Sports radio

Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and callers. Many sports talk stations also carry play-by-play (live commentary) of local sports teams as part of their regular programming
History
Hosted by Bill Mazer, the first sports talk radio show in history launched in March 1964 on New York's WNBC (AM). Soon after WNBC launched its program, in 1965 Seton Hall University's radio station, WSOU, started Hall Line, a call-in sports radio talk show focusing on the team's basketball program. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary on air during the 2015–2016 season, Hall Line, which broadcasts to central and northern New Jersey as well as all five boroughs of New York, is the oldest and longest running sports talk call-in show in the NY-NJ Metropolitan area, and is believed to be the oldest in the nation.
Enterprise Radio Network became the first national all-sports network, operating out of Avon, Connecticut, from New Year's Day 1981 through late September of that year before going out of business. ER had two channels, one for talk and a second for updates and play-by-play. ER's talk lineup included current New York Yankees voice John Sterling, New York Mets radio host Ed Coleman and former big-league pitcher Bill Denehy.
Emmis Broadcasting's WFAN in New York in 1987 was the first all-sports radio station. The success of the station and its programs, such as Mike and the Mad Dog, caused many to appear around the United States; while only one other radio show besides Mike and the Mad Dog attended the 1990 Super Bowl, about 100 attended the 2004 Super Bowl's radio row.
Programming
Sports talk is available in local, network and syndicated forms, is available in multiple languages, and is carried in multiple forms on both major North American satellite radio networks. In the United States, most sports talk-formatted radio stations air syndicated programming from ESPN Radio, SportsMap, Sports Byline USA, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, or NBC Sports Radio, while in the Spanish language, ESPN Deportes Radio is the largest current network. In contrast, Canadian sports talk stations may carry a national brand (such as TSN Radio or Sportsnet Radio) but carry mostly local programming, with American-based shows filling in gaps. Compared to other formats, interactive "talkback" sports radio poses difficulties for Internet radio, since as a live format it is difficult to automate; most prominent sports leagues also place their radio broadcasts behind a paywall or provide their broadcasts directly to the consumer, depriving standalone Internet stations of potential programming. Pre-recorded sports talk programs (usually interview-centered) can be syndicated as podcasts with relative ease, and sports teams have also launched their own online digital networks with sports talk centered around their own properties.
As with most other radio formats, sports radio uses dayparting. ESPN Radio, for instance, insisted that its affiliates carry Mike and Mike in the Morning during morning drive time to provide as much national clearance as possible; in contrast, it carries less prominent programming in the afternoon drive to accommodate local sports talk, as well as in the evening (for its first two decades, rolling score updates aired under the banner of GameNight) to allow stations to break away for local sporting events. Somewhat unusually for radio, the late-night and overnight hosts have more prominence on a sports talk network, due to a near-complete lack of local preemption.
Sports radio stations typically depend on drawing an audience that fits advertiser-friendly key demographics, particularly young men with the disposable income to invest in sports fandom, since the format does not have the broad appeal to reach a critical mass in the general public. Prominent sports radio stations typically get their greatest listenership from live play-by-play of local major professional sports league or college sports franchises; less prominent stations (especially on the AM dial) may not have this option because of poorer (or for daytime-only stations, non-existent) nighttime signals and smaller budgets for rights fees.
Following the 2018 repeal of the United States' Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, a variant of the format focusing upon sports betting began to emerge. In August 2019, SportsMap (then SB Nation Radio) and Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) launched the BetR Network with affiliates in Las Vegas and Atlantic City at launch, while Philadelphia's WDAS flipped to a sports format featuring local programs involving sports betting. Broadcaster Audacy began to deploy its BetQL Network to more of its stations in June 2021 (using the on-air brand The Bet), alongside an expansion of their daily schedule. Stations with such formats may still affiliate with a sports radio network to fill the remainder of their schedule, with the aforementioned WDAS otherwise carrying Fox Sports Radio (as well as Philadelphia Union soccer), BetR including programming from co-owner SportsMap on its lineup, and BetQL being often carried alongside CBS Sports Radio on its owned-and-operated stations.
Sports talk stations
Terrestrial
Australia
RSN Racing & Sport - Melbourne, Victoria
1116 SEN - Melbourne, Victoria
91.3 SportFM - Fremantle, Western Australia
Sky Sports Radio - Sydney
ABC Grandstand - national, via DAB+ digital radio
Brazil
Rádio Grenal FM - 95.9 MHz - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul - Regional sports news and talk radio in Rio Grande do Sul. Its owned by Rede Pampa de Comunicação.
Canada
China
Beijing Tiyu Guangbo
Mexico
W Deportes
RG La Deportiva
New Zealand
Radio Sport
TAB Trackside
SENZ
Nigeria
88.9 Brila FM: Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM, owned by Brila Broadcasting Services, is Nigeria's first sports radio station and was launched in 2002.
Philippines
DZSR Sports Radio 918 kHz is the first and only sports radio station owned by the Philippine Broadcasting Service.
United States
In 2009, Detroit's "97.1 The Ticket" WXYT-FM, thanks to the surprising time slot dominance of shows like Valenti and Foster, in addition to holding the play-by-play rights for the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Lions and the Detroit Pistons, became the United States' only sports talk radio station to be the highest rated station in their market, according to Portable People Meter rankings. The station relocated to the FM dial in October 2007 after existing on the AM dial for seven years prior, replacing a Free FM "hot talk" station, WKRK. This ratings success has led to WXYT-FM billing itself as the country's best sports station.
WXYT-FM's recent influence has led to CBS Radio installing sports radio stations on the FM dial in Dallas (105.3 The Fan), Boston (98.5 The Sports Hub), Pittsburgh (93.7 The Fan), Washington, DC (106.7 The Fan), Baltimore (105.7 The Fan) and Cleveland (92.3 The Fan), in addition to simulcasting Philadelphia's heritage 610 WIP onto the former WYSP. Other non-CBS stations have also migrated to the FM dial, most notably Clear Channel's KFAN in Minneapolis, Greater Media's WPEN in Pennsylvania and Dispatch Media's WBNS-FM in Columbus, just to name a few.
K
W
Satellite
Sirius XM
Sirius XM 80 - ESPN Radio
Sirius XM 81 - ESPN Xtra
Sirius XM 82 - Mad Dog Sports Radio
Sirius XM 83 - Fox Sports Radio
Sirius XM 84 - ESPNU Radio
Sirius XM 86 - Sirius XM NBA Radio
Sirius XM 87 - Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio
Sirius XM 88 - Sirius XM NFL Radio
Sirius XM 89 - MLB Network Radio
Sirius XM 90 - Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
Sirius XM 91 - Sirius XM NHL Network Radio
Sirius XM 92 - Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio
Sirius XM 156 - Sirius XM Fight Nation
Sirius XM 157 - Sirius XM FC
Sirius XM 206 - CBS Sports Radio
Sirius XM 211 - Dan Patrick Radio
Sirius XM 371 - Sirius XM ACC Radio
Sirius XM 372 - Sirius XM Big Ten Radio
Sirius XM 373 - Sirius XM Pac-12 Radio
Sirius XM 374 - Sirius XM SEC Radio
Sirius XM 375 - Sirius XM Big 12 Radio
Internet sports radio
RIVAL Radio 809 - sports programming all day long, with a little something special at night.
Sports Radio America - home to the next generation of independent sports radio talk show producers from around America.
Victory Lane Radio - racing on Monday nights and Football Frenzy on Wednesday nights.
National Sports Network - The only independent sports play-by-play radio network airing NCAA College Basketball games.
Networks
Canada
Sportsnet Radio
TSN Radio
United Kingdom
BBC Radio 5 Live - national public service broadcasting non-commercial network; combination of news/talk/sport format
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra - supplementary station to the above; exclusive live sports format
talkSPORT - national commercial network; features sports talk and live sports coverage
United States
CBS Sports Radio
ESPN Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fútbol de Primera
Motor Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
SportsMap Radio Network
Sports Byline USA
Sports Radio America
TUDN Radio
Defunct networks
Champions Soccer Radio Network (United States)
Enterprise Radio Network (United States)
KRAE (Cheyenne's ESPN sports radio) (USA, Wyoming) - contract ended 2013, now oldies radio
NBC Sports Radio
Réseau Sport Radio Network via Digital Radio Oceane (New Caledonia/Wallis & Futuna)
Sports Fan Radio Network (United States)
ESPN Deportes Radio (United States)
The Team (Canada)
Bradesco Esportes FM (Brazil)
Macquarie Sports Radio - National, via DAB+ Perth, Sydney 954, Melbourne 1278 & Brisbane 882
Notable syndicated programs
Canada
Don Cherry's Grapeline
Prime Time Sports
United States
2 Live Stews
The Ben Maller Show
Boomer and Gio
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Dan Patrick Show
The Doug Gottlieb Show
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
J. T. the Brick
The Jim Rome Show
The Michael Kay Show
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and the Mad Dog
Mike's On
The Ryen Russillo Show
The Tony Kornheiser Show
The Toucher and Rich Show
See also
Broadcasting of sports events
Radio personality
Major League Baseball on the radio
College football on radio
National Football League on the radio
References
Radio formats