U of MN Athletics, iHeartMedia MPLS Introduce New Broadcast Partnership

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Multi-Year Agreement Also to Include Basketball, Men’s Hockey for Gopher Fans

MINNEAPOLIS (June 20, 2017) – University of Minnesota Athletics and its multimedia rightsholder, Learfield’s Gopher Sports Properties, announced today an unprecedented multi-year agreement with iHeartMedia Minneapolis. For the first time in recent years, Gopher fans can tune into iHeartMedia Minneapolis’ radio stations not only for live football game coverage, but for men’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball games and coaches’ shows as well.

Gopher regular-season football games will continue to be heard on KFAN-FM 100.3, Minneapolis/St. Paul’s Sports Leader, beginning with the 2017-18 athletic season in August. This flagship relationship is unchanged, however extended through the 2020-21 academic year. The seasonal coach’s show with Head Coach P.J. Fleck also will be carried on KFAN for fans in the greater Minneapolis listening area.

The additional Gopher coverage for iHeartMedia Minneapolis listeners next season comes with winter sports as all regular-season and post-season men’s hockey games, and men’s and women’s basketball games will be carried on an iHeartMedia Minneapolis station. Men’s hockey and men’s basketball will be carried on Twin Cities News Talk, simulcast on 1130 AM and103.5 FM, while women’s basketball coverage will air on ALT 93.3, Twin Cities’ Alternative station. The coaches’ shows for hockey and basketball will air on the respective stations as well. In addition, starting with the 2017-18 men’s basketball season, a select number of games against the Gophers’ Big Ten Conference opponents will air on KFAN-FM 100.3.

“Our iHeartMedia Minneapolis team is excited to build on our great relationship with University of Minnesota Athletics,” said Jeff Tyler, President of the Great Lakes Region for iHeartMedia. “The energy surrounding Coach Fleck and the Gopher football program, and now adding the tradition of Gopher hockey and the excitement for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, makes this the perfect time to bring them onto our iHeartMedia and iHeartRadio platform.”

According to Gopher Sports Properties’ General Manager Greg Gerlach, “iHeartMedia has been a great partner to Gopher football for many years now. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to expand that relationship to our men’s hockey, as well as our men’s and women’s basketball teams moving forward. Gopher Athletics is in outstanding hands due to the leadership of Mark Coyle and many excellent coaches. We look forward to a bright future with these sports, and our fans can enjoy our live radio broadcasts and other programming going forward led by the voice of Mike Grimm and our talented broadcasting teams.”

Sports fans can also listen to the radio stations’ broadcasts from anywhere via iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service.

Read more: http://kfan.iheart.com/onair/gopher...ls-15927496/?cmp=managed_social#ixzz4kZjMR7Xm
 

Looks like WCCO and ESPN 1500 are out.
 



Wonderful news. I will take full advantage of this with my smartphone. Love IHeart app.

I agree...this is actually a pretty big step forward if I understand it correctly. Many radio stations do not allow internet simulcasting of their live sporting events, and many colleges have their own websites that charge a fee for the ability to listen online. Hope this works as well as I am expecting.
 


I'm hoping the weekly coaches show is only available on the iHeart App.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Does this mean I won't be able to get the games on my Tuneitin app?
I haven't used iheart, but I definitely like having an app to connect me to the games. I had a number of instances last year when I was out of town and my app let me listen to the games.
 

I'm hoping the weekly coaches show is only available on the iHeart App.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The coaches shows are part of the contract for stations on the Gopher radio network, so any radio station that belongs to the network (Football or hoops)- starting with the flagship station - is supposed to carry the coaches shows. (If you don't carry the coaches shows, you're supposed to give them make-goods on the network spots, although some stations don't always play by the rules.....)

FWIW, at the station I work for, we tape-delay the FB coaches show because we're not going to pre-empt our noon news block for a coaches show.
 

Hopefully this means the post game show on my drive home isn't 2 min of content... 6 of ads... 1 min of content...

Otherwise radio?

 




Is there any possibilty KFAN would consider a programming change to just run audio playbacks of early 1990's gopher games between the hours of 5:30 AM and 9:00 AM?
 

Is there any possibilty KFAN would consider a programming change to just run audio playbacks of early 1990's gopher games between the hours of 5:30 AM and 9:00 AM?

Sorry, that time is reserved for self-gratification jokes.
 

Sorry, that time is reserved for self-gratification jokes.

Is there any possibilty KFAN would consider a programming change to just run audio playbacks of early 1990's gopher games between the hours of 5:30 AM and 9:00 AM?

I don't love the morning show by any means, but it apparently gets incredible ratings.
 






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