WELY Radio in Ely, Minn. has signed a seven-year deal to broadcast Minnesota Vikings games within the National Football League beginning in the 2025-26 season. Under this new contract, the station will be airing matchups beginning in the preseason and through the playoffs, keeping the team on the air through the 2031 campaign. Furthermore, broadcast plans are said to include pregame and postgame coverage surrounding the matchups.
Civic Media, which is based in Wisconsin and owns the station, helped bring the station back on the airwaves after a three-year absence. The company had purchased the outlet from Zoe Communications in January that included the 1450 AM, and it was dealing with early difficulties related to the transmitter, antenna and tower. WELY had previously broadcast Vikings football, and it currently airs a combination of oldies music and Minnesota Twins baseball games. In addition to these programming genres, the station is planning to reintroduce local programming to the airwaves in the future.
“We’re beyond excited to bring Vikings football back to WELY-AM!,” Terri Pylka, station manager of WELY, said in a statement. “It’s been a few years since fans in our area could hear the games locally, and I know the community will be just as fired up as we are for their return. Fans will be able to tune in from shorelines, garages, to fish houses — wherever Vikings pride runs deep. Locking in the broadcast rights for the next seven years is a total touchdown — it means WELY will be your home for Vikings football for seasons to come. SKOL!”
WELY is currently operating under a temporary FM frequency since it was unable to air on 94.5 due to damage from previous work on the tower. Once the station made its return, it could be heard on 103.9 FM and only in the immediate locales of Ely, Tower and Babbitt, Minn. WELY also moved to new facilities in downtown Ely with its own studio equipment and had planned to air news, sports and community-based programming.
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