Following the collapse of their attempted purchase of “Xtra Sports 860” KTRB, the Oakland Athletics have signed a four year contract with Entercom Country “95.7 The Wolf” KBWF San Francisco to serve as its flagship station.
KBWF will air all 162 games along with ancillary programming including an 85 minute pre-game show and hour long post-game “A’s Talk” both hosted by Chris Townsend. Game broadcasts will continue to feature the Athletics incumbent broadcast team of Ken Korach, Vince Cotroneo, and Ray Fosse.
INSTANT INSIGHT: The A’s have fallen into a better situation than their planned purchase of KTRB. With “The Wolf” ratings hovering in the low 1’s, they had to do something. Pairing the A’s with the San Jose Sharks hockey currently heard on Entercom’s 98.5/102.1 KFOX, they could have the makings of two anchors for a sports talk competitor to Cumulus’ 680 KNBR.
I am not surprised. I have a feeling Entercom will also make a run at the Seattle Mariners contract when its up for bidding. Entercom has a Wolf radio franchise on the West Coast. Previously there 7pm daily show was a nationally synicated radioshow that was aired on all stations.
Around the same time as this, they also simulcast Fitz in the morning which is based out of the wolf sister station in Seattle.
The Wolfs statiuon in Portland will likely look to do some partial pick up of baseball games give Seattle is the closest baseball team.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but aren’t all of Entercom’s Seattle stations now owned by Bonneville? BTW, KIRO 710 is the Mariners flagship and an all sports station, so there’s no real reason for anybody else to bid for the next Mariners deal.
Unless Clear Channel with KJR, or Fisher with KVI or KOMO can sneak in; although KOMO was the Mariners flagship for several years last decade, but unfortuntely for them, they are a News/Talk station, and that might hurt them because a great amount of flagship radio stations in MLB are now all sports.
Bonneville owns 710 KIRO, 770 KTTH, and 97.3 KIRO-FM. Entercom owns 99.9 KISW, 100.7 KWWF, 103.7 KMTT, and 107.7 KNDD.
Between Bonneville’s 710 ESPN and Clear Channel’s 950 KJR there’s no way Seattle can support a third Sports station.