96.3 KTWN Frustration

[amjgt]

My 6yo daughter, tonight, who went with me to the game yesterday, asked me if she could listen to the game while she went to sleep. I couldn't have been happier.... Until I had to disappoint her by telling her that I couldn't get the game on her radio.

 

I live 4 miles south of Target Field. 4 miles. And I can't get the game on a relatively new desktop radio with a decent sized antenna and digital tuning. I can get just about any other FM station in the area. Not KTWN.

 

This is a problem, Minnesota Twins.

 

I get it. Not many people listen to the game on the radio any more. There probably isn't exactly a bidding war to broadcast Twins baseball games in the metro. But then you need to change with the times. She's got an iPod touch that she be perfectly happy listening to the game on.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I'm sorry you can't get the signal. This was a fun one. The Cardinals left KMOX about the time the Twins left 'CCO but the Cards returned to KMOX a couple years ago. I'd love if the Twins went back to AM. Baseball belongs there. My dad let me listen to ball games in bed at night in the summer and I tell you, I was hooked for life

[amjgt]

I was able to watch the game. I was excited and frankly a little surprised that my daughter wanted to listen to the game in bed. I wanted to foster that new-found interest. KTWN's "college radio station" signal strength prevented that from happening. That is frustrating.

[Trevor0333]

I live in the middle of St Paul, its the twin cities. I can't get KTwin either. It's ridiculous. Im glad the FM signal sounds great in Waconia.

[Physics Guy]

They need to return to AM, but it needs to be WCCO, not 1500. They weren't much better reception-wise than KTWN.

[Guest USAFChief]

I don't know the financials involved, or all the factors, but leaving CCO was a mistake on many levels, IMO.

[Ben B]

Twins radio has been awful ever since they left WCCO. I remember driving in downtown Minneapolis all the time and still getting a bad signal from 1500. KTWIN isn't any better.

 

I live out in the sticks a few hours from the metro and most of the affiliates have horrible reception too.

[Marta Shearing]

Im lucky enough the hutchinson signal is really good. But it was ridiculous to leave WCCO. Those were the days.

[TheLeviathan]

I don't know the financials involved, or all the factors, but leaving CCO was a mistake on many levels, IMO.

 

We hicks are lucky to have a bevy of affiliates. It's strange that an area with as many cows as people can more easily listen to the team play.

[Blackjack]

We hicks are lucky to have a bevy of affiliates.

 

Try listening to one of the outstate affiliates in the fall, they will pre-empt the Twins for high school football, vollyball, etc. Very frustrating back a few years ago when the Twins were in contention. And try to find the Ron Gardenhire show on Sunday, most of the affiliates will have church services - maybe they're trying to tell me something!!!

 

One time I was camping at a state park in SW MN, listening to a late Twins game, went into extra innings, and all of a sudden they break away for a commercial in the middle of an innning!!! That went on for the rest of the game, 20 after the hour and 20 to the hour, a commercial, it didn't matter if it was the middle of an innning. The next day I called the station manager to give him hell, he said he had no control, the station was unmanned that time of night, the signal for a commercial came over the network.

 

The whole Twins radio broadcast has sucked since they left WCCO.

[Gernzy]

The Pohlad's own KTWN which is why the Twins switched to it. You think with the money that family has they'd be able to spend some to upgrade the station.

[nicksaviking]

I'm lucky. I live in Fargo and still get the games on AM and both the stations that carry the games have a couple of the largest signals in the country. During my monthly drives to the metro area though it's such a crap shoot if, and for how long, I'll pick up the broadcasts from Alexandria, St. Cloud and KTWN. I've told my wife many times that it's shocking the team puts so little effort to reach so much of it's key target audience.

[Mike Sixel]

It is amazing. Same with the Vikings and Wolves too (the outstate problem).....it's almost like they don't care if anyone listens.

[Old Twins Cap]

Truly pathetic. Western Wisconsin, sunny day, driving around. Pretty much impossible to listen to the Twins on 96.3.

 

Someone needs to say it: this is a weak organization. The quality of their decisions, their ability to hold people accountable for poor performance, their response to criticism -- if they didn't have a monopoly on baseball in this region, they would have been drummed out of town a long time ago.

 

Luckily, they are the kind of team the last few years where, if you don't listen to them, you don't miss anything.

[DaveW]

mlb.tv offers radio service for about $19 a year, well worth it.

[SweetOne69]

mlb.tv offers radio service for about $19 a year, well worth it.

 

I agree 100%. I live in outstate MN and it is impossible to find a reliable affiliate that I could pick up to listen to the games. I've been paying for MLB AT Bat for about 3-4 years and it is well worth the $20/year.

[zenser]

I am lucky enough to get games on AM 570 WNAX out of Yankton SD. They have a huge range stretching as far west as Rapid City, SD, as far south as St. Joseph MO, as far east as Minneapolis. I can pick it up on the south side of the cities when we go.

 

I also have the audio package from MLB and it is worth the $20. I enjoy listening to games from all over so for me, it is worth the investment.

[TheLeviathan]

Maybe I'm just lucky. On any given night I have 4-5 possible radio stations carrying the game, even if the Moondogs or high school stuff pre-empts a few of them I still have a slew of options.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

My 6yo daughter, tonight, who went with me to the game yesterday, asked me if she could listen to the game while she went to sleep. I couldn't have been happier.... Until I had to disappoint her by telling her that I couldn't get the game on her radio.

 

I live 4 miles south of Target Field. 4 miles. And I can't get the game on a relatively new desktop radio with a decent sized antenna and digital tuning. I can get just about any other FM station in the area. Not KTWN.

 

This is a problem, Minnesota Twins.

 

I get it. Not many people listen to the game on the radio any more. There probably isn't exactly a bidding war to broadcast Twins baseball games in the metro. But then you need to change with the times. She's got an iPod touch that she be perfectly happy listening to the game on.

Sad state when the Pohlads own KTWN and don't have the wattage to broadcast their own content across the entire metro area they exist in

[DJL44]

The Pohlads can't just increase the wattage of a radio station. The FCC only allows so many high wattage stations in a geographic area. Those stations cost a lot of money to purchase. They have done some beamforming work to get better coverage areas but I think they're running into urban canyon effects in the city.

 

It is interesting that you can't get the signal south of Target Field. I have no problems receiving 96.3 just north of St. Paul all the way to North Branch. You might have shadowing from tall buildings. Get the antenna up as high as you can and try different ends of the house. If that doesn't work then you'll probably have to pay for MLB at-bat.

[Blackjack]

I am lucky enough to get games on AM 570 WNAX out of Yankton SD. They have a huge range stretching as far west as Rapid City, SD, as far south as St. Joseph MO, as far east as Minneapolis. I can pick it up on the south side of the cities when we go.

 

I also have the audio package from MLB and it is worth the $20. I enjoy listening to games from all over so for me, it is worth the investment.

 

I may have to try that 570 AM.

 

How does the audio package work from MLB work?? Does it take a special radio? Or does it only work on your TV? The $20 would be worth it, but only if I can 'carry it with me' to the barbecue, garden, boat, etc.

 

Can you pick up the local broadcast or is it a network feed?

[Hawkeye12]

I am lucky enough to get games on AM 570 WNAX out of Yankton SD. They have a huge range stretching as far west as Rapid City, SD, as far south as St. Joseph MO, as far east as Minneapolis. I can pick it up on the south side of the cities when we go.

 

I also have the audio package from MLB and it is worth the $20. I enjoy listening to games from all over so for me, it is worth the investment.

 

I'll second WNAX. I'm only in Sioux City so not too far away from Yankton, and SC finally picked up the Twins themselves, but I still listen to the WNAX station out of tradition. And the SC station gets preempted sometimes for high school football.

[DaveW]

I may have to try that 570 AM.

 

How does the audio package work from MLB work?? Does it take a special radio? Or does it only work on your TV? The $20 would be worth it, but only if I can 'carry it with me' to the barbecue, garden, boat, etc.

 

Can you pick up the local broadcast or is it a network feed?

 

You stream it over the interwebs, you can do it online, or using any of their apps (iphone, android, xbox, roku etc) If for no other reason, pick it up so you can listen to Vin Scully once in a while.

[steve]

How does the audio package work from MLB work?? Does it take a special radio? Or does it only work on your TV? The $20 would be worth it, but only if I can 'carry it with me' to the barbecue, garden, boat, etc.

 

Can you pick up the local broadcast or is it a network feed?

 

1.) You pay your 20 dollars. But now you can pay month by month if you choose.

 

2.) You can listen either on your computer, or on a smartphone/tablet with the "mlb at bat" app.

 

3.) You can listen to either teams' radio broadcast. In the case of last night's game, you could also listen to either teams' Spanish language feed.

 

Try going to this page: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_05_27_texmlb_minmlb_1&mode=wrap

 

There's a little box that says "audio" next is a down arrow. You use that to select your audio feed.

[SweetOne69]

I agree that many of the reception problems has more to do with building blockage than power.

[Brock Beauchamp]

You stream it over the interwebs, you can do it online, or using any of their apps (iphone, android, xbox, roku etc) If for no other reason, pick it up so you can listen to Vin Scully once in a while.

 

Yep. It's my opinion that a person isn't really a baseball fan until they've listened to at least 50 Dodger broadcasts just to hear Vin talk about baseball for a couple of hours.

 

It's probably the best thing about baseball and has been for the past 50+ seasons.

 

Man, to go from Red Barber to Vin. Dodgers fans have it good.

[steve]

My dad let me listen to ball games in bed at night in the summer and I tell you, I was hooked for life

 

Listening to far off baseball from an AM station through static and storm, trying to get in an inning before the signal drifts away, is a magical joy our children will never experience in this digital age.

 

Besides the NBC Game of the Week, once upon a time the only chance to experience out of town baseball was the radio.

[Guest USAFChief]

Listening to far off baseball from an AM station through static and storm, trying to get in an inning before the signal drifts away, is a magical joy our children will never experience in this digital age.

 

o.

 

Is it sad that I did this as an adult? Impatiently waiting for the sun to go down so that I might catch a scratchy, unreliable station out of Texas, or Nebraska and therefore get the last couple innings of a Twins road game? I sometimes think I got more joy from that than watching every game in HDnow.

[Marta Shearing]

The NBC game of the week and their theme song was magical to me growing up. I haven't heard it for so many years. It gives me goose bumps. Part of the reason 80's baseball was so awesome to me.

[Marta Shearing]

Listening to far off baseball from an AM station through static and storm, trying to get in an inning before the signal drifts away, is a magical joy our children will never experience in this digital age.

 

Besides the NBC Game of the Week, once upon a time the only chance to experience out of town baseball was the radio.

I remember listening to the Twins/Angels game during a thunderstorm. Tons of static and cracking with every lightning strike. Next thing you know Herb says the roof is rippling and waving and the players ran off the field. Crazy night.