Sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal,[1] sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and callers. Many sports talk stations also carry play-by-play of local sports teams as part of their regular programming. Hosted by Bill Mazer, the first sports talk radio show in history launched in March 1964 on New York's WNBC (AM).[2]
Soon after WNBC launched its program, in 1965 Seton Hall University's radio station, WSOU, started "Hall Line," a call-in sports radio talk show that focuses on Seton Hall Basketball. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary on air during the 2015-2016 season, "Hall Line," which broadcasts to central and northern New Jersey as well as all five boroughs of New York, is the oldest and longest running sports talk call-in show in the NY-NJ Metropolitan area-- and is believed to be the oldest in the nation. [3]
Enterprise Radio Network became the first national all-sports network, operating out of Avon, Connecticut, from New Year's Day 1981 through late September of that year before going out of business. ER had two channels, one for talk and a second for updates and play-by-play. ER's talk lineup included current New York Yankees voice John Sterling, New York Mets radio host Ed Coleman and former big-league pitcher Bill Denehy.
Sports talk is available in local, network and syndicated forms, is available in multiple languages, and is carried in multiple forms on both major North American satellite radio networks. In the United States, most sports talk formatted radio stations air syndicated programming from ESPN Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio, Sports Byline USA, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, or NBC Sports Radio, while in the Spanish language, ESPN Deportes Radio is the largest current network. In contrast, Canadian sports talk stations may carry a national brand (such as TSN Radio or Sportsnet Radio) but carry mostly local programming, with American-based shows filling in gaps. Compared to other formats, sports radio is not as popular on Internet radio; as a live and interactive format, it does not lend itself well to voice-tracking (thus raising the cost and required labor to keep a station running 24/7), and most sports leagues place their radio broadcasts behind a paywall or provide their broadcasts directly to the consumer, though sports podcasting is a popular alternative to address this problem.
As with most other radio formats, sports radio uses dayparting. ESPN Radio, for instance, insists that its affiliates carry Mike and Mike in the Morning during morning drive time to provide as much national clearance as possible; in contrast, it carries less prominent programming in the afternoon drive to accommodate local sports talk, as well as in the evening (for its first two decades, rolling score updates aired under the banner of GameNight) to allow stations to break away for local sporting events. Somewhat unusually for radio, the late-night and overnight hosts have more prominence on a sports talk network, due to a near-complete lack of local preemption; Sports Byline USA, for instance, only operates overnights.
Sports radio stations typically depend on drawing an audience that fits advertiser-friendly key demographics, particularly young men with the disposable income to invest in sports fandom, since the format does not have the broad appeal to reach a critical mass in the general public. Prominent sports radio stations typically get their greatest listenership from live play-by-play of local major professional sports league or college sports franchises; less prominent stations (especially on the AM dial) may not have this option because of poorer (or for daytime-only stations, non-existent) nighttime signals and smaller budgets for rights fees.
Sports talk stations
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Terrestrial
Australia
- RSN Racing & Sport - Melbourne, Victoria
- 1116 SEN - Melbourne, Victoria
- 91.3 SportFM - Fremantle, Western Australia
- ABC Grandstand - National, via DAB+ digital radio
Canada
| Call sign | Branding | Ownership | City | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFAC | Sportsnet 960 The Fan | Rogers Communications | Calgary | Alberta |
| CFGO | TSN Radio 1200 | Bell Media | Ottawa | Ontario |
| CFRN | TSN Radio 1260 | Bell Media | Edmonton | Alberta |
| CFTE | TSN Radio 1410 | Bell Media | Vancouver | British Columbia |
| CKGM | TSN Radio 690 | Bell Media | Montreal | Quebec |
| CKST | TSN Radio 1040 | Bell Media | Vancouver | British Columbia |
| CJCL | Sportsnet 590 The Fan | Rogers Communications | Toronto | Ontario |
| CHUM | TSN Radio 1050 | Bell Media | Toronto | Ontario |
| CFRW | TSN Radio 1290 | Bell Media | Winnipeg | Manitoba |
China
Ireland
New Zealand
South Africa
Nigeria
88.9 Brila FM: Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM, owned by Brila Broadcasting Services, is Nigeria's first sports radio station and was launched in 2002.[4]
Philippines
DZSR Sports Radio 918 kHz is the first and only sports radio station owned by the Philippine Broadcasting Service.
United Kingdom
United States
In 2009, Detroit's "97.1 The Ticket" WXYT-FM, thanks to the surprising time slot dominance of shows like Valenti and Foster, in addition to holding the play-by-play rights for the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions and the Detroit Pistons, became the USA's only sports talk radio station to be the highest rated station in their market, according to Portable People Meter rankings. The station relocated to the FM dial in October 2007 after existing on the AM dial for seven years prior, replacing a Free FM "hot talk" station, WKRK. This ratings success has led to WXYT-FM billing itself as the country's best sports station.
WXYT-FM's recent influence has led to CBS Radio installing sports radio stations on the FM dial in Dallas (105.3 The Fan), Boston (98.5 The Sports Hub), Pittsburgh (93.7 The Fan), Washington, DC (106.7 The Fan), Baltimore (105.7 The Fan) and Cleveland (92.3 The Fan), in addition to simulcasting Philadelphia's heritage 610 WIP onto the former WYSP. Other non-CBS stations have also migrated to the FM dial, most notably Clear Channel's KFAN in Minneapolis, Greater Media's WPEN in Pennsylvania and Dispatch Media's WBNS-FM in Columbus, just to name a few.
More recently, a number large number of listeners have begun to make internet radio the primary medium of choice. Major market leaders such as ESPN, NBC, CBS, Yahoo, and Fox have invested in the creation of their own proprietary sports apps for streaming radio distribution on Apple, Android, and Windows devices. Other independent market leaders such as Sports Radio America choose to stream their content through non proprietary apps including Live 365 and Tune In.
Sortable lists of commercial sports talk radio stations:
K
W
| Call sign | Branding | Affiliation | Ownership | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • WARF | Fox Sports 1350 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Akron | Ohio |
| • WAUK | 540 ESPN | ESPN Radio | Good Karma Broadcasting | Milwaukee | Wisconsin |
| • WAXY | 790 The Ticket | ESPN Radio | Lincoln Financial Group | South Miami | Florida |
| • WBBL | The Ball | ESPN Radio / Yahoo! Sports Radio | Citadel Broadcasting | Grand Rapids | Michigan |
| • WBNS | 1460 ESPN | ESPN Radio | Dispatch Broadcast Group (RadiOhio) | Columbus | Ohio |
| • WBNS-FM | 97.1 The Fan | ESPN Radio | Dispatch Broadcast Group (RadiOhio) | Columbus | Ohio |
| • WBZ-FM | 98.5 The Sports Hub | CBS Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Boston | Massachusetts |
| • WCCF | The Sports Ministry 1580 AM | TSM Radio Network | Clear Channel | Port Charlotte | Florida |
| • WCKY | ESPN 1530 | ESPN Radio | Clear Channel | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| • WCMC-FM | 99.9 the Fan | ESPN Radio | Capitol Broadcasting Company | Raleigh | North Carolina |
| • WCNN | 680 The Fan | CBS Sports Radio | Dickey Broadcasting Company | Atlanta | Georgia |
| • WDAE | 620 WDAE The Sports Animal | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Tampa | Florida |
| • WDFN | 1130 AM WDFN: The Fan | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Detroit | Michigan |
| • WDNC | 620 the Buzz | ESPN Radio | Capitol Broadcasting Company | Raleigh | North Carolina |
| • WDUZ | Sports Radio 107.5 and 1400 The Fan | ESPN Radio | Cumulus Media | Green Bay | Wisconsin |
| • WEEI | ESPN on WEEI | ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Boston | Massachusetts |
| • WEEI-FM | WEEI Sports Radio Network | WEEI/ESPN Radio/NBC Sports Radio | Entercom Communications | Boston | Massachusetts |
| • WEEX | SportsRadio 1230 and 1320 | ESPN Radio | Nassau Broadcasting | Lehigh Valley | Pennsylvania |
| • WEPN-FM | ESPN New York 98.7 FM | ESPN Radio (O&O) | New York City | New York | |
| • WFAN | Sports Radio 66 and 101.9 FM WFAN: The Fan | CBS Radio | New York City | New York | |
| • WFAN-FM | Sports Radio 66 and 101.9 FM WFAN: The Fan | CBS Radio | New York City | New York | |
| • WFNI | 1070 The Fan | ESPN Radio | Emmis Communications | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| • WFNZ | The Franchise | CBS Radio | Charlotte | North Carolina | |
| • WFXJ | Sports Radio 930 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Jacksonville | Florida |
| • WGAM | 1250 The Game | Absolute Broadcasting | Manchester | New Hampshire | |
| • WGFX | 104.5 The Zone | Nashville | Tennessee | ||
| • WGR | WGR Sports Radio 550 | ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Buffalo | New York |
| • WHB | Sports Radio 810 WHB | ESPN Radio | Union Broadcasting | Kansas City | Missouri |
| • WHBO | ESPN 1040 | ESPN Radio | Genesis Communications | Tampa Bay | Florida |
| • WHBQ | Sports 56 | Yahoo! Sports Radio | Flinn Broadcasting Corporation | Memphis | Tennessee |
| • WHLL | "Sports Radio 1450 The Hall" | CBS Sports Radio | Cumulus Media | Springfield | Massachusetts |
| • WICK | NEPA Sports Radio THE GAME | Fox Sports Radio | Bold Gold Media | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania |
| • WIP-FM | Sports Radio 94 WIP | CBS Radio | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | |
| • WHLD | "Sportsradio 1270 The FAN" | Buffalo | New York | ||
| • WJOX | Jox 94.5 | Fox Sports Radio | Citadel Broadcasting | Birmingham | Alabama |
| • WJOX-FM | Jox 94.5 | ESPN Radio | Citadel Broadcasting | Birmingham | Alabama |
| • WJFK-FM | 106.7 The Fan | Fox Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Washington, DC | Washington DC |
| • WJXL | 1010 XL | ESPN Radio | AM: Seven Bridges Radio FM: River City Broadcasting |
Jacksonville | Florida |
| • WJZ | ESPN Radio 1300 | ESPN Radio | CBS Radio | Baltimore | Maryland |
| • WJZ-FM | 105.7 The Fan | Fox Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Baltimore | Maryland |
| • WKRD | Cards Radio 790 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Louisville | Kentucky |
| • WKNR | ESPN 850 WKNR ESPN Cleveland[5] |
ESPN Radio | Good Karma Brands | Cleveland | Ohio |
| • WKRK-FM | 92.3 The Fan | CBS Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Cleveland | Ohio |
| • WLLF | ESPN 96.7 | ESPN Radio | Cumulus Media | Mercer | Pennsylvania |
| • WLOP | 1370 The BUZZ | Fox Sports Radio | Jesup Broadcasting | Jesup | Georgia |
| • WMFS | ESPN 92.9 & 680 | ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Memphis | Tennessee |
| • WMFS-FM | ESPN 92.9 & 680 | ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Memphis | Tennessee |
| • WMVP | ESPN Radio 1000 | ESPN Radio (O&O) | ESPN | Chicago | Illinois |
| • WNDE | Sportsradio 1260 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| • WNML | The Sports Animal | CBS Sports Radio | Cumulus Media | Knoxville | Tennessee |
| • WNSR | Sports Radio 560 | Southern Wabash Communications of Middle Tennessee, Inc. | Nashville | Tennessee | |
| • WNST | Sports Talk 1570 WNST | Nasty 1570 Sports, LLC | Towson Baltimore |
Maryland | |
| • WOYK | Sports Radio 1350 | NBC Sports Radio | York Professional Baseball Club, LLC | York | Pennsylvania |
| • WPEN | 97.5 The Fanatic | ESPN Radio | Greater Media Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| • WPOP | Fox Sports Radio 1410 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel Communications | Hartford | Connecticut |
| • WPRT-FM | 102.5 The Game | Cromwell Group | Nashville | Tennessee | |
| • WQAM | Sportsradio 560 | ESPN Radio | Beasley Broadcast Group | Miami | Florida |
| • WQXI | 790 The Zone | ESPN Radio | Lincoln Financial Media | Atlanta | Georgia |
| • WRNL | Sports Radio 910 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel Communications | Richmond | Virginia |
| • WSAI | Fox Sports 1360 | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel | Cincinnati | Ohio |
| • WSCR | Chicago Sports Radio 670 The Score | Yahoo! Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Chicago | Illinois |
| • WSFZ | SuperSport 930 | Sportsrad, Inc. | Jackson | Mississippi | |
| • WSJK | ESPN 93.5 | Stevie Jay Broadcasting | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois | Illinois | |
| • WSPZ | Sports Talk 570 | ESPN Radio | Red Zebra Broadcasting | Bethesda | Maryland |
| • WTEL | CBSSportsRadio 610AM | CBS Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| • WTEM | ESPN 980 | ESPN Radio | Red Zebra Broadcasting | Washington, DC | Washington DC |
| • WTKA | The Leaders and Best | Cumulus Media | Ann Arbor | Michigan | |
| • WTLX | FM 100.5 ESPN | ESPN Radio | Good Karma Broadcasting | Madison | Wisconsin |
| • WTMM-FM | 104.5 The Team | ESPN Radio | Townsquare Media | Albany | New York |
| • WUCS | 97.9 ESPN | ESPN Radio | Clear Channel Communications | Hartford | Connecticut |
| • WUMP | SportsRadio 730 The UMP | ESPN Radio | Cumulus Media | Huntsville | Alabama |
| • WUUB | ESPN 106.3 | ESPN Radio | Good Karma Broadcasting | West Palm Beach | Florida |
| • WVEI | SportsRadio 1440 WEEI | WEEI/ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Worcester | Massachusetts |
| • WVEI-FM | SportsRadio 103.7 WEEI-FM | WEEI/ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Providence, Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| • WVSP-FM | ESPN Radio 94.1 | ESPN Radio | Max Broadcast Group Holdings, Inc. | Virginia Beach | Virginia |
| • WWBU | SuperSports 101.7 | Fox Sports Radio | Cumulus Media | Radford | Virginia |
| • WWEI | SportsRadio 105.5 WEEI-FM | WEEI/ESPN Radio | Entercom Communications | Springfield | Massachusetts |
| • WWGK | ESPN 1540 KNR2 ESPN Cleveland[5] |
ESPN Radio | Good Karma Brands | Cleveland | Ohio |
| • WWTX | 1290 The Ticket | Fox Sports Radio | Clear Channel Media & Entertainment | Wilmington | Delaware |
| • WXFN | Fox Sports Radio | Backyard Broadcasting | Muncie | Indiana | |
| • WXLW | XL 950 | Yahoo! Sports Radio | Raven Broadcasting | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| • WXOS | ESPN 101.1 | ESPN Radio | Hubbard Broadcasting | East St. Louis/St. Louis | Illinois/Missouri |
| • WXYT-FM | 97.1 The Ticket | Yahoo! Sports Radio | CBS Radio | Detroit | Michigan |
| • WYTK | "93.9 THE SCORE" | ESPN Radio | Valley Broadcasting | Rogersville/Florence, AL | Alabama |
Satellite
Sirius XM
- Sirius XM 83 - ESPN Radio
- Sirius XM 84 - ESPN Xtra
- Sirius XM 85 - Mad Dog Sports Radio
- XM 86 - Sirius XM NBA Radio
- XM 87 - Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio
- Sirius XM 88 - Sirius XM NFL Radio
- XM 89 - MLB Network Radio
- Sirius XM 90 - Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
- Sirius XM 91 - Sirius XM College Sports Nation
- Sirius XM 92 - Sirius XM Sports Zone
- Sirius 93 - Sirius XM Bleacher Report Radio
- XM 93 - PGA Tour Network
- Sirius XM 94 - Sirius XM FC
- Sirius XM 157 - ESPN Deportes Radio (Spanish)
- Sirius 207 - Sirius XM NBA Radio
- Sirius 208 - PGA Tour Network
- XM 208 - Sirius XM Bleacher Report Radio
- Sirius 209 - MLB Network Radio
- Sirius 210 - Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio
Internet Sports Radio
- Victory Lane Radio [1] Racing on Monday Nights and Football Frenzy on Wednesday Nights.
- RIVAL Radio 809 [2] Sports Programming all day long, with a little something special at night.
- Sports Radio America [3] Home to the next generation of independent sports radio talk show producers from around America.
Networks
Brazil
- Bradesco Esportes FM - Brazil's first sports radio network which covers mainly soccer, olympics, rugby among other sports. It is jointly owned by Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação and Grupo Bel.
Canada
United Kingdom
- BBC Radio 5 Live - national Public service broadcasting non-commercial network. Combination of News/Talk/Sport format
- Five Live Sports Extra - supplementary station to the above. Exclusive live sports format
- talkSPORT - national commercial network. Features sports talk and live sports coverage.
United States
- CBS Sports Radio
- Champions Soccer Radio Network
- ESPN Radio
- ESPN Deportes Radio
- Fútbol de Primera (radio network)
- Fox Sports Radio
- Motor Racing Network
- NBC Sports Radio
- Performance Racing Network
- Sports Byline USA
- Sports Radio America
- Yahoo! Sports Radio (formerly the One On One Sports Radio Network and Sporting News Radio Network)
Defunct networks
- Enterprise Radio Network (United States)
- Sports Fan Radio Network (United States)
- The Team (Canada)
- KRAE (Cheyenne's ESPN sports radio) (USA, Wyoming) Contract ended 2013, now oldies radio.[6]
- Réseau Sport Radio Network via Digital Radio Oceane (New Caledonia/Wallis & Futuna)
Notable syndicated programs
Canada
United States
- 2 Live Stews
- Boomer and Carton
- The Tony Kornheiser Show
- The Big Show
- The Dan Patrick Show
- J. T. the Brick
- The Herd with Colin Cowherd
- The Jim Rome Show
- Mike and Mike in the Morning
- The Michael Kay Show
- Mike and the Mad Dog
- Mike's On
- From The Press Box To Press Row
- In The Red Zone with Matt, Conrad, and Darrin
- Between Rounds Radio Show [4]
- Valenti and Foster
See also
References
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 WKNR/WWGK branding - Good Karma Brands.com
- ↑ 2013 Termination info from KRAE wiki article.
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