As first reported in our 9/9 Domain Insight report, iHeartMedia will flip “Real Rock 104.9” WROO Mauldin/Greenville SC to “Fox Sports 104.9” on Monday, September 13.
While still running its previous Rock playlist, WROO’s imaging has been replaced by promos hyping the “New Sound of Sports For The Upstate” coming on Monday morning with the Fox Sports music bed in the background.
WROO rose from a 0.5 to 0.8 share in the July Nielsen Audio ratings, placing it still well behind Audacy’s duo of “Classic Rock 101.1” WROQ’s 4.5 share and “93.3 The Planet” WTPT’s 2.6, which have both been on a downward trend.
The new format will create an in-market Sports competitor to Audacy’s “ESPN Upstate” 1330 WYRD/97.7 W249DL Greenville and 950 WORD/97.1 W246CV Spartanburg. It restores Fox Sports Radio programming to the market for the first time since iHeart’s 1440 WGVL Greenville became one of the “Black Information Network” launch affiliates in June 2020.
HeartMedia Greenville’s Real Rock 104-9 announced today that the station will rebrand to 104-9 FOX Sports Upstate, effective immediately. The station now broadcasts FOX Sports Radio’s industry-leading programming 24/7, outside of a weeknight program hosted by veteran South Carolina sports broadcaster Phil Kornblut.
104-9 FOX Sports Upstate features a complete lineup of live sports entertainment shows, including FOX Sports Radio’s “Outkick The Coverage,” “The Dan Patrick Show,” “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” “The Doug Gottlieb Show,” “The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker,” “The Jason Smith Show” and “The Ben Maller Show.” Plus, “Sports Talk with Phil Kornblut” joins the weekday lineup in the 6 – 8 p.m. ET timeslot.
“We’re excited to bring back the FOX Sports Radio brand to the Upstate,” said Brian Hall, Senior Vice President of Programming, iHeartMedia Asheville/Greenville. “Our listeners will have access to the best names in sports talk, plus regional coverage. It’s also a natural pairing with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Game On Upstate!”
Weekday programming lineup:
Outkick The Coverage 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET
The Dan Patrick Show 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET
The Herd with Colin Cowherd 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET
The Doug Gottlieb Show 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET
Sports Talk with Phil Kornblut 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET
The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. ET
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. ET
The Ben Maller Show 2 a.m. – 6 a.m. ET