Once a crazy idea, it is now an industry-standard in sports.

Rays Radio Network KPI

• Raise the profile of the Rays Radio Network.
• Connect with baseball fans to create fan engagement.
• Create Non-Traditional Revenue (NTR) opportunities for the new radio property.

Concept/Activation: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays hired me before the start of the 2005 season. I had come from the Fox Sports Radio 1290 in Tucson, where I had been program director and an afternoon drive talk show host. I wrote the broadcast format and imaging for the play-by-play. The team had taken their radio rights in-house and were on a small, unknown infomercial station with low ratings and no promotional muscle.

I had a long history of driving revenue and ratings in sports talk radio by taking talk shows on the road for remote broadcasts. The Oakland A’s had done special shows from public spaces when I hosted the post-game show at the Oakland Coliseum. I convinced the team to allow me to broadcast the pre and post-game shows from the Budweiser Brewhouse inside the ballpark. With the team struggling on the field, fans would leave early and not visit the Brewhouse after the game. Budweiser was a significant team sponsor, and I was able to drive post-game beer sales by broadcasting the post-game show in public. With the success of driving foot traffic to the Brewhouse, I approached the club about taking the pre and post-game show on the remote when the team was on the road. If successful, it would create NTR opportunities for the struggling club. Our first remote was at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa in 2005 at their sports bar inside the casino. We had a dozen fans show up.

The following year, we tried again, giving away old ballpark giveaways like bobbleheads and T-shirts. The club had stored these items in the stadium’s bowels, and stadium ops always tried to eliminate them. It was a success, and fans loved getting their hands on the items. The demand grew, and the Watch Party was born.
By 2011, my last year with the club, we had grown to throwing 60 watch parties a season. We expanded the watch party program to work cross-functionality with our marketing department, which brought along inflatables and branded team vehicles. We could use this NTR concept to target bars and restaurant chains and attract Budweiser and Miller Light sponsorship. We took the shows to car dealers, where we were able to take promotional ad dollars from radio competitors in the market. My favorite activation of our watch parties was at The Trade Winds Resort. Summer is the off-season for tourism in Florida, and many hotels and resorts struggle during the baseball season. I went on a CNA call to the resort, and they were looking for a way to tell locals about having a “Stay-cation” at St Pete Beach. They rented a large-screen TV on the back of a flatbed truck and parked it on the beach, and we invited fans to watch the game at the Tradewinds Resort and experience their amenities. The parties were so successful that they began to offer hotel packages for baseball fans, and we created in-game contests where fans win a weekend stay at the resort.

Through the program, we generated $500,000 in NTR revenue. We also connected with fans and season ticket holders who extended their connections with the club when the team was on the road. We raised the profile of our radio broadcasts by saying that we moved from WHNZ to the heritage sports talk station WDAE after the 2008 season.
Through the program, we generated $500,000 in NTR revenue. We also connected with fans and season ticket holders who extended their connections with the club when the team was on the road. We raised the profile of our radio broadcasts by saying that we moved from WHNZ to the heritage sports talk station WDAE after the 2008 season. BTW, we outgrew the Brewhouse after a few years and moved to a little used buffet restaurant in the ballpark that we grew enough to rebrand as a BBQ restaurant that ran a 30-minute wait by the time we were done.

Click on photos to see more examples of Rich’s work.