Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2009 > January > 21 > Entry
1/21: 106.7 picks up Ga. Tech to simulcast basketball, football games with 790
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech has been airing basketball and football games on 790/The Zone for years. While during the day, that station gets a decent signal, even outside the Perimeter, that’s not the case at night, especially when basketball is aired.
But instead of using WREK-FM, the college radio station, the university has signed a simulcast deal with the 100,000 watt signal station 106.7, which plays True Oldies. The station recently dropped NASCAR, which is still seeking a radio home in Atlanta.
“We think it could be a profitable relationship,” said Paul O’Malley, the general manager for True Oldies. There is always a risk putting sports on a music station. But he feels the downside is modest since it’s only 32 evenings of basketball and maybe a dozen Saturday afternoon football games. NASCAR took up Sunday afternoons. Dave FM airs Falcons games. 94.9/The Bull does the Braves. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that in either of those cases, sports helps build audience for the music. But it’s a good service to listeners since clarity and reach is much better on FM.
Comments
By George
January 21, 2009 12:58 PM | Link to this
You sure they are 100k?
By Brian
January 21, 2009 2:15 PM | Link to this
Good for Georgia Tech getting a station with some firepower to broadcast their games.
Just goes to prove WREK is useless and should be scrapped since they can’t be bothered to broadcast their own school’s athletics. I guess it’s more important to them to play obscure, unmarketable music instead of giving the WREK staff a taste of real broadcasting and professionalism in running a sports broadcast.
By Brian Greer
January 21, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this
Doesn’t WREK still broadcast the women’s basketball games? I suppose that isn’t Tech athletics, though. Let’s get to the real heart of the issue.
By NonCom Radio Fan
January 21, 2009 3:07 PM | Link to this
Brian…Please enlighten us as to how “real broadcasting and professionalism” entails an emphasis on sportscasting. You may not know any yourself, but a lot of people listen to the radio to discover music they might not hear on commercial radio, which is what WREK has in spades. Put down the big foam finger and open your mind to some challenging music that you won’t hear on The River.
By Brian
January 21, 2009 4:33 PM | Link to this
“Real broadcasting and professionalism” doesn’t necessarily entail an emphasis on sports, but sports broadcasting is one high-dollar area of radio programming that requires professionalism, much more so than jacking around playing obscure music in a vacuum. This is why there is no more 99X.
By Get Satellite
January 21, 2009 6:01 PM | Link to this
I live in the sticks and hear all Ga. Tech games on SATELITTE radio. Xm/Sirius is the only way to go
By Roland
January 21, 2009 8:07 PM | Link to this
WREK is a musical lifesaver. We used to have great radio here in the DC area back in the 70s and 80s, but no more. Now for music I listen to Little Steven’s Underground and Deep Tracks on satellite radio and WREK online at home.
By Brian is a moron
January 22, 2009 9:39 AM | Link to this
The AA took the games away from WREK. WREK didn’t dump doing football and men’s basketball.
The point is to make money. Can’t rake in the bucks from football by having the games on WREK.
BTW, I bet WREK would be happy to produce their own student football broadcasts if Tech would let them.
Also, WREK still does volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. So they still carry more college sports than any other station in town…
By Jeremy
January 22, 2009 3:14 PM | Link to this
As others have said it was not WREK’s decision to stop broadcasting men’s bb or football. WREK has in the past carried more GT games than any other station. They will continue with women’s bb, volleyball, and baseball. The students do help broadcast the sports and anyone working at WREK gains broadcast experience. Wether they choose to pursue it as a career is a different question.
The other programming question is a little off topic, but since you bring it up; WREK plays the music (and other programming) it plays becuase the students who take the time to show up every week and keep the station on air decide to put it on. They choose to air programming that is not broadcast on other local station so that Atlanta has more options. You may not like Country Classics on Friday at 5pm, but some people do, and they very much appreciate that a few GT students care enough to put it on.
If you are a GT student and think you have something to offer the station, then get involved and make a difference.
By Jeremy
January 22, 2009 3:20 PM | Link to this
As others have said it was not WREK’s decision to stop broadcasting men’s bb or football. WREK has in the past carried more GT games than any other station. They will continue with women’s bb, volleyball, and baseball. The students do help broadcast the sports and anyone working at WREK gains broadcast experience. Wether they choose to pursue it as a career is a different question.
The other programming question is a little off topic, but since you bring it up; WREK plays the music (and other programming) it plays becuase the students who take the time to show up every week and keep the station on air decide to put it on. They choose to air programming that is not broadcast on other local station so that Atlanta has more options. You may not like Country Classics on Friday at 5pm, but some people do, and they very much appreciate that a few GT students care enough to put it on.
If you are a GT student and think you have something to offer the station, then get involved and make a difference.
By NonCom Radio Fan
January 22, 2009 4:57 PM | Link to this
I wish I had that old (1996-ish) issue of WREKology that had suggestions for new WREK slogans. All of them humorously referenced the general “unlistenability” of the music they played. “We Got Both Kinds…Banging and Scraping!” was my personal favorite.
BTW, WREK always has been and always will be programmed into my car radio as long as I live in ATL.
By edge770
January 23, 2009 7:36 AM | Link to this
Ok.. Someone enlighten me.. South 107 just got approved for a power boost. Wouldn’t it have made sense to ride with them for the GT broadcast since they already do it? Their frequency was weak in the stadium, but with the 100k power boost just approved, I’d imagine they would atleast be listenable down to I-20 or the perimeter. Agree on the sattelite, but until we all upgrade smartphones, we’re not going to listen to sat radio on campus.
By jabster
January 26, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
South 107 did get a power boost, but 106.7 will still have better intown coverage. Here’s a pair of maps:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/admj3l
http://preview.tinyurl.com/dlte92
And, yes, 106.7 is only 77kW, not 100kW.
By Zhugs546
January 29, 2009 10:35 PM | Link to this
106.7 has been around in the ATL market forever, so it’s definitely a good move on Tech’s part. WREK isn’t doing any harm in existing, and it gives hobbyists on campus a way to have a release, and it also gives a few people out there with pretty peculiar musical tastes something to listen to. I personally have portable satellite radio, but not everyone on campus can afford that luxury, and there are a lot of Tech fans who live OTP (I was raised in Loganville, and there wasn’t a chance in heck that I was getting 790 AM out there). It’s a good move and I commend Radakovich on continuing his recent string of good decision making.