SF Radio: NBA Warriors Move To KGMZ The Game

The NBA Golden State Warriors have that they’ve ended their 32-year run with KNBR 680 AM  and signed a multi-year deal with KGMZ 95.7 FM The Game starting this coming season.

According to The Mercury News, This is a major move for the franchise–away from KNBR’s monster signal and tradition–but it has been in the works from the moment Warriors executives (led by owner Joe Lacob and president Rick Welts) were infuriated when KNBR moved several Warriors playoff games this spring to a sister station in order to broadcast Giants games.

Big bullet point for Warriors management: 12 of their 24 playoff games this past season were not broadcast on KNBR 680 due to Giants conflicts. Also, eight other exhibition-season or regular season games were moved from 680.

“We’re excited about our new partnership with 95.7 the Game and the opportunity to provide our fans with increased coverage of the Warriors in a centralized location,” said Warriors President Rick Welts in a statement. “Under the terms of this partnership, virtually every Warriors game — including the playoffs — will be broadcast on 95.7. Additionally, our fans will benefit from increased programming overall throughout the year, including extended pre- and postgame shows, more in-season programming, a dedicated offseason presence and numerous call-in shows featuring front office staff, players and broadcasters.”

According to the Warriors, their radio network will include affiliates in San Jose (KRTY 95.3 FM) and Vacaville (KUIC 95.3 FM).

“We are truly excited about this new relationship with the Golden State Warriors,” said David Field, President and CEO of Entercom.  “It is a privilege to partner with such an extraordinary organization.  We look forward to bringing our listeners exclusive, unparalleled coverage of the team both on and off the court.”

“We know that our fans turn to us for the best-in-class sports content from the teams and leagues they care about the most,” said Steve DiNardo, Vice President and General Manager of Entercom’s 95.7 The Game. “The Warriors are one of the most popular basketball teams in the world and we are proud to deliver play-by-play broadcasts and 24/7 team coverage to local fans in the Bay Area and to be the official home of Warriors basketball.”

The surprise move ends a long-standing relationship between KNBR and the Warriors, who had partnered with the Bay Area’s top sports talk radio station dating to the team’s arrival in the Bay Area in 1962. KNBR, owned by Cumulus, has broadcast the Warriors for the past 32 years and 40 seasons overall.

KGMZ 95.7 FM (6.9 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“We’d also like to thank KNBR and the management at Cumulus for being a valued and trusted partner for nearly four decades,” said Welts in the statement. “KNBR has been a staple of the Bay Area airwaves for many years and we’ve been extremely fortunate to enjoy such a terrific long-standing relationship.”

The Warriors’ release mentions that long-time radio play-by-play man Tim Roye will remain on the call for their games on 95.7. The release does not mention the very popular Tom Tolbert, who has been the analyst for home games and all playoff games the past several years.