The Big Game Will Be Super On Radio Too…

Friday, February, 5, 2010 by Mel Phillips.

(Weekend Edition)

While most of us will be watching the media event of the year on Sunday, Super Bowl XLIV will also be available on the radio. There will be free radio coverage available everywhere and for the truly adventurous, you can also listen to the game in 10 different languages on Sirius NFL Channel 124. Sirius even promises not to run the game in those 10 different languages at the same time. If you’re part of the 73 percent of the total viewing audience that will be watching, one-third of you actually will be tuned in to watch the game. 18 percent say they tune in to watch the commercials. According to a study by the Retailers Advertising and Marketing Association, the average consumer will spend about $52.63 on merchandise, apparel and snacks for the big game. This figure represents a decline of about $5 per person, totaling about $700 million less, than spending on these categories last year…

CBS will be the big revenue winner this weekend, having sold out of all Super Bowl spots. The network says its priciest thirty-second spots exceeded $3 million, higher than the highest rates NBC received for last year’s Super Bowl although NBC sold a record $206 million in ads and had 95.4 million viewers. Several first-time advertisers joined the party this year. In addition to that controversial thirty-second Focus on the Family ad, Kia Motors America, Qualcomm’s mobile television service Flo TV and KGB texting information service are dipping their toes in the Super Bowl water…

CBS tried something different this year in its approach to the Super Bowl. Rather than go out with a solid price for a thirty-second commercial, the network said it would try to create customized packages of ad time. The game of football itself helped the network. Jo Ann Ross, CBS TV president of network sales says “We packaged the pre-game inventory with the inventory in the game and obviously, that worked out well.” The network’s efforts were also boosted by higher-than-expected advertiser demand for advertising time in football games, both college and pro, across the TV landscape…     

10 Timeline Memories: 

1. 1921] It’s read all over: Reader’s Digest hits the newsstands for the first time (2/5)…
2. 1921] The house that Ruth built: The Yankees purchase 20 acres in the Bronx to build Yankee Stadium. The stadium goes up 2 years later in 1923. Eighty-six years later (2009), the new stadium opens (2/5)…
3. 1935] Pass ‘Go’ and collect $200: The board game of ‘Monopoly‘ goes on sale for the first time (2/6)…
4. 1974] Premiered on this date: “Blazing Saddles” debuts in movie theaters (2/7)…
5. 1985] Swimsuit edition: Sports Illustrated releases its annual ‘Swimsuit Edition’ which somehow manages to be not only the largest regular edition but the ‘most read’ edition (2/7)…
6. 1993] “Happy Trails“: 1993] Tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe dies of complications of AIDS, contracted during a blood transfusion. I used to live across the street from Arthur who was just 49 at the time of his death (2/6)…1998] 51-year old Carl Wilson one of the founding members of the Beach Boys dies from complications of lung cancer with his family at his side (2/6)…
7. 2001] Regis gets ripped: Kelly Ripa is named as Regis Philbin’s new co-host. Ripa replaces Kathie Lee Gifford and the show is renamed “Live! with Regis and Kelly (2/5)…
8. 2002] Guilty as charged: A federal grand jury indicts John Walker Lindh on 10 charges, alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden’s network and conspired with the Taliban to kill American’s (2/5)…
9. 2003] WMD alert: Secretary of State Colin Powell urges the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists, claims that later turned out to be false (2/5)…
10. 2005] Super Bowl Sunday: The New England Patriots win their second consecutive SB and 3rd in 4 years with a 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in SBXXXIX. The good old days for Patriots fans (2/6)…

Music Memories: 

• 1961] Recorded on this date: “My True Story” - Jive Five (2/7)…
• 1964] Invaded on this date: The Beatles land on American soil for the first time and the ‘British Invasion’ begins (2/7)…1979] The Clash land on American soil for the first time (2/7).  In 1981 they played their infamous Bonds date…
• 1977] Number One on this date: “Torn between Two Lovers” - Mary MacGregor (2/6)…1979] “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” - Rod Stewart (2/7)…
• 1998] Live from the White House: Elton John and Stevie Wonder perform at the White House.  This is one of the songs Elton sang and here’s Stevie with a tune he sang (2/5)… 

Commentary: Congratulations to Ernie Anastos who just signed a new multi-year contract with New York’s Fox 5 as lead anchor. Ernie will continue to co-anchor the 5PM and top rated 10PM News and will host and create programs targeted for national syndication. Ernie has now clocked more than 30 years as an anchor in New York. Boston seemed like just yesterday, right Ernie???

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“: (2/5) Laurence Maroney (25), Bobby Brown (41), Laura Linney (46), Jennifer Jason Leigh (48), Tim Meadows (49), Barbara Hershey (62), Christopher Guest (62), Al Kooper (66), Roger Staubach (68), Barrett Strong (69), Henry Aaron (76), Andrew M. Greeley (82) and Claude King (87)…(2/6) Ty Warren (29), Rick Astley (44), Axl Rose (48), Natalie Cole (60), Fabian Forte (67), Tom Brokaw (70), Mike Farrell (71), Mamie Van Doren (79), Rip Torn (79), Patrick Macnee (88) and Zsa Zsa Gabor (93)…
(2/7) Ashton Kutcher (32), Chris Rock (45), Garth Brooks (48), James Spader (50), Emo Philips (54), Gay Talese (78) and Oscar Brand (90)…

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Super Bowl XLIV, 9 days until Valentine’s Day, 10 days until President’s Day, 13 days until pitchers & catchers report to spring training voluntarily (58 days until the MLB opener), 37 days until Daylight Savings Time and 43 days until spring…

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