Depression Deja Vu all over again? (NYTimes article)
Interesting article in today's NY Times about baseball in the '30s during Great Depression. Several mentions of the Cubs. Cool pictures too. Loved this part:
"Despite the need for new sources of revenue, many of baseball’s hidebound owners continued to resist allowing live radio broadcasts of their games, fearing fewer fans would attend in person. This attitude persisted even though radio had helped generate interest in, as well as money for, minor league teams."
Now we know where Dollar Bill Wirtz got his ownership acumen from... ;-)
10 months ago
ballhawk
3 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
Many baseball owners felt this way about TV, too.
P. K. Wrigley, who nearly ruined the Cubs by 1960, was in the forefront of televising games — he knew it would help bring people to the park.
In New York, they refused to televise the teams’ home games until the late 1950’s. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, they didn’t televise more than a handful of home games until the 1980’s.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
by Al on Jan 7, 2009 8:39 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
1979 - Superstation WGN
How much smaller would the Cubs fan base be, if WGN had not become a superstation broadcasting the Cubs in 1979? The 1984 NL East division championship contributed a lot to the fan base, when cable was getting to be big.
"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray
by memphiscub on Jan 7, 2009 10:21 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't the Cubs pretty much give away radio rights early on?
I seem to recall reading something about how the Wrigley in charge realized much the same thing with radio in the mid ’20’s. I know all home games were on WMAQ by 1925. And I also know Ronald Reagan did recreations of Cubs games based on telegraph reports for WHO here in DSM in the mid ’30’s.
Bleed Cubbie Blue: Like Drāno for your internet tubes.
by znohitter on Jan 7, 2009 11:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Cubs By The Numbers
Cubs By The Numbers is a history of the ballclub by uniform number, but the biographies help trace the history of our beloved team in a new way. For everyone who's a Cubs fan, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs By The Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even ones they think they already know.
Click here to order your copy, available now!
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
