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And please note that when I was in school, my college radio station was only available over the Internet to an audience that consisted only of my parents and the various conspiracy theorists around town.

From the Washington Post:

The Washington Nationals, last in the National League East and closing fast on a 100-loss season, have attracted the smallest radio following in the major leagues, according to audience research from Arbitron.

How low? So low that even the microscopic numbers reported by the rating service might be too low to be statistically valid.

The team's broadcasts on the station formerly known as WWWT (107.7 FM and 1500 AM) attracted a cumulative weekly audience of about 26,500 from May through July, the most recent period measured by Arbitron.

Incredible. Given that the Nats' TV ratings are also by far the worst and that they can't sign their top draft picks and that two of their biggest fans moved to North Carolina to simply get away from that mess, when is Major League Baseball finally going to admit they just airlifted the Montreal Expos across the border and made them our nation's problem?

With an average home attendance of 29,990 fans per game, that means more people go out to Nationals Park for one game then carry on with their Nats-free lives than there are people listening to them on the radio in an entire week. While I'm sure Nats' management is still happy to be drawing those fans to the game, what happens when the novelty of the new stadium wears off? Unless this team figures things out — and I highly doubt they will — you can easily see the end game here.

Luckily Nationals Enquirer (gracias) is still listening to the games.

However, this guy probably isn't:

For more on Washington's situation, read this 3-part grilling of Stan Kasten by a guy dressed in Nationals gear. (Morley Safer, he ain't.)

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  1. Saro G
    1. Posted by Saro G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    Remember, that's 29,990 tickets *sold/given away*, not actual fannies in seats. Besides, the real money comes from broadcasting, and it's clear they won't be getting much from advertisers.
  2. bandogypsys
    2. Posted by bandogypsys Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:02 pm EDT

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    what sport do the "nats" play?
  3. JidThorax
    3. Posted by JidThorax Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:14 pm EDT

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    "[W]hen is Major League Baseball finally going to admit they just airlifted the Montreal Expos across the border and made them our nation's problem?" Even as a rhetorical question, it makes no sense. Did someone suggest that that the team was somehow magically transformed into a championship team just by being moved? And if by "this team" you mean the current roster ever figuring things out, it probably won't--that's what makes watching and listening to the games so hard. But they will improve (see under "Rays, Tampa Bay"), and when they do, so will the Arbitron numbers.
  4. Jab
    4. Posted by Jab Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:26 pm EDT

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    @3: "Did someone suggest that that the team was somehow magically transformed into a championship team just by being moved?"
    The weird thing is, they nearly were. The first half of '05 was jaw-dropping and they were contending for the wildcard until pretty late in the season. Then the rebuilding began...sigh. You make a good point about the pain of the rebulding process. Few teams ever have fans stick around in the lousy years. Even storied franchises like the Yankees played to a half-empty stadium back before Steinbrenner showed up with his bags o' cash.
  5. jlpamc
    5. Posted by jlpamc Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:36 pm EDT

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    Why did they get rid of Frank Robinson as manager? You need names to get ratings or perhaps a style of play. Things can be made fun even if losing. I can't believe I read early in the season that Manager Acta hates the stolen base. Better learn to love it if you have no power. Or wait for the 3 run homer that never comes. I guess I'm saying make things exciting with what you have. I also remember when the team first moved there and had to choose a name. Who was actually thrilled to learn they would be called the Nationals? Sorry, but boring.
  6. Mendoza Line
    6. Posted by Mendoza Line Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:25 pm EDT

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    3 words on how to bring the fans to the stadium and the tv: Gary Coleman ejection
  7. beastie978
    7. Posted by beastie978 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    How many of the people that turn out for games are just tourists visiting DC? Montreal did just fine for attendance back in the pre-strike days when they had competitive teams and/or interesting players. That is a horrible team, and it's horribly managed: this ain't getting better anytime soon. And also, what was up with having Hanrahan close both games of that double-header earlier this month? Is Manny Acta trying to blow his arm out, or does he think this is 1908?
  8. Bentcorner
    8. Posted by Bentcorner Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:52 pm EDT

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    i went to a nat's game last year and it was mostly met fans in attendance. if they didn't have met fans and philly fans coming to games, the attendance would be a lot lower. it would be more in line with their tv and radio ratings.

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