For years, if you were a New York sports fan and were well out of terrestrial radio range of WFAN, without streaming, you’d be out of luck to listen in on the reaction to a Yankees’ playoff game the day after.
Now, an agreement between Audacy and SiriusXM will deliver WFAN’s programming and that of 42 Audacy stations overall onto SiriusXM’s streaming and some of its in-car satellite platforms later this year.
Beginning Sept. 1, nine of Audacy’s sports stations, including WFAN(AM/FM) in New York, WIP(FM) in Philadelphia, WEEI(FM/AM) in Boston, KRLD(FM) in Dallas and WXYT(FM) in Detroit, will be available to to SiriusXM subscribers in their vehicles and on the SiriusXM app.
Several more sports stations, including KNX(FM) in Los Angeles, WJFK(FM) in Washington, D.C., WZGC(FM) in Atlanta and WQAM(AM/FM) in Miami, will also be available on Sept. 1 in the SiriusXM app, as well as in vehicles specifically equipped with 360L radios.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that Audacy is receiving a licensing fee in the deal, while SiriusXM is able to sell its own ads when listeners tune into the local stations on its platforms.
As part of the sharing agreement SiriusXM personalities — like former longtime WFAN host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo — may appear as cross-promotional guests on Audacy stations, Marchand reported.
An additional 19 news and talk stations, including WINS(AM/FM) in New York, KNX(AM) in Los Angeles, WBBM(AM/FM) in Chicago and KYW(AM/FM) in Philadelphia will launch later this year on the app, as well as those vehicles with 360L radios.
“Audacy’s sports brands are deeply connected to the cities, teams and fan communities they serve, and being able to extend our reach nationally through SiriusXM is a natural fit, ” Audacy President and CEO Kelli Turner said in the release.
The Audacy sports stations will be available to the majority of SiriusXM subscribers through its subscription plans, including Platinum, All Access, Music & Entertainment and other options, the release said.
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