With the Mets contract with WFAN ending this year, I've been wondering if it was remotely possible, plausible, or even smart for the Mets to abandon ship and move to an FM radio station.
Let me begin by saying that in my 1996 Infiniti G20, I might have the worst radio receiver in the world. If I am listening to WFAN, (which I do very often (Boomer & Carton in the mornings, because it's refreshing to hear Mets fans on the radio)) and I press on the gas pedal to get going, the radio starts to wheeze and squeal as I pick up speed. When I start to coast, I usually get an ear-piercing screech, making the station nearly unlistenable. My favorite event is during a thunder storm, as the station completely fuzzes out as lightning strikes in an estimated 50 mile radius.
And of course, I have terrible "dead zones" by my house. Almost without fail, during a critical moment during a Mets game, I drive into one of these "dead zones" and am treated to the loudest, most miserable static any man has ever encountered. I can't move my finger to the CD button quick enough.
But back to the subject at hand: If the Mets were ever to leave WFAN, I would be deeply saddened by losing the wonderful ditty of "LET'S GO METSF-A-N (da-da-DAH!)," and of course, the irreplaceable Steve Somers and Howie Rose. I could do without Wayne Hagin, that's for sure. At this point, I think I'm willing to make the trade and hear the game in her entirety (if need be) than me treated to those awful, awful sounds of static, screeches, whale calls, and howling.
I remember a few years ago when the New York Giants were featured on 102.7 FM for some, if not all of their games. It was refreshing to finally get a squeal-free broadcast, in much higher quality. If only the Mets could transition to that point.
If it's at all possible, I would hope the Mets would look into some sort of move. Fans deserve to hear their team in better quality than AM radio can provide. We have high definition TV's, and though WFAN claims "HD AM" I just don't hear it. HD AM radio seems like the oxymoron of all oxymoron's, with "jumbo shrimp" as the number two in that list.
I'd love to see WFAN make the jump to the FM band, but that's probably impossible. The Mets can move, and making the shift to a better quality FM radio station would be a treat to Mets fans, and especially my ears.
