary technology" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 2/19).
TAKING IT ALL IN: In S.F., Susan Slusser notes the reaction from many A's fans to yesterday's news "ranged from disappointment to outrage." There was some "trepidation, particularly among older fans, about an all-digital audio platform last year" when the A's became the first MLB team to "stream its games free as part of its broadcast plan." A's President Dave Kaval said that the team "believes fans are now educated about the streaming service and noted that the vast majority of the audience owns mobile devices or laptops." He said the feedback the A’s got back about TuneIn last year is that it is a "big win" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/19). THE ATHLETIC's Steve Berman noted one of the goals for the A's was to "find an outlet for games that makes an effort to talk about the A’s throughout the day." That was the team’s "main gripe" with KGMZ-FM, which served as the A’s flagship from '11-18. The station "wasn’t satisfied with the ratings" generated by A’s games. The A’s "wanted a partnership similar to what the Giants enjoy" with KNBR-AM, and felt like KGMZ "did them no favors by barely mentioning the A’s" (THEATHLETIC.com, 2/18).
THE REAL REASON: In San Jose, Dieter Kurtenbach writes the A's move to TuneIn is not a "move toward innovation or cutting edge." Instead, it is a "sign of how irrelevant the A’s have become in this market." The A’s are "wrong when they push that streaming is the future." Kurtenbach: "It isn’t. It’s the present." If the A’s were "truly all-in on the streaming option ... then they wouldn’t have any terrestrial radio affiliates next year." In Sacramento, Modesto, Redding, Fresno and other towns in Northern California, fans will be able to "listen to A’s games on the AM band" in '20. That is "not the A’s deciding that they’re better than the radio, that’s radio stations in the Bay Area deciding that they’re better than the A’s" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 2/19). In DC, Micheline Maynard writes the A's decision "will lose fans." By taking radio "out of the mix, the A’s run the risk of alienating an audience that has been there for baseball" for a century. There is "simply no substitute for a radio." The A’s, "incredibly, are promoting the shift as a way to attract more listeners" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/19).
TWITTER REAX: Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith tweeted, "It feels like MLB teams don't give a damn about their fans. You know there are big A's fans in Oakland who listen to every game on the radio and are devastated by this. And if you say 'just listen to the stream,' please get out of your Very Online bubble." Capitals broadcaster Ben Raby: "Sad to hear. ... I experienced similar in Montreal when the #Expos did not air on English radio in the year 2000. Games were internet only (a foreign concept in 2000). There were no apps. Couldn’t listen in the car. It stunk." L.A. Times' Arash Markazi: "Wow. The closest terrestrial radio station airing Oakland A's games this season will be in Sacramento." NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano: "Wow. I'm old enough to care about this story." Henderson Gleaner's Kevin Patton: "I can’t imagine an MLB team abandoning radio but will others follow?"
