What would the media landscape look like if and when the Sonics return on a couple of years? QUESTIONS.
Would KING sacrifice the Kraken to put the Sonics on KING and KONG? Yes, but not exactly. Hockey could go on the K5 streaming app, with.Sonics on broadcast, both stations, especially with NBC/NBA deal? But might Fox 13 go hockey on the duopoly if it comes open? Actually, I would expect a KING/Sonics partnership.
Bring Kevin Calabro back for TV play by play with Gary Payton or Detlef as analysts. I could also put Detlef on pre-game and weekly studio shows possibly with Kemp. George Karl on Zoom if he's well?
97.3 vs KJR for radio. KIRO has the history with simulcasts. But who does PxP? Can't waste Calabro on radio.
Looking for your thoughts. Everything could be different in two years on all platforms. So what's in your crystal ball?
With KING expected to get Mariners games soon, their schedule availability for slotting in more sports is approaching its limit. That being said, I wouldn't put it past KING to do something to allow them to at least air a handful of Sonics games each year, much like the pending Mariners arrangement. Could that mean ending their relationship with the Kraken? Perhaps, though I would think they could at least maintain that on a reduced scale. But why do that when you can launch a whole new network for sports, like Gray Media has been doing in Arizona, Nevada, and the Gulf Coast? It wouldn't be the first time KING has put a whole new network on the air. They proved they can do it when they launched NWCN. They can do it again!
ReplyDeleteI think it is too early to tell yet what the TV/radio will look like. Radio I expect strongly to see KJR get those rights again as they had for so many years before the Sonics relocated to OKC. TV though to me is a different ball of wax. That I expect depends on who gets the franchise. It has been suggested that the Kraken/Sam Holloway may be the favorites to land it. If in fact that were to occur, I could see an RSN again pop up in the Seattle area focused on those two teams. The Nuggets and Avalanche have the same setup in Denver - their own RSN, although these days they have direct streaming and some simulcasts, ironically, with TEGNA stations (KUSA/KTVD) in that market. Thanks to Comcast not carrying the channel at all down there. If they don't land it or it ends up in a partnership scenario, then it'd be hard telling what will happen.
ReplyDeleteGood insight. Nexstar will likely be in the PNW.mix by then as well.
DeleteThank you Wayne
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