Media battle may tell the future for University of Kansas rival
By Stan Unruh
The University of Kansas didn’t wait long to announce a new Kansas City flagship radio station. Does the result indicate the future for a rival school?
I didn’t believe it mattered much when a Kansas City radio station announced in July they would no longer carry Jayhawk games. The station said they needed to focus on major league baseball. I didn’t care, I listen to Brian Hanni’s play-by-play but typically use a digital app.
Nobody cried two years ago when another AM radio station that covered part of 4 states dropped the Jayhawks. All of this radio broadcast coverage did not bother me. On the other hand, I needed to consider the bigger picture.
Fortunately, the University of Kansas took action and immediately announced a new flagship radio station in Kansas City. The move, according to the Kansas City Star leaves the state’s other Big 12 team without a broadcast partner in Kansas City, despite what the school web site still says.
When you consider the bigger picture, I wonder if fans realize these moves are indicative of what the future may hold. One day we are going to see additional conference realignment. It’s just a matter of time and the clock is ticking. When the Big Ten or SEC raid the Big 12 again, the University of Kansas must take the same action they did with radio coverage. Little brother will find their own way.
The Kansas basketball program is very marketable. David Beaty is also building a better football program. An improved Memorial Stadium is on the way too. Just as important, the University of Kansas is a member of the Association of American Universities, a group of the leading research universities in the nation. Few in the Big 12 are members. The issue alone almost kept Nebraska out of the Big Ten.
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We are just talking radio stations today but the future is clear. The Border War died when Missouri moved on. The conference rivalry Kansas enjoys with the state’s other Big 12 team may not last forever.