Tigers, Red Wings Ink Deals Keeping WXYT-AM As Flagship

The Tigers and Red Wings, both of which are owned by Ilitch Holdings, reached multi-year deals keeping WXYT-AM as the teams’ flagship station. Under the deals, WXYT will simulcast games on WKRK-FM (Tigers). In Detroit, Lynn Henning reports the deals are believed to be for three years, “with combined rights fees paid by the stations in the [$12-15M] range” (DETROIT NEWS, 1/12). Also in Detroit, Jon Paul Morosi notes CBS, which owns both stations, will sell the ads. The Red Wings’ deal will not begin until the ’07-08 season, although WXYT and WKRK Senior VP & GM Kevin Murphy said that it is “possible WKRK will simulcast some Wings games before the end of this season.” Murphy added that if “games overlap during the spring and fall, Ilitch Holdings Inc. would determine which station would carry which game” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/12).