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WNDE Drops FM Simulcast

“Very shortly a new format will be debuting on the 97.5 frequency,” iHeartRadio’s SVP of programming for Indianapolis, Dave Hill told the Indy Star. “The only thing I can say at this point is stay tuned.”

Brandon Contes

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WNDE, the longtime Indianapolis Fox Sports Radio affiliate has dropped its FM signal, 97.5.  No additional changes have been announced for the Indy sports station, with listeners still being able to hear the same programming on 1260 AM and iHeartRadio’s digital platforms.  

WNDE broadcasts a unique lineup, featuring local sports talk, syndicated political commentary and national Fox Sports Radio programming.  Outkick the Coverage with Clay Travis starts the day from 6 – 9am followed by The Dan Patrick Show from 9am – noon.  The station switches to conservative talk radio with The Rush Limbaugh Show from noon – 3pm before going back to sports with Indy’s Query and Schultz from 3 – 7pm, followed by Fox Sports overnight.

Still owned by iHeart, the company is expected to announce a new plan for 97.5 FM soon.  “Very shortly a new format will be debuting on the 97.5 frequency,” iHeartRadio’s SVP of programming for Indianapolis, Dave Hill told the Indy Star. “The only thing I can say at this point is stay tuned.”

For now, listeners that tune to 97.5 FM will hear a recorded message directing them to 1260 AM.  1260 was broadcasting as a sports talk station for well over a decade when they began simulcasting on 97.5 FM in 2015.  The addition of an FM signal for WNDE came more than two years after its competitor, ESPN 1070 The Fan added 107.5 as an FM simulcast.  The Fan still uses both 1070 AM and 107.5 FM for its broadcasts, while Fox Sports 1260 makes the uncommon decision of dropping its FM signal in favor of AM.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.

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Mad Dog: Gus Johnson ‘Bothered The Hell Out of Me’ Saturday

“For crying out loud, Michigan/Ohio State isn’t even better than North Carolina/Duke, who play twice a year. So let’s be careful with the hype machine.”

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A photo of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo
(Photo: SiriusXM)

FOX Sports college football voice Gus Johnson has made no bones about his affinity for Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. However, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has heard enough.

During his Mad Dog Unleashed program on SiriusXM, Russo shared that not only was Johnson obnoxious for the constant use of a nickname he bestowed up Harrison, but he was also misguided for calling Ohio State/Michigan the greatest rivalry in sports.

“Gus Johnson — the hype machine that he is — please, when you broadcast a ballgame, I don’t need to hear about Maserati Marv, number one. And number two, that’s not the greatest rivalry in sports history. Have you heard of the Yankees and the Red Sox? Giants and the Dodgers? How about Bears/Packers? Have you heard about that?

“For crying out loud, Michigan/Ohio State isn’t even better than North Carolina/Duke, who play twice a year. So let’s be careful with the hype machine. That bothered the hell out of me.”

When a caller pushed back on Russo’s opinion on the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry, he continued by saying “That rivalry’s not Yankees/Red Sox. To compare college football to the Yankees and the Red Sox is ludicrous.”

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Nashville Predators Radio Voice Pete Weber Calling 2,000th Game Tuesday

“I always wanted to be there for the birth of a team. I feel like I’ve been a pretty fair midwife here.”

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A photo of Pete Weber
(Photo: Nashville Predators)

Nashville Predators radio voice Pete Weber is set to hit a career milestone Tuesday, as he’ll call his 2,000th game for the NHL franchise.

Weber told The Tennessean that he has relished the opportunity to be the voice of a team since its inception. He claimed he applied for and was a finalist for the radio play-by-play job when the Carolina Panthers were conceived, before ultimately landing with the Predators.

“I always wanted to be there for the birth of a team,” said Weber. “I feel like I’ve been a pretty fair midwife here.”

Despite missing time late last season due to a rare brain condition, Weber said he has no plans of retiring anytime soon.

“I have not thought about it, other than when I thought about how (former Philadelphia Phillies announcer) Harry Kalas was carried dead out of the broadcast booth in Washington,” Pete Weber said. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s an interesting way to go. I don’t necessarily know that I want to do it like that. But it could happen. I’m not going to say no.”

Weber’s 2,000th game will come as the Nashville Predators play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 102.5 The Game is the flagship home of the Predators Radio Network.

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iHeartMedia Ending WEEI Simulcast in Cape Cod

A job opening for a sports talk co-host/producer/programming assistant that says its salary will “be funded by the savings that the market is acquiring from the expiring Audacy/WEEI & Red Sox contracts”.

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A photo of the WEEI 96.3 Cape Cod logo

iHeartMedia is preparing to drop its simulcast of WEEI on its 96.3 WEII-FM signal in Hyannis/Cape Cod.

According to a report from Radio Insight, iHeartMedia has posted a job opening for a sports talk co-host/producer/programming assistant that says its salary will “be funded by the savings that the market is acquiring from the expiring Audacy/WEEI & Red Sox contracts”.

It goes on to state that the contract between the company and Audacy was $300,000 annually and it paid the Red Sox $65,000 annually.

The job posting alleges 96.3 FM will continue to carry sports programming with a local show.

WEEI is currently simulcast on stations in Springfield and Worcester, MA; Providence; Portland, Maine; and on stations in New Hampshire and Vermont, as well. Earlier this year, the station’s offices in Warwick, Rhode Island closed as part of a cost-cutting measure.

WEII-FM is licensed to Dennis, MA and features a 25,000-watt Class B signal.

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