NBC Sports Radio

NBC Sports Radio was a sports radio network that debuted on September 4, 2012. The network content was produced by NBC Sports Group and distributed by Westwood One, which is the corporate successor to the remains of the original NBC Radio Network that was dissolved in the 1980s. NBC Sports Radio was available through over 300 affiliates throughout the United States as of September 2013, as well as through live streaming on NBCSportsRadio.com, NBCSports.com, WestwoodOneSports.com, and the affiliates' websites. Its launch made NBC the last major broadcast network with a sports radio network to complement its sports division. On January 1, 2019, NBC Sports Radio switched from a 24/7 full-time network feed to a service featuring sports newsfeeds and syndicated offerings; the network's remaining operations were shut down 15 months later.

NBC Sports Radio
TypeSports radio network
Country
First air date
September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04)
ParentNBC Sports Group
(producer)
Westwood One
(distributor)
Key people
Jack Silver
Program Director[1]
Rob Simmelkjaer
Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures and International
Chris Corcoran
Executive Vice President, General Manager, Dial Global
DissolvedMarch 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)
Official website
NBC Sports Radio

Programming

NBC Sports Radio programming began airing 7:00pm–5:00am ET weekdays, but sports updates aired on the hour, every hour week-round. In January 2013, NBC Sports Radio launched weekend programming beginning Saturday at 7:00am and ending Monday at 1:00am. NBC Sports Radio had a full weekly schedule of programming beginning on Monday, April 8, 2013.[2]

Live sports

Beginning with the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, NBC Sports Radio relaunched the NHL Radio national broadcasts, which had not been heard nationwide since 2008.[3] The 2016-17 season brought regular season games, the All-Star Game, a playoff game of the week, both conference finals, and the Stanley Cup Finals to the network.[4]

NBC Sports Radio also had the rights to the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.[5]

Discontinuation of network programming

On November 29, 2018, Westwood One announced that NBC Sports Radio would no longer operate as a full-time network and would switch to a stripped-down syndicated service providing 24/7 sportscast newsfeeds at the top and bottom of the hour. Following the change, on January 1, 2019, the network carried two daily programs, PFT Live with Mike Florio in mornings and a revival of the fan-based The Daily Line in the afternoons. While not mentioned in the announcement, the live sports programming NBC Sports Radio carried would also continue, and the 2019 NHL Winter Classic aired on NBC Sports Radio unaffected.[6] Hosts Newy Scruggs, Keith Irizarry, Mark Malone, and Dan Schwartzman were no longer part of the lineup, although their shows continue to be available online. Westwood One cited the increasing competition among sports radio networks (Westwood One was effectively competing with itself since it also distributed CBS Sports Radio) as a factor as well as the network's inability to draw prominent affiliates (unlike CBS Sports Radio, which has a core affiliation with Entercom and Cumulus Media outlets, NBC had no major station group affiliations and largely relied on lower-end independent affiliates).[7] In March 2020, Westwood One informed affiliates that it would no longer distribute or represent NBC Sports Radio's remaining programming after March 31, 2020; the discontinuation did not affect Westwood One's distribution of NHL playoff broadcasts.[8]

Notable hosts

Notable contributors

Regular contributors and commentators of NBC Sports Radio include:[9][2][10][11][12]

Radio updates

NBC Sports Radio updates were at the top and bottom of the hour.

gollark: It's entirely possible. You can just not do bad things.
gollark: You can just... not look up people's data without asking?
gollark: For example, if they ask you to.
gollark: Well, yes, it's not *always* bad.
gollark: I don't think he actually left.

References

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