The competitive battle for sports radio supremacy in Milwaukee is heating up. Following Good Karma’s decision to move their sports talk programming to the FM dial earlier this month, iHeart is making a similar choice.
Announced today, iHeart will shift its sports talk programming from The BIG 920 to 97.3 FM and adopt the moniker 97.3 The Game. The 97.3 FM signal was previously occupied by Top 40 station WRNW and branded as 97.3 NOW.
Entercom was first to deliver sports on FM in Milwaukee with 105.7 The Fan, but the increased presence of Good Karma and iHeart on the FM band, coupled with Good Karma’s acquisition of 620 WTMJ, which holds most of the play by play rights to the market’s local teams should make 2019 an even more challenging race.
“Sports talk in Milwaukee is about to change,” said iHeart PD Tim Scott. “Milwaukee is more than just a great sports town and 97.3 The Game will reflect that.”
iHeart has confirmed that the local shows which had previously aired on 920 will move to the FM signal. Those programs include Drew Olson with Kevin Brandt, “The Crossover” with Dan Needles and Ted Davis, “The Double Team” with Dario Melendez and Bob Brainerd, and Mike Heller. The AM signal will feature local programming from The BIG 1070 in Madison and FOX Sports Radio’s shows.
Additionally, The Game will carry Westwood One NFL playoffs and Super Bowl coverage, and share University of Wisconsin play by play with the AM brand. The Milwaukee Admirals, NASCAR, high school sports, and Westwood One’s NFL regular season contests and NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage will be exclusively offered on AM.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
