790 WPRV Providence made its previously announced flip to Sports “790 The Score” today.
The station becomes the first affiliate of Audacy’s ‘Bet QL Network“, which is now being distributed by Cumulus’ Westwood One to other operators. The station will carry a mix of Bet QL and CBS Sports Radio programming along with a local show hosted by 630 WPRO/99.7 WEAN host Kevin McNamara. The “Kevin Mac Sports Hour” will air from 5-7pm on WPRV, with the second hour continuing to be heard on WPRO/WEAN.
WPRV previously featured the “Score” brand from 1998 to 2008 under the WSKO call letters.
Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that it has launched Providence’s first Sports and Sports Betting radio station, 790 THE SCORE/WPRV-AM. The new station brings sports and sports betting news, information, and insights to the burgeoning and underserved sports betting audience in the Providence area. 790 THE SCORE delivers behind-the-book perspectives from experts in a highly entertaining and engaging format. The station was previously programmed as News/Talk station AM 790 Talk and Business. Cumulus Providence also launched the station’s new website today at http://www.thescore790.com.
Holly Paras, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Providence, said: “It’s official: 790 THE SCORE is now Providence’s best bet for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts, and we couldn’t be more excited! The station features a lineup of expert personalities that deliver unique sports talk and sports betting insights that entertain, inform, and engage, along with New England Patriots Football, New York Yankees Baseball, Boston Celtics Basketball, and Brown University Football and Basketball play-by-play. We think Providence sports and sports betting fans will love 790 THE SCORE!”
The weekday programming lineup for 790 THE SCORE includes:
6am-9am – Bet MGM- The Daily Tip – Featuring early betting tips to give you the edge. Your first source for the day’s angles, hot takes, analysis and more with hosts Michael Jenkins and Chelsea Mensinger.
9am-12pm – Bet QL Daily – The “must consumed show” for sports fans and betting fans alike. Hosted by Joe Ostrowski, Joe Giglio, and Erin Hawksworth.
12p-3pm – Jim Rome – Aggressive, informed sports opinions, rapid-fire dialogue, and plenty of sports smack. As one of the most prolific sports talk hosts in America, The Jungle draws massive tune-in with legions of fans known as clones, who live for Rome’s “take” on the day’s largest issues in sports.
3pm-5pm – You Better You Bet – Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley have you covered for the best bets on the biggest matchups, the latest line movement and updates in the futures market. We’ll have up-to-the-minute coverage of backdoor covers and bad beats, and the cheers and tears that come with them. It’s sports betting conversation like you’ve never heard before.
5pm-7pm – Kevin McNamara – WPRO’s “Kevin Mac Sports Hour” is expanded to two hours on The Score, with the 6pm hour simulcast on WPRO. Kevin McNamara is a lifelong Rhode Islander who has committed his career to documenting the world of sports from all angles. When Kevin took his insightful sports commentary from the printed page to spoken word, it was an immediate hit. K-Mac provides in-depth coverage and expert analysis of not only pro sports, but he is also renowned for his extensive background covering college basketball, particularly the Providence Friars. Kevin has over four decades of experience covering sports.
7pm-11pm – Bet MGM Tonight – Live sports betting updates for all the night’s games as they happen – plus live “look-ins” for Major League Baseball games in progress. Get the latest scores, sides, totals, props, parlays, futures, and much more with hosts Quinton Mayo, Trysta Krick, and Ryan Horvat.
11pm-2am – JRSportBrief – JR turned a love for sports, music, and the Internet into a full-time career with his hit video sports blog “JRSportBrief,” which has amassed more than 80 million views online. Delivering “Sports opinions by a fan, for the fans,” JR has been around the world to cover multiple Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Final Fours. He’s sat down with everyone from Pelé, Usain Bolt, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, the late Kobe Bryant, and countless others to deliver interviews and content from a fan’s perspective.
2am-6am – After Hours with Amy Lawrence – A pioneer of sports radio and television, Amy Lawrence returns to 790 The Score and brings her passion and style to her late-night weekday show. She will keep her night-owl listeners entertained as she discusses the day’s hottest topics in sports.
BetQL Network programming is provided by Cumulus Media’s Westwood One.
Original Report 6/16: Cumulus Media will flip Talk 790 WPRV Providence RI back to Sports “790 The Score” in August.
First announced in a video posted to YouTube, the station will drop its mostly syndicated lineup of hosts including Chris Plante, Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin & Ben Shapiro to return to the Sports brand the station had under its former WSKO call letters from 1998 to 2008.
The new iteration of the Score will feature programming from CBS Sports Radio and Audacy’s BetQL network. The Boston Globe reports that Kevin McNamara, who hosts the 6pm hour on sister News/Talk 630 WPRO/99.7 WEAN, will air on 790 from 5-7pm with the second hour simulcast on WPRO/WEAN. The station will also continue to air New York Yankees baseball, Boston Celtics basketball, and Brown University football and basketball.
WPRV currently has a 0.1 share in the Providence market. The Sports marketplace currently features Audacy’s WEEI network heard on 103.7 WVEI-FM Westerly with a 4.4 share and Beasley’s “98.5 The Sports Hub” WBZ-FM Boston with a 4.1 share.
