I am a surfer by nature.
Not as much waves in the ocean, although learning how to surf is on the short list of things to tackle soon, but of audio waves even more than video.
Coming home from classes, events, business functions at night, I still do what I did the years before Satellite radio. I go to the AM dial and hit search to see what pops up. It was how years ago when we were in Philadelphia and lived for our first year with the Sixers outside of the footprint of WIP, I would get road broadcasts…catching stations in New York, or Washington or Boston or even Charlotte and Cleveland…bouncing around the stratosphere. It was how I found the Fort Wyne Komets and the Spirits of St. Louis and the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens broadcasts…in French…floating out there on a crackly signal from places far and wide. Now I do it even though I have satellite radio in the car, just to see what happens in a few minutes.
Recently when I hit scan, I happened upon not a far off but a local broadcast of the New York Islanders on the Hofstra radio station WRHU. I listened to the late season game, enjoying the call of play-by-play voice Chris King and analyst Greg Picker doing their thing as they have for years. The randomness of fandom brought them into my car, but little did I know it may have been for the last time.
The team, as widely reported, announced mid last week that they were dropping the tandem, and it seems, as well as the work that the capable students and staff at WHRU, for good. While I’m not in the room in any way, and these decisions usually don’t happen in a vacuum, it struck me as strange for a number of reasons. First was the timing, right after Lou Lamoriello was let go running the hockey side, and I’m sure there are reasons as to the why for that. The second was the dropping of two team die hards popular with the Islanders community in a medium which according to most reports, including this one from Sirius XM and Ad Week, is both cost efficient and GROWING. The value of having your voices calling games for your fans was found just a few weeks ago, when the leadership of Monumental Sports and Entertainment went to great lengths to have their voices streamed to call every second of Alex Ovechkin’s quest to break the NHL scoring record. Why? Those voices brought value to their fan base, with no disrespect brought to anyone calling the game for the rest of the markets. Fans identified with those calls, just like many enjoyed King and Picker for their run.
The other reason I found it quizzical is because of the Islanders’ investment, maybe more than any other NHL team, in their supporter groups around the country. Islanders owner Scott Malkin is a longtime follower of the best things of British football, and has modeled, or at least guided, some aspects of Islanders fandom along the lines of the best Premier League supporter groups, event to the point where one end of UBS Arena has a standing group for club supporters, much like you would see in some MLS stadia here and very much like you see in the UK. The Isles have also supported and empowered their out-of-market fan clubs with material and special events as well, so there is a firm understanding in the community, and of the growth of out of market support for the club.
How does that tie to radio broadcasts? While some may say “no one listens to radio,” the reality is that spoken work streaming has boomed, giving fans the ability to stream broadcasts of their favorite voices telling the stories of their teams anywhere in the world. While I do the radio surfing, I also flip to the Sirius Channels for many, many voices, clear and on my radio in my car and on my phone. It is a treasure trove of personality and nuance storytelling. So, while terrestrial radio may not be the best answer, streaming games is a pretty smart one. (Ironically the Islanders apparent departure from the airwaves now means fans wanting to listen to hockey in NY without streaming have only one choice of the three local clubs, as the Devils left terrestrial radio several years ago for a streaming option, putting the Rangers as the only one of the three still broadcasting over a terrestrial signal).
With the Islanders’ decision, it made me want to look around a little more. Is this a trend now, where teams are cutting the specific radio vices in lieu of other ways of engaging? The answer appears to be no. I asked some industry media veterans for the numbers, and while it does appear some NHL teams have gone to simulcasting their video broadcast audio, NBA teams have actually gone the opposite way, with all teams having a dedicated audio voice this season. Why? An increased asset to sell beyond the terrestrial borders, a deeper understanding of storytelling, and the value of calling radio is far deeper, and more detailed than just rolling over a video. Radio paints pictures and takes a special skill, that sometimes a video broadcaster doesn’t need to have. Both are important, they are just a bit different.
Regardless of the who…and regardless of whether the broadcaster or broadcasters are travelling (several teams as well as even the Olympics have shown you don’t have to be there to be a professional calling a game or a match these days) or sitting in a studio or even in their living room, the “who” has value not only in the calling of games but in the aspect of historical knowledge of community involvement, and of being an asset for the team regardless of wins and losses.
I say this knowing two things…budgets are what they are, and we are in a world of social influence to reach a new audience more than ever. The ability to monetize clicks with short form content may vastly outweigh the voice or voices calling live action. There is probably a way to do both, but that’s up to those with their hands on the budgets, and those deciding the best way to reach an audience. Creativity in content and storytelling is key, and the Islanders probably have the plan for down the road which they can reveal when they are ready and will perhaps weigh in the outcry from some loud voices on what may work best.
The point is, audio has a role in reaching fans. It’s a sellable asset and the advent of streaming has lowered cost. Teams build community through their voices and silencing them totally seems a miss at a time when fandom for every team trying to win disposable income and time from all fans…especially your core…is a true premium.
My guess is the Islanders listen, learn and figure it out. Interested in seeing where it goes.
Now back to surfing.
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