Georgetown basketball games this season will switch over to FM in the Washington, D.C., area — a move that mirrors a national sports radio trend.
The Hoyas signed a three-year deal with CBS Radio that will put the school’s games on one of the group’s two FM stations in the D.C. area. Since 1998, Georgetown basketball games have been carried on an AM station owned by Red Zebra Broadcasting, a company that is majority owned by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
“It was a priority for us to have the games on FM,” said Jeff Ajluni, general manager of Georgetown Sports Properties and vice president of rights holder Fox Sports, citing the depth and reach of the CBS Radio stations.
Deal terms have Georgetown paying CBS Radio an undisclosed amount to air the games, with the school selling all the ad inventory around the broadcast. Most games are expected to be on CBS Radio’s flagship sports channel, The Fan (106.7), but some games may be moved to the CBS-owned news channel WNEW (99.1). CBS holds the radio rights to the Wizards, Nationals, Capitals, D.C. United and Virginia Tech, so it’s likely that several games will be bumped to the news channel.
Longtime play-by-play announcer Rich Chvotkin will remain; Ajluni said they are considering adding an analyst to the broadcast.
Ajluni said he hopes the partnership will expand beyond simple basketball broadcasts, adding that he expects CBS Radio to stage festivals with music acts on campus. CBS committed to carry Georgetown’s Midnight Madness live on one of its music stations (Fresh FM 94.7 or WPGC 95.5) and expects to have a musical performance as part of the festivities.
