SacTown Sports 1140am (KHTK) 32-year run as the Sacramento Kings’ radio home is over. Sacramento’s team is taking broadcasts fully in-house this fall.
What We Know: SacTown Sports has aired Kings games since 1994, a 32-year run. However, the station’s contract expired, and talks between both parties didn’t reach a satisfactory level according to The Sacramento Bee. As a result, the Kings will now produce and distribute their own broadcasts. The new platform, Kings Radio, launches October 5th against the Lakers. Fans will be able to listen to games on Kings.com, the Kings app and SiriusXM Radio. Kings Radio will complement Kings+, the organization’s free streaming platform.
What They Said: John Rinehart, Sacramento Kings president of business operations (via Sacramento Bee): “Kings Radio is an investment in our fans, giving us greater ability to innovate, expand access and bring Kings basketball to a larger audience. As the way fans consume sports continues to evolve, we’re making it easier to listen across more platforms, introducing a Spanish-language broadcast and continuing to feature the legendary voices that have been a treasured part of Kings basketball for generations.”
What Remains Unclear: How will fans in Sacramento without SiriusXM hear the broadcasts if they’re in their cars? Will the Sacramento Kings seek another terrestrial radio partner for local radio distribution? How far apart were both sides from reaching a deal?
What It Means: The ending of a 32 year partnership reflects a trend of teams and long term partners separating. Removing the terrestrial broadcast option will affect how many fans listen to games in real time. Ultimately, Kings Radio is betting that direct distribution beats traditional radio partnerships.
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