Radio killed the video star

PGA Tour offering complimentary one-day XM Radios to Booz Allen fans

Friday, June 23, 2006

Picture this: After scouring the 18 holes at TPC Avenel, you’ve situated yourself nicely alongside the green at hole No. 9, one of the best places to watch the tournament. You’re comfortable and content when all of a sudden you hear a deafening roar coming from the 18th hole. You catapult yourself to your feet and scurry over. But it’s too late.

Perhaps, XM Satellite Radio’s channel 146 — the PGA Tour Network — could have been some assistance. This year, under the auspices of the Tour’s Fan Enhancement Program, XM Satellite Radio is providing 1,000 complimentary radios, daily, to help fans get an even fuller experience at the Booz Allen Classic. The XM Radio booth is located in back of the 18th green. Fans are required to leave a credit card to carry out one of the radios, which are the size of a cell phone and come with headphones or ear pieces. The radio can be used for one day only.

‘‘Satellite radio is just another vehicle for us to serve our fans,” said Dave Logue, Executive Producer of Satellite Radio for the PGA Tour. ‘‘With technology, there are unlimited opportunities. People want their information and programming in their own ways. We’re trying to provide as much coverage in as many ways. ... If someone is out on one hole and hears a noise elsewhere, typically, they’d have to wait until it shows up on the electronic leaderboard, assuming there is one on that hole. But if you’re listening to our coverage, you’ll know right away who it was, what they did and how it’ll affect the leaderboard.”

Last year’s Booz Allen Classic served as the launching pad for the PGA Tour’s partnership with XM Satellite Radio. Now XM Radio is a mainstay at all tournaments, broadcasting more than 29 hours of programming per week, including play-by-play, features and interviews. Last year equipment was rented out to fans for $10 dollars at 10 PGA Tour tournaments. Starting this January, with the Fan Enhancement Program in place, complimentary radios have been provided at 19 Tour stops — four more are on the schedule.

‘‘If you compare this year to last year, last year we charged and this year we’re really pushing enhancement, so we’re giving fans a complimentary trial,” said Fan Enhancement Program manager Kristy Schumacher, whose team is situated by Hole 18. ‘‘We’re getting a lot of positive feedback. If we’ve given out all 1,000 radios, we’ll have people coming back in an hour asking us if any have been returned yet. We just want fans to try it. We want to enhance their experience.”

Avid golf fans should benefit from the complimentary radios. They’ll constantly be in the know of what is going on around TPC Avenel. They’ll be able to listen to intimate player interviews and be showered with detailed statistics provided by ShotLink technology. Schumacher has gotten such positive feedback, she is already getting requests from tournament directors for next season.

‘‘People who sample it, can’t imagine living without it,” Logue said. ‘‘Whether they’re a music lover, sports lover, or they like talk radio. It is good if you’re out on the course but want to know about the Orioles, you can just switch over to that station.”

Once fans sample the perks of XM Satellite Radio, Logue said, it becomes that much more desirable. Any fan who presents a Booz Allen Classic ticket is treated to a hefty discount on radio equipment. And XM is handing out free Portable RoadyXTs.

‘‘A lot of times where there’s new technology, people are hesitant to try it,” Schumacher said. ‘‘Not charging has bumped up the number of fans who’ve tried it. It is good, they can see what it is. There is something specific for everyone. The avid golfer has play-by-play, the new golfer can learn the language ... Satellite radio is becoming more and more a staple of the PGA Tour. You’ve got your hotdog and your XM radio.”