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| L-R: Play-by-play man Dave Leno, Producer Kyle Morello, Analyst Sebastien LeToux Courtesy: Dave Leno |
In the past few years I have become a big Union soccer fan. It started when my station, PHL17, was airing Union games. Last year MLS signed an exclusive deal with Apple TV+, so all local broadcasts went away. The money MLS is seeing from Apple is huge, but I think it was a colossal mistake. Any time a league limits its visibility, it's not a good thing. But that's a conversation for another article and another time.
Even though the TV broadcasts are now homogenized because they are essentially national broadcasts, the Union still have local radio broadcasts. You can actually access the local radio broadcasts on Apple, one of the few good things about the arrangement. And now the radio guys actually travel with the team, instead of doing road games off of a TV from their flagship radio station. Of course we all miss the legendary JP Dellacamera on Union TV broadcasts, but we still do get to enjoy the very talented Dave Leno on play-by-play, along with either Sebastien LeToux or Sheanon Williams doing color commentary on Union radio. Dave is an amazing play-by-play guy, and his chemistry with both Seba and Sheanon is great. Admittedly I am biased. Dave is a good friend. I really enjoy the Union radio broadcasts. I just wish everybody could hear them.
The Union's flagship station for years was Fox Sports The Gambler, which doesn't have a great signal at night. So when The Union signed on with 97.5 The Fanatic, Union fans, including myself, were happy. A crystal clear FM station. BUT... The Fanatic also has the Flyers and Sixers. Whenever there is a conflict, the Union end up on 860 WWDB-AM, which is also heard on 97.5 HD2. I have an HD radio in my car, so I've been able to check them out on HD2. But if you don't have an HD radio, listening to 860 at night is pointless. 860 is a daytime only station, which means it has to sign off at sunset. So the game may start on 860, but by the time it's over the station is off the air. You would HAVE to listen on HD, or online. After sunset on 860, through the static you can hear CJBC radio, a French station in Canada...but not Union soccer
More often than not lately The Fanatic has had the Flyers or Sixers on when the Union play, so the Union get banished to 860. What I don't understand is, why can't Beasley Media, The Fanatic's owner, move the Union to one of their other FM stations? They do that with the Flyers. When there is a Sixers game on 97.5, the Flyers end up on 93.3 WMMR. Beasley could easily put the Union on 95.7 BEN-FM when The Fanatic has the Flyers or Sixers. Besides being a good FM signal, there is a natural tie-in with the name of the station. The Union's supporters group is "The Sons of Ben", so why not have some of the games on BEN-FM? I know...it makes too much sense.
I don't think people should have to "jump through hoops" to see or hear a game. It's the reason I don't like streaming, and I don't think MLS was wise to go with Apple TV. When the Union were on PHL17, you could just turn on your TV...and it's not even cable TV...and there they were. The Union's radio arrangement makes it so that fans need to go out of their way to listen to the game. When they're on 860, the games are not easily accessible.
With the Flyers and Sixers both limping through the end of their seasons, this soon won't be an issue for the rest of this Union soccer season. No Flyers and Sixers playoff games means no conflicts for the Union on 97.5. But for next season, I hope Beasley and The Union can make other arrangements so fans can hear EVERY game. The team, the broadcasters, and most importantly the great Union fans deserve it.