Chicago Cubs Radio Network

Last updated

The Chicago Cubs Radio Network comprises 30 stations in six states. [1]

Contents

Pat Hughes has been the play-by-play announcer since 1996. From 1996 to 2010, Hughes was partnered with Ron Santo. After Santo's death, Keith Moreland took over as color analyst, lasting three seasons (2011–13). Ron Coomer became the color analyst in 2014. Zach Zaidman handles the Cubs Central pre- and post-game shows, and takes over the play-by-play for the fifth inning of most games.

All 162 regular season baseball games, some spring training games, and all postseason games are broadcast by the network, though not all affiliates distribute the entire slate. The games are transmitted to stations via C-Band satellite service on AMC-8.

From 1925 to 2014 (continuously from 1958 to 2014), the Cubs' flagship station was WGN, 720 AM, the lone radio station of the Tribune Company (which for many years simultaneously owned the Cubs, TV station WGN-TV and its national superstation, and the local newspaper from which it gets its name, the Chicago Tribune ). When it was part of the Tribune Radio Network, the network's non-sports programming included the National Farm Report, a farm news feature hosted by Orion Samuelson; Samuelson Sez (a weekly commentary hosted by Samuelson); and Farming America, a farm news feature hosted by Steve Alexander (previously by Max Armstrong).

In 2015, the Cubs' broadcast rights moved to CBS Radio after Tribune Co. declined to renew its longstanding broadcast rights. [2] The 2015 season was broadcast by WBBM. After sister station WSCR's loss of radio rights to broadcast the Chicago White Sox games to WLS in July 2015, it was widely expected that the Cubs would move to WSCR as a replacement. This move was confirmed by CBS Radio on November 11, 2015 [3] [4] and finalized before the start of the 2016 Cubs season. Through WSCR, the games also air on the FM dial via HD Radio through WSCR's subchannel on WBMX (104.3-HD2).

Affiliates

StateCityStationFrequency
Illinois Champaign WGKC FM 105.9
Chicago WSCR
WBMX-HD2
AM 670 (Flagship Station)
FM 104.3-2
Decatur WDZ AM 1050
Lawrenceville WAKO
W257DW
AM 910
FM 99.3
Lawrenceville WAKO-FM FM 103.1
Monmouth WRAM AM 1330
Peoria WZPN
WHPI
FM 101.1
FM 96.5
Springfield WFMB AM 1450
Sterling WSSQ FM 105.5
Indiana Boonville WBNL AM 1540
Lafayette WASK AM 1450
Marion WBAT AM 1400
Rockville WAXI FM 104.9
Elkhart WTRC AM 1340
Iowa Boone KWBG AM 1590
Bloomfield KUDV FM 106.9
Carroll KCIM AM 1380
Cedar Falls KCNZ AM 1650
Des Moines KRNT AM 1350
Dubuque WDBQ AM 1490
Elkader KADR AM 1400
Fairfield KMCD AM 1570
Harlan KNOD FM 105.3 (pending)
Iowa City KXIC AM 800
West Burlington KCPS AM 1150
Michigan Kalamazoo WTOU AM 1660
Petoskey WJML AM 1110
Traverse City WJNL AM 1210
Minnesota Sauk Rapids WBHR AM 660
North Dakota Fargo WDAY (AM) AM 970
Nebraska Omaha KIBM AM 1490
South Dakota Vermillion KVTK AM 1570
Wisconsin Madison WTSO [5] AM 1070

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago White Sox</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and plays its home games at Guaranteed Rate Field, located on Chicago's South Side. They are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago, alongside the National League (NL)’s Chicago Cubs.

WGN-TV is an independent television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is sister to the company's sole radio property, news/talk/sports station WGN. WGN-TV's studios are located on West Bradley Place in Chicago's North Center community; as such, it is the only major commercial television station in Chicago which bases its main studio outside the Loop. Its transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower in the Loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGN (AM)</span> Radio station in Illinois, United States

WGN is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a talk radio format. WGN's studios are in the Chicago Loop, while the transmitter is in Elk Grove Village. WGN also features broadcasts of Chicago Blackhawks hockey and Northwestern University football and basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLS-TV</span> ABC TV station in Chicago

WLS-TV is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's ABC network outlet. It has been owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division since the station's inception. WLS-TV's studios are located on North State Street in the Chicago Loop, and its transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLD</span> Fox TV station in Chicago

WFLD is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Gary, Indiana–licensed MyNetworkTV outlet WPWR-TV. The two stations share studios on North Michigan Avenue in the Chicago Loop, and transmitter facilities atop the Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIU-TV</span> CW affiliate in Chicago

WCIU-TV is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, Nexstar Media Group, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to two low-power stations: independent outlet WMEU-CD and MeTV/Heroes & Icons flagship WWME-CD. The stations share studios on Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood, while WCIU-TV's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower in the Chicago Loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Hughes (sportscaster)</span> American sportscaster (born 1955)

Vergil Patrick Hughes is an American sportscaster. He has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1996. The 2022 season marked the 40th consecutive year that Hughes served as an MLB announcer.

Len Kasper is an American sportscaster. As of 2023 he is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, teaming with color analyst Darrin Jackson on ESPN 1000 and the Chicago White Sox Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBBM (AM)</span> Radio station in Illinois, United States

WBBM – branded Newsradio 780 WBBM – is a commercial all-news AM radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter—diplexed with sister station WSCR—resides in the nearby suburb of Bloomingdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Coomer</span> American baseball player and analyst

Ronald Bryan Coomer, nicknamed "Coom Dawg", is an American former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball and the current color analyst and play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs radio on WSCR 670 AM. Coomer had a nine-year major league career from 1995 to 2003 playing for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was elected to the American League All-Star team in 1999 while with the Twins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSCR</span> Clear-channel sports radio station in Chicago

WSCR – branded 670 The Score – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, and the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WSCR is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range in most of the Central United States and part of the Eastern United States. WSCR is the Chicago affiliate for the BetQL Network, Infinity Sports Network, the Fighting Illini Sports Network and the NFL on Westwood One Sports; the flagship station for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls radio networks; and the home of radio personalities David Haugh and Matt Spiegel.

Andy Masur is an American sportscaster who was formerly the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox Radio Network for WGN (720).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Sports Chicago</span> American regional sports network

NBC Sports Chicago is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports-related news, discussion and entertainment programming. It is branded as part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks.

Major League Baseball on the radio has been a tradition for over 100 years, and still exists today. Baseball was one of the first sports to be broadcast in the United States. Every team in Major League Baseball has a flagship station, and baseball is also broadcast on national radio.

Several Major League Baseball teams have historically carried their games on superstations, which are broadcast television stations that are distributed on a regional or national basis on cable and satellite television.

WGN Sports was the programming division of WGN-TV, an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois, United States—which is owned by the Nexstar Media Group—that was responsible for all sports broadcasts on the station, some of which were previously also broadcast on its former national superstation feed, WGN America.

The Chicago White Sox Radio Network is an American radio network airing baseball games from the Chicago White Sox. The English-language flagship is WMVP in Chicago, with Spanish language coverage airing on WRTO (1200). The English language network consists of 19 stations For the 2019 season, the play-by-play announcers were Ed Farmer and Jason Benetti ; the color commentator was Darrin Jackson. Farmer died on April 1, 2020, after a long-term battle with polycystic kidney disease. Pre-game host Andy Masur substituted for Farmer during 2020's truncated spring training, and was named as Farmer's successor on June 30, 2020, a role that would be temporary due to the team's radio rights expiring at the end of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquee Sports Network</span> American regional sports network

Marquee Sports Network is a regional sports network operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Chicago Cubs, launched on February 22, 2020. It is devoted exclusively to Cubs baseball, replacing a trio of channels as the exclusive broadcaster of Cubs games not shown on national TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGN America</span> American television network (1978–2021)

WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-TV, making the station's programming available to cable and satellite providers throughout the United States as the second nationally distributed "superstation".

References

  1. "Affiliate List". cubs.com.
  2. Marek, Lynne (May 30, 2014). "WGN America to drop Chicago sports". Chicago Business. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  3. "Cubs make their radio move to WSCR official". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  4. Sherman, Ed (July 23, 2015). "Bulls, White Sox deals put WLS-AM back in the game in a big way". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  5. "Brewers games on Bally Sports Wisconsin will look similar, but some streaming services lack deals".