Month: August 2012

You know how we keep talking about broadcast revenues being a big part of the Twins income?? StarTribune reported this morning that Twins games won’t be on 1500 anymore after this season.

I guess that the big switchover to all sports isn’t really helping 1500 ESPN in the ratings OR in keeping the Twins broadcast. It appears that the game broadcasts will be transferring over to the Pohlad-owned FM station, KTWN 96.3 starting in 2013. The contract with KSTP was renewed for 2 years in 2010 – but it doesn’t appear that it’s going to happen again. In fact, the official announcement is supposed to happen tomorrow morning.

From wikipedia regarding K-Twin:

The move to “K-Twin”

On December 29, 2011, Northern Lights announced that KHTC would drop the rhythmic format and “Now” branding on January 1, 2012, and shift to a modern adult contemporary format, branded as “96.3 K-Twin.”^[9] At Midnight on January 1 (after “In Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West was “96.3 Now’s” final song), the changeover to “K-Twin” officially occurred, with “Misery” by Soul Asylum the first song being played. The “K-Twin” playlist features, according to Northern Lights’ preview of the change, “today’s guitar based, pop alternative music” and similar, gold-based hits from 1985 onward.^[9] “K-Twin,” though it is described as a modern adult contemporary format with an alternative rock lean, is classified as adult top 40 because of rhythmic content (such as Bruno Mars‘ “It Will Rain“) and non-alternative classic hits(such as Def Leppard‘s “Pour Some Sugar on Me“), and to differ itself from hot adult contemporary rival KSTP-FM (that station reports to the Mediabase/BDS hot AC panels). Even some 1970s staples can be found on the station, such as “Jamming” by Bob Marley. The artist roster on “K-Twin” features acts ranging from Bon Jovi and U2 to Adele and Green Day, along with songs and artists that, according to Northern Lights, “aren’t currently being played in the (Twin Cities) market.”^[9] It leans in a much older direction versus KSTP; however, as ofApril 2012, the station is now on the Nielsen BDS hot AC panel.

Another noticeable emphasis of “K-Twin” is its connections with Twin Cities listeners and its employment of local personalities, including a morning show (which debuted on January 4) that features Tony Fly (a holdover from both “B96” and “96.3 Now”), former Miss Minnesota International contestant Danni Star (also a holdover from “Now”), and KARE news personality Eric Perkins.

With the flip to “K-Twin,” the station changed its call sign to KTWN-FM, which mirrors the calls on Northern Lights’ country-formatted AM station in Glencoe, Minnesota. The calls and “K-Twin” branding were originally used by what is now KQQL from 1968 to 1983.

Ummm.. yeah, I have absolutely no interest in any of that. I’ll listen to Twins games when I’m in the car but yeah.. maybe that format works for other Twins fans but not this one.

Then again, I didn’t really like the switch to ESPN. I liked LOCAL (which is why I still only bother with the guys I know and couldn’t give a crap about the rest of the new programming). I don’t really understand the media thought that people don’t just change the channel??? I don’t care about national media and I don’t care about the music format. I’ll just change the station back to what I want to listen to when the game broadcast is completed.

The article where I first saw this reported – on Minnpost – focused on ESPN’s perspective to the move. I have to admit that the story itself doesn’t really make sense to me. Of course ESPN radio would remain committed to a sports format… duh? Interestingly enough, they also think one of the only shows that I listen to on that station is apparently a “speed bump” holding the station back. I’m amused. If they lose the local shows, you can guarantee that I won’t waste a single moment of my day on am1500. I have no interest in the nationwide syndication that focuses on basketball and football ad nauseam.

Does that mean I’ll listen to KTWN 96.3? Only for Twins games.. when I’m in the car.. Seriously, people, why doesn’t this make sense to them?

Anyone know what this does to the all-important revenue stream?

I’m not sure any sport has spawned more clichés than baseball. Right now, though, even clichés that are applicable to multiple sports seem to make me think of the Twins.

As I’ve been following the the team lately, I keep hearing various clichés in my mind (“look the ball in to your glove, Nishi.” “Make sure of one, Nishi.”). A lot of them come to mind, however, as I reflect on the entirety of the Twins’ season.

Plenty of discussion in Twinsville recently has revolved around the fact that the Twins’ record since mid-May has been respectable… even slightly above .500 perhaps, depending upon when you start to measure those games in your cherry-picking exercise. I tend to think that kind of exercise is best reserved for the lonely off-season when you’re trying to find hope for the future. However, I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there. (Pardon that obscure Simon & Garfunkel reference. I’ve been thinking I could probably write an entire post equating being a Twins player to “The Boxer”. Another time, perhaps.) 

The problem with this cherry-picking, of course, is that Major League Baseball has determined that the schedule shall begin in early April and that games played in April and May count toward each team’s overall record. All the games count the same.

Which brings me back to clichés and just a few that seem to be appropriate to mention at this time, if for no other reason than to serve as a reminder to us… and the Twins… that the games played next April should perhaps be treated with more respect.

It’s a long season.

*Sigh* Yeah… there’s still a lot of season left. Especially when the only suspense left by mid August is whether your team is going to end up losing 100 games.

Every team will win 54 games and every team will lose 54 games. It’s what you do with the other 54 games that matters.

I was tempted to leave this one out. First of all, I don’t believe clichés should involve doing math.

More than that, though, I’m kind of afraid that someone in the Twins organization might take the “every team will win 54 games” part as a challenge and try to disprove it.

You can’t win a Championship in April, but you can lose one.

Yeah. This one we’re certainly familiar with, aren’t we?

It’s not how you start a season that matters; it’s how you finish it.

I call “bullshit”.

You need to take the first two months of the season to figure out which adjustments need to be made.

Isn’t this what Spring Training is for? Regardless, it really shouldn’t take you two months to figure out that your starting pitching absolutely sucks and try someone else.

There’s plenty of time left, no need to panic.

If the Opening Day starting pitcher next year gets pounded and can’t survive 4 innings, I think it will be perfectly acceptable for Twins fans to commence to panic.

In fact, if the Opening Day starting pitcher is ANY pitcher already part of the Twins organization today, I don’t think we should even be required to wait until the first pitch of the season is thrown before starting to panic.

You can’t rush to judgment.

It’s been two years of absolute failure. Unless significant changes are made, concluding that the 2013 Twins are a bad team on or before Opening Day would not be considered “rushing” to anything.

You have to take it one game at a time.

This is true… but God, that’s often SO painful.

Pitching and defense win championships.

Maybe this is true, maybe it isn’t. But I think the Twins have adequately demonstrated that bad pitching and bad defense does mean no championships, so maybe Terry Ryan should at least give this cliché a little credence.

They’re a better team than their record indicates.

I do think the Twins, right now, are a better team than their record indicates, so maybe this cliché is true at times.

I don’t think it matters, though, because what IS absolutely true is that a team’s record determines where they fall in the standings. So if you give me a choice between a team that’s better than their record indicates or not as good as their record indicates (see: Orioles… or even perhaps the Twins most of the past decade) I’ll take the latter every time. After all, you play to win the game! (how’s that for a cliché?)

They’re still missing a few pieces to the puzzle.

Funny thing about puzzles. If you’re missing corner pieces, it’s sometimes tough to even get to the point where you can figure out which other pieces you’re missing.

The Twins are missing some corner pieces.

There’s a lot of season left.

*Sigh* Yeah… it’s a long season.

– JC