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Packers leaving WTMJ after 90+ years


doublejman69

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https://wtmj.com/news/2021/10/27/wtmj-radio-packers-radio-network-parting-ways-in-2022/
 

Going to Ihearts 97.3. The Packers will also lose out on Northern Illinois fans which is a significant number, the Badgers have heard complaints from fans from Illinois when they also left WTMJ a few years ago.

 

During the Scripps ownership a lot of behind the scenes people left WTMJ and went to Iheart but I’m very surprised WTMJ wasn’t able to hold on to the radio rights. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 10/28/2021 at 1:55 AM, doublejman69 said:

During the Scripps ownership a lot of behind the scenes people left WTMJ and went to Iheart but I’m very surprised WTMJ wasn’t able to hold on to the radio rights. 

It comes down to Steve Wexler likely screwing up yet another negotiation the same way he did the Time Warner/Journal mess. It sounds like the Packers just didn't find what they were doing in the market acceptable; for some reason they stopped emphasizing they had an FM translator access, killed AM HD Radio, and were likely trying to push a backdoor to move the rights to 94.5 FM instead. It also doesn't help that all the major markets outside Milwaukee can access the Packers games via FM now, so you were getting a poor AM experience from the flagship (their transmitter is way too bass-heavy). The Packers just wanted to finally get an FM signal, and got it on a station that won't be lead into by older-targeting talk radio.

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On 11/17/2021 at 8:21 PM, mrschimpf said:

It comes down to Steve Wexler likely screwing up yet another negotiation the same way he did the Time Warner/Journal mess. It sounds like the Packers just didn't find what they were doing in the market acceptable; for some reason they stopped emphasizing they had an FM translator access, killed AM HD Radio, and were likely trying to push a backdoor to move the rights to 94.5 FM instead. It also doesn't help that all the major markets outside Milwaukee can access the Packers games via FM now, so you were getting a poor AM experience from the flagship (their transmitter is way too bass-heavy). The Packers just wanted to finally get an FM signal, and got it on a station that won't be lead into by older-targeting talk radio.

I don't know about that, if the Packers wanted to be just be on FM Craig Karmazin would of put the packers on 94.5. It comes down to $$, Good Karma is a smaller radio company than even Journal/Scripps was while Iheart is the biggest. Iheart locally was under a pressure to do something more than run a few local shows on 97.3, the Bucks and Brewers rejected Ihearts offers to switch stations, also one of the top mornings shows in Milwaukee rejected 97.3/Iheart. Iheart Milwaukee brought in a lot of people in the last few years to sell and market sports pbp and local personality talk/ sports shows, getting the Packers was the last chance to do that otherwise 97.3 was most likely going to go back to a music format, now it should be a top 5 male rated station in Milwaukee.

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