NYI, HOFSTRA FINALIZING INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP
Radiocasts could be on WRHU, featuring students
FanHouse: CB on Cam Fowler in Anaheim
7:30 pm: The Islanders are hoping to finalize a unique radio arrangement with Hofstra University prior to Saturday night’s opening of the NHL regular season, multiple sources have informed Point Blank.
The marriage is a potentially fascinating one. Radio Hofstra University on 88.7 FM would actually provide Islanders radio broadcasts with a stronger signal than the franchise has had in five years. WRHU covers most of Long Island and carries into Queens and Brooklyn. The Islanders broadcasts would also be available on the Internet.
What would Hofstra get out of the arrangement? For starters, the University’s Communications program would be able to sell to prospective students that their school provides opportunities for youngsters to work on NHL games.
While a veteran broadcaster would likely lead the charge – here’s hoping it’s Islanders Faithful, Chris King – Hofstra students would serve as intermission hosts and sideline reporters. There’s even a chance that students would be color commentators on select broadcasts at home and on the road. Students would also run the technical end – production, engineering, audio.
During the Islanders’ preseason game at the Coliseum on Saturday, Hofstra students worked on a gamecast rehearsal, interviewing players between periods and after the games.
Madison Square Garden Network, which owns all of the Islanders’ broadcast rights, would have to sign off on the deal. With less than 72 hours before Opening Night, the negotiations for this complicated but intriguing arrangement appear to be coming down to the wire.
No doubt, this move will cause some to shake their heads, others to poke fun when you consider the Rangers are on 1050 ESPN Radio and the Devils are on WFAN with broadcasts run entirely by professionals. But for a franchise with financial challenges and with limited options on major stations in the metropolitan area, this is certainly an innovative try. The games would be heard beyond the Coliseum parking lot (the RHU tower is in Hempstead), the dreaded simulcasts would be over and, after all, who doesn’t want the best for college students?
Loudville Open for Opener: On a somewhat related note, the Islanders have made Loudville available for Saturday’s home opener. Tickets are available for students with an ID in Section 330 for just $14. Good news if you’re a student. It also means there are good seats still available for the home opener.
Comments on this post, please. Roster discussion continues below. My promised video has been moved one slot back in the rotation. Stay tuned.
146 Responses to NYI, HOFSTRA FINALIZING INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP
Radiocasts could be on WRHU, featuring students
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rob76 says:
Makes me wish i was back in college! it is great experience for the kids and honestly if the other option is simulcast i’d rather the kids get a shot – but the team will definitely get laughed at for this by rival fans
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Lorne says:
As long as I can listen to the post game going home without without any static, this sounds fine to me.
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Jim Clark says: Are the students smart enough to turn on knobs for a radio broadcast? Hofstra had to change the name of its sports teams from “Flying Dutchman” to “Pride” because their students weren’t familiar with the legend of the ship lost at sea, never to reach port. Which, comes to think of it, sounds like the Islanders the last 15 years.
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ny711ot says:
I am struggling with the possibility that this is the only option. I would rather see a channel on sirius (mad dog channel anyone???). Is this deal, obviously the most lucrative financially for Mr. Wang, worth the:
-continued alienation of fans *(I live in Rockland so no radio for me)
-the metro area ridicule
-the possibility of transmission mistakes by 18 yr old red eyed freshmen ( I remember college “dead air” radio..88.7 is no SOU or FUV..)
-the appearance of ‘smalltime’ to potential free agents
-the continued reminder to us fans that we may not be worthy of being in the league in LI.I say do it right or don’t do it!
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Pritchett54 says:
The only time the isles are on sportscenter or in the national news is when we do something ummm interesting. Rickys 15 yr deal, china training camp, fire Neil smith after 45 days, hire our backup goalie to be our GM etc. I assume once the baseball highlights are over tomorrow morning I will get to see a report that the ny Islanders will be broadcast on a college radio station with 18 yr olds producing the show.
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gordy lane says:
sounds interesting. i would just like to hear the game out east. the funny part is that i hardly get 1050 out here. just make sure kinger is involved
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Josh says:
In before the grumbles!
Actually a lot of college radio stations are run very well by students. I don’t really have a problem with it if it’s professional.
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Sidd Finch says:
I had my undergrad in RTVF (from the same school as the best NHL commentator in the game, Doc Emrick) and it was a huge honor just to be able to do the broadcasts on hockey, basketball or football. You have to give the Islanders some credit for thinking outside the box here. This will be great experience for the students to put on their resumes and it will likely create alot of competition that will lead to new ideas and likely a better product that would have ended up on WALK or some other station with lower transmitting power.
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IsleFan73 says:
Worth a try, and great for the kids and the school.
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GE of GN says:
I think that’s a great idea
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Staten Islander says:
The Rags and Devils have the 2 all sports stations locked up so I guess this is ok. Doesn’t really effect me since I have XM
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I think that’s a great idea that makes the Islanders even more a part of their community.
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Alan says:
I think it’s an awesome idea. Hofstra is recognized nationally and if the signal is stronger than 94.3 I am all for it. That station was horrible, even from right outside the coliseum
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Honestly. I’m not one to rain on the college student’s parade. I think it’s great for Hofstra students. I just don’t think it’s appropriate for a professional major league sports franchise. No offense to Hofstra. Infact I have many friends in the industry (I work in TV) that passed through Hofstra’s Outstanding Communications Program. However … They’ll be the very first to tell you that it took a couple years out of college in a “real” broadcasting environment to become real professionals, mostly due to their exposure to professionals in the industry mentoring them.
I’ll still be out of range of the radio signal so it’s a Big Fail to me personally.
BTW! Why does MSG have a say in the Radio Game?
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Maydog says:
Just when you thought it couldn’t be more of an amateur hour…
Plus, ‘loved’ CB trying to spin this (as always) as a good thing…
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MJS says:
I think it’s an interesting idea. It will be much maligned, but if MSG has to be involved, my guess is that there would be professional oversight to the program. That’s the way most programs that involve students are run outside of entertainment and sports, why would it be different with a radio station? Actually, after people get over the initial idea, they’ll be happy to have a radio broadcast that covers some distance, and to be honest, I think it is smart to be broadcasting Isles games as far and wide as possible, especially into a few boroughs. Also, if anyone chooses to put any thought into it, would 18 year olds really be “running” things? Involved maybe, but something tells me the executive producers being thanked at the end of the broadcast will be in the class of 2014.
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JD says:
I don’t know what to make of this. On one hand, we have limited options with other radio stations but on the other hand this will be seriously ridiculed. The only way we can silence the ridicule is to have success on the ice then maybe the media will take notice.
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while i am all for the college students, living in queens, i wont be able to hear the games. when the isles where on a brooklyn college radio station, i was once was driving in brooklyn and i could not hear it at all. there are some very good alternatives and the isles were on these stations in the past such as 92.3 fm or 620 am etc. i dont think things will ever change as long as wang owns the team, even if he got a so called acceptable lighthouse project. he will always run his team as a mickey mouse operation. this is just a good excuse to treat the fans like we are nothing. isnt it funny that he raised the ticket prices plus he now gets a nice chunk from parking, concessions etc. and we are still treated third rate.
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correction. the isles were on 92.7 once a very good signal in the ny area not 92.3 anyway you get my point.
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TM says:
A complete embarrassment. Are you friggin kidding me? They spend millions to buy out Yashin and Witt, 15 years for DP, would’ve spent big $ for the planned trip to China yet can’t spend a few hundred K for radio that everyone can hear?
It’s a complete joke and is symbolic how poorly this franchise is run and how they don’t have a clue. They can spend where they want and they CHOOSE not to have radio for the metro area and run with kids.
Another minor league decision run by minor league people. No wonder they have few fans left.
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i4e11 says:
Mickey Mouse organization.
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admin says:
(17) Hey Maydog, could you please send a note to the Islanders saying that I spin everything about them positively? Thanks! Ha! CB
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Frank nyc says:
Im glad Ill finally be able to hear the Isles games in my car now, but i have to say this is kind of embarrassing.
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as a college student and member of a student run radio station at C.W Post i think this is a great idea. For the studendts this is a great opertunity to get real world experiance. Hofstra has one of the best communications departments in the country, and it integrates the team alot more in the community. Also puts an end to the unpopular simalcasts that people have been complaining about. Obviously there will be experianced member to oversee everything and make sure it runs smoothly and if the isles dont like how it’s going they can pull the plug. Overall I think it’s a great idea and i envy the students at hofstra who get to par take in this.
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Examiner says:
It’s good for the kids at Hofstra, it’s good for the fans that want to hear the game outside the parking lot, and it’s good for Chris King (assuming he gets the gig).
Fans that are scared that they and the organization will be ridiculed for this: what else is new? I don’t care and neither should you. If I can hear a broadcast on Hofstra radio of an Islanders playoff game in the near future, I don’t care what anyone else says to knock it.
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LetsGoISles! says:
Chris King MUST be involved if he hasn’t moved on to bigger better things.
Still won’t be able to listen to games after work in Manhattan, but maybe on the second half of the drive home once I’m in Queens I’ll be able to listen.
Better than nothing. I guess.
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Blizzard says: ….this is a win situation for the students. As an organization it wreaks of second rate IMO. I dont know how the hell they fired you as PR guy Chris…..
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Nyichamp39 says:
Awesome if you’re a communications major who is an islanders fan. Horrible if you’re the islanders, a team already devoid of any respect in a major sports league. EssentiAlly this is free help spun as a community service. So freaking sad.
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This would be good for the team, I hope it happens. Plus it sure would be nice to have a station we can actually find and get in.
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jay dugan says:
This is one of the best ideas I have heard of…for real…especially considering the way the radio broadcasts have been dealt with for as long as I can remember. Good for Hofstra, good for the fans and good for the team….I just hope they didnt sign on for this for 15 years like they did for someone else we know.
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Mht says:
Posters 21 and 22 stole my thunder. This arrangement reeks of austerity, and small market,bush league mindsetTheDevils are paying WFAN,but their product can be heard all over the east coast.I find it impossible to believe with all the high wattage radio stations on the AM and FM side of the dial that this is the best that they can do.They do not want to pay to be on a high wattage station.
Ooo- .
O
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D in BIG D says:
Can’t wait for season to start even though I do not agree w/ most things this team does I’m unfortunately hooked on the Isles.Their radio broadcasts were never that good(reception wise),their coverage in NY sucks to say the least but deep down a lot of those things is why I still pull for this team 25yrs later.They ARE and WILL ALWAYS BE the underdog beneath the shadows of the stRangers and everything else that is NY.I’m booking my flight next week to see them in March!!Yes people March.I know they probably will be long out of it by then but my youngest son has been cursed by his Dad into being an Isles fan.It is something that just happened.I no longer live on the Isle but I did manage to take him to a game last season which of course we lost but I wouldn’t trade that night for anything.I did however promise a game or two on the Isle @ the NVMC.Here we come.Go Isles!!
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Andre says:
This franchise staying on Long Island is no longer a viable option if this is the best they can do. It just isn’t. They have to be able to get a better radio deal than that. But again this is what you can expect if you don’t put a winning product on the ice.
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Hoser14 says:
Thanks CB for the news.
Anything has to be better than the minor league neigborhood radio coverage of the last few years.
All that I hope/want is that I can pick the play-by-play from my Top Row season ticket seat from Hofstra (next door) and the post-game on thw way back to Brooklyn.
AS for the signal reaching Marine Park Brooklyn, I’m not holding my breath, but that’s OK, I still have the XM-Radio that the Isles gave me when I complained when they dropped Bloomberg Radio (Tahnks Chris Day!).
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ninewat says:
I like this idea, just hope I dont have to hear Kevin Connely doing a lot of games.
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I’m confused how this would make us a laughingstock? Do the other teams really care? The Islanders have had many great commentators that have gone on to bigger and better things, now we many just get them a little earlier. I don’t think XM/Sirius is an option. I don’t have it and don’t see much of a use for it, especially if it is just for Isles games. Oddly, Mr Wang is runnning this thing like a business, he is already bleeding cash on the Isles so he is trying to keep his books in order. Since the Islanders are not going to command a large enough audience for any significant local station, this seems like the best option. While there will be no income for this venture, they probably can get Hofstra to pick up the “mentors” salary. Dr Chris King, they can give him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at graduation. It may also open up a whole new career path for him, mentor to the future Hockey Broadcasters of America. At least you can set a station and know that if they are playing the game will be on. In years gone by, I would set my readio to scan and I would pick up Caps, Flyers, Wings, Penguins, Canadiens, Sabres and Bruins games, as well as a few languages I was still have not been able to identify, but no Isles game. I bet Bill Veeck and William Wirtz and kicking themselves for not figuring this one out years ago.
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John Patella says:
I think the Charleston Chiefs did something like that.
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Mike says:
Wow loudville I just bought tickets fml
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backstop87 says:
This is why the Islanders have such a small fanbase. I live in Orange county, (I know some of you think that’s far, but it only takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the Barn) along with many other supposed isles fans, and the fact of the matter is, the only way to hear any news on the team is through this website. Nothing in the newspapers up here(though plenty on the rags and devils), you cant find an isles jersey up here anywhere, and were not even really upstate. Now I still wont be able to listen to games on the radio. This really is a small market team in a big market area, and they are not gonna be around in a few years unless they spend money on getting their name around NY and jersey alot more. (advertisement = fans = $$)
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Darryl says:
I live in Florida now and rely on XM for radio broadcasts and Center Ice for the video feed, but having a webcast is another good option. This is typical, IMO, of CW’s community involvement and I think it’s a win-win-win for the team, the fans, and the students. However, those of the opposing opinion need not worry…Kate Murray will probably decide that the Hempstead tower is too high for the zoning and personally bulldoze it down before the puck drops.
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Savvy says:
Blaaah!!! And that’s all I have to say about that.
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BringBackNyles says:
Sorry guys but this is a disgrace,,its just a way for Wang to use free labor, and just who is going to produce/work road games? AAA baseball teams are able to run professional radio broadcasts, but we cannot.
If they want to have college interns behind the secnes, I am all for it, but on air should be profesionals.
As for Loudville being open for the home opener, just another reason why anyone that buys advanced full price tickets for this team is a sucker. $14 for opening night while the season ticket holders pay a premium.
If they are already discounting tickets for the opener, I can’t wait to see the deals in feb on weeknights when the Panthers are in town
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Jim says:
I like Chris King as a person…but he is SO awkward. My favorite King lines…
“John Tavares got fingered for the penalty…”
“Blake Comeau is gonna have to get it up to beat Milan Jurcina…”
Nice guy…but awkward. -
This just in – negotiations with Hofstra have ended but NYI is negotiating with Syosset High School for radio coverage as a back up plan. If that fails, radio coverage will be provided by walky talky from Chris’s basement.
This radio situation is really pathetic. This is NY not Montana!
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Brian G says:
Its a decent idea if they have a strong signal, not like 94.3 and bloomberg radio.
Chris King has to be involved…if they need to do the simulcasts for the first few games to get things in order I am fine with that…they could also have the radio broadcast on XM that is fine.not a surprise that Loudville is open for opening night, there are plenty of tickets available and no one is paying $65 to sit in the 300′s….horrible idea to raise ticket prices after a few horrible seasons. Wang thinks he smart I will spend the minimum on the roster and raise prices, how did he expect that would go….don’t forget about islanders entertainment, concerts, and parking…don’t cry poverty Wang…look at the economy
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Perry Card says:
I for one am shaking my head. What happens when Hofstra basketball or softball or what ever conflict with the Isles game. Are we going to be moved to CW Post radio. Maybe we will be on tape Delay
This is bad news -
Mike from Philly says:
While I guess this is cool if your in the communications department at Hofstra…is this really what has become of this franchise. We are going to be on a college radio station? And people here get mad when the rest of the world laughs at this organization, we are going to have COLLEGE INTERNS working NHL Games!!!???? Hey whatever saves the Isles a few bucks from having to pay an actual radio team. I am so glad they also seem to be braging about the radio signal being stronger but I still can’t get it in Manhatten. As a matter of fact it starts to fade towards Citi Field but hey…what do the Isles care…we’re Long Island’s team. The rest of NY can go **** themselves I guess.
This might be one of the dumbest and sadest things I have heard. This organization truly should just join the ECHL because they are run like a minor league organization.
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Jerky says:
This would be fine if we were talking about Bridgeport. Another “outside the box” move by Wang & Snow, but so are most moves this franchise makes.
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bossjones1 says:
Radio? What’s radio?
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Brian in VA says:
Unreal!! Mickey Mouse organization strikes again! I am all for education and shaping our college students but I’d rather have a professional radio broadcast. Can we just move somewhere now! I am growing past weary of this organization… I don’t even care about the hockey season and it used to be like 82 Christmas’s for me… Now its indifference…
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Al L says:
This is a wonderful opportunity the Islanders are creating for young Hofstra students working toward their Bachelors degree in sports media Communications. Unfortunately this is not the approriate venue for a Professional Sports Franchise,nor does it provide the broadcast exposure necessary for a fanbase outside a 15 mile perimeter. Hofstra U sports,news,and other commentary belongs on their College station,not a desperately cheap PROFESSIONAL sports entity on an austerity program looking for a landing spot on the radio dial.
This regime never ceases to amaze me. The other night the SoundTigers played a preseason game against the Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears out here in the 11000 seat Giant Center in Hershey Pa. Bridgeport mistakenly took the ice in their dominant white Jerseys for the first period. Noticing their faux pau,they came out in the dominant blue without numbers or names on the back. This was a game played in front of paying customers,folks. It wasn’t an intrasquad practice. Understandably miffed,their shoddy demonstration was blasted by Hershey coach Mark French. Embarrassing to say the least for an Islander fan,being further validation of their ill preparedness and less than professional appearance that filters down to their affiliate. In lieu of this, perhaps becoming a speciman for aspiring College students is appropriate afterall.
I’ll keep on root’n. At this point,for what I don’t know!!! -
cm2747 says:
jim#44 -im laughing my ass off-hahhahahaha…somethign to do with the isles where i can actually laugh a bit.
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Wang is tryig to push $65 300 level tickets Saturday..at the same time the New York Yankees ar eplaying aplayoff game with the entire upper grandstand priced at $35 or less
The Yankees have set obstructed view for a playoff game at $6, Wang is charging at least double that for obstructed view
I wonder why the Isles have seats left..
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Chris according to FCC filings the ERP {Effective Radiated Power} of WRHU is listed at 470 watts.It’s transmitter and antenna are located in and on Constitution Ave. Hempst
ead NY. The ERP of WHLI is listed at 10,000 watts.The ERP of WMJC is listed at 2600 watts.This is progress ? I know that I have posted this in the past,but I crave a John Wiedeman/Chris King duo or their equal on a WGN (John’s current station) equivilent. -
If the Devils were the Mickey Mouse franchise in 1983, the Islanders will become the Gilligan’s Island franchise of 2010. The Islanders will tarnish their brand — perhaps permanently — by submitting their fans to a less-than-major-league “sound.” (Precedent for this was another Nassau Coliseum tenant, the NY Express of the Major Indoor Soccer League, which put its games on radio in 1986…and promptly went bankrupt three months later.) This is not to denigrate the Hofstra communications majors, but we are major league fans and we deserve major league quality in how our teams present themselves to us, especially when nosebleed tickets are $65 face value. Telecasts and broadcasts are the best forms of marketing for any sport, other than going in person. Going the Mickey Mouse route to save money will cost the franchise in the long run. It will be pennywise and pound-foolish. Just like going off WOR-TV in 1985 and moving all the games to cable was; short-term it enhanced revenue, long-term it stopped the exposure. Most Islanders fans were fans before 1985 and we’re all getting old.
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HubieMac39 says:
Hard to believe it’s come to this, not that I don’t think it’s a unique and innvoative idea. I’m spoiled in the fact I’ve watch almost every games on TV for the past 20 years, but one of my earliest memories an Islanders fan is being curled up under the covers listening to the Isles-Caps 4 OT game on the radio (WOR) long after my parents had turned the TV off.
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DeadAir says:
Hofstra hits the jackpot but this is an embarrassing precedent to set as a professional organization. No two ways about it.
CB is in “spin mode” on this one.
The Isles cannot make a deal with a top tier station, have no bargaining strength without results on the ice and at the gate. This deal is just a long-winded way to say “nobody cares right now.”
If there is a silver lining, it probably is the fact that if the team performs well and attendance rises to the point that a professional station (no offense Pride/Dutchmen) with a strong enough signal does become interested, the team, if hey have retained the right to, can sign up with no questions asked.
Whatever the case may be, the Hofstra Comm. Dept. has a great new recruiting tool.
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StevieL says:
Really! College Radio! Really!! In the media capital of the world, the best we can do is Hofstra radio!! CB is it just MSG strangling the life out of the Isles or has this franchise become so irrelevant in the NY marketplace that they can’t even generate enough ad revenue to warrant any radio station! “Unique radio arrangement” reeks of radio desperation!!
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JT says:
Embarassing. Would be OK for the SoundTigers, but not an NHL team. So, the Isles get concession and parking money, greatly increased ticket prices, and sit at the cap floor, but won’t “splurge” for real radio coverage. Sheesh. Maybe they should consider putting college kids in the front office too.
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steve the recent hofstra grad says:
Wrhu is a very professionally run station. I had many friends studying radio there and I was shocked to see how well run and organized the station was. Many of their students have internships at radio stations like cbs/wfan/92.3fm and wbab. I understand how this move seems amauter to a hofstra outsider, but I have a lot of confidence in the integrity of this station. If this actually goes through many will be pleasently surprised. Good move nyi/hof!
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Michael says:
All I want, is to hear the game when I am in the truck driving/sitting in traffic, around the Island. If kids can learn from this experience, then go for it! Just give us a clean signal please.
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mrlbem says:
Let’s say one believes and accepts the idea that this is good community outreach, good for Hofstra, altruistic for all involved and highly innovative. The fact that it’s being done, like the rebuild, for the wrong reasons wipes out any good feelings that may come from this. The owner is doing this because he doesn’t have the money, or doesn’t want to spend the money, to run the Islanders like a major league sports franchise. And I’m cynical about whether the Hofstra signal will reach the Queens/Nassau line on the North Shore.
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#58 – I listened to the Easter Epic on a battery powered radio in Hobart, N.Y. 190 miles away, and heard LaFontaine score the goal clear as day!
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Joe in Massapequa says:
Who cares what station they are on as long as they win?
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Bri On LI says:
I don’t care if Mr. Wang doesn’t have the money, the fact that I don’t have to listen to Howie and Billy (or Butch this season) and try to guess where the puck is makes me think this is a step up. Sure, do I wish we were on the FAN? But Hofstra has a strong signal, and at least I’ll be able to pick the game up on the internet if I’m out of town.
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Eric Cup says:
So many knee-jerk reactions. How about experiencing it before bashing it! We might actually like it. For those of you with short memories, we had NO radio last year. The “simulcast” was simply “listening” to a TV broadcast. It was geared towards “viewers” and the signal sucked. As my Mother used to say to me – “How do you know you don’t like something if you haven’t tried it?”
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I urge everyone here to visit the WRHU web site – wrhu.org – Learn about this before you bash it.
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Numbers65 in OHIO says:
Not a bad idea at all. The only thing that really bothers me is that it seems like when Wang first took over he thought his Lighthouse would be built and he ran spent on the organization to try to make it something to be proud of. Since HIS version of the Lighthouse seems so far out of reach, he is trimming everything back. We can see all of the positions that have been cut (Trotts, Janks, radio team, etc, top tier FAs), what about the cuts we don’t see. Feels like we are running on a skelaton crew. Between all that and the old, outdated arena about the only thing separating us from the minors is that the players fly jets, rather than take a bus, and probably stay at 4 star hotels rather than 2. Besides that playing on the Isles probably doesn’t feel that much different than playing in the minors.
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Shred Instead says:
WIN ! What else matters? If the Boys figure out how to fight through sweat, resolve, blood, and injuries, then they’ll make the Playoffs and we’ll have some fun. That is all that matters with a Team and its Fans ! Talent is graded after the accomplishment not before. Its up to them.
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John says:
WBUSH league. Everything with this team is one step forward, two steps back. This is great news as compared to the alernative of being carried by a high school station.
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Jeff in Oyster Bay says:
Glad to see that we are gearing up for a Stanley Cup run this year, not only on the ice but off of it as well.
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Tim F. says:
Ooooh, college radio. Maybe Uncle Floyd can do the post-game show.
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imetbossy says:
WANG making a mockery out of an NHL franchise ! Nickle and Dimes GM . ScOuts , and now this …Pathetic …just sell the team …!! I hate this clown ,,,and soon all of you will feel as I do ( as if you dont already..if not you should) … Horrible !! In no other Pro team (even KC Royals/ Pitt Pirates ) is there nonsense like this !! The whole league should vote him out and have the team be sold to local guy …. This is sooo bad … (CB – you should run this team…if WANG remains..you may very get the chance !!! ) great job( as always)…
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I agree with what you have said and understand your disgust and embarrassment,#76,but just what local guy is knocking on Charles door? Jeff Wilpon??
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Hey #75! Maybe ‘Dean’ Wormer could get a spot postgame!!!
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This is not knocking the Hofstra station or kids, I am sure its a good college radio station…but Jesus we are a NHL franchise.
Can you imagine rangers postgame if they sent it down to the intermission and it was a senior from Fordham?
Even colleges that have student broadcasts, such as Syracuse or Army football , also offer their games done by a professional team.
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I could take 10 boxes of Ex-Lax and 20 bottles of Milk of Magnesia and not crap as big a mess as this franchise and radio decision is.
I picture some pimple face person with a John Belushi Animal House shirt that says “COLLEGE” on it doing intermission while 3 people are listening. Please sell Wang. Please. -
Ethan K says:
We have 18 year olds on the ice. You’re worried about them running a friggin radio station?!
It’s an improvement over last year. A less in depth story of this would be “Isles games now on 88.7 and will be much better quality and range than the previous broadcast”. This isn’t bad news in any way.
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Nyrangersuck says:
So it’s ok for a 19 year old to go to war but it’s embarrassing for a 19 year old to broadcast a game?!?! Nice priorities.
The people who actually find the time to complain about the radio coverage are the same people complaining about the lack of 8-Track tapes at Best Buy.
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JB says:
Embarrassing…
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Brother Rat says:
No offense to Hofstra people (I have a bunch of high school buds that ran great music shows at WRHU), but I agree with all the comments that say that partnering with a college radio station is not the appropriate venue for a professional sports franchise. Sure, it’ll give the students some nice experience, and maybe it’ll boost student attendance at games, but come on–students interviewing and perhaps commentating?? Perhaps I should be happy that the Isles have anything one step up from a simulcast, but this mickey mouse move will not impress fans or potential free agents.
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Nothing will change until Wang leaves and sells the team. Even if he gets his land and arena which he won’t on LI, nothing will change with him here. He’s just like old man Wirtz in Chicago. He’s insane.
Many of Wang’s wacky decisions don’t even involve lack of money. Dumping Jaffe, Trottier & Jankowski for example or keeping Milbury too long weren’t money related. This radio decision isn’t even about money as he could afford it if he wanted it but he doesn’t for some wacky reason. He has no clue how to promote his product. Like Chicago under wacky Wirtz, fans and quality players will stay away from NYI in droves as long as Wang is here. Sigh.
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Les Beaver says:
I like it, I think it’s a cool idea. Gets the games back on the radio, college kids get some of that there “book learnin’”. So long as the play by play is done by a pro, no worries. Sometimes I just want to know the friggin score, and I can’t even get that! So I’m all for this.
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Kevin says:
If they could just do something right for a change. Its always something. Just sell the team already. We need to compile and update a list of stupid activity that we endure.
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Dano says:
do any of you drama queens realize this isnt the end of the world?
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Dano
Maybe not the end of the world but; do we need to be constantly reminded by ownership that our team is bush league.
Everyone assumes hofstra just didn’t charge us for the airtime. I think its more likely that hofstra is paying Charles a sizable amount for the privelege. If that’s the case it makes this all the more pathetic.
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mm says:
as long as we can get the broadcast on the internet im fine with it. technology is at point were we can listen to the games on our phone, so take it easy. i still think wang in inept when it comes to doing what is best for the franchise.
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dose says:
i can see why some would make fun, but it’s really a pretty cool idea. as long as there’s a pro doing the actual game call(ie. king.) i hope it a happens, and i hope 88.7 on the f.m. dial reaches my neighborhood in brooklyn.
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and i don’t know whose idea it was, but connecting to an integral component of the local community as this would can only be a plus for the franchise.
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Healy says:
Everyone has a right to whine so whine on but please remember this:
-last year we mostly had a simulcast of the television audio. THAT wasn’t Mickey Mouse already?
-This is better than having no broadcast
-The Islanders have not played well the last 15 years (minus a blip of hope at the turn of the millenium). Attendance and ratings go up as the team does better. Wang may be looking for a cheap fix here but give it a year to see how it pans out. See what happens if the Isles start making the playoffs consistently. There will be a better radio deal.
-At one point quite recently, Chicago Blackhawk games weren’t even televised. It can be a lot worse than what we’ve got.
-Finally, “everything” the Isles do in the NHL makes us “laughing stocks”. Who is not used to this mentality by now? And really, who really cares what others think? -
isles6 says:
I spent four years as a college student manager of the student radio station where I went to college, and I will say this. As long as there are serious broadcast students running the show, you will have a serious broadcast. They may make a few more mistakes, than they do on say WFAN, but I spent about a half hour this morning listening to how, not once but twice, Don Larson struck out Dal Maxvill to record the final out of his 1956 perfect game in the WS. I trust the FAN talkie to have it right (Tony Paige is very trustworthy) and that was on TBS, so if that stuff is your worry, please, find something else.
I doubt that the Isles are taking money from the school. As someone who still pays attention to the broadcasts of team from more than just the announcers, I am curious to see how they handle the commercials, since those college channels are usually public radio and they usually do not allow straight advertising, but I could be wrong, in this case. The Devils are paying WFAN a large, large chunk of cash for those airwaves, and for a team that has been hemorrhaging money, I do not blame Wang for thinking outside the box. I seem to recall that everyone screamed about a 15 year deal with a goaltender, that was unfortunate to get hurt, but how soon was it that other teams followed suit? I am not saying that they will do that here, but still, had Rico (his real nickname in college, not this DP garbage) not gotten hurt, four million a year for an all star & Olympic caliber goalie would have been a steal.
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islander1 says:
My thoughts? What an absolute joke this is.
We really are a minor league franchise right now. What a joke this management is. I feel bad for the players of this team.
I’m embarrassed.
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Enzo says:
This is pathetic. Can this franchise become more of a joke? The sad part is, the more embarrassing they become the more loyal I become. Can someone explain this?
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rpchief says:
Hey I live in Lake Grove and after 7pm you can not get 1050 ESPN. So just because its a college station doesn’t mean its a bad thing. I will get better reception then the all powerful ESPN. Lets not forget We Are All Islanders. Now we just have to get off MSG and get our games on SNY, and we will be better off. Then maybe we wont be on MSG plus 3 were you have to put your volume on 60 just to be able to hear it, and the grainy picture which shrinks to half of the screen. It a freakin joke…Thats why i just go to as many games as possible. Lets go Islanders
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drive45 says:
This sucks. I live in Jersey. Why not get a NYC station that can broadcast the entire metro area. We have become so irrelevant in the NY sports landscape that we can’t even get a professional radio deal.
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CrackheadTheo says:
this is a sick joke, right???
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Wang cheaping it out again…he can put in a new lockeroom and lounge for the players but can’t fix some of the seats that are 30 yrs old at the coliseum or pay to have a professional radio broadcast…this guy doesn’t make sense.
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Spartiarti RVC says:
i think its great idea. Come on guys it Radio. Nice to see college student interaction.
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Mike R. says:
THIS IS A GREAT IDEA FOR THE ISLANDERS!!!!…This is GREAT PR (As CB probably already knows)….It strengthens community relations around the Coliseum…AND in the event that talks/ideas start coming up again about development in and around the Coliseum for a new arena….A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH HOFSTRA IS A MAJOR PART OF THAT…..BRILLIANT….Let’s hope that the islanders can get MSG to cooperate. Seriously, some of the best news soo far in preseason…I mean that.
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Phil says:
So last year we were treated to radio simulcasts of the TV broadcasts on a station that could barely be picked up, and NOW the Isles have embarrassed themselves? Get a grip, everybody.
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Ed says:
This just in, Isles live streaming updates will now be available on tickertape
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Stop complaining all you haters!!!! It would also be internet streamed….
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Loomis says:
I have a good idea… they should give every fan a tin can and some string
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As a public radio station, you will not see as many ads liek you do on commercial tv, mostly short “brought to you by” snippets during long intermissions. As a non-profit, the Islanders would be prohibited from receiving these funds. In this scenario, the best the Islanders can hope for is a zero sum gain, that any paid on air professional talent is paid by the university under a teaching contract. As for the quality issue, most of these students will not be 18, but more likely upperclassmen in their early 20′s having spent the last few years at the station. They will be very prepared to run the most important projects in most of their lives to this point. Considering the broadcast landscape in this area now, this is a pretty good deal for everyone involved, the fans get a steady dial location, the Islanders broadcast for almost no cost and the Hofstra students get a top flight room service opportunity for their CVs. You can cry and complain about the Islanders finances and situation, but almost half the teams in the league are in financial trouble. The twist is that the Isles have to compete for airspace with the Devils, Rangers, Knicks, Nets, Mets and Yankees for airspace. In most other markets, the airspce competition is significantly less. Even WFAN has to farm out some of their games durig the season when there is a conflict.
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Any chance the Shinnecocks have put in a bid for the smoke signal rights?
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Maybe Jim Dolan will move our broadcasts to the MSG Varsity Channel. He could fit us in right between boys soccer and girls field hockey. At least all our games would be in HD!
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j says:
im into the idea. why not, its better than no radio and i think its cool theyre giving students a chance to do something like this. its a nice relationship to make w/ an area university.
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can’t we ever be normal? why can’t we do things like EVERY OTHER FRANCHISE IN HOCKEY! i dont want to hear how its innovative and i dont want to hear how its a tremendous opportunity for college kids. we are a PROFESSIONAL hockey team. act like one!!
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CG says:
Glad they will have a radio station and certainly nice for Hofstra and students, but it continues to be quite pathetic for this organization. Rangers -espn, Devils -WFAN, Islanders -Hofstra student radio. I love the Islanders, but the franchise is beyond a joke.
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EAF says:
College radio station for the NHL team. Ouch! Pretty embarrassing.
But I guess it’s better than nothing. -
bayduvinislander says:
How about a giant flock of carrier pigeons? Wang could personally tie game logs to their feet before releasing them.
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shlo says:
who cares if it is a university station? if you have a decent reception that’s all that matters.
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Dan says:
I think its a great idea. Not bad advertising either for Hofstra student to go to a game either. I wish they did this when I went to Hofstra. As long as I can hear the post game on the way home I am happy!
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nolaislanders says:
what do the isle get out of it
free slave labour
the chance to sell more $14 tickets
Is this the echl or the ohl certainly not the nhl
the only way this team is going win the cup is if wang moves the team to china and starts a leage of one team -
jon says:
Will the kids be allowed to finish college if they’re too negative?
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Dan says:
I just heard the “University of Toronto” likes this idea that they will now broadcast Maple Leaf games this year.
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This is a good idea. Also, the broadcasters will not be directly under Wangs thumb so maybe freedom of speech and honesty can be a part of the commentary without the treat of getting cut like Jaffe did. Still can’t believe they let the guy go. He was excellent and did nothing wrong.
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How many seats do they sell for loudville? once it is full does everyone else on the line have to pay full price for their tickets? I would expect a big line for that ….can someone explain how this works…does anyone know if they also have the student discount tickets that you can buy at the box office before the game….thanks
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Hockeyboy says:
This is a disgrace. There are 30 teams in the National Hockey League and no one does this. I feel like the league needs to come down on Wanger and force his hand. This has a direct impact on the NHL and their marketing. Maybe they should just scrap the whole Nassau Coliseum and Lighthouse ideas and play their home games at Iceworks in Syosset. They would be able to sell out every game.
Charles, please do us ALL a favor and sell this team. There is absolutely NOTHING to get excited about this season and I predict the worst attendance since Wang bought the team. -
#118 – Best post so far. Made me spit up my coffee. LOL
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paulyg says:
I really like the walkie talkie idea….how about Wang buys stock in CB radios.
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Let’s see, college radio broadcasts…but if I press that SAP button on the TV, I can hear the telecast…in MANDARIN!
Ni hao! (That’s hello in Mandarin.)
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Stumpy32 says:
The fact is that we’re looking at it from two different viewpoints:
(1) Is it better than what we had?
(2) How does it look to everyone else?For #1, its clearly a major upgrade, but frankly, me broadcasting with aluminum foil and chicken wire is an upgrade over last year. No fans of any team should ever be forced to listen to a TV simulcast on the radio. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to stream the game with the Isles broadcast online, but found myself giving it 2 minutes before moving over to the opponent’s radio broadcast. Absolutely impossible to follow.
For #2, yes, this is bush league, and all I can think of are stories about the late 70s Oakland A’s who had all their games on Cal-Berkeley’s radio station. That was considered the low point of the franchise, when they were drawing about 2k a game, and Charles Finley was lowering payroll to a level that warranted the A’s relegation from major-league status. I don’t know if this will be any better than that, because as reputations go, we’re pretty awful as is.
I guess, for all of us, at the end of the day if we can hear the game on the radio, and a professional is doing the actual game broadcast (who among us actually listens closely to pregame, postgame, and intermission reports, really?), it seems like an improvement where, as long as we don’t pay attention to the fact that we’re on an FM station that starts with “88″ we’ll probably not care much so long as the team wins.
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Jethro09 says:
The next step in Isles radio broadcasting: some kid calling the game into a soup can connected to another by a string.
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Vinny says:
Am I the only one who didn’t have a problem with the simulcast last year? Yeah, I know it was aimed at a TV audience but I don’t think it was all that bad. Howie and Billy are 2 of the best broadcasters in the game and I always enjoyed listening to them. I never had a problem with the signal so that wasn’t an issue for me either.
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#118 Great post. Hilarious!
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arecee says:
Enough with the Mickey Mouse comparison. I may be wrong, but isn’t the real Mickey Mouse organization worth some 70 billion dollars? Pretty much a well oiled machine – sorta the opposite of our beloved franchise. Either way, ANY radio is better than what we had. as CB says – MOVE ON.
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sean says:
Why do people care about the radio broadcast station if They get a good reception It’s Fine. There is nothing wrong with broadcasting on a college station. This fan base are negative and bi-polar on every little adjustment they do in the islanders organization. I know we been bad a long time and the coliseum is the worst arena in all sports but for once the islanders are moving in the right direction. I like our prospects and youth talent. Penguins Were Bankrupt twice and rebuild to a winner.
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tonights islander game can be seen on msg88+ the double ocho plus, in pristeen black and white
stay tuned to msg for competitive bashing head into brick wall
the current champion likes to go by the name islandersfan -
Irish Isle says:
I am upset, as originallly the Isles were targeting my nephew’s Highschool AV Club about radio broadcast rights.
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5fourFightin says:
Good one! You have a wonderful sense of humor CB.
Hofstra Radio. LOL What??? You werent joking???? -
RickyRed says:
- How does the little birdy go? “CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!
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Its things like this that make me think even if he gets the land deal Wang will continue not to spend for the first five years until he is in the black.
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JSExpress says:
And “Boom” goes the dynamite.
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Mistuuh Islander says:
I was told by someone in the know that Wang TRULY believes that radio is dead in this era! That would sum up the Hofstra experiment in a nutshell!
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Howatt77 says:
This is a joke, right? College kids. A college radio station? Hey, what a great selling point for those 30 goal free agents. “Yeah, our radio broadcasts are heard all over Hempstead.” It’s a grapefruit league idea. If Wang thinks radio is dead, he’s loonier than I thought.
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OA PEST says:
#136 nice Ron and Fez reference there. This is a true embarassment to the other 29 owners. Professionalism is truly not a word in Charles Wang’s and Paul Lancey’s dictionary. Maybe CB can fill us in on this how do you make money on a college station? You can take any money from underwriters. This just reeks of cheapness and shows the team on Long Island is irrelevant. Has MSG signed off on this deal yet! If they did what does the signature look like cause they must have been laughing their asses off!
Also what happened when Hofstra sports are on at the same time as a islanders game? How gets top bill. My guess is Hofstra. Or do they buy time on WNYG or a foreign language station.
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A brief tutorial on radio wave propagation is in order. FM signals are high enough in frequency that they do not refract sufficiently in the ionosphere to return to earth. Hence, unlike AM signals, there is no “skip” which results in long-distance transmission at night as the ionosphere becomes denser. An FM signal is only effective from the height of the transmitter to the horizon. There is no point in applying vast amounts of power to it…it will still not curve over the horizon. AM stations like WFAN can be powerhouses at night because the weaker stations that share the frequency are required to cease operation at sundown. WRHU, as an FM station, will be effective for about 40-50 miles, period, 470 watts or 47,000 watts.
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Steve says:
Great partnership with WRHU. Hopefully more peoeple in NYC listen to the Isles games.
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Isles Rule says:
This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard! Only a Mickey Mouse franchise such as the Islanders could come up with an idea like this!
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cjcb says:
I like the idea, good luck to all the students who get to work on this. Have fun and make sure you pump up the Enforcers in the league!!
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Terry 99 says:
crackle,buzz,static,SCORE,crackle,buzz,static…..and that’s the end of period #..crackle,buzz,static….
Do the college students have to pay for a Loudville ticket to get into the game?