Entercom has announced that its Radio.com is launching a sports vertical at Radio.com/Sports that will feature content from is local stations as well as a network of insiders who will make on-demand audio and appearances on their local stations.
The insiders will include former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale, former NFL player and broadcaster Ross Tucker, CBS Sports NFL columnist Jason La Confora, and Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero with others to be added.
Entercom, the unrivaled leader in local sports radio, today unveiled RADIO.COM Sports, a new brand which serves to magnify the company’s unmatched local business to a more prominent national scale in order to better serve its listeners and advertisers. RADIO.COM Sports will sit atop Entercom’s deep roster of leading local sports stations and will also be fully integrated into RADIO.COM, the fastest-growing digital audio app in the U.S. and the exclusive home for all Entercom content.
“RADIO.COM Sports is a strategic initiative to further elevate our existing portfolio of local brands and personalities and provide a more robust and unified experience for fans coast to coast,” said Mike Dee, President of Sports, Entercom. “The platform also offers our advertisers an efficient way to tap into Entercom’s scale and multiplatform content.”
As part of its launch, RADIO.COM Sports will kick off its RADIO.COM Sports Insiders program, a network of experts across all major sports who will make appearances on Entercom sports stations nationwide to provide insight and commentary. This premium content will also be available on demand on the RADIO.COM app and website. Sports Insiders will include Joe Girardi, former Major League Baseball player, manager and current analyst for the MLB Network; Ross Tucker, former National Football League offensive lineman and current national sports broadcaster; Bob Nightengale, USA Today MLB columnist; Jason La Canfora, CBSSports.com NFL columnist; Armando Salguero, Miami Herald sports columnist; as well as others who will soon be added. These Sports Insiders will join existing Entercom sports broadcasters to round out the program.
“We have an extraordinary roster of personalities already assembled across the country on our all-sports radio stations,” said Dee. “We are going to be aggressive to expand our depth chart of new talent as well as use our existing stars in new ways on multiple distribution channels outside of their home market, and in many cases, on our expanding digital and editorial platforms.”
Additionally, RADIO.COM Sports will launch its Breaking News Alerts, delivering breaking news on a national scale triggered by both national and local sports news in real time. The Breaking News Alerts will feature a signature mnemonic and will include sponsorship mention and corresponding brand spots. These alerts will also be delivered to mobile users via push notifications.
Mercedes-Benz has joined as a launch partner of RADIO.COM Sports, activating a 360-degree campaign across various elements of the national platform. Additional partners will be announced soon.
The transition to the RADIO.COM Sports brand on Entercom’s broadcast and digital platforms does not affect the CBS Sports Radio Network, which the company operates in a joint venture partnership with Westwood One.
I wonder if Entercom will eventually rebrand CBS Sports Radio.