Whole new world for Reds

By Dan Monk

Team considers Spanish broadcasts, devotes more to ethnic marketing

The Cincinnati Reds are exploring the launch of a Hispanic radio broadcast, the latest in a series of promotional ventures aimed at filling seats and boosting advertising revenue from the surprisingly successful team.

The issue is likely to be addressed in the next few months as the team enters contract negotiations with Clear Channel Communications Inc., whose WLW-AM 700 has owned the Reds’ broadcast rights since 1969. A source familiar with the club’s radio rights agreement said Hispanic broadcast rights are not addressed in the current deal, which expires in 2007. But that source said Clear Channel is likely to include Spanish-language broadcasts in future deals with the team.

One expert, Inside Media owner Rob Riggsbee, said a local independent station, WCVG-AM 1320, might emerge as the Reds’ Hispanic broadcast partner. The station recently shifted formats to become Cincinnati’s first Hispanic radio station. Another alternative is that Clear Channel agrees to produce a limited schedule of Hispanic broadcasts as a way of keeping the new programming initiative away from competitors, Riggsbee said.

Neither Reds executives nor Clear Channel’s Joe Fredrick, vice president of sports marketing, would comment on particulars, except to confirm that a Hispanic broadcasting initiative is being contemplated.

“We’d be foolish not to look at it,” said Bill Reinberger, director of corporate sales and marketing for the team. “Half of Major League Baseball teams have Hispanic broadcasts. The population is obviously growing. It’s an important market to us.”

Reinberger said the Reds are devoting more promotional resources to ethnic marketing initiatives. The increased spending includes a 13-week advertising contract with the Spanish Journal, a free weekly newspaper devoted to Latino readers.

The team is also sponsoring an Aug. 7 visit to Cincinnati by Russ Parr, a syndicated morning show host for WIZF-FM 101.1. And it’s setting up a ticket-selling booth at the Midwest Black Family Reunion Aug. 18-20. Reinberger said the ethnic marketing initiatives were among the first moves ordered by Reds owner Bob Castellini, who bought a controlling interest in the club in January.

The 2000 Census estimated the Tri-State’s Hispanic population at 22,000, although some experts think the figure might be as high as 100,000. The Hispanic population in the Midwest increased by 81 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to a 2002 study by Bowling Green University’s Center for Family and Demographic Research. Ohio’s Hispanic population grew by 55 percent during the period, while Indiana’s jumped 117 percent.

A Spanish-language Reds broadcast might take several years to develop, but it would eventually pay dividends, predicted Josh Guttman, co-owner of TSJ News Inc., parent of the Spanish Journal.

“Before you focus on the revenue, you have to focus on the branding, just doing the broadcast over time. Once the audience is engaged and they fall in love with the Reds, then advertisers will know that’s a great way to reach them,” Guttman said.

The Reds experimented with a Hispanic broadcast last August, when Clear Channel’s sports-talk station WSAI-AM 1360 (Homer, the Sports Animal) aired two games in Spanish. Riggsbee said the broadcasts proved expensive for Clear Channel, which had to quickly translate and produce dozens of commercials for the event.

The Reds’ new ownership group includes some savvy marketers and several investors with experience in owning and managing media companies. That makes the Reds more willing to entertain new kinds of media ventures, said Riggsbee. For example, Riggsbee has speculated that the club might buy a stake in a local cable or radio network, providing new opportunities to cross-sell air time with in-stadium promotional ventures. The Hispanic broadcasting initiative fits into the same mold.

“Not only are they media savvy, but this is a very aggressive, proactive marketing machine,” Riggsbee said. “They’re going to look at every possible option to increase their reach, distribution and revenue.”

The ownership group has been defined by a series of aggressive moves to improve the Reds’ on-field performance, which has them in first place for the wild card spot in the National League, as of Aug. 4. Behind the scenes, the team’s marketing staff has been no less busy. Reinberger said the number of promotional nights has jumped to 47 from 26. Radio ratings have reached a five-year high.

The number of televised games increased from 100 to 120 this year and will climb to 145 next year. And the club has signed nearly 30 new advertising clients, boosting by 20 percent its revenue from in-stadium signage. Promotional deals like the half-price ticket nights for next week’s series again the St. Louis Cardinals have become a hallmark of the Reds’ new management approach.

“We’ve got seats to fill,” Reinberger said. “That’s no secret.”

On the attendance front, the Reds are making progress. Reinberger said the team is averaging about 26,000 fans per game. Through July 31 (52 home games), attendance is up 7.4 percent compared with last year. That’s an increase of some 93,000 fans.