Radio Broadcasts over the Internet

[Bison_Kent]

I was wondering if anyone knows if the WDAY radio broadcasts will be done this year as was this past year. There isn't anything on either the gobison.com or the in-forum.com sites that I have seen.

For those of us that are not in the F-M area, this is the only way to hear the games.

[JBB]

Bison Media Zone

/www.in-forum.com/specials/bmz02/

Still has the basketball schedule up. But, I hope they do it. I really liked being able to listen to the game during the week even if I saw it. You can listen to the coaches show too.

[met1990]

If all else fails you can listen to the home Bison games on www.ndsu.edu/webradio. It's a student broadcast.

[BisonInTexas]

Looks like the Bison Media Zone has been updated.

Here is the link - it appears that the Internet broadcasts will continue this season (whoohoo!)

http://www.in-forum.com/specials/bmz03/index.cfm

Craig

[SDbison]

Thanks for the info BisonInTexas! I had almost given up checking to see if the Media Zone would be working this year. Also, does anyone know if it is possible to get a satellite feed for the Montana game if you can get a local sports bar to tune it in. Obviously this is possible for the UND game so I assume it can be done for the Montana game. If nobody already knows I will check with the Alumni Association to see if satellite coordinates are available.

[Bison49]

The coordinates will be available for KU Band Satellite. *Contact the Alumni Association for them! *WDAY hasn't given them yet.

[NDSU_grad]

SDbison,
I think you mention you live in Sioux Falls. I would consider driving from Ames, IA if you could get the game in Sioux Falls.

[SDbison]

Just received some information from the Alumni Association regarding the Montana game via satellite.....

Subject: September 6th Football Game-NDSU vs. U of Montana

Hello from NDSU!!

I just found out some exciting news about the upcoming Division 1-AA game against the University of Montana. Our local station will be able to give us satellite coordinates for a KU-band satellite feed. That means that your location can get the game if you want it. I thought that you could possibly contact your sites for the NDSU/UND game and see the game there. Just a reminder, KU-band is not as reliable as the C-band and there may be difficulties getting the game. If you are interested in hosting the site, I could send out an e-blast notifying people in your area about the event. I wouldn't be able to get any decorations out to you, so no biggy if you don't have anything. Let me know if you want to try this and I will make a list. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. Just a note: For the folks in North Dakota it will be broadcast state-wide on you ABC affiliate.

GO BISON!!

Matt Hanson
Program Coordinator
North Dakota State University
Alumni Association
Box 5144
Fargo, ND 58105
701-231-6811
701-231-6801 (Fax)
matt@ndsualumni.com

[JBB]

Hey Matt, thanks for the info. Do you think there will be any chance of TV down at Fort Ransom? I dont have cable in the RV. I'll be listening on the radio of course but the video feed would be fun. But, just as some people love Dacotah Field I love the mighty BISON on radio.

Also, are RVs allowed at the tailgating events at the FFD.

[Bisonguy]

JBB,

RV's are allowed at the tailgating, you just have to pay for each of the spots you will take up at $3 a spot, including spots for chairs, etc.

[BisonInTexas]

Anyone else having a difficult time with the radio broadcast?
In the first half there were several cutouts of 30 secs or more. I have a broadband connection, so it certainly isn't on my end. I estimate that I lost at least 10 minutes of audio in the first half alone. Early in the second half, I lost connection and can't reconnect. Par for the course based on past WDAY streaming efforts.

I just wanted to make see if anyone else was having as tough a time as me listening to the game before I shoot off a complaint to WDAY.

Craig

[Bison_Kent]

Yes, I am in the second half. I switched to the Tusculum radio broadcast. Its address is

http://golivesports.com/Broadcast/broadcast-Tusculum.htm

and click on the Live Broadcast.

Its 28-0 Bison right now. TD pass by Strauss!!!!! I didn't imagine it would be this good to start the season.

[BisonInTexas]

I can connect now to the feed, but it is only the first 30 minutes of the pregame show, not the live feed.

Tried to connect to the student broadcast, but they don't seem to be up and running - the web site just says coming soon.

Aargh! Anyone have a score?

Craig

[tony]

AAAAARGH! Same problem here.

I'm trying to get through via the Tusculum connection (Thanks Kent)

At least the guys are winning.

[BisonInTexas]

AAAAARGH! When I lived overseas and had an internet connection I had an easier time getting the Bison game -probably because there were only two people trying to listen over the internet.

I'm trying to get through via the Tusculum connection (Thanks Kent)

At least the guys are winning.

And the thing is WDAY has been doing this since what - 1998? You would think they would have this down. Of course that is if they would stick to a format and learn how it works. Last year it was Real Audio and streaming mp3 (which they quit doing after a couple of games, but I liked that best because I could save the stream and listen to it later), this year it is the blasted Windows Media stream which has utterly failed this game.

I guess I will try the Tusculum feed (thanks for the link BisonKent). Everyone here needs to make sure they write to WDAY and tells them that it isn't working!

Craig

[NDSU_grad]

I'm having the same problem. Alot of cutouts in the first half and then when I reconnected it started with the pregame. The Tusculum announcers are pretty funny. Huge homers. Complaining alot about the lack of penalties on the Bison. They've thrown in a couple of uffda's too. WDAY really has to get their crap together.

[BisonInTexas]

Maybe we should suggest to the in-forum post the opposing teams broadcast links, as they seem to be more reliable. ::)

The TU broadcasters are funny. The color man just said that NDSU dressed 160 players tonight vs. 60 for TU.

Craig

[tony]

I'd pay money to listen if that helps. I was listening in 1999 no problem with a terrible internet connection.

[NDSU_grad]

I'd pay money for a decent broadcast too. Does anybody know if WDAY plans on having the Bison Feedback show broadcast via the web. They have in the past, but I haven't seen a link.

[SDbison]

Skip the Internet broadcast next week and find a nearby sports bar that can pick up satellite. Call the guy at the Alumni Association several posts earlier in this thread to get the satellite coordinates. Good Luck. I know this doesn't fix the long term problem with the WDAY Internet link, but you might have a better option for next week.

[BisonInTexas]

I'd pay money to listen if that helps. I was listening in 1999 no problem with a terrible internet connection.

I don't think it is a cost issue - if Tusculum College can have flawless (I did not have one drop out the entire time I listened on Saturday) internet broadcasts, I would think that NDSU and WDAY can make it work. I think it is just a matter of a) either making it a priority and taking an interest in putting out a quality product, or (b) allowing the broadcast to be handled by another site that knows how to do it.

WDAY used to do a fairly decent job at this. However, the last couple of years, the quality has really dropped off. I wrote them a
email on Sunday urging them to improve the quality, otherwise I will be listening to the opposing teams webcast whenever possible.

I hope everyone else does the same.

Craig

[NDSU_grad]

I wonder if one of the reasons the Tusculum feed was error-free is because nobody was listening (other than Bison fans who couldn't get the WDAY link to work). Is their (WDAY's) system not equipped to handle the high traffic volume. Craig, where did you find where to send WDAY an e-mail.

[BisonInTexas]

I wonder if one of the reasons the Tusculum feed was error-free is because nobody was listening (other than Bison fans who couldn't get the WDAY link to work). *Is their (WDAY's) system not equipped to handle the high traffic volume. *Craig, where did you find where to send WDAY an e-mail.

I don't think that the cutouts and the lack of a feed in the second half was a bandwidth issue. Whenever I have bandwidth issues, I see the player stop and then start buffering after it gets the signal. The (30 second or more) cutouts in audio that I experienced never rebuffered at all - the clock just kept on ticking and then the audio came back on a couple of downs later. I think the feed from WDAY was going wonky and they were shipping periods of silence to the internet.

If it truly is a traffic volume problem, they have had 6 years to project how much volume the need so they have all the info they need to make a system that works.

I sent my comments to mailto:in-forum@forumcomm.com, which I got from the comments link at the bottom of the Bison Zone page. I don't know if anyone at the Forum or WDAY reads this, but it was the only mail address I found.

Craig

[SDbison]

Sounds like the same Internet problems they were having a couple years ago when I contacted the Forum also. I can't remember their exact response, but seems week to week they said it would improve and at the end of the year that it would be better for the next football season. Never got any better. I recall that it was a server capacity issue. Apparently nothing was ever done.

Hope you guys can find a local sports bar that can dial in the satellite coordinates for the Montana game (See the Satellite related post). Good Luck!

[BisonInTexas]

Since I have been unsuccessful in finding a sports bar in Dallas that has KU band capability, I was dreading trying to listen to the game on the internet. However, when I went to the Bison Media Zone, I noticed that the broadcast is now being sent over Real Audio and by mp3 stream, just like last year!

Although I did not receive a response from the email I sent to WDAY/In-Forum, it looks like they are at least making changes to address the problems they had last week. I am hopeful...

Craig

[WYOBISONMAN]

Sorry to here you can't find a sports bar with KU band. That surprises me since we have one in Rock Springs, WY. Good luck with your audio feed. I hope it is better than that disaster last week.

[BisonInTexas]

Sorry to here you can't find a sports bar with KU band. *That surprises me since we have one in Rock Springs, WY. *Good luck with your audio feed. *I hope it is better than that disaster last week.

It surprises me too. Most sports bars here only do C Band satellite. Don't know why...

Craig

[NDSU_grad]

I had a problem with the in-forum link, but I think there was just too much traffic. Montana has a fairly decent streaming video, though.