Total Media Charging Schools To Broadcast

[Harvey Wells]

Total media aka the IHeartRadio of southeast Ohio is charging already strapped school districts to pony up for them to broadcast their sports. If your school didn’t raise enough money to give to the monopoly of total media, you won’t be covered via live stream. It’s a classic case of devour and conquer. Sad that it’s at the expense of communities that are already scraping by. Total IHeart media has destroyed the pure and local coverage of high school sports that we have been used to hearing and seeing for decades. Pay up, or be left behind….

[fielddaddy]

Now I know why Ironton won't be on IHeartRadio now.
They will be on Newstalk 106.7 the Eagle also under total Media.
Sad it truly is but it is a dog eat dog world anymore I miss the old WIRO days

[formerfcfan]

Live streaming does have significant operational costs by a provider when done at scale. What is the fee in terms of $$$ per year that schools are being asked to pay?

I think what people get wrong (it's an issue everywhere) is in the age of schools being able to run their own live-streaming operation, there is the presumption that providers have to operate at break-even points or even losses. That "media" implies the provider is not to operate with business sense. Without any useful information in the OP, the complaint reads that the provider is trying to profiteer on high school sports... with zero evidence.

This is also before we get into whether production aspects carry a value that has to be compensated for. As someone who is with several different media firms that covers HS sports (not in this area), I can tell you that they'd go kaput if sponsorships dried up and if the schools got gruff in saying "well we thought you were doing it for the kidssssssss" in response to being asked to pay a yearly fee to help keep afloat the operation that was providing a service they were enjoying free of charge for years.

[Rolltanks]

I wasn’t very impressed by them honestly, didn’t do anything wrong but they were no different than any of the other streams. I get the cost of the stream, but most schools have kids that can do just as good of quality with a tablet. Covid showed ppl how easy it is to stream, and if you post it to a YouTube it cost nothing. These sports stream companies want to do this for a living and that is why they have to charge and get sponsors to have a good quality stream. Sadly I can’t say I would ever pay for one just way to good of chance that the stream is bad lot of my friends got burned by ohsaa streams for playoffs.

[WIROJason]

As the Voice of the Tigers and a Total Media employee, I can tell you that this information is incorrect. We do not charge the school to stream or broadcast games, nor do we charge anything to watch/listen to the games. It's all free. We work with the schools and help them out as best as we can.

As for Ironton, we're excited for this new partnership enabling us to be on a broad reaching FM signal - 106.7 WIRO. A lot of concerns I heard was that on the AM signal, it was hard to pick up in certain areas. This signal will allow listeners to hear games from Huntington to Portsmouth and from Jackson to south into Kentucky. Games also will be available on the Total Media app.

[Rolltanks]

As the Voice of the Tigers and a Total Media employee, I can tell you that this information is incorrect. We do not charge the school to stream or broadcast games, nor do we charge anything to watch/listen to the games. It's all free. We work with the schools and help them out as best as we can.

As for Ironton, we're excited for this new partnership enabling us to be on a broad reaching FM signal - 106.7 WIRO. A lot of concerns I heard was that on the AM signal, it was hard to pick up in certain areas. This signal will allow listeners to hear games from Huntington to Portsmouth and from Jackson to south into Kentucky. Games also will be available on the Total Media app.

Good to hear this!

[gobucs20]

As the Voice of the Tigers and a Total Media employee, I can tell you that this information is incorrect. We do not charge the school to stream or broadcast games, nor do we charge anything to watch/listen to the games. It's all free. We work with the schools and help them out as best as we can.

As for Ironton, we're excited for this new partnership enabling us to be on a broad reaching FM signal - 106.7 WIRO. A lot of concerns I heard was that on the AM signal, it was hard to pick up in certain areas. This signal will allow listeners to hear games from Huntington to Portsmouth and from Jackson to south into Kentucky. Games also will be available on the Total Media app.

Well said by the dean of high school sports broadcasting.

[TigerBob]

Wow something on this board was a lie? Stunning.

[Bobby k]

As the Voice of the Tigers and a Total Media employee, I can tell you that this information is incorrect. We do not charge the school to stream or broadcast games, nor do we charge anything to watch/listen to the games. It's all free. We work with the schools and help them out as best as we can.

As for Ironton, we're excited for this new partnership enabling us to be on a broad reaching FM signal - 106.7 WIRO. A lot of concerns I heard was that on the AM signal, it was hard to pick up in certain areas. This signal will allow listeners to hear games from Huntington to Portsmouth and from Jackson to south into Kentucky. Games also will be available on the Total Media app.

So Total Media isn't "partnering" with area schools to create a '*Insert School Name Here* Sports Network' where the school pays Total Media a monthly fee and Total Media broadcasts several events for the school?

[Tjhtygeverve]

Now I know why Ironton won't be on IHeartRadio now.
They will be on Newstalk 106.7 the Eagle also under total Media.
Sad it truly is but it is a dog eat dog world anymore I miss the old WIRO days

Me TOO.

With the growing fan base, how beneficial would it be to cover all games by Video, packaged with Philyaw & crew on audio & charging a season Tix PPV package?

Living in FL, I for SURE would pay to have the ability to be a part of this.

I definitely wan’t full season access.

Im curious how many others out there want the same?!,!


GoTigersGo

[Super trooper]

As the Voice of the Tigers and a Total Media employee, I can tell you that this information is incorrect. We do not charge the school to stream or broadcast games, nor do we charge anything to watch/listen to the games. It's all free. We work with the schools and help them out as best as we can.

As for Ironton, we're excited for this new partnership enabling us to be on a broad reaching FM signal - 106.7 WIRO. A lot of concerns I heard was that on the AM signal, it was hard to pick up in certain areas. This signal will allow listeners to hear games from Huntington to Portsmouth and from Jackson to south into Kentucky. Games also will be available on the Total Media app.

So Total Media isn't "partnering" with area schools to create a '*Insert School Name Here* Sports Network' where the school pays Total Media a monthly fee and Total Media broadcasts several events for the school?

I'm sure Total Media picks which games they want to go to. If a school wants to pay them to broadcast some of their games I'm sure thats an option as well

[shai-halud]

Total Media is a business, not a charity.

It it is childish to be offended when the scorpion stings the frog.