After 5-Years, Cards Return To KMOX

Changes galore are in store for those watching and listening to Cardinals broadcasts this season.

In a move considered fan-friendly, the Cards are back on KMOX (1120 AM) after an unpopular five-year stay at KTRS (550 AM). On the other side, the team has eliminated over-the-air, or so-called "free TV' from the equation as its local package is exclusively on Fox Sports Midwest.

According to a story by Dan Caesar at stltoday.com, the reason for both moves are simple — money.

The Cards' switch to KTRS, of which they purchased a 50 percent interest, wasn't as lucrative as they thought it would become in part because of the country's economic downturn as well as media, including radio, being hit especially hard. And while the new deal with KMOX is believed to include a comparatively small rights fee to what the team used to receive, the team this time around is selling its own advertising and figures to make more with KMOX's wider reach.

And on the TV front, cable/satellite outlets such as FSM have an additional big revenue stream — subscriber fees — that over-the-air stations can't match.

To look deeper at both broadcasting moves, click here.