Industry News

KABC, Los Angeles New Flagship for UCLA Sports

Cumulus Media’s Los Angeles news /talk “Talk Radio 790 KABC” signs a multi-year agreement with the UCLA Bruins to be the new official radio broadcast home of Bruins football and men’s basketball. KABC will serve as the flagship station of the UCLA Bruins Audio Network. In addition, KABC will air four UCLAimg women’s basketball games this season and a total of 28 episodes of the “Bruin Insider Show” on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. KABC program director Luis Segura comments, “With KABC’s powerhouse signal and UCLA’s legacy teams, Southern Californians will get some of the best in sports programming starting Fall 2025! We are tremendously excited to partner with UCLA as the new official broadcast home of Bruins football and men’s basketball and look forward to turning up the volume on Bruins coverage for our passionate 790 KABC listeners and Southern California sports fans.”

Industry News

WGN’s Dave Eanet to Retire; Andy Masur Named AM Sports Anchor

WGN Radio morning drive sports anchor Dave Eanet is retiring from his role on the Bob Sirott morning show. The station announces that Andy Masur will assume the sports anchor position effective August 28. Eanet is not retiring from broadcasting as he’ll continue as play-by-play voice for Northwestern Wildcatimg football and men’s basketball games broadcast on WGN and he’ll also serve as a fill-in anchor on the WGN-TV sports desk. Eanet says, “Can’t believe it’s been 41 years since I first set foot in the WGN studios. As I close this chapter of my career, imgthe word that comes to mind is ‘grateful.’ I’m so thankful to the entire WGN family for their friendship and support over the years. It’s not just the names you know, but the entire crew on and off the air. I’m forever indebted to the managers, engineers, producers, newspeople, sales team, and all the others who have made WGN such a special place to work. Most of all, I’m thankful to the listeners who have a special relationship with this station.” WGN Radio VP and general manager Mary Sandberg Boyle says, “I am thrilled to share that our own Andy Masur will assume morning show sports duties going forward. Andy is a talented broadcaster who has built a rapport with the WGN Radio audience as a regular fill-in for Dave and as our weekend sports anchor. We are lucky to have him.”

Industry News

Westwood One Unveils NFL Postseason Audience Data

Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group releases its comprehensive analysis of the NFL postseason audience using 2022 data from Nielsen Scarborough USA+ and MRI Simmons USA. WWO says, “The data revealed that the AM/FM radio audience is far more passionate about football compared to the more casual sports fan found in the TV audience.” Westwood One is the official network radio partner of the NFL, and this year’s Super Bowl coverage marks the 50th time that the network will broadcast the game. Some of the key takeaways from this study are: 1) NFL postseason AM/FM radio listeners are a desirable group of consumers: They are more likely to work full time and have higher disposable incomes compared to NFL postseason TV viewers; 2) The NFL postseason AM/FM radio audience is more engaged with sports: MRI Simmons finds NFL postseason AM/FM radio listeners attend more sporting events, seek out sports information on their phones more often, and play more fantasy sports than NFL postseason TV watchers. The higher levels of engagement translate into greater advertising effectiveness; and 3) NFL postseason AM/FM radio listeners are more likely to make purchases across key consumer categories: Compared to the NFL postseason TV audience, AM/FM radio delivers more consumers who are likely to buy a new or used vehicle, start a new business, or hire a financial advisor.  You can see the complete report here.