The Boston Celtics are "close" to a deal that will
make WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub the new radio home of the C's, according to
csnne.com.
An announcement of the new deal is expected to be made as
early as next week.
Despite the Celtics fielding a team that's not expected to
be among the NBA's elite this season, there was a significant amount of
interest in broadcasting their games after it was announced earlier this summer
that the C's and WEEI could not come to terms on a new contract.
WEEI, which is part of Entercom Communications, had been the
Celtics' flagship station since 2005.
"WEEI has had an incredible run with the Boston
Celtics, from being a part of their 17th championship banner to the end of the
[recent] Big 3 era," said Entercom Boston vice president/market manager
Jeff Brown in a statement.
Of those parties that had expressed interest in the Celtics'
broadcasting rights, linking up with the CBS-owned 98.5 The Sports Hub made the
most sense.
The Sports Hub's Arbitron ratings have been better than
WEEI's of late, establishing 98.5 as a major player in the sports-frenzied Boston market.
In addition, the Celtics are joining a station that is
already the flagship station for the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins.
And while there are certainly some conflicts schedule-wise
between the Celtics and the Bruins, there are a number of other CBS-owned
stations in the Boston
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