Another radio deal to report: All regular-season games for the Rome Braves (Low Class A; Sally League) will be heard on 99.5 FM the Jock.
It’s a multiyear radio broadcasting agreement.
Sports Director Kevin Karel will handle play-by-play duties for all 140 games and will be joined by Clarke Johnson as color analyst during the home broadcasts.
“We’re excited about our partnership with Rome Radio Partners to broadcast Rome Braves baseball to our fans on radio and online,” says Rome Braves General Manager Michael Dunn, “We are very excited to begin the 2015 season on April 9th.”
In addition to Rome Braves baseball, 99.5 FM carries ESPN programming along with Shorter University Athletics, college football and basketball, Rome High School football, and the NFL.
We’ve noted an abundance of new radio deals for 2015 — including a few yet to be announced — as it appears MiLB on the radio is making a comeback. Our analysis:
Over the last decade we’ve seen an amazing consolidation of radio-station ownership, as a relatively small group of operators sought to replicate formats throughout the United States. Gone were the local hosts and local programming; in came nationally syndicated content, whether it be a music format or a talk-radio format.
But with the Internet and satellite radio, there’s no need for anyone to turn on a terrestrial radio station if you’re really into Dave Ramsay or Rush Limbaugh or Dan Patrick. And with more and more cars equipped with Pandora and Spotify, there’s no reason to tune in a syndicated music station.
So where will radio stations turn to attract listeners? Live events — like baseball games. Local content means local listeners. And with sports programming, a radio station like 1170 AM K-BOB can attract local listeners. Now, two teams may not make a trend — but the signs are there.