Longtime Nashville Sports talker George Plaster will exit his position as host of “SportsNight” on Cromwell Sports “102.5 The Game” WPRT Pegram/Nashville to become Associate Athletic Director at Belmont University.
WPRT is the third station that has been the home to SportsNight, which debuted on now Cumulus News/Talk 99.7 WWTN in the early 1990’s before moving the afternoons on Sports “104.5 The Zone” WGFX in 2003. When Cumulus acquired WGFX in 2011 he exited that station before jumping to WPRT upon the expiration of his non-compete in July 2012.
At Belmont Plaster will oversee all marketing, sponsorships and group sales for the University’s sports programs. His current co-hosts Willy Daunic and former Tennessee Titans General Manager Floyd Reese will remain in place in afternoons.
Belmont University Director of Athletics Scott Corley announced Wednesday the hire of George Plaster to the position of associate athletic director for marketing.
Plaster, a Nashville radio mainstay for nearly three decades, brings a wealth of experience and business relationships to Belmont.
“George is a fixture in the Nashville sports market and will be a great addition to our Belmont team,” Corley said. “I know George to be a person of great integrity and character, and he will infuse our department with creativity and charisma. I look forward to working with him during this exciting time for Belmont University Athletics.”
For the past four years, Plaster has served as the host of the afternoon drive sports talk radio program Sports Night on 102.5 The Game and 94.9 Game 2.
“This is obviously a huge decision for me and one that was not taken lightly,” Plaster said. “You don’t just walk away from something so meaningful and gratifying – for me radio – unless it’s the perfect situation. And for me, this opportunity at Belmont is it. I have the utmost respect for Scott (Corley), and cannot wait to join his team. On a personal level, I would like to thank Bud Walters and the entire team at Cromwell Radio and 102.5 The Game for their dedication over the years, and support of this career decision.”
Plaster also captained highly-rated sports talk programming on 104.5 The Zone and 99.7 WTN.
The Nashville native boasts extensive play-by-play experience, serving as the lead voice of Vanderbilt University, the University of Memphis, Georgia Tech University and Western Kentucky University athletic broadcasts.
In addition, Plaster has parlayed radio success into television, most recently as host of a weekly sports program on Nashville Fox affiliate, WZTV-TV.
A regular emcee of choice for middle Tennessee area events, Plaster has been a leading advocate of sporting interests and business development in the Nashville community, notably the Music City Sports Festival, Nashville Predators and Coaches vs. Cancer initiatives.
Plaster has been named to the coveted ‘Talkers 250’ list by Talkers Magazine three times, spotlighting the most influential talk radio hosts in America.
A product of nearby Battle Ground Academy, Plaster is a 1981 Vanderbilt University graduate.
At least two of the above-mentioned stations blew up their previous formats, just to get him. Wonder if anyone will switch formats now?
I wondered the same, Firepoint. This make sense for George at this time in his life, financially and for stability and retirement to move to Belmont. But, obviously he built his image and name on the air. That’s are TOUGH thing to give up. Especially for someone like George. That makes me think that it was a reactive decision to take the job knowing the station never really garnered the numbers or revenue and it is VERY expensive to run a format like this. What does the future hold for Cromwell’s Sports stations? My guess, so it’s probably wrong, but Bud will see how things shake out during football season and make a decision for/by January, 2017. Who knows.