S-F Area Radio: MLB A's Are Back On The Radio

The Oakland A’s decision this February to abandon terrestrial radio and broadcast all their games on A’s Cast, over the TuneIn streaming service, didn’t go over well with fans.

Now, Mercury News reports A’s baseball is back on the radio waves for the 2020 season, with the team announcing Thursday that it will partner with iHeartMedia's KNEW 960 AM to broadcast the remaining 54 games of the season, starting with Friday’s game against the Mariners in Seattle.

“We’ve always prided ourselves in listening to our fans,” A’s team president Dave Kaval said. “And I think for a lot of fans, this was something that was important for them. We wanted to find an option that worked.”

960 AM is a financial and business news station that is licensed in Oakland, with reach throughout the Bay Area. The A’s radio network outside of the Bay Area remains the same.

Before the coronavirus hit, most potential A’s partner stations didn’t have the time slots available for all 162 games. But the pandemic reduced commute times and listening opportunities, so radio stations are looking for more content to fill the airwaves.

A’s games will still be broadcast over A’s Cast, but the streaming service will move from TuneIn to iHeartRadio, with the same Northern California territory reach. The monthly listenership on iHeartRadio is estimated to be 28 million, compared to TuneIn’s 8 million. Kaval said he has heard positive response from a younger audience on the streaming experience.