00:00In the first half, but Christopher Kaiser with the Cleveland Cavaliers joins us in studio.
00:06And obviously, you were not in Philly last night, so you took it in like we all took it in.
00:11Just the best of times, the worst of times, the way that win went down.
00:16Half to half, unfortunately.
00:18Did you watch the whole thing?
00:19I did, yeah. Beginning to end, of course.
00:22All right, go ahead. What did you think?
00:24Again, I think we made a lot of amazing moves in the offseason with the Peyton Watson acquisition.
00:30You know, we're locking in Harden, locking in Mitchell, having that core and that continuity.
00:35And we've won a lot of games.
00:37We're coming off an Eastern Conference finals, you know, appearance.
00:40So I think we saw a lot of that in the first half, and a lot of those things came
00:44to fruition.
00:44But we're folding a lot of those new pieces in, so there's going to be some volatility with that.
00:49So obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to.
00:51I'm not going to sit here and give you PR spin that we would have loved to see us blow
00:56the 29-point lead.
00:57Like, that's not what we wanted to happen.
00:58But we did see some of those flashes and some of those new pieces, you know, fold in, like Mario
01:02and some other bright spots.
01:04I loved Hazonia.
01:06The tricks of the trade, using the savvy veteran experience in the post.
01:10We need to see a little more of that.
01:12Even defensively, he was making some plays.
01:14The high socks.
01:15The high socks.
01:16I thought that was, you know, that's good.
01:17Dude, come on.
01:18That guy's gained.
01:19They say, when James Harden gains weight, it's a big deal.
01:21Hazonia gains weight, and it's the best thing ever.
01:24He's playing like a power forward on the interior.
01:27So obviously last night was a nationally televised game.
01:29And so we've gotten it from every angle from our fans who are diehard Cleveland sports fans
01:35who want to know what is going on with the DAZN agreement.
01:40Obviously, when you transition the way that a lot of these teams have, and we saw it with the Guardians,
01:47there's going to be a lot of volatility, some people not sure, you know, what they're going to do subscription
01:52-wise.
01:53What can you tell, you know, the average fan who's already, you know, spent money on all these streaming services
01:59all over the map, what it's going to be like getting the Cavaliers this year?
02:04Yeah, I would say, I mean, you hit on a little bit of it.
02:06It's a very volatile, you know, dynamic environment in terms of the sports media landscape right now.
02:12You know, we always pride ourselves on delivering for our fans, and we always put our fans first.
02:17That's something that we pride ourselves on, and you see that when you come to our games in the arena.
02:22You see that in terms of, you know, what we're doing on the riverfront, what we're doing downtown.
02:26And this is just another aspect of that, and we're investing a ton in this broadcast.
02:30But, you know, one of the things we were just talking about before we came on the air is
02:33we really was all about certainty and making sure we could deliver a broadcast
02:37that carried all games from the beginning of the season and was a reliable, credible, you know,
02:43service to go through and make sure that that distribution was there.
02:45And that was something that no one else could guarantee us out of the gates.
02:49So, you know, I think on top of that, we're investing a ton in that broadcast itself.
02:53So if any of you watch any of the preseason games on there, but, you know, the level of production,
02:57the amount of investment in even the graphics packages, the amount of cameras we're using,
03:02it'll be an amazing experience for fans that are able to watch.
03:04Chris Kaiser joining us here on the show.
03:06So is the situation solid, like this is it, or is there some fluidity to it?
03:12Can we say stay tuned?
03:13Yeah. Is there anything there that we can wonder about?
03:17I would say, like, our goal is to establish, you know, the best possible experience
03:20and broadcast for our fans.
03:22And this, I'm just going to say we're listening.
03:25I definitely have been listening to your guys' show the last few days.
03:27So I think just even listening to what's being said, the feedback we're getting,
03:30this is an evolving thing that we're always trying to figure out, you know,
03:34more access points, more ways to get this broadcast, you know, to our fans.
03:39And I'll just say that we're going to keep evolving this until we get it right
03:43and people can see Cavs basketball and feel good about what we're trying to do.
03:47But I will say there is an announcement potentially coming here, even within the day,
03:52you know, by the end of the day, potentially, or tomorrow,
03:53but hopefully before our first game on the zone tomorrow night at 730.
03:58But that will help with distribution and help give access to more fans.
04:01Okay, that would be fantastic.
04:03I want to ask you about Home Opener and everything like that.
04:07One more about this.
04:08Like, you are the CMO Rock Entertainment.
04:11There are some games on Rock, if I'm not mistaken, correct?
04:15So we have 15 over-the-air games that are technically Rock Entertainment Sports Network,
04:20but they're on either WUAB or WOIO.
04:24Has there been any thought to taking the 82-game schedule or whatever,
04:28how many-game schedule that's not national, and moving that to that?
04:32Or is that still too early?
04:34Well, that was a conversation that we've had,
04:36and we actually explored a lot of those different options, you know, in the offseason.
04:40That was part of the – we were talking a little bit before this,
04:43but nobody could guarantee that they could carry all of our games from the beginning of the season
04:47just based on how some of the landscape was mapping out.
04:50So, again, we're still evolving it, and I think we want to continue to give fans as much access as
04:55possible.
04:55So we've tripled that year over year.
04:57It was five last year.
04:58Now it's 15 games.
04:59And that starts with a game on the 26th next – or, yeah, next Tuesday, right?
05:04Sorry, next Monday.
05:05And then we have a big game against the Thunder on the 2nd.
05:08And so I think it's six out of the next 12 games where it will be either on over-the
05:13-air channels or on national TV.
05:15All right, so the Cavs open up their home schedule tomorrow night against the Nets.
05:19Chris, what can you tell us about what kind of opportunities and excitement that you guys are going to be
05:25rolling out
05:26for all those fans to get a chance to see the Cavs for the first time this year?
05:29Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's – I feel like it was just here.
05:31We were in the Eastern Conference Finals, but it'll be amazing to get fans back in the building.
05:34We're going to have a full arena giveaway on opening night.
05:37So we'll have a full arena giveaway of T-shirt, rally towel, light-up bracelets.
05:41We got Paul Wall at halftime.
05:43I feel like maybe we're in the same demographic.
05:45Yes, we all.
05:46Do you remember?
05:47Grills?
05:48Yeah, Chris, I remember.
05:51There's a lot of people that work on our marketing team who have no idea who Paul Wall is.
05:54Wait a second, how old are these people?
05:57Younger than us.
05:58We'll just say that.
05:58Younger than us.
05:59Half our age.
05:59Wait a minute.
06:00Is Calavita listening?
06:02John?
06:02Yeah, John's going to have no idea.
06:03John might not be listening.
06:04I'm Googling as we speak.
06:06John's 24.
06:07John, do you know who Paul Wall is?
06:08No.
06:08Okay, but that's still in my category, that the ones who go to the games that are paying
06:13for the tickets are definitely Paul Wall fans.
06:16Yeah, hell yeah.
06:16Or remember Paul Wall, certainly.
06:20Listen, obviously, I was very critical yesterday.
06:24Still say, though, that the in-game presentation when you go to the game is fantastic.
06:27So what do you have, not just coming up tomorrow night, home opener, but also for the entire
06:32season, for everybody, not just everything you just described?
06:35Yeah, so we have, again, we'll continue to add a lot of the technology in the building.
06:39So we have some new light-up handrails.
06:41First building, they have these enhanced handrails.
06:43So that'll add just to the, continue to add that lighting atmosphere that you see throughout
06:46the game that adds that home court advantage.
06:48We have three bobbleheads throughout the year.
06:51So we have a deli bobblehead on December 12th, which is cool.
06:55He's actually diving and sliding on his stomach.
06:57You know, so it looks like he's diving for a ball going out of bounds.
07:00Perfect.
07:00A James Harden bobble, a Money Merrill bobble.
07:03So I think there's, we have a lot of these theme nights, 31 theme nights throughout the
07:06year that make a lot of these games fun, plus up the atmosphere.
07:09You know, you guys get a chance to take in games all over the NBA.
07:13It's an important thing that you guys do to put in that research to see what other places
07:19are doing.
07:19But it always seems like you guys are at the forefront of the in-game experience.
07:23I've been to various NBA arenas all over the country.
07:26And I'm telling you, people have no idea how good they have it here.
07:30Yeah.
07:30And I think back to the broadcast piece of thing is we're, we're always trying to get
07:34better.
07:34We're always trying to push, you know, how, how we can make that experience better.
07:38We've added a lot of different F and B options.
07:40Like we brought Cordelia's into the, into the arena, Swenson's into the arena.
07:44So just trying to hear what our fans are saying and continue to invest in that.
07:47Like, I think I have the easiest job in the world, you know, first off, because of Cleveland
07:50sports fans.
07:50I think the passion, you know, they're, they're willing to, to kind of jump on anything and
07:54be passionate around it, um, around this team and support them, but also the resources that,
07:59uh, Dan Gilbert and the Gilbert family put behind their organization is unbelievable and
08:03unmatched.
08:03So if we have a good idea, you know, it happens for the most part, um, which makes it a
08:07unique
08:07place to work.
08:08And I think, uh, your community and our fans are always, uh, you know, the, the people that
08:11benefit from that.
08:12Where else?
08:13I, I, I, I know we've talked about your bio before.
08:15Where else have you been before the Cavs, Chris?
08:17I was with the Phoenix Suns.
08:18Okay.
08:18Uh, prior to the university of Michigan.
08:20That's where I remember the, the fee.
08:22Okay.
08:22So I was actually talking with a guy over in Berea cause he's from Phoenix about that.
08:26He's like, the passion is completely different.
08:28I mean, you're from Buffalo.
08:29There is a line.
08:31It seems to be in the Northern part of the country and the Southern part of the country
08:34and the overall excitement over professional sports, the passion over professional sports.
08:39Has there been anything that you learned?
08:41Like, Hey, you know, you can get away with that.
08:43Maybe in certain cities, you can't get away with that here in Michigan or like in Detroit,
08:48Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philadelphia, things like that.
08:52Because the, the fans are just too in tune with the, with the organizations that they
08:55root for.
08:56Yeah.
08:56I think, I think, you know, Phoenix was an example of one where we, we marketed the
09:00opponent a lot.
09:01Like you put, even on like the billboards, like we'd have matchup graphics with like Steph
09:05Curry and Devin Booker, different things like that.
09:07Here fans are like, you know, I don't want to see the opponent on a billboard.
09:10Like no one wants to see someone from the opposing team.
09:12Even when we're marketing a game, like it's all about the Cavs.
09:15It's all about, you know, making sure that even when we were, you know, we were kind
09:18of in the rebuild phase, like it was still, that was still the mindset was it was, we
09:21were going to sell out every Saturday night game.
09:23We had people wanted us to market Colin Sexton and folks that were here during that time
09:27versus us trying to market something that was just trying to bring in casual fans or
09:31people that are just fans of the NBA.
09:32They want Cavs fans and they want to build that atmosphere and that home court advantage.
09:36Just finally for me, can you tell us where we are on some of the development along the
09:40riverfront and also Cosm, like how much further do we have to go before fans can see that
09:46transformation truly take place?
09:48I mean, if you're down by the arena, you can see it right now.
09:50It's awesome every day to come, come downtown and see that Cosm is going up.
09:54It's unbelievable how fast that's, that's gone up.
09:56The structure is, is really starting to solidify across the street from the arena.
10:00That's going to open in, in a summer of 2027 from a GPPC standpoint, it's the Global
10:05Peak Performance Center down on the riverfront.
10:07If you see that building, it's beautiful.
10:08Our players are actually going to move in in February and then we'll have the, the grand
10:13opening and groundbreaking, you know, later in the fall, you know, we'll have the, the
10:18more public piece with the, you know, on the medical side from a Cleveland Clinic perspective
10:22will open later in the, in the year, but there's just a lot of life down there and there's a
10:26lot of future plans.
10:27I know we just announced the amphitheater that's going to go in on the river as well.
10:31So just trying to create life.
10:33And I think we talk about being city and community builders and that's what, you know, that's
10:37what we're trying to do downtown.
10:39That's what we're trying to do with everything we're doing from a fandom perspective with
10:41the Cavs too.
10:42So, you know, that's why I think we're going to try to find whatever the solution is on
10:45the broadcast side, not to like loop everything back to that, but I think it's, we're going
10:49to, we're going to find a solution and continue to evolve it.
10:51That makes, uh, makes our fans feel like they have access to games and they come first.
10:56Well, after yesterday and after last night, appreciate you coming in.
11:01That ain't easy.
11:02That ain't easy.
11:03So we do thank you very much for your time, Chris.
11:05All continued success for the basketball team, continued success with all the projects,
11:10you know, cause them the, uh, you said that quickly, GPPC.
11:13Yeah.
11:13So global peak performance center, Cleveland Clinic global peak performance center.
11:17Sorry.
11:17No acronyms.
11:18I don't want to use acronyms on the radio.
11:19That's my fault.
11:20We do it all the time.
11:22Chris, thank you very much for the time.
11:23Thank you guys.
11:24Let them know Chris Kaiser joining us, uh, EVP is CMO that see, I did it executive vice
11:29president, chief marketing officer for the calves and rock entertainment coming in, had
11:33to answer some tough questions, by the way, speaking of tough questions, leave it to Daryl
11:37to have to ask Steven vote.
11:39What everybody was wondering yesterday, we'll get that answer coming up in five minutes from
11:46possibly the former manager of your Cleveland guardians on the fan.
