KingPriest2
04-07-2006, 09:32 AM
No hard feelings between Royals, WHB — at least publicly
JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
Previous columns
Did WHB’s predominantly anti-stadium-renovation stance kill its chances of remaining the Royals’ local radio affiliate down the road?
While it’s no secret the Royals weren’t pleased that WHB argued so vehemently against the renovation tax, the team isn’t saying publicly it will rule out WHB as the local affiliate when the current radio-rights contract expires after 2007.
“I suspect we’ll put it all up to open bidding again just like we did last time,” Royals owner David Glass told me. “We don’t really know what the electronic landscape will be like in 2007, so it’s hard to say anything definitive right now.”
As for the team’s flagship station being so adamant against the team’s renovation plan, Glass first joked, “Did they say bad things about it?”
Although Glass said he personally doesn’t listen to the talk shows, he said he had been told of WHB’s position on the issue — at least those positions taken by sports talkers Soren Petro and Kevin Kietzman.
“They have the right and the responsibility to present both sides of the issue,” Glass said. “I don’t have a problem with that. But I don’t think you have to get to the vicious level or negative level they did. You can take the high road.”
Glass, though, suggested that the anti-renovation talk actually may have helped proponents of the renovation tax.
“I think after a while, people get turned off when someone keeps pounding on the same message,” Glass said. “You can beat the same drum only so long before people just go the other direction.”
Kietzman said he didn’t think the arguments on his show got vicious, and he hopes the station’s relationship with the Royals isn’t irreparable.
“I hope there are no permanent hard feelings,” Kietzman said. “Nothing was ever expressed to me personally from the Royals. We were expressing our opinion, and we obviously had a different opinion than the Royals on what we felt was best for the community.
“But if there are hard feelings, I hope that they fade with time. Normally they do. You can look at it this way: I guarantee none of us will have to go through this for another 25 years.”
Because the Royals now handle all relationships with affiliate radio stations in-house, and because the Royals also now handle all advertising for the radio network in-house, there won’t be a future need for stations such as WHB to actually buy the Royals’ radio network rights. Instead, what probably will be for sale in 2007 will simply be the right to be the local Kansas City affiliate.
“Absolutely we’d still like to have that relationship with the Royals,” Kietzman said. “They still get good ratings. I think the future is very good with this team.”
Coincidentally, the Royals have put an end to WHB’s tradition of sitting in a private booth directly adjacent to the writers’ press box at Kauffman Stadium. The booth now will be used exclusively for guests of the Royals as well for Spanish-speaking broadcasts.
“It’s never been written anywhere that the radio rights holder gets that booth,” said Dave Witty, Royals vice president of communications. “We had planned on moving them (WHB employees) out of that area before the season began. It had nothing to do with the stadium issue.”
WHB still has a studio on the same level as the press box at Kauffman Stadium, and WHB employees still have access to sit in another booth down the hall with other electronic media.
“I don’t have any problems with that,” Kietzman said. “I’ve heard a couple of people here say some things, but we’re certainly not going to complain about our press-box seating at Kauffman Stadium. That would be ludicrous.”
Buck O’Neil will perform the opening coin toss and address the crowd at the Brigade game against the Los Angeles Avengers at noon Sunday at Kemper Arena.
JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
Previous columns
Did WHB’s predominantly anti-stadium-renovation stance kill its chances of remaining the Royals’ local radio affiliate down the road?
While it’s no secret the Royals weren’t pleased that WHB argued so vehemently against the renovation tax, the team isn’t saying publicly it will rule out WHB as the local affiliate when the current radio-rights contract expires after 2007.
“I suspect we’ll put it all up to open bidding again just like we did last time,” Royals owner David Glass told me. “We don’t really know what the electronic landscape will be like in 2007, so it’s hard to say anything definitive right now.”
As for the team’s flagship station being so adamant against the team’s renovation plan, Glass first joked, “Did they say bad things about it?”
Although Glass said he personally doesn’t listen to the talk shows, he said he had been told of WHB’s position on the issue — at least those positions taken by sports talkers Soren Petro and Kevin Kietzman.
“They have the right and the responsibility to present both sides of the issue,” Glass said. “I don’t have a problem with that. But I don’t think you have to get to the vicious level or negative level they did. You can take the high road.”
Glass, though, suggested that the anti-renovation talk actually may have helped proponents of the renovation tax.
“I think after a while, people get turned off when someone keeps pounding on the same message,” Glass said. “You can beat the same drum only so long before people just go the other direction.”
Kietzman said he didn’t think the arguments on his show got vicious, and he hopes the station’s relationship with the Royals isn’t irreparable.
“I hope there are no permanent hard feelings,” Kietzman said. “Nothing was ever expressed to me personally from the Royals. We were expressing our opinion, and we obviously had a different opinion than the Royals on what we felt was best for the community.
“But if there are hard feelings, I hope that they fade with time. Normally they do. You can look at it this way: I guarantee none of us will have to go through this for another 25 years.”
Because the Royals now handle all relationships with affiliate radio stations in-house, and because the Royals also now handle all advertising for the radio network in-house, there won’t be a future need for stations such as WHB to actually buy the Royals’ radio network rights. Instead, what probably will be for sale in 2007 will simply be the right to be the local Kansas City affiliate.
“Absolutely we’d still like to have that relationship with the Royals,” Kietzman said. “They still get good ratings. I think the future is very good with this team.”
Coincidentally, the Royals have put an end to WHB’s tradition of sitting in a private booth directly adjacent to the writers’ press box at Kauffman Stadium. The booth now will be used exclusively for guests of the Royals as well for Spanish-speaking broadcasts.
“It’s never been written anywhere that the radio rights holder gets that booth,” said Dave Witty, Royals vice president of communications. “We had planned on moving them (WHB employees) out of that area before the season began. It had nothing to do with the stadium issue.”
WHB still has a studio on the same level as the press box at Kauffman Stadium, and WHB employees still have access to sit in another booth down the hall with other electronic media.
“I don’t have any problems with that,” Kietzman said. “I’ve heard a couple of people here say some things, but we’re certainly not going to complain about our press-box seating at Kauffman Stadium. That would be ludicrous.”
Buck O’Neil will perform the opening coin toss and address the crowd at the Brigade game against the Los Angeles Avengers at noon Sunday at Kemper Arena.