Musings from Brian J. Noggle

Pocket Change

Rumor has it that the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team will leave the radio station that has broadcast them for over 50 years to purchase, yes, purchase, the other leading AM talk station in the area:

The Cardinals' contract with KMOX (1120 AM) expires after this season, and team officials have talked with KTRS (550 AM) owners about buying that station and moving the broadcasts there.

It's good to see that the impoverished Cardinals, who couldn't build their new baseball stadium without tapping government funds, have enough money in reserve to buy and run a baseball station while fielding a competitive team. I'm also looking forward to public/private "partnerships" in the future to build transmission towers and buy outrageously-painted vehicles with the call letters on the side. Memo: Please just change your name and mascot now to the St. Louis Crony Capitalists. The corporate fans for whom you're building new boxes and clubs into the new stadium at the expense of inexpensive seats for families will enjoy the joke.

Here's my bet: they will buy the other radio station. How am I sure? Because in every instance where the new MBAs running professional sports organizations must choose between tradition and business-school pabulum like:

If the Cardinals bought KTRS, the team would sell its own advertising as opposed to receiving a traditional rights fee. The Cards then could incorporate the broadcasts into a consolidated marketing plan that includes opening their new stadium next season, and placing their top two minor-league affiliates within a four-hour-or-less drive of St. Louis.

Building the brand through a consolidated marketing plan by putting the broadcasts on a small radio station that most Cardinals fans cannot hear? The MBAs love it!

And when the fans in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and Indiana can't get the broadcast on KMOX, don't spend money for satellite radio, and eventually stop making the pilgrimage to Busch stadium, the MBAs won't understand how the loss of tradition in a longstanding sport franchise ultimately hurts more than it makes hip.

- posted by Brian J. @ 7:44 AM