Milwaukee Radio: MLB Brewers' Impacting Scripps Revenue

With the Milwaukee Brewers expected to experience their second consecutive losing season, advertising revenue for Brewers radio broadcasts is down this year, say executives with WTMJ 620 AM owner E.W. Scripps Co.

According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, the decline in radio advertising was a topic Friday on Scripps executives’ conference call with stock analysts on the company’s first-quarter financial results. WTMJ is the flagship for the Brewers radio network with the legendary Bob Uecker announcing all home games and some away games.

Brian Lawlor, Scripps' senior vice president of broadcast, alerted analysts to upcoming revenue “softness” in the second quarter that started April 1. The Brewers season started April 4 and Brewers games represent a major piece of WTMJ programming through September.

“We’re expecting some softness in the quarter as a result of some legacy advertisers having pared back their commitment for spending in the Milwaukee Brewers,” Lawlor said.

Lawlor did not disclose the identities of the advertisers who reduced their spending on Brewers broadcasts.

The Brewers broadcasts represent “an important revenue line for our Milwaukee radio cluster,” Lawlor said.

In the first quarter, Scripps said its radio revenue was $14.6 million compared with $15.3 million a year earlier. Expenses were $12.5 million in the first quarter of this year compared with $13.3 million in 2015.