Why no ISU volleyball on the radio?

[Triggermv]

For the good or for the bad, I'm married to a big Husker fan (in her defense, she is an alum from there), and I've noticed that her family can get every single Husker volleyball game on the radio over there. Now, I do realize that Nebraska has been a power for a long time and has a great following, while ISU has only more recently become a force and has just developed a large fan following, but don't you think we have a big enough following now that we could get a few radio stations to pick up our games? I don't know the exact stats, but I believe we have one of the highest attendance ratings in the country, so it is frustrating as a big fan of these girls that we can't follow nearly all the games on either the radio or the television (I'm including Clone Zone) in this. While my preference is always to watch the games either on TV or online, I do like listening to ISU sporting events on the radio too, especially when travelling. Does anyone else have any thoughts on our radio prospects for the future?

 

[chrishull14]

We can't even get stations to air football games.

 

[fccy]

How much $ are you going to donate to help make it happen?

WBB has been an "elite" program for a longer period of time, and no stations in the Cyclone Radio Network outside of the Ames/Des Moines/Marshalltown area pick up the full season. How many stations do you expect to pick up VB? I ask that because the more stations that pick it up, the less $ you need to donate.

Yes, VB is in the top 20 attendance-wise, but WBB is top 5.

Cyclone Radio Network Affiliates and Coverage Maps - Iowa State University Athletics Official Web Site - www.CYCLONES.com - The home of Iowa State Cyclone Sports (link to cyclones.com for Cyclone Radio Network).

 

[Triggermv]

How much $ are you going to donate to help make it happen?

WBB has been an "elite" program for a longer period of time, and no stations in the Cyclone Radio Network outside of the Ames/Des Moines/Marshalltown area pick up the full season. How many stations do you expect to pick up VB? I ask that because the more stations that pick it up, the less $ you need to donate.

Yes, VB is in the top 20 attendance-wise, but WBB is top 5.

Cyclone Radio Network Affiliates and Coverage Maps - Iowa State University Athletics Official Web Site - www.CYCLONES.com - The home of Iowa State Cyclone Sports (link to cyclones.com for Cyclone Radio Network).

While donated money plays a significant part of a lot of the athletic departments abilities, I don't think that is a good excuse for why we aren't picked up by radio stations at all. Radio stations are purely fueled by viewership and not by how much money I donate to ISU. I'm simply asking at what point of viewership we can make things happen, because I think we should be there. I'm not even asking for statewide coverage, but I'd like to think we could get somewhat similar stations to women's basketball to pick it up at this point. Heck, a ton of high school football teams get more coverage than our volleyball team. Nebraska has half the people as the state of Iowa (yes, I realize we share ours with the Hawks), and they have total statewide coverage for it. And yes, I do think it is ridiculous we only have the coverage we have for women's basketball also.

 

[mred]

Local HS fb gets better coverage because local HS fb teams have a lot of fans within a specific station's coverage area. A team with perhaps more fans but a larger geographic spread among those fans (like ISU VB) will find it harder for a radio station to justify the expense, especially since ISU (or the radio station) would have to get a PBP person and maybe color as well.

I'm not sure why you complain about Clone Zone. Don't they have all home matches on video?

Nebraska's long tradition means there are a ton of casual fans of VB there. There's nothing remotely close to that for ISU yet.

 

[theshadow]

a ton of high school football teams get more coverage than our volleyball team.

Local advertising.

If the station can't sell ad time to sponsors, it won't pay the rights fees to broadcast the event. On the other side, a potential sponsor won't be willing to part with their money for an event that may not have enough listener interest to help them increase customers (and thus recoup their spending).

 

[fccy]

mred and theshadow have better said what I was trying to say. Yes, it still takes money - either from stations or the athletic department paying stations to carry it (which I know won't happen).

There would be two ways of judging demand:

1) How many people are using Clone Zone to watch/listen to VB, and where are they located?

2) How many people are emailing JP to ask for the CRN to have VB matches available on over-the-air radio?

If CZ is getting very few hits for VB matches, and JP recieves very few emails asking for an over-the-air Radio VB network, it won't happen.

There is a reason why my local station has only signed up for 5 WBB games - local HS sports come first (as you say). If Forest City BB plays and ISU MBB play on the same night, ISU is tape delayed. If Forest City and ISU WBB plays, ISU WBB won't be carried at all. Heck, there are many weekends when they play their music format instead of carrying a WBB. Why? Advertising $ vs rights fees.

I just honestly do not see there being enough demand to justify it. That is the reality of most Olympic sports at most schools (there are exceptions, like Nebby VB - is Nebby W Soccer being broadcast? I would doubt it).

 

[fccy]

IIRC, at one time CJL has stated her dream of VB being on radio, but is also realistic that it won't happen anytime soon.