With parent company Cumulus Media expected to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Wednesday (4/15) as a Houston federal judge weighs a prepackaged restructuring plan, one of its strongest radio stations has extended a flagship audio deal with the San Francisco 49ers that dates to 2005.
A multi-year partnership extension with the National Football League franchise and KNBR-AM & FM in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose DMA is now in place.
Branded for years as “The Sports Leader,” KNBR and the 49ers continue a partnership that keeps iconic play-by-play hosts Greg Papa and Tim Ryan in place. There are pre-and post-game shows that will also continue.
“We at KNBR are tremendously excited to continue this valued partnership with the Niners,” said Larry Blumhagen, Regional Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus’ San Francisco stations and for KABC-AM in Los Angeles. “We have a wonderful relationship with the organization and its people, and they are truly a partner to us in connecting their fans with all the gameday action they love and demand. We look forward to continuing to provide 49ers fans with outstanding gameday coverage on all KNBR platforms from AM/FM to streaming.”
This announcement comes as the 49ers and KNBR gear up for the NFL Draft from April 23-25.
“As our flagship station for more than 20 years, KNBR is woven into the fabric of the 49ers organization and what it means to be Faithful,” said Brent Schoeb, the team;s Chief Operating Officer. “KNBR has been there for every 49ers moment since 2005, from spectacular individual plays and broken records to playoff wins and our move to Levi’s Stadium. We are thrilled to extend our long-term partnership and look forward to more legendary calls from Greg and Tim on gamedays.”
KNBR’s 49ers programming can be heard on KNBR-AM 680 and KNBR-FM 104.5 (formerly KFOG). Co-owned stations KSAN-FM “107.7 The Bone” and Talk KSFO-AM 810 are also included in the content partnership agreement.
