Radio Radio

On more than one occasion over the last several weeks, I sat down in front of my computer to tune into Don LaGreca and Chris Botta's NY Hockey This Week radio show on 1050 ESPN Radio. After looking quizzically back and forth between my monitor and speakers on several of those occasions, I finally accepted that the show, which is broadcast over the AM radio waves, is not transmitted through the streaming audio player on the station's Web site.

What's all the more confusing is that during the hour in which NY Hockey This Week is on the air, the audio player displays the name of the show while streaming different content.

Not that it's so unusual for a station to stream alternative content. It happens all the time when the station has a game broadcast and streaming it is contractually prohibited. It also happens when a radio station changes format but wants to keep fans of the old format in the fold. But how much more college football coverage do we need?

I suppose the thinking might be that local hockey fans can simply tune to AM for the show, while out-of-market sports fans have the option of more nationally oriented content. But how many out-of-market sports fans are turning to New York's 1050 ESPN Radio online to get their sports fix?

I won't bore you with the reasons why listening on the computer would be decidedly more convenient for me (although a couple of times I was already at the Coliseum for a game and wanted to listen on my laptop). Let's just say that not having the show online is most unfortunate for out-of-market New York/New Jersey hockey fans and disappointing for those of us who would like to take advantage of the alternative access point.

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A few days ago, the Islanders announced an expansion of their radio broadcast network. The Islanders Radio Network now includes the following over-the-air stations:

• WKRB 90.3 FM Brooklyn (All games)
• WLNG 92.1 FM Long Island (Night games)
• WSTC 1400 AM Connecticut (Saturday night games)
• WNLK 1350 AM Connecticut (Saturday night games)

The new stations join WMJC 94.3 FM and WHLI 1100 AM, both on Long Island. If this is going to be the future of Islanders radio, stringing together a network of small stations throughout the region, then good for the organization for coming through on its pledge to add more affiliates. Now keep going! I still can't hear you.

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Double Fantasy

Game 27: Maple Leafs 4, Islanders 2 (Shake 'n' Blaked)

Fantasy Stars of the Game

1st Star: Mark Streit (-2, 3 SOG, 3 BkS, 2 PIMs, 3 hits)

2nd Star: Freddy Meyer (1 A, 1 PPA, Even, 1 SOG, 2 BkS, 3 hits)

3rd Star: Doug Weight (1 A, Even, 2 SOG, 1 BkS, 3 hits)

4th Star: Mike Sillinger (1 G, 1 PPG, -1, 2 SOG, 1 hit)

5th Star (tie): Trent Hunter (Even, 4 SOG, 5 hits) and Chris Campoli (1 A, 1 PPA, -2, 2 BkS, 3 hits)

Faceoffs (W-L): Sillinger 11-4, Weight 9-6, Park 6-7, Hilbert 1-2, Bailey 4-8

Game 28: Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (Played Well, Still Lost )

Fantasy Stars of the Game

1st Star: Bill Guerin (1 A, +1, 4 SOG, 2 PIMs, 2 hits)

2nd Star: Andy Hilbert (1 G, 1 PPG, Even, 6 SOG, 1 BkS)

3rd Star: Mark Streit (1 A, 1 PPA, +1, 1 SOG, 2 BkS, 1 hit)

4th Star: Doug Weight (1 G, +1, 3 SOG, 1 BkS, 1 hit)

5th Star: Sean Bergenheim (1 A, +1, 4 SOG)

Faceoffs (W-L): Sillinger 16-9, Weight 7-11, Park 6-9, Bergenheim 2-0, Bailey 2-3

Note: Sillinger, the Faceoff King, has replaced Bailey at center on the #1 power play unit. For now. The line combinations are a little like a hot-air corn popping machine at the beginning of a batch right now—lots of swirling around with only an occasional explosion.

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I'm all for the idea of giving a shot on the big club to as many of the deserving players at Bridgeport as possible. This team needs a significant infusion of skill, and that will have to come at the expense of players like Jon Sim. That being said, the Islanders will be fortunate if even one of the skilled Sound Tigers develops into as much as a 30-goal scorer in the NHL. Who's it gonna be, boys?

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Are You Out There, Can You Hear Me?

I'm afraid that's what Steve Mears and Chris King may be asking this hockey season as the radio voices of the New York Islanders.

The Islanders today announced the formation of the New York Islanders Radio Network. The press release issued by the team describes the venture as a "Multi-Media Radio Network" whose purpose is to provide "Comprehensive Distribution" of Islanders radio broadcasts.

The cross-platform network includes terrestrial, satellite, and Internet radio delivery. It certainly sounds like comprehensive distribution. But consider that the satellite and Internet options are not new, and the terrestrial portion of the network is being carried by two stations from the Long Island Radio Group, the largest radio group on Long Island. Specifically, WMJC 94.3 FM will handle the night games and WHLI 1100 AM will take care of the afternoon affairs.

No offense to these stations—they know the strength of their signals—but this is a step back in the development of the organization's tri-state-area media presence. Below are maps of the approximate coverage areas for each of these stations, as charted by Radio-Locator. You can read more detailed definitions of the colored lines on their site, but here's a summary legend:

Red lines (Local Coverage) = good to very good reception on almost any radio
Purple lines (Distant Coverage) = weak reception without a good radio with a good antenna
Blue lines (Fringe Coverage) = very weak reception without a good radio, possibly no reception

WMJC 94.3 FM Coverage Map

























WHLI 1100 AM Coverage Map


I tried to tune into both stations from Manhattan today. 94.3 FM was static and WMJC was nowhere to be found. The area around 1100 on the AM dial was dominated by the signal from 1130 AM Bloomberg Radio, the previous radio home of the Islanders. Below that, the most discernable signal was from 1050 ESPN Radio, another former home of Islanders radio broadcasts.

I understand that the Bloomberg signal was not strong for some on Long Island, and the team's presence on the station apart from the games was minimal at best. And if Bloomberg was unable to sell what it thought was sufficient advertising for the games, then that relationship was not ideal for either side.

I never feared that the Islanders wouldn't be on the radio this year, but I hoped they would remain on a powerful station, both for the good of the perception of the team and for those fans who live and/or travel in other parts of the tri-state area. Apparently finding such a partner was just not possible.

As it appears now, fans without satellite radios likely won't able to hear the Islanders anywhere in New York City or in most of Westchester and Connecticut when they drive. And the Islanders are the only major league franchise in the area that doesn't have a presence on one of the major AM stations.

On the plus side, the Long Island Radio Group encompasses six stations and will enable the Islanders to reach deeper into the demographics of Long Island with promotions and advertising.

We've been through this before. Hopefully the team's performance over the next several years will make it more marketable. Pushing out the geographic borders of the fan base is in the Islanders' best interest. Having their radio broadcasts limited to satellite and the Internet outside of portions of Long Island is not.

And thanks to Dar Williams for another lyrical reference.