Jacks Sports Network?

[JackFan96]

This is kind of a football/basketball/baseball deal and we've kicked it around a bit before, but what do we think of having, for lack of a better way to put it, a Jackrabbit Sports Network? I see we have a Pierre radio station broadcasting some baseball games this spring. I think that's great. I'd love to eventually hear football games on stations in Rapid City, Pierre and Aberdeen where WNAX can be hard to tune in. I think football is the place to start. Then basketball. Then, perhaps, baseball. Don't know what others think on this idea, and I'm not even saying it's realistic. It's just something I'd like to see. And I think it would be smart.

As far as TV, well, that's tougher. But, looking ahead, it might be time to act. I would hate to see USD get something put together and have a greater presence than us. That wouldn't go over well with me. I know our philosophy now is to enourage people to actually go to the games so we can sell tickets, but what thoughts to you all have on this Jackrabbit Sports Networth idea I'm tossing out.

Mods ... feel free to move this thread if this isn't the best spot for it. Sorry.

[BitsTD]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

That is not a bad idea. I know the Bison games are on the radio in Pierre due to Tveidt.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

Moved to this area, as this isn't a football discussion. It's more fundraising/outreach.

This is a legit issue, and SDSU needs to work with the power stations in South Dakota to reach out to our many Alumni/fans, especially the Black Hills area, Pierre and Aberdeen.

We ARE the correct university for the farmers and ranchers, and we should supply what they would like for entertainment.

Being in Atlanta, GA, I live, breath SDSU sports off the 'net.

Had lost touch 80's, 90's, but am thrilled to participate again.

Support the outreach!

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

I think the first thing that needs to be done is get the women's basketball team on in Sioux Falls. I know we want this market to come to Brookings, but for those nights when people can't get up to Brookings, it would be nice to be able to hear it. Biggest market in the area and one of the two most successful programs is not available.

[BTownJack]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

We've offered for all kinds of radio stations to pick up our feed. One example is a radio station in Worthington, MN. We thought they would be interested beings Maria Boever is from there but nope, they didn't take the offer. I don't know the fine details of the deal but I'm saying this works two ways. We can offer stations in the region our game feeds but they have to be willing to pick it up and replace other programming they might have scheduled.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

That is too bad. Hopefully a station will soon realize that there are fans out here. I'm guessing the Worthington station was KWOA, which covers Sioux Falls pretty well, however they currently have the Gopher men's bb & hockey, so they probably wouldn't have had many openings. Maybe it was the FM station.

Does anyone know how the digital radio works? I know the SDPB has several channels (if that is the right term) on the digital radio side. Would it be possible to get the games on one of those channels? That would be close to state wide coverage.

[filbert]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

Here's the key:

Advertisers.

If two or three local businesses in a community come to a station and say "hey, we'd like to sponsor SDSU athletics on your station" you can bet that stations would have a LOT more interest in joining a Jackrabbit Sports Network.

Radio stations, in general, are a very, very, very, very low-margin business. Any programming that will bring in advertisers (and revenue) that otherwise might not come in is of interest to them.

SDSU could help by getting some of their corporate sponsors (Coca-Cola, Dak, etc., etc.) on board with offering some kind of ad package to local stations. That's the kind of thing that the Athletic Department needs to be doing, IMHO.

[bigticket1]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

We've offered for all kinds of radio stations to pick up our feed. One example is a radio station in Worthington, MN. We thought they would be interested beings Maria Boever is from there but nope, they didn't take the offer. I don't know the fine details of the deal but I'm saying this works two ways. We can offer stations in the region our game feeds but they have to be willing to pick it up and replace other programming they might have scheduled.

I'm sure there would be listeners on KWOA in Worthington that would be interested,but in their defense they already broadcast Worthington high school boys and girls basketball and some hockey,Minn. West community college men and womens basketball and Minn. Gopher basketball - so their plate is already pretty full.

[DakotaKid]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

I think this is a great long over due idea. I also belive it is do-able if the University puts some effort into it. AM radio is ok but I really liked it when the Womens team was on FM last year. It made listening a lot clearer.

An radio network touching all of SD and surrounding states is a very good possiblity. Plus it is one of the best recruiting tools you can have. It will pay for it's self several times over.

[ivandrago]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

What Filbert said is basically right.
You can't get multiple stations without money from advertisers, but you can't get the money from advertisers without multiple stations.
It does amaze me, though, that the only network of any kind we've got right now is for baseball, a non-profit sport.

[JimmyJack]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

What Filbert said is basically right.
You can't get multiple stations without money from advertisers, but you can't get the money from advertisers without multiple stations.
It does amaze me, though, that the only network of any kind we've got right now is for baseball, a non-profit sport.

Credit Tyler Merriam for putting the baseball network together.

[joeboo22]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

Does anybody know if the company that owns WNAX has any other radio stations in the region?

[filbert]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

Does anybody know if the company that owns WNAX has any other radio stations in the region?

Saga Communications:
http://www.sagacommunications.com/corporate/map.shtml

Includes WNAX AM 570 and FM 104.1 in Yankton, and KMIT FM 105.9 and KUQL-FM 98.3 in Mitchell.

[joeboo22]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

Saga Communications:
http://www.sagacommunications.com/corporate/map.shtml

Includes WNAX AM 570 and FM 104.1 in Yankton, and KMIT FM 105.9 and KUQL-FM 98.3 in Mitchell.

great work..... that doesn't help much though, Yankton covers the areas the Mitchell stations do and the Mitchell stations cover a lot of high school games.....

I just wish there was a way they could get a station in the hills, to pick up the Jacks games....

[filbert]

Re: Jacks Sports Network?

OK, I can't resist:

Filbert's Plan for a Jackrabbit Sports Network:

The first thing I think I'd do is make sure I keep WNAX and KJJQ on board as the flagship stations of the men's and the women's broadcast networks, respectively. The terms of those deals with the flagships would be pretty open, I think. But it strikes me from both an operational and an economic view that you need separate flagship stations for the men's and women's sports--basically separate networks, really.

The programming mix would include not only game broadcasts themselves, but expanded pre-game and post-game shows as well as a weekly half-hour coach's show. I'd try to keep the terms of the standard network-station contract as straight barter (the network providing the programming, the stations providing the air-time). I as the Network would make a big effort to pre-sell as many local spots for the stations as I could.

To pre-sell those local spots, I'd approach alumni who have businesses (or are good buddies with business owners) in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Watertown, Huron, and Pierre. Why only those towns? Mainly because I need to sell the Network to the advertisers, and I need to concentrate my efforts where they'll do the most good. Sioux Falls and Rapid City are no-brainers, being the two metro areas in the state (i.e. where the money and market is). The other three are the largest towns in the state that don't have hometown college athletics. Those towns are places I can exploit a market vacuum by establishing SDSU as the "hometown" college team, radio-wise.

Of all of those towns, Sioux Falls is the critical market. You need a local presence there. YOU NEED A LOCAL PRESENCE THERE. I'd shout louder but I think you get my point. If the existing radio broadcast contracts don't allow a Sioux Falls station to carry Jackrabbit games, then you need to renegotiate those contracts ASAP.

Once I got the network up, running, and stable (a couple of years) I would use the same approach elsewhere in the state.