BREAKING NEWS: Texas Rangers Moving to 103.3 ESPN

By Richie Whitt Tue., Dec. 7 2010 at 12:46 PM

Categories: Radio, TV and that Damned Media

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For the first time since 1995, Texas Rangers' games next season will not be on KRLD 1080 AM as, according to a team source, the franchise will announce - perhaps as soon as this afternoon - that it has agreed to a contract with 103.3 FM ESPN.

This year the Rangers' World Series season was broadcast on CBS stations KRLD and 105.3 The Fan.

In an ever-changing sports franchise/media landscape, the current map will have ESPN with the Rangers and Dallas Mavericks, The Fan with the Dallas Cowboys and 1310 AM The Ticket with the Dallas Stars.

Stay tuned.

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baseball, ESPN Radio, radio, The Fan, The Ticket

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Why do you not answer your talk show phone.
The most idiotic thing is all the pussy Ticket White Knights feeling a need to defend the 800 pound Gorilla in the local Market. The Ticket it still #1; why are you attacking the hapless competitors? I listen to both stations depending on who is most interesting at the moment. By the way, Grubes is carrying the HL and BaD radio.
They've got talent. Maybe its an "age" thing, but I enjoy listening to Greggo. For the most part, he and Richie are pretty good together, but sometimes its pretty rough. I find myself getting frustrated and at times, have to change stations. Im thinking Richie, Tard-men, and Gavin, might not be better suited for a show together, and get Greggo another co-host. They dont seem to have alot in common, almost to the point of being awkward. Armen continues to come across as a smarmy, smirky, smart-ass, that you just want to bitch slap until his head spins off. I do enjoy Sybil tho!
Richie Witt can't even get a ratings point of a Rangers broadcast. He is terrible! Talk about a "douche"
The Ticket is clearly in first place in the sports talk battle, this is the battle for 2nd. And ESPN just took the one sure thing to increase the Fan's exposure (The Rangers) and stole them away. The Rangers play 162 times a year, The Cowboys 16. The FWST is reporting that the Rangers get much more of the ad inventory to sell in this deal. ESPN was probably willing to give that $$ up to help kill the 2 year old Fan in their crib. Richie keeps talking about how the Fan isn't going anywhere- but at some point economics come into play. Even if these people aren't making much, they're paying Jagger, Barsky and Jasmine, Newey, Lewin and Elf, and Richie and Greggo and Sybil. 9 on air hosts, (plus the support staffs needed- board ops, producers, 'ticker' hosts (shared with KRLD-Am, but still need to be paid)) If the Fan's ratings drop in teh off-season, and don't go back up (like they went up this year because of baseball exposure) how long will CBS keep paying 9 hosts plus support staff? And if you don't think I'm right do a little experiment- listen to the commercials on KTCK and The Fan. The Ticket has Mercedes and BMW, the Fan has your local tote the note dealer. The Ticket has Mcdonalds, Wendys and other corporate chains (with huge advertising budgets) the Fan has Baby Dolls. And I'm sure Baby Doll's makes a lot of money, and can pay good money to advertise- but can their budget match the kind of clients the Ticket is getting. Richie can tell you they're not going anywhere, but if they don't have ratings success, (and their ratings have started a remarkable drop since baseball ended) they're not going tobe there in their present state...
I hope ESPN works on getting a better signal. I live in downtown Fort Worth and can not pick up their signal, its ridiculous. When there is a conflict with the Rangers and Mavericks, the Mavericks will get the priority and the Rangers will be pushed to 660 AM. What the hell? I think one of the main reasons they decided to move was they not only get to broadcast on 103.3, but ESPN Deportes as well.
Norm tickers were great. Dan in mornings? Not so great before sufficient caffeine levels have been reached. I'm hoping Corby has a minimal role today in a slot I don't have to hear. Anyone know where Gordo got put? Classy passive-aggressive comments about the Rangers on the show yesterday, Richie. How dare they take their automatic solid nighttime ratings to a station that offered them a better deal. Your beef is with your employers, not the team. Galloway as a lead in to a game is far better than Sybil's hillbilly laugh.
@Romo's broken shoulder Greatest day of the year!
KTCK is doing their version of the Fail's programming..mix everyone up and throw it at the wall (White Xmas)..good thing it's just one day a year at the littlest of tickets.
no funeral. oh well, i hope 1190 doesnt charge too much for airtime. major station changes coming. stay tuned.
Wonder how the P90X Douche will spin this? The only thing that got ratings on that horrible station is gone.....hopefully won't be too long until Whitt is gone as well.
Welcome Rangers.
The "fail" aint goin nowhere. Hide and watch boys...Hide and watch.
There go the FAILS ratings. *lerien artificial
... last supper. At least now they've got Elf to make back those lost ratings.
KRLD AM and FM just lots tons of commercial dollars as reported by the S.T. the Rangers now control the majority of commercial rights which were previously held by KRLD, so are they going to be able to afford all those daytime hosts w/o the income from the Rangers and commercials?
A quick look at weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the heart and soul of local program, reveals The Ticket remains at the top of the mountain, with an average share of 9.2, good for No. 1 among all radio stations. ESPN 103.3 scored a 5.0 share (No. 5) and 105.3 The Fan pulled a 4.0 share to tie for eighth.
@Scruffy hit the nail on the head. I couldn't force myself to listen to the station at any time other than during the game, because of the gratuitous use of "douchebag" and other terms I'd really rather not be subjected to -- much less my kids. No guarantees that it won't be the same on any other testosterone-laden sports outlet, but anything's better than what they've got now. Case in point: sure, I'm tired of Boston and NY fans clogging the postgame airwaves, but hanging up on them just because they're supporting their favorite team? We'd be mad if it happened to a Texas fan in the Big Apple, so we shouldn't do it here. Boy, do I miss Mike O'Unpronounceable.
I see 105.3 switching to an all-spanish station soon.
November 1st Josh Lewin joins the Fail, December 7th the Rangers leave the Fail and join ESPN Radio. Coincidence? We think not.
the ONLY thing worth listening to on the station and the ONLY reason for a recent ratings bump is now gone. can the timing of richie's last whitt's end bragging about 2 yrs of the Fan making be any better? a day or 2 b4 their 2nd anniversary, the station is dealt the coup de grace (thats death blow for my non-french speakers). bruce gilbert did the right thing. this is the equivalent of a mercy killing. like putting a sick dog down after realizing there's no hope.
When asked to comment on the move, an unnamed Rangers official said: "We noticed how The Fan didn't talk a lick of baseball until we clinched the playoff berth. And even then, and all season before that, our lead-in was always douchebags talking about random Cowboys crap. Plus we were tired of hearing girls whose best talent is looking hot talk on air constantly and bring nothing to the airwaves. I mean really, eye candy on a radio station? We couldn't continue our relationship with a station so dumb!"
This was out of left field. Did they happen to have any reasoning behind the decision ? Zac Boren
I wonder if this is a Gilbert thing. I don't recall 1310 ever being a flagship for any of the big 4 while he was PD there. Maybe he views having to cut short his PM drive show as a detriment. altra Avalst
Does this mean no more Bryan Dolgin on the Fan? This should receive about the same amount of fanfare as Todd Archer leaving The Ticket.
meh.
I wonder how much money was involved?
meant 105.3 ^^^^^^^
welp, there went the ratings inflator for the fail. Back to a sucky 2.1. Good luck with that.
Uh oh, there goes the only thing on the Fan that got ratings. Its the beginning of the end. I do recall someone saying that TheFan was fine bc they had ranger baseball and that was part of the Format change, welp no rangers now its time for format change. 1080 could blast rush limbaugh all day and hed get better ratings
I don't care what station it's on....as long as Eric Nadel is part of it. They could put it on 88.5 (Mesquites school radio), and if EN is on it, I'll listen.
Pretty much meh. My only questions is how ESPN pulls off the early- and late-season overlaps. I don't want to be missing playoff baseball (what optimism, no?) to hear the 3-2 Mavs play the 0-4 Clippers in Oct.