KPRL drops Paso High football games

August 10, 2017

A financial dispute has brought to a halt a 50-year tradition of North County radio station KPRL broadcasting Paso Robles High School football games. [Cal Coast Times]

In June, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Chris Williams decided to begin charging radio stations $100 to broadcast Bearcat football games. Williams then asked KPRL and KJUG to place bids in a sealed envelope in order to gain press box access.

Williams said failure to submit a bid by June 27 would result in fees of $1,000 per game. Neither KPRL nor KJUG placed a bid.

Rather, KPRL opted to broadcast Templeton High football games, and KJUG decided to carry Atascadero High games. As is the case elsewhere in San Luis Obispo County, neither Atascadero nor Templeton High School charge radio stations to broadcast football games.

The Paso Robles superintendent said his decision to initiate a bidding process was prompted by KJUG showing interest several years ago in broadcasting Bearcat games and using the press box to do so. Williams said he is now considering having Paso Robles High livestream its games.


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PS. Will sold commercial time in those broadcasts. That’s OK right? But not to have to pay right? Greed, pure and simple.


Although charging to broadcast a high school event may be silly there is another side to the coin, particularly in regard to KPRL. That is Kevin Will’s chintziness, his unwillingness to part with the almighty dollar and to suck in as much as possible. Just look at the national news he carries. No more ABC or CBS or even Fox. Just any fly-by-night operation he doesn’t have to pay for. Listen to that station and you will hear five minutes worth of commercials to one minute of programming.

Feh.


That plan backfired big time. You are in SLO county now Mr. Williams, you don’t mess with traditions here.