The Rockets have signed a multiyear deal with Clear Channel's KMBE-AM to make the station the team's new flagship radio station. Under the agreement, KMBE will air all Rockets games, with a number of contests being simulcast on KTRH-AM or KODA-FM. Craig Ackerman will return for his fifth season as Rockets radio play-by-play announcer, while analyst and studio host Joel Blank will also return for a fourth season. KMBE will carry a weekly Rockets show, a weekly Rockets personnel show and a weekly coach’s mid-day program (Rockets). In Houston, David Barron reported the four-year deal "begins with coverage of the NBA draft Thursday night from Toyota Center." The deal "ends the Rockets’ 10-year association with CBS Radio’s KILT, which now brands significant parts of its schedule as 'Texans Radio.'" Rockets President Tad Brown said that the move "involved more than a desire to be the lead pro franchise on its flagship station." Brown "acknowledged the Texans now have the most prominent position on KILT," but he said that "that had no bearing on the decision to align with Clear Channel." KMBE "will be the fifth station to air Rockets games" (CHRON.com, 6/27).
