- Details
-
Published on Thursday, 06 September 2012 20:42
In its just over one year of existence, Merlin Media has consistently made programming decisions on all of its stations that have made the public scratch its collective heads. Here is the latest programming decision, which will surely do the same... Merlin Media will be airing Monday night and Thursday night syndicated football broadcasts on Classic Rock station, WLUP-FM/97.9 The Loop.
Merlin Media has signed on to air four football broadcasts from Dial Global Sports (formerly Westwood One Sports) during the month of September. Only one of the games scheduled to be aired on The Loop is even connected to the Chicago Bears or the NFC Central Division. All four games will also be shown on national television at the same time.
The scheduled games to be aired on WLUP-FM this month are:
Monday, September 10 -- Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Broadcast begins at 6:00pm -- Broadcast team: Ian Eagle, Boomer Esiason, Tony Boselli
(Note: Dial Global's broadcast begins at 5:30pm, although it appears that WLUP-FM will join in at 6:00pm, just prior to the start of the game.)
Thursday, September 20 -- New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers
Broadcast begins at 7:00pm -- Broadcast team: Ian Eagle & Trent Green
Monday September 24 -- Green Bay Packers @ Seattle Seahawks
Broadcast begins at 7:00pm -- Broadcast team: Kevin Harlan & Boomer Esiason
Thursday, September 27 -- Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Broadcast begins at 7:00pm -- Broadcast team: Ian Eagle & Trent Green
Merlin Media had previously experimented with airing Dial Global NFL broadcasts at the start if this year on WLUP-FM's sister-station, WIQI-FM. At the time, the station was an all-news format known as FM News 101.1. A news station airing football playoffs on weekends was not that unusual (even though it invalidated their slogan of being Chicago's only all news station).
However, Merlin Media is now attempting to air out-of-state sports broadcasts on a rock station. That
is unusual.
In the most recent Arbitron ratings survey, WLUP-FM had a 3.6 share and was tied for 9th place in the rankings for the weekday evening daypart for its target demographic of Persons 25-54. The other classic rock station in Chicago, with a near-identical playlist, WDRV-FM/97.1 The Drive, had a 5.3 share and was in 3rd place for the same time period and demographic. For fans of Classic Rock on the radio, there will be only one station in town exclusively playing that music for four nights this month. Merlin Media is gambling that there are more fans for out-of-state football radio broadcasts in Chicago than there are Classic Rock fans.
This move could be a game-winning field goal for The Loop... or it could be a disastrous shanked kick out of bounds. Place your bets...
