Just as the five-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots kick off their 2017 NFL season, comes an announcement that the team has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with flagship station 98.5 The Sports Hub. The news was made official by Patriots President Jonathan Kraft during a conversation on the team’s pre-game show.
As part of the agreement, Bob Socci and Scott Zolak will remain as the Patriots radio broadcast team. The Patriots have aired their games on CBS Radio stations since 1994 including on 98.5 The Sports Hub since the station launched in 2009.
“Our continued partnership with the New England Patriots underscores CBS Radio’s leadership in sports radio,” said Andre Fernandez, President and CEO, CBS Radio. “We have enjoyed an incredible relationship with this storied franchise for over 20 years and are proud to continue our partnership into the future.”
“Since our launch in 2009, the New England Patriots have been a key partner of 98.5 The Sports Hub. We are honored to continue broadcasting the five-time Super Bowl Champions to avid Patriots fans and Sports Hub listeners throughout New England,” said Mark Hannon, SVP/Market Manager, CBS Radio Boston.
The Sports Hub will broadcast “Patriots Preview” three hours prior to each game, as well as a three-hour post-game show. Both programs will be hosted by Marc Bertrand, co-host of The Sports Hub’s midday show, “Zolak and Bertrand.” Joining Bertrand on both shows will be Boston Globe and Boston.com columnist Chris Gasper and former NFL player Steve DeOssie. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer will also serve as a contributor to the pregame show.
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
