Chicago Cubs Radio Network

The Chicago Cubs Radio Network comprises 25 stations in three states.[1]

Pat Hughes has been the play-by-play announcer since 1996. From 1996 to 2010, Hughes was partnered with Ron Santo. After Santo's death, Keith Moreland took over as color commentator, lasting three seasons (2011–13). Ron Coomer became the color commentator in 2014. Mark Grote handles the Cubs Central pre- and post-game shows. Coomer takes over the play-by-play (with Hughes watching to color) for the fifth inning of most games. Cubs television announcer Len Kasper joins the radio network to call the fifth inning of nationally-televised games.

All 162 regular season baseball games, some spring training games, and all postseason games are broadcast by the network, though not all affiliates distribute the entire slate. The games are transmitted to stations via C-Band satellite service on AMC-8.

From 1925 to 2014 (continuously from 1958 to 2014), the Cubs' flagship station was WGN, 720 AM, the lone radio station of the Tribune Company (which for many years simultaneously owned the Cubs, TV station WGN-TV and its national superstation, and the local newspaper from which it gets its name, the Chicago Tribune). When it was part of the Tribune Radio Network, the network's non-sports programming included the National Farm Report, a farm news feature hosted by Orion Samuelson; Samuelson Sez (a weekly commentary hosted by Samuelson); and Farming America, a farm news feature hosted by Steve Alexander (previously by Max Armstrong).

In 2015, the Cubs' broadcast rights moved to CBS Radio after Tribune declined to renew its longstanding broadcast rights. (Incoming Tribune CEO Peter Liguori was a New York Mets fan and did not think highly of the Cubs return on investment.)[2] The 2015 season was broadcast by WBBM; after sister station WSCR's loss of radio rights to the Chicago White Sox to WLS in July 2015, it was widely expected that the Cubs would move to WSCR as a replacement. This move was confirmed by CBS Radio on November 11, 2015.[3][4]

Affiliates

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Nebraska

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Affiliate List". cubs.com.
  2. ↑ Marek, Lynne (May 30, 2014). "WGN America to drop Chicago sports". Chicago Business. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cubs make their radio move to WSCR official". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Sherman, Ed (July 23, 2015). "Bulls, White Sox deals put WLS-AM back in the game in a big way". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
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