D/FW Radio: Cumulus, Disney Do LMA Deal For KESN

And it could mean major signal upgrade for The Ticket.

Cumulus Media, which owns and operates KTCK 1310 AM TheTicket, has reportedly agreed to operate under an LMA (but not purchase) KESN-103.3FM ESPN Radio in Dallas and will run both stations.

The end of the September is the target date for The Ticket to assume control of ESPN 103.3 FM.

According to star-telegram.com, ESPN's radio personnel will relocate from Irving to downtown Dallas at Victory Park, where The Ticket currently operates.

ESPN’s Traug Keller was the ESPN senior vice president said ESPN-FM will continue to air “Mike & Mike” in morning drive and Colin Cowherd’s “The Herd” show as well as ESPN event programming, according to Barry Horn at The Dallas Morning News.

Those programs sell lots of national advertising. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is the fifth-largest radio market in the country behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

The station also will remain the radio home of the Rangers and Mavericks. Local programming, which includes Randy Galloway and other shows such as Durret and Fitzsimmons, is not certain.

Cumulus has aired Ticket programming on weak-signaled KTDK-FM 104.1, but the sale of the station is pending.  KTDK has 6200 watts. KESN has 98,000 watts.

KESN 103.3 FM 60dBu Coverage Area

According to Mac Engel at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there is a good chance Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket will relocate the majority of its programming to the 103.3 FM signal.

Cumulus owns eight radio stations in Dallas-Fort Worth.

It was not disclosed who will maintain the ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth website, which currently sports the ESPN template.