Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Another Nail

I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this one...

Syracuse, NY--The Syracuse Chiefs, Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, are pleased to announce the Syracuse Chiefs Baseball Network, a new audio channel devoted to the Syracuse Chiefs.  The Syracuse Chiefs Baseball Network's first programming will be the broadcast of all 144 games through the course of the 2013 season.  The network will be available on the web at www.syracusechiefs.com and via one click on an app, created by Onseeker Technologies, for iPhone and Android. 
"We are glad to offer our fans the ability to take the Chiefs anywhere,"  Chiefs General Manager John Simone said.  "I grew up listening to baseball and now more people in more places will have more chances to listen to the game we all love."

Yes, that's right.  The Syracuse Chiefs, one step below the major leagues, are bypassing radio to put all their games on the internet.

It makes me sad.

I grew up listening to Harry, Whitey and Andy...  and Phil, Bill, and Frank on the radio.  Cable wasn't around yet.  There is nothing like baseball on the radio.

The fine folks of Syracuse, and points beyond, will still have access to audio, but not from a radio station.

I'm not naive.  The Chiefs couldn't find a radio station willing to make a deal work financially, so the the internet is a better-than-decent alternative.

Radio, once again, loses something that makes it special.  The downward spiral continues.  Good luck finding a live and local voice on most stations after sundown.  No news.  No weather.  No connection with the community.  Strike three.

The Chiefs won't be the last.