At some point, all partnerships come to an end.
For the Baltimore Orioles, a 19-year association with WBAL radio, 1090 AM, to broadcast game coverage and play-by-play calls came to an end Monday.
In place of WBAL, the Orioles Radio Network now will be teaming up with CBS Radio Baltimore to beam the games into local homes, agreeing to a multiyear deal.
Baltimore-based WHFS 105.7 FM will become the flagship station for the Orioles, and is set to broadcast select preseason contests and all 162 regular season O?s games. The Orioles also are scheduled to be heard on 16 other stations throughout the mid-Atlantic region, but ?HFS will be the leader of the pack.
One benefit of being heard on ?HFS will bethe improved quality of FM stereo, a bandwidth that has never regularly carried Orioles games in the Baltimore region.
“It?s important to have a strong partner in your home-base city,” said Greg Bader, director of communications for the Orioles. “For purposes of not only signal strength and reaching as many people as you can, but for the benefit of your fans and your sponsors.”
As well as traditional broadcasts on WHFS, CBS Radio Baltimore also plans to utilize ESPN 1300 AM to bolster their coverage. Listeners also can expect to hear a slightly different game experience, with improvements planned for next years broadcasts such as live, in-game team manager and coach interviews.
The sister-station will aid the FM game coverage by sharing segments like manager and general manager shows, the latest trade buzz from around the league and fantasy baseball features.
“The Orioles? rich tradition offers the perfect complement to our existing sports programming,” Robert Phillips, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio Baltimore said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring this tradition to CBS Radio and WHFS 105.7.”
Currently, the Orioles Radio Network is planning on bringing back the broadcast team of Jim Hunter, Fred Manfra and Joe Angel. Broadcasts of Orioles games will begin in March with select spring training games from Fort Lauderdale, followed by opening day on April 9 at 8:10 p.m., with the O?s in Minnesota against the Twins.
“Our partnership with CBS Radio is exciting on many levels,” Bader said, “in that we have a partner who will allow us to broadcast our signal in FM stereo which will really bring a feel of the ball park to the folks at home.”
