On Air
Our Story: The Beginning
It's taken plenty of work, but the pieces keep settling into place for Joe O'Neill at FM sports radio 101.7 The Team.
O'Neill had been a fixture in the Albuquerque sports scene for several years. He was the sports marketing director for a prominent station and Lobos basketball color analyst for eight years. A switch in the landscape of UNM sports broadcasts presented an opportunity for the energetic O'Neill.
It was a chance to start and run his own sports station.
Said O'Neill: "I knew this market could support another sports station."
O'Neill and his investors -- Scott and Laura Grady, Jim and Jacque Smrt and Turner and Margaret Branch -- first needed a broadcast frequency. They were thrilled to find an available FM signal. Radio listeners will tell you that an FM signal provides a cleaner sound than does AM. Listen for yourself.
Once they secured the signal (101.7 FM), O'Neill, business manager David Dominguez and operations 
manager Sal Ortiz went to work filling the content. FM sports radio 101.7 The Team went on the air in August of 2008, as a Fox Sports Radio affiliate. For early local content, O'Neill interviewed New Mexico radio legend Mike Roberts. "A Few Minutes with Mike" was born. Some of the early segments were produced in O'Neill's kitchen.
The Team soon settled in more cozy digs. Stop by the Rio Rancho office (4131 Barbara Loop, Suite 202), flop on our big, comfy, red couch, turn on the flatscreen and you'll feel like you are in the New Mexico sports fan's dream living room. There's memoribila everywhere -- signed photos and jerseys from Lobo greats Brian Urlacher and Kenny Thomas among others. The familiar, blue Dallas Cowboys stars cover the walls, along with Los Angeles Dodgers gear (more on that later).
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Roberts joined The Team, lending his famous pipes to high school sports. The Team gave a professional feel to high school coverage, including the Class 5A state title game between Las Cruces and Eldorado, the state basketball tournament and baseball.
Robert Portnoy, the voice of the Albuquerque Isotopes, kicked off The Team's first drive-time talk show
, The Locker Room. When Portnoy returned to the 'Topes, veteran broadcaster Bob Brown, who had spent 18 years at KOAT-TV, took over. The transition has been seamless (you can check out Bob's archived interviews here).
When it comes to bringing a national perspective, The Team landed one of the most recognizeable sports media figures around: Dan Patrick.
O'Neill met Patrick in San Antonio during the recent Final Four. It was then that Patrick talked about the similarities between he and O'Neill. Both left estabilshed entities to do their own thing. Patrick told O'Neill that he would love the freedom.
"That was encouraging," O'Neill said.
Besides the local high school sports coverage, The Team also broadcasts Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Dodgers games.
A recent Sports Illustrated poll found that the Cowboys are New Mexico's favorite NFL franchise. The Dodgers (anybody else love Vin Scully?) have a long history in Albuquerque that was refreshed this year when the Isotopes became their Triple A affiliate. The Albuquerque Journal called The Team's deal with the Dodgers its "second major programming coup."
In April, The Team's website started provided local content. Later, former La Cueva and Arizona Wildcats star A.J. Bramlett joined to head up The Team's marketing department.
And it's not stopping any time soon. We'll continue to grow and talk about what you want to talk about.
Our billboard on Paseo Del Norte.
