Targeting Sioux Falls

[Charger13]

Reading about how the Bison have been advertising football in Fargo makes me realize how much more SDSU can do. I think we need to attack the Sioux Falls market with commercials on every station during the news cast and post billboards around town. I think they need to make SDSU and the Jacks household names. With so many people moving to Sioux Falls we need to educate them on where to find the best collegiate athletics. I think commercials on the local tv stations will also make them a little more pro SDSU in their reports. Sioux Falls metro has 200,000 and their media market is much more than that. I just think we need to be more aggressive in getting Sioux Falls people at Jacks games. Do you guys have any other ideas on how we could do this?

[JACKGUY]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

I couldn't agree more that Sioux Falls will have to play a huge role in the success of the transition to DI. There is clearly a lot of competition for the entertainment dollar in
Sioux Falls with all the minor league sports,pavillion etc, A lot of Sioux Falls people possess Vikings Seasons tickets and drive to Minneapolis for games. I Know many go to Huskers games in Lincoln. The Sioux Falls minor league teams are always leaders in attendence for their respective leagues. The High Schools also get great support. This is a sports crazy town that supports its teams regardless of records as the minor league teams have not had great on field success and yet still draw great crowds.There are a lot of people new to the area
who have no allegiance to any of the local college teams and are not going to attend DII calibre events as they can't relate to any of the teams. I think the jacks currently focus on the Sioux Falls Market but need to take their efforts to another level that includes advertising,corporate sponsorship,focus groups,more alumni events. I've said before that SDSU needs to look at playing games at Howard Wood and the Arena to convert fans. They need to convert the sports fan that has no ties to SDSU. That being said SDSU needs to do more to make the atmosphere more entertaining particulary at Coughlin with tailgating,better eating options,better seating,sound system,scoreboard etc. Speaking of Scoreboards I think what we have at both Frost and Coughlin is pathetic when you consider we are home to the reknown Daktronics. I think SDSU needs to appeal to all communities in the state. I also have heard research that alumni tend to be more involved with a DI school both in donations and athletic contest participation . I think alumni who have not paid much attention need to become reconnected to State. One of the key to making this work does indeed need to involve getting more people driving north on 29!

[1963Jack]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

I agree, Sioux Falls needs to feel like they are part of SDSU. I think some of this will occur naturally once we are the "biggest game in town" as far as college athletics are concerned. Yet we need to work on developing this market.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

I cant resist adding my two cents.

I agree with all the points made above. The prinipals in Daktonics have a big interest in SDSU athletics, besides they provide tons of jobs for grads and current students.  If doing something for SDSU meant replacing both scoreboards at Frost and Coughlin, they would appear to be very generous in my eye, a holder of 400 shares of Daktronics stock.

Their technology is expensive and what they could do in terms of gratituty would be a 64 dollar question. There may be something going on here that we dont know about and if so then good for us.

I really enjoyed my last trip to Fargo and Grand Forks  for football since both places had Daktronic data display. The FargoDome tracks the rushing and passing yard and the last game that featured Lamar Gordon and Josh Ranek was fun to watch since you were up-to-date on their yards with each play. The Alerus had instant replay screens and the same data display I believe.
We should not have to wait to get the stats from Lenzy who has worked his tail off for decades at a low salary.  

As far as the current broadcast rights with WNAX, my understanding is that we pay WNAX a certain amount each year.  SDSU then sells all the ads during the game and they also run spot ads during the week.  I understand we make a profit on reselling the ads.  Someone who should know told me that.

I think Steve Emming does a great job and I hope we can keep him going into the future. The big question in my mind is  how many listeners does WNAX have in Sioux Falls. New people would tend to listen to local radio and most likely would not know WNAX exists.  So doing something directly in Sioux Falls is very much in need. The suggestions above are all good on that point.

[JACKGUY]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

I agree Daktronics has been a wonderful asset for Brookings providing employment for many grads. I also
know that they have benefited greatly from this relationship with the cheap labor they are able to secure with internships and entry level pay. I think for many people working for Daktronics is a launching pad to a higher paying job elsewhere. This philosophy enhances your stock price keeping labor cost down. I would love to see an arrangement where they would donate at cost or discount to secure state of the art equipment at our facilities. Like you said there is most likely discussions behind the scenes between the principals at daktronics
and the administration at SDSU. I hope Daktronics stays in Brookings and continues to prosper but also recognizes an opportunity to assist where they can. With regards to WNAX I like the fact that you have a station with such a powerful signal that covers multiple states. We would be hard pressed to find another station with that kind of signal. You may be right about WNAX not having a following in Sioux Falls but I believe that can be overcome with the right marketing effort. How big is it when you have a station that can be heard in Aberdeen,Omaha,Minneapolis. I too like Steve Imming. Would like to see a former player assist in Basketball with player interviews and more pregame. I think Jerry Oster who assists in Football is terrible and adds litttle to no imput for football. Again, Steve Imming is very good however would like to see someone with football knowledge assist as an analyst. I think it would be great to see a coaches show on one of the Sioux Falls stations. Back to the radio, maybe WNAX suppies the radio talent and is the flagship station with other cities having the ability to be part of the network for games.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Jackguy:
I live about 100 miles straight south of Yankton in Columbus, Ne.  The one thing that made me a frequent traveler to Brookings for the past 18 years was the FCC requirement that forces WNAX to alter the direction of their signal at sundown. In my area and areas south Yankton you can not get WNAX at all after sundown.  The signal is directed north, and east. There is nothing WNAX can do about this, but the internet has fixed this problem.  During the day, yes you can reach Omaha and going into the Kansas the signal can be heard.
Its kind odd but I can pick up 560am in Bismarck I believe and have listened to Bison and Sioux games on my way to and from Brookings. Radio signal is odd, and a network in the future with WNAX as the flag ship station is a good idea.  I even got this signal from Bismarck on the way home from Chadron, western Nebraska and was listening to a UND game.

[89rabbit]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Do you guys remember back in the early 90s when KJJQ (Now Depot Radio in Brookings) had the games and WNAX was covering USD? I do because I had just graduated from State and was working for CD broadcasting the Company that ownes the Stations in Brookings. We had a network, with several stations. However it was hard to keep going and after a few years it went back to WNAX. CD pulled back from sports a little bit. At one time they where the Voice of the Rabbits, DSU (I was on that braodcast team), did the Bobcat games, as well as a High School game of the week. I beleive the Broooking station still does the Women's game. There is a lot of tradition at WNAX and a lot of people wanted it to go back. At the time WNAX was not interested in the work of maintaining a network.

Things change however, and perhaps as we move to D I/I AA it may be easier for WNAX to run a network. That would be great, becasue as powerful as WNAX is it dosen't touch much of Central or Western SD. What I would really like to see is State Selling out games and the local TV stations putting the games on the Air. It won't help me down in Kansas, but it would be great for the program.

Go State!

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

ha89rabbit:
Yes I do remember that very well. Norm Hilson, the Nodak, who learned to love SDSU was under a great deal of stress wearing a red jacket and doing USD games. One of the reasons and a big reason WNAX came back was that the USD foundation could not follow through on their payment to WNAX. USD had to assume the same terms as SDSU and had to pay more to WNAX for the broadcasts. Their alum and fan support f petered out and there was no money to pay WNAX so USD cancellled their contract with WNAX.  I believe Norm sucumbed to a heart attack that summer after the last season with USD and never got back to being the voice of Jacks again.  Norm's side kick Joe Van Gore, I am sure pushed for the USD coverage since he is a USD alum.  When  SDSU got the station back, the Admin asked for another announcer and hence we have Steve Emming who is much like Norm Hilson and maybe a little better in some ways.

I was amazed with Steve this winter during one game  when he did the play by play by himself and interviewed Fred Oien at the same time.  He had to do that since Fred had more than one media engagement and missed his half time slot. I think it was the game right after the announcement that the Big SKy had given its cold shoulder.

Steve is a great guy and very private when off the air. To quote Martha, "Thats a good thing".

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Oh KJJQ still does the Women BB and volleyball. They do a good job on both.

[89rabbit]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

You guys where talking about scoreboards earlier.  My understanding was we where getting a new one for football with a video board.  I remember people talking about it at the last Hobo Day game.  What ever happened to this, is it part of the stadium renovation that seems to be on the back burner until we work out our D I/I AA issues?

I agree with all in saying our Scoreboards are not good.  Especially since we are located in Daktronic's home town.  If I remember correctly isn't Al Kurtenback, (might have misspelled it) one of the owners,  a SDSU alum and didn't he teach at SDSU?  Just wondering.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Yes Alred is still involved but maybe semi retired. His brother Frank and Morgan, for get is first name, plus Duane Sanders are the prinipals. Sanders was a eng prof as well. Morgan has been maybe the first student employee over 30 yrs ago.l

The scoreboard is probably in the works, but I have not heard a whole lot about that. I think there are so many things going on right now. I hope the announcement will come soon, then maybe a number of the questions raised can be anwered.

[JACKGUY]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Has anyone been on campus recently to see what changes were made at Coughlin this summer.
My understanding is there were going to be enhancements to locker rooms,concessions and landscaping around the stadium. The wellness center has to be a priority as the work out facility at Frost is
sub-standard.

[89rabbit]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

Has anyone been on campus recently to see what changes were made at Coughlin this summer.
My understanding is there were going to be enhancements to locker rooms,concessions and landscaping around the stadium. The wellness center has to be a priority as the work out facility at Frost is
sub-standard.

I was just in Brookings this last weekend and took a trip out to Coughlin.  It has new grass on the field, it also looked like they replaced the blue and yellow bleachers (although I could be wrong about that), and they have seeded around the front of the stadium.  Other then that I didn't see much.

I agree with you 100% the wellness center does need to be a priority.  We need it if we are ever going to get our football program where we want it.  My hope is that once the transition to I A/I AA is over it will be first in line.  That being said it looks like 2004 at best to me.

Go State!

[Charger13]

Re: Targeting Sioux Falls

In order for them to start on the wellness center they need to get it passed by the state legislators. They were hopping to get it passed this year, but it was overlooked because of budget problems. I think it will be passed this year since the funding is already in place. I hope an indoor facility is attached.

Does anyone know if Daktronics does the sports marketing for SDSU?