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Sports broadcasts on music stations

I

installLSC

I was reading a thread in the San Francisco forum about where A's broadcasts will go next season, and it reminded me that sports teams overwhelmingly broadcast their games on talk stations (sports or otherwise). What are the exceptions? In the Seattle market, the only ones I could think of:
--Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball airs on KIXI, an adult standards station
--Don't know the calls, but I remember hearing a Spanish language Seattle Sounders broadcast on a station that otherwise broadcast Regional Mexican.
 
I think a lot of NFL teams have their FM flagship on a music station. All but a handful of NFL clubs have a "legacy" flagship on AM, and the "real" flagship on FM, although several of those FM signals are talkers (e.g. Nashville, Dallas, and Chicago)

I didn't check the whole league, but here's several examples:

Pittsburgh: Rock WDVE
Cincinatti: Rock WEBN
Baltimore: Rock WIYY

Indianapolis: Country WLHK
Jacksonville: Country WGNE
Houston: Country KILT-FM

Green Bay: CHR WIXX


I would further imagine if you scoured the affiliates page of any major college sports team, a whole lot of small-town music formatted stations would show up. Here's the affiliate list for Wisconsin, for example: http://sportsaffiliates.learfield.com/affiliates/wisconsin9
 
This big issue with the Oakland As is the number of games. There are 162 regular season games, plus any playoffs. Sure most are at night, but pre-empting a music station for a day baseball game, would be death. One might define baseball in radio terms as a few seconds of tempo followed by long segments of dead air. Baseball appeals to an older demo that football. More music tie ins with the NFL than with baseball. I think the Oakland As will have a tough road if they want to convince a music station to carry their games.
 
installLSC said:
I was reading a thread in the San Francisco forum about where A's broadcasts will go next season, and it reminded me that sports teams overwhelmingly broadcast their games on talk stations (sports or otherwise). What are the exceptions? In the Seattle market, the only ones I could think of:
--Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball airs on KIXI, an adult standards station
--Don't know the calls, but I remember hearing a Spanish language Seattle Sounders broadcast on a station that otherwise broadcast Regional Mexican.
Click to expand...

For NFL games, I think it's a lot more common than you think. I'm working in the Portland Oregon area until the 15th, and noted the local Classic Rock station- KGON airs the Seattle Seahawks. Back at my home, the local Classic Hits station in Fredericksburg VA.,- WGRQ, airs the Washington Redskins broadcasts.
 
WKRR is classic rock and airs the NFL Carolina Panthers. The flagship station in Charlotte is a Rush Limbaugh affiliate.

Alternative rocker WEND in Charlotte airs the highest level of NASCAR races.

N.C. State University in Raleigh has its football and basketball games, believe it or not, on AC WRAL.
 
installLSC said:
I was reading a thread in the San Francisco forum about where A's broadcasts will go next season, and it reminded me that sports teams overwhelmingly broadcast their games on talk stations (sports or otherwise). What are the exceptions? In the Seattle market, the only ones I could think of:
--Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball airs on KIXI, an adult standards station
--Don't know the calls, but I remember hearing a Spanish language Seattle Sounders broadcast on a station that otherwise broadcast Regional Mexican.
Click to expand...

Spanish language Sounders PBP is on KKMO Tacoma 1360. Not a SUPER signal (5kW omni from N Tacoma/ Federal Way) but does cover the most populated areas of King and Pierce county where you find the majority of Spanish speakers.
 
If a pro sports team is popular enough, and the radio contract is good enough, it is a no brainer to run their PBP on music stations. Didn't an FM run Seahawks before KIRO-FM?, (I want to say one of the rockers but I can't remember)...Sorry I live 170 miles away now.

The amount of revenue gained from sponsorships outweighs any ratings hit, especially if it is just once a week. And a ratings hit is not always the outcome, either.
 
Seahawks are on 94.5 KATS in Yakima. I think it was new for the 2018 season as they had previously just been on KIT, and they are still on KIT.
Lots of MLB teams have FM affiliates. The Cardinals have some FMs, standalone. KAAN-95.5 Bethany MO is one of them. KQZQ-98.3 in Kiowa KS is one of several Royals affiliates on FM.
 
Before the Chargers moved from San Diego, Rock 105.3 was the flagship station.

Here in Mississippi, 105.1 the River carries New Orleans Saints and University of Southern Mississippi football. USM’s flagship is classic rocker WXRR Hattiesburg.

LSU’s flagship is Eagle 98.1, also a classic rock station.
 
The Cowboys used to have their radio broadcast on 103.7 KVIL back when it was a AC station in the from the 1990s to 2002 and then moved over to sister station Classic hits/oldies 98.7 KLUV, Infinity Broadcasting/CBS Radio owned the Cowboys rights and aired it on music stations until end of the 2005 season, when KTCK 1310 The Ticket became the Cowboys radio home in 2006, the same year Susquehanna Broadcasting was sold to Cumulus Media. the Cowboys did however returned to the CBS Radio (and later Entercom) fold when in 2009, 3 years after the deal to air on The Ticket began, it ended and the Cowboys moved to KRLD-FM 105.3 The fan where it's been for the last 10 seasons.

also, in the 1970s, 1080 AM KRLD was also the radio home of the Cowboys and was a music station until 1978 wen it flipped to it's current News/Talk format.
 
Will is correct about the Dallas Cowboys. I still remember the headline from the early 90's in the news that read, "KVIL sacks KRLD for the Dallas Cowboys."

In Kansas City, KCFX "101 the Fox" has held the rights to the Kansas City Chiefs since at least 1989. After Entercom bought the radio division from Sinclair in '99, they attempted to move the Chiefs from KCFX to the former KYYS 99.7, but agreed to divest the Chiefs' rights along with KCFX in the divestiture settlement with the DOJ. The Chiefs rights were rumored to have saved the classic rock format at KCFX more than once.

Crainbebo is also correct that the former Shepherd stations in Missouri carry the Cardinals on FM, all of which carry country formats. Those stations are now owned by Alpha via GoodRadio and Digity, but very little has changed in the way they operate since Shepherd sold around 12 years ago. Not sure if you still have to wear a tie to work at those properties, but Shepherd required all male staff to wear a button-up shirt and tie to work every day regardless of position.
 
And before KVIL had The Cowboys, legendary Top 40 KLIF had them. While The Boys were on 1310 The Ticket they were also simulcast on Classic Rocker 93.3 The Bone as well as 1310's FM simulcast on 104.1.
 
TheBigA said:
This big issue with the Oakland As is the number of games. There are 162 regular season games, plus any playoffs. Sure most are at night, but pre-empting a music station for a day baseball game, would be death. One might define baseball in radio terms as a few seconds of tempo followed by long segments of dead air. Baseball appeals to an older demo that football. More music tie ins with the NFL than with baseball. I think the Oakland As will have a tough road if they want to convince a music station to carry their games.
Click to expand...

WMMS (active rock/hot talk) airs the Indians and Cavaliers games in tandem with sister station WTAM-AM.
 
WXDX alternative rock is the flagship station for Pittsburgh Penguins broadcasts.

Their minor league affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers, are on Mix 97.3 WKWK
 
sack said:
Years ago I heard the rock station in Allentown running NASCAR on Sundays. NASCAR?
Click to expand...

In certain regions of the southeast, sure. Big signal, and still a lot of people will listen as background noise.
 
I don't think MRN/PRN has any affiliates in Yakima-Tri Cities. Both Yakima and Benton counties are conservative, Republican bastions. But no NASCAR affiliate AM or FM.
 
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