The Charlotte 49ers, through the University’s media rights holder IMG College, have completed an extensive partnership with WFNZ, Sports Talk 610 AM, that will land the 49ers radio broadcasts on the market’s largest sports station.
All Charlotte 49ers football and men’s basketball games will be broadcast on WFNZ 610 AM, unless the games are in direct conflict with Charlotte Hornets basketball. Station 1660 AM will air any such conflicts, as well as the 49ers coaches shows. In addition, the stations will broadcast a number of baseball and women’s basketball games. Both WFNZ and WBCN were ranked in Arbitron’s top 20 AM and FM stations in the Charlotte market this past fall, and the two joined WBT-AM as the only AM stations in the top 20.
In addition to the live broadcasts, the three-year deal includes transmission of pre-game shows throughout the season. IMG College, which operates the nation’s largest independent sports radio network, will produce a daily “49ers Minute” to air on WFNZ during the morning drive.
“We have taken substantial steps to put our program in front of more and more people throughout this region,” said Judy Rose, 49ers director of athletics. “Last year, we struck a deal with WCCB to televise football and basketball games throughout the Charlotte area, and now, we are able to announce that our radio broadcasts will reach a greater audience of sports fans as well on the area’s top sports station. We are thrilled to not only land our game broadcasts on a powerful platform but to also capitalize on the local programming and large listenership 610 AM enjoys throughout the day.”
Tod Rosensweig, general manager of Charlotte IMG Sports Marketing, said, “The huge audience the station’s day-time programming commands throughout our market will enable us to bring our corporate partners’ messages and the 49ers brand to more listeners than ever before. As we broaden the Charlotte IMG Radio Network to additional stations throughout the Carolinas, WFNZ will give us a strong foundation here in our home town. Charlotte’s college teams are now on Charlotte’s leading sports station, where we belong.”
The first broadcast will be the 49ers “Year Two” season-opener in football, Thursday, Aug. 28, as the team competes at Campbell University. Longtime “voice of the 49ers” Matt Swierad will continue in his role as play-by-play announcer for both the men’s basketball and football programs.