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Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Entercom to Launch Radio.com Sports Digital Network

Entercom, a leading media and entertainment company and the nation’s unrivaled leader in local sports radio, today announced the creation of the RADIO.COM Sports Digital Network – an all-digital, daily, live, subscription-free sports network that will feature over 75 hours of original podcast content weekly. The RADIO.COM Sports brand, which was initially launched in February as Entercom’s national sports platform that sits atop the company’s vast array of broadcast and digital sports assets, will now expand its footprint into native digital original content for the first time.

The digital network will launch with over 65 hours of daily, live programming available exclusively on the RADIO.COM platform in both audio and video. In addition, short-form, on-demand versions of these shows will be distributed in real time through leading podcast distribution services. The podcast product offering will also feature four weekly podcasts, with more to be announced soon. 

In addition, the network will serve as the digital play-by-play home for Notre Dame and Clemson football and basketball, as well as other league and team partnerships which will be developed over time.

Already, advertisers such as ZipRecruiter and HIMS have committed as launch partners of the new network.

“We are very excited to be rolling out the new RADIO.COM Sports Digital Network with an outstanding lineup of native digital content,” said David Field, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Entercom. “It is the perfect complement to our unrivaled platform in local sports which includes most of the nation’s leading sports talk stations and personalities along with the most desirable play-by-play relationships.”

New daily and weekly RADIO.COM Sports Originals will include the following:

➤Home and Home hosted by Ross Tucker and Dave Briggs (M – F Live 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET)

This show features national conversation around the sports stories making news. The content is brought to the listener through a unique lens as the show will incorporate frequent live drop-ins on Entercom local sports broadcast stations around the country. This local perspective will tee up topics for Tucker and Briggs, as well as special guests like Michael Lombardi, Ric Bucher and Joe Girardi, to debate from a national point of view. Tucker is a former NFL offensive lineman and a current sports broadcaster with NBC Philadelphia on Eagles pre-season television. He also works as a RADIO.COM NFL Insider and on Westwood One NFL Network Radio among others roles. Briggs is a veteran sports broadcaster and the current co-anchor of CNN “Early Start.” He has previously anchored the network’s Super Bowl programming.

➤Scal & Pals featuring Brian Scalabrine & Others (M – F Live 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET, effective September 23)

This show features the charismatic Scalabrine, also known as the White Mamba, talking all things NBA. Scalabrine played for 11 seasons in the NBA and was a member of the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics. He is currently a Celtics analyst on NBC Sports Boston and a RADIO.COM Sports NBA Insider. More details will be announced in early September with this show scheduled to launch on Monday, September 23.

➤Swing & Mrs. hosted by Jennifer and Cody Decker (M – F Live 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET)

Originating out of Los Angeles, this show combines sports, lifestyle and pop culture with a slightly left coast bias. Jennifer (Sterger) Decker is an actress, comedian, writer and a current reporter for DAZN. She teams with her husband Cody, a recently retired professional baseball player who spent most of his career in the San Diego Padres system and was a member of Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic in both 2013 and 2017. He hit over 200 home runs in his minor league career. Together the Decker’s will form the only married couple sports podcast team. In addition to their daily show, Jenn and Cody will also produce a weekly podcast entitled Love at First Fight which will highlight their different perspectives on current events and life in general.

➤You Better You Bet featuring Nick Kostos & Others (Live 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET)

This show will focus on the fast-growing world of sports betting, including line changes, odds and more, with live looks and commentary around each evening’s live games. Fantasy sports will also be a focal point. Kostos is an industry leader in sports gambling and fantasy sports. He is an analyst for the Sports Illustrated sports gambling platform and a former host for CBS Sports Digital, as well as a writer for Bleacher Report. Kostos will be joined by a regular cast of contributors which will include Eli Hershkovich, Joe Ostrowski, Danny Parkins and Ken Barkley. This show will also air a special Sunday edition from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. during the NFL regular season through the big game in February.

➤Prevent Defense with Brian Baldinger & Eliot Shorr-Parks (Weekly Tuesdays)

This weekly podcast is for the ultimate NFL fan. Baldinger, who is an analyst for the NFL Network as well as aRADIO.COM NFL Insider, is renowned for his commitment to film study and every week will bring a depth of knowledge to the audience that is unsurpassed. Shorr-Parks is an Eagles analyst for SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia and adds outstanding insights. They will be joined each week by a variety of guests including Jason La Canfora, Armando Salguero, and Channing Crowder, as well as current players and coaches from around the league.

“We are thrilled with the extraordinary lineup of talent we have assembled to launch this new venture,” added Mike Dee, President of Sports, Entercom. “The introduction of OTT video distribution from the outset, as well as the commitment to create and distribute 25 hours of dedicated sports betting audio and video weekly to super serve that growing audience, are both examples of how the network will utilize technology and adapt quickly to the new trends that are shaping both consumer and advertiser interest. We look forward to the onboarding of more great content to the network in the coming months.”

Entercom owns and operates 35 all-sports stations across the U.S., including WEEI (WEEI-AM/FM) in Boston, WFAN (WFAN-AM/FM) in New York and SportsRadio 94WIP (WIP-FM) in Philadelphia. Additionally, it is the flagship home of 44 professional teams and over 50 Division 1 collegiate programs, including the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and University of Oregon, Clemson University and digital rights to University of Notre Dame, among others. This broadcast portfolio reaches over 31 million sports fans monthly and boasts the nation’s leading collection of radio play-by-play coverage.

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