Meyer Communications gains rights to ESPN Radio

Meyer Communications signed a three-year deal to broadcast ESPN Radio exclusively in the Springfield-area market.

Starting Jan. 1, the station moves to Meyer Communications' 98.7 FM, aka The Jock, said company president Ken Meyer. ESPN Radio currently airs on Clear Channel Communications's KGMY on 1400 AM.

Under the terms of the deal, ESPN retains an estimated third of commercial air time and gains access to a larger regional presence.

With The Jock's 100,000-watt signal, Meyer said ESPN's coverage would extend at least 75 miles outside of Springfield.

The deal includes ESPN Radio's national play-by-play coverage of Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, college football and college basketball games, as well as programs that include "Mike & Mike in the Morning," "The Scott Van Pelt Show," "Sedano & Stink" and "The Freddie Coleman Show." Meyer Communication's The Jock currently runs Fox Sports programming. It will retain local shows "Sports Reporters" with Ned Reynolds and "SportsTalk" with Art Hains.

"ESPN is obviously the dominant one," Meyer said of the station's impact on his company. "The better you are, the better you can sell."

Brian Edwards, program director for Clear Channel's iHeartMedia stations in Springfield, could not be reached for comment by deadline.[[In-content Ad]]