Technology puts delay on Reds

By Marc Katz

Dayton Daily News

There's really no need to go all techno-jargo on you. The bottom line is, if you've tried to watch the Reds on Fox Sports Ohio (Channel 29) while turning the sound down so you can hear Marty Brennaman and Steve Stewart on the radio, you've probably been slapping your ears and rubbing your eyes.

At least that's what's happened when you've tried this with WONE-AM (980), which is using a digital signal.

Technology comes with a price, after all.

Digital broadcasting, which is radio's version of high-def TV, I'm told, allows for a clearer broadcast, no static, no buzz in the background.

It also means the signal gets to your ears a little slower. In WONE's case, it's about 7 to 8 seconds behind real time.

"It's technology," said Darryl Parks, director of AM operations at WLW-AM (700) in Cincinnati. "Sometimes with technology, there's pain. The technical name is IBOC. It's a high-def radio digital signal with no static. The good news: Either it's there or it's not there. It's clean. It's as if you're listening to a game on a digital stream. The system is gathering up all the data and is acting as a buffer."

WLW experimented with digital two to three years ago but has not yet changed over and continues to broadcast on analog, which means the station has no delay. Parks said, however, the station will eventually go digital.

How that impacts — or how many that will impact — who watch baseball games on television while listening on the radio, is tough to judge.

"I don't know how it's going to impact us," said Tony Tilford, operations manager of WONE. "We don't delay the broadcasts the way we would on a talk radio show. It's just the way it happens."

Even though there is no delay on the current WLW broadcasts, they do not quite match up with television. If you listen to WLW and watch on TV, you'll marvel at how quickly Brennaman can judge a strike and ball.

"With video, the picture is traveling 22,500 miles up in space to a satellite and 22,500 miles back down," Parks said. "That's where the delay is."

It also makes a difference what television feed you're watching. A local station, say, broadcasting a Bengals game, will have a quicker signal than DirecTV, which is using more satellite technology.

WONE, in its second season broadcasting the Reds, has revamped the rest of its lineup to help the broadcasts fit in with the rest of its day, including much of Fox's lineup. There is a 3 to 6 p.m. sports talk show hosted by Lance McAllister followed by a 6 p.m. show hosted by "GK."

"Last year, we saw a real nice pop (increase in listenership) at night," Tilford said. "Where before it was Frank Sinatra leading into the Reds, now we have a talk show. We have delays on those shows. Thanks to the (2004) Super Bowl, a delay has been a commonplace thing in broadcasting."

The few seconds of delay should be no problem, except for those who have grown used to watching a game and listening on the radio. That delay is a killer. Luckily for radio ownerships, baseball and radio fit the way NFL Sunday afternoon games fit on TV.

"The great thing about baseball is it's still a radio sport," Tilford said. "Maybe it's the pace of baseball. I don't see (the delay) impacting listenership."

Maybe not, but if you're looking for something other than baseball to take up your time, let me suggest the World Juggling Federation championships, which ESPN and ESPN2 are broadcasting. Some of last year's championships were shown Thursday afternoon, with more scheduled for today from 2:30 to 3 p.m. on ESPN.

Then mark down April 25. ESPN2 will air jugglers from noon to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., although times could change.

Imagine if there was a time delay in juggling broadcasts. How long would those little white balls be in the air?

Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.