Bogus Smith Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Although this is a deal for the OKC market, it will be interesting to see if there is any pressure to get this on 97.1 FM and 1550 AM in the Tulsa market. If so, will this affect the ORU relationship with the Sports Animal (i.e., what games get preempted)? I'm sure that we will hear more about this in the coming days. The Sports Animal named NBA-OKC flagship radio partner Oklahoma City's new NBA franchise and Citadel Broadcasting have signed an exclusive agreement to broadcast the team's home and away games on WWLS 640 AM and WWLS-FM 98.1 FM (The Sports Animal) in Oklahoma City. The announcement was made live on The Sports Animal by Citadel Broadcasting Corporation Oklahoma City Market Manager Larry Bastida and Clay Bennett, chairman of the Professional Basketball Club, LLC. "We are thrilled that Citadel and its strong sports stations will be the radio home of the NBA in Oklahoma City. The Sports Animal is recognized as the leader in Oklahoma sports radio and Larry and his staff offered enthusiastic support and creative ideas. We feel it's a perfect fit and a tremendous partnership," Bennett said. WWLS-AM and WWLS-FM will be the flagship stations of a statewide network the team will form over the course of the next few months, leading up to the start of the season. The Sports Animal will broadcast all pre-season and regular season games beginning in October, plus all team post-season contests. The NBA preseason and regular season schedules are slated for release in early August. Team game announcers and studio hosts will be announced in the coming weeks. Besides game broadcasts, the multi-year agreement with Citadel includes exclusive pre and post-game coverage at least 90 minutes before and after the game hosted by team announcers and Sports Animal staff. Citadel has also agreed to air a year-round weekly program focused on team news, a series of team-related segments throughout the day, and use its entire family of Oklahoma City radio stations to promote the team and broadcasts. Those include its other sports station, The New JOX 930 (WKY-AM) along with Rock 100.5 FM The KATT, 98.9 KISS FM (KYIS-FM) and 96.9 BOB FM (KQOB-FM). Citadel also offers unique team promotional opportunities via new media and its station websites. The two parties will soon announce additional programming initiatives and advertising opportunities. "We plotted an aggressive course in our pursuit to be a team partner," Bastida said. "We feel it's a unique and exciting opportunity for our listeners, our advertisers and our employees to partner with this franchise and the NBA. "We're pumped!" Bastida added watching the evolution of Oklahoma City over the past 15 years, from passing MAPS to, now, getting our own NBA Team, has been a thrill to be a part of. "So much credit goes to business and civic leaders, like the NBA-OKC ownership group, who continue to invest in the future of Oklahoma City." WWLS-FM recently upgraded its signal by increasing its tower height by 1,300 feet and its wattage by 516%, offering a strong signal reaching well beyond the immediate Oklahoma City area. In 2007 WWLS was one of the five radio stations nominated for the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award, the industry's highest honor. Citadel Broadcasting Corporation is the third largest radio group in the United States, with a national footprint reaching more than 50 markets. Citadel is comprised of 165 FM and 58 AM stations in the nationÕs leading markets, in addition to the ABC Radio Network business, which is one of the three largest radio networks in the United States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 OKC NBA team announces radio deal with locally based station Oklahoma City's new NBA team said Wednesday its games will be broadcast on a locally based all-sports radio station. The franchise signed the agreement with Citadel Broadcasting Corp. to air the games on "The Sports Animal" radio network, which includes stations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The Sports Animal broadcasts on 97.1 FM and 1550 AM in Tulsa. The Tulsa stations will carry NBA games when there isn't a conflict with ORU men's basketball and Kansas football. http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/basketball/article.aspx?subjectID=226&articleID=20080730_226_OKLA628386 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 The Tulsa stations will carry NBA games when there isn't a conflict with ORU men's basketball and Kansas football. http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/basketball/article.aspx?subjectID=226&articleID=20080730_226_OKLA628386 I love it when folk have their priorities straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 My understanding is the Sports Animal is making sure they take care of us and that we are the top priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogus Smith Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 My understanding is the Sports Animal is making sure they take care of us and that we are the top priority. I'll bet not over OU football pre-game show!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I'm pretty sure someone told me that we would be on FM and the pregame show would be on the AM. I'm being honest when the Sports Animal is looking out for ORU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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