Article Options

Cardinals' move to KTRS shouldn't change local affiliates' plans

Friday, August 5, 2005 6:34 AM CDT

CARBONDALE - The St. Louis Cardinals announced plans Thursday to purchase a 50-percent share of KTRS, which will become the new flagship station of the team at the beginning of next season.

The move ends a 52-year relationship with KMOX (1120 AM) and strengthens the Cardinals' power over advertising, while increasing the output of baseball-related programming, including more in-depth pre- and post-game shows.

Owners and managers of local radio stations agree that the change will have little-to-no effect on their operations or listeners.

"That decision shouldn't change anything that we do," said Dale Adkins, who owns Murphysboro-based WINI 1420 AM with his wife Nancy. "It will probably only affect local stations in the St. Louis area.

"We're not really involved. Rights for network and rights for local stations are separate things."

Bob Romanowski, chief engineer with WEBQ Radio in Harrisburg and Eldorado, agreed that the switch in Cardinals' mother stations will not adversely affect local stations.

"I don't think there will be much on-air change at all," he said. "There will be some dead zones in the area, where the local affiliates don't reach everyone in Southern Illinois, but very few listeners will be impacted."

The Cardinals turned to KTRS after failed negotiations with Infinity Broadcasting, which owns KMOX. The team is being paid $6.7 million in rights fees this year - Infinity had sought to drop the fee to $4.7 million, and split earnings beyond that with the team, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported.

River Radio Group general manager Brian Schimmel expressed caution to Cardinals' president Mark Lamping on Affiliates Day in April about the then-potential change. Schimmel told Lamping it would be a "mistake to leave" KMOX Radio and opt for greener financial pastures with KTRS.

"KMOX has established so much goodwill equity (for the Cardinals) for hundreds of miles outside of St. Louis," Schimmel said. "I said that if the Cardinals did leave KMOX, it would be bad for the Cardinals overall, but good for us affiliates."

Schimmel said he never felt that WJPF 1340 AM was in competition with KMOX, but area residents who have a difficult time picking up their local affiliate could always fall back on the strong night signal of the St. Louis station.

KTRS is also the flagship station of the St Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the AM radio partner of the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. When the Cardinals move to KTRS, the station will be the nation's second radio station to hold the broadcasting rights to all professional teams in a three-sport town.

The Cardinals' purchase requires the Federal Communications Commission's approval, which is expected to be granted by December. Mike Shannon and Wayne Hagin - employed by the team, not the station - will remain in the booth next season.