Connect with us
blank

Sports Radio News

95.7 The Game Lands The Golden State Warriors

Jason Barrett

Published

on

The Golden State Warriors and Entercom’s 95.7 The Game (KGMZ-FM) have reached a multi-year agreement to make the San Francisco-based sports station the new radio flagship of the Bay Area’s NBA team, it was announced today.

“We’re excited about our new partnership with 95.7 The Game and the opportunity to provide our fans with increased coverage of the Warriors in a centralized location,” said Warriors President & COO Rick Welts. “Under the terms of this partnership, virtually every Warriors game – including the playoffs – will be broadcast on 95.7. Additionally, our fans will benefit from increased programming overall throughout the year, including extended pre and post-game shows, more in-season programming, a dedicated off-season presence and numerous call-in shows featuring front office staff, players and broadcasters. We look forward to working in conjunction with an extremely talented group of individuals at 95.7 The Game and its parent company, Entercom, as we continue our journey through one of the most exciting times in the history of our franchise.”

Plans for 95.7 The Game’s expanded Warriors programming include an additional 60 minutes of coverage to each of the existing 30-minute pre and post-game programs, heightened in-season daily Warriors coverage featuring both Warriors and NBA-themed shows, Warriors Wednesdays and off-season programming centered around the draft, free agency, summer league and the continuation of selected in-season call-in shows. 95.7 The Game will continue to employ a dedicated Warriors reporter who will cover both home and road games and practices throughout the season. Radio play-by-play announcer Tim Roye will return for his 22nd season calling Warriors basketball, and will also appear regularly on 95.7 The Game programs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the season and on selected off-season dates.

By moving to 95.7, the Warriors join approximately one dozen NBA teams that are currently carrying their games on the clarity of the FM dial, as well as a fast-growing roster of professional sports teams that partner with Entercom stations to deliver best-in-class sports content, including the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Miami Heat and Kansas City Royals. Additionally, as part of this agreement, in-market network affiliates have been established with KRTY (San Jose) and KUIC (Vacaville), stations that reside next to 95.7 on the dial (95.3).

“We are truly excited about this new relationship with the Golden State Warriors,” said David Field, President and CEO of Entercom. “It is a privilege to partner with such an extraordinary organization. We look forward to bringing our listeners exclusive, unparalleled coverage of the team both on and off the court.”

“We know that our fans turn to us for the best-in-class sports content from the teams and leagues they care about the most,” said Steve DiNardo, Vice President and General Manager of Entercom’s 95.7 The Game. “The Warriors are one of the most popular basketball teams in the world and we are proud to deliver play-by-play broadcasts and 24/7 team coverage to local fans in the Bay Area and to be the official home of Warriors basketball.”

Prior to partnering with 95.7 The Game, the Warriors flagship station for each of the last 32 seasons, and for 40 seasons overall since the team moved to the West Coast in 1962, had been KNBR 680 AM.

“We’d also like to thank KNBR and the management at Cumulus for being a valued and trusted partner for nearly four decades,” said Welts. “KNBR has been a staple of the Bay Area airwaves for many years and we’ve been extremely fortunate to enjoy such a terrific long-standing relationship.”

Last season the Golden State Warriors won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games en route to making a second-straight appearance in the NBA Finals. For more information on the Golden State Warriors 2016-17 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente, visit warriors.com.

Sports Radio News

Hans Olsen Joins BYU Radio Crew

“I’m beyond thrilled to now work with Greg, Mitch and Jason to bring my passion for the game to the BYU fans I played for years ago.”

blank

Published

on

blank

Hans Olsen spent five years in Provo as a member of the BYU football team. He started on the defensive line for his final two seasons and as a senior was named second team all Mountain West. Now, the Cougars are moving into the Big 12 and Olsen is coming along for the ride.

The school announced on Thursday that he will be the new radio analyst. He replaces Riley Nelson, who resigned in January and will work with Greg Wrubell, who has been the voice of the Cougars since 2001.

Calling games runs in the Olsen family. Hans is the nephew of Merlin Olsen, who worked as an analyst for CBS and NBC after a Hall of Fame NFL career.

“I’ve always loved what my Uncle Merlin did in the booth, and I had a dream to see what it was like,” Olsen said. “I’m grateful to Brian Estridge and Bowl Season Radio for giving me the chance to pursue that dream, and I’m beyond thrilled to now work with Greg, Mitch, and Jason to bring my passion for the game to the BYU fans I played for years ago.”

Sports fans in Salt Lake City know Hans Olsen well. He is the co-host of Hans & Scotty G on KSL Sports Zone 97.5. He and Scott Garrard have worked together since 2014.

Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Lou Merloni: Sports Talk Radio Was Grinding On Me

“You wake up every day and search for that negative topic and it wears on you and turns you extremely negative.”

blank

Published

on

blank

Late last year, WEEI afternoon co-host Lou Merloni announced he was leaving Merloni, Fauria, and Mego as part of a larger shakeup of the Boston sports radio station to work as a game analyst for the Boston Red Sox on both WEEI and NESN.

In an interview with The Athletic, Merloni discussed his exit from the program and admitted after a decade and a half, sports radio had become increasingly difficult. But being a game analyst had always been of interest to him.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Merloni said. “I’ve done games before and that was my happy place. I liked doing sports talk, but after a while, it was 15 years, it started grinding on you more than I wanted it to.”

Merloni — who spent nine seasons in the big leagues with the Red Sox, Padres, Indians, and Angels — added that the negativity of sports radio grew to be an issue for him.

“You wake up every day and search for that negative topic and it wears on you and turns you extremely negative,” he said. “It’s not manufactured, it’s just, that’s your job. If you just talk about nothing but how great the Bruins are, nobody would ever call in. So it’s ‘Why isn’t (David) Pastrnak signed yet?’

“So those are things that get people interacting with sports radio and those are the discussions you have. But you also want to keep it somewhat positive and balanced, it’s just different. There’s always that search for that sort of angle. And that grinds on you, it really does. It turns you into something you’re not, maybe.”

The soon-to-be 52-year-old said joining the NESN booth came at a great time for him.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the TV booth, I just didn’t know when the right time was, so sometimes things work out for a reason,”

Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Michael Kay: MLB Radio Analysts Won’t Have Time to Talk With New Rules

“I think that’s going to be a really different vibe, baseball on the radio this year.”

blank

Published

on

Michael Kay

MLB’s Opening Day is upon us, and with new rules implemented to improve the pace of play, many have questioned how the rules will affect broadcasters. New York Yankees television voice Michael Kay said radio crews are the ones who will be hurt by the new statutes.

During a conference call discussing ESPN’s KayRod Cast, Kay was asked how the new rules would alter not only the usual television broadcast, but also his alternate broadcast with former 14-time All-Star Alex Rodriguez.

“I don’t think it’s going to impact television broadcasts that much. Maybe you won’t be able to see eight replays on a simple ground ball to short because there’s not much time between batters, but I think it’s going to have a big impact on radio broadcasts where the analyst simply is not going to have time to talk. They’re just not,” Kay said.

“There’s no pictures that you can talk over like in baseball. The analysts can talk to a couple of pitches, but in radio that’s just not going to happen. It can’t happen. I think that’s going to be a really different vibe, baseball on the radio this year.”

“I do like the changes, and I think the pace is going to be both better to watch and to announce,” Rodriguez added.

Kay mentioned that while the news rules were an adjustment, he did enjoy the overall speed of the game.

“The pace is so much better. I don’t think there should be a complaint about pitch clock or anything like that. That’s how the game should be played.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement

blank

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.