Ferris State Radio Broadcasts & Audio Webcasts
FSU Athletics Partners With Sunny 97.3 FM
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University Athletics
Department, in conjunction with the Bulldog Sports Network, has
announced a new multi-year broadcasting and promotional agreement
with local radio station WDEE (97.3 FM).
The multi-year agreement, which will commence with the 2011-12
athletics season, will make Sunny 97.3 FM the "Home of the
Bulldogs" and the flagship station of the Bulldog Sports Network
while offering a consistent and high-quality voice on the local
airwaves. The partnership is also expected to enhance
listenership along with marketing and promotional opportunities
between the two entities.
The Bulldog Sports Network and Sunny 97.3 will initially air all
football, hockey and men's basketball contests live per the
agreement. In addition to being carried live on the local
radio airwaves, the agreement also allows for live internet
broadcasts thru the Bulldogs' new multimedia audio and video
portal, which will launch this fall thru Stretch Internet at
www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com.
The new deal will bring an end to the Bulldogs' play-by-play
broadcast relationship with Mentor Partners as the radio home for
FSU Athletics. Sunny 97.3 seized the opportunity to partner
with Ferris State Athletics when the previous agreement came to an
end.
In addition to the local radio voice, the agreement will also
allow live streaming audio and video for all home contests in the
three sports with live internet audio offered for all road
games. Video, which will be produced in conjunction with the
university's Television and Digital Media Production Program, will
be carried on a pay-per-view basis with all audio streamed live
free of charge. Broadcasts will also be available via
on-demand.
All broadcasts, home or away, will be proceeded by the 30-minute
"Bulldog Pregame" show, which features a preview of the game,
comments from the coaches and news from around the
conference. The broadcasts will also include a "Bulldog
Postgame" show recapping the event.
The first broadcast is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2, when the
Bulldog football team hosts preseason nationally-ranked Hillsdale
in the season opener at Top Taggart Field. Pregame coverage
is slated to begin at 7 p.m. (ET) with kickoff scheduled for 7:30
p.m. (ET).
Veteran play-by-play announcer Rob Bentley will
provide the play-by-play coverage for all Bulldog Football contests
this fall with local media personality Sandy
Gholston offering color commentary. The duo has been
part of the Ferris State football broadcast team for more than five
years and is also expected to serve as part of the basketball
broadcast team again this winter with Dominic
Hennig calling the hockey action for the third consecutive
season.
Sunny 97.3 is the area's number one oldies station and offers
news, sports along with weather from its downtown Big Rapids
location. They have also been the local radio affiliate of the
Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Minor League Baseball's West
Michigan Whitecaps. The station, which is licensed to Reed City
with studios in Big Rapids, operates at 2,850 watts and can be
heard thru various large portions of the four-county area
consisting of Mecosta, Newaygo, Osceola and Lake Counties.
Ferris State Athletics and Sunny 97.3 FM previously teamed up to
carry the Bulldog men's basketball team's march to the NCAA
Division II Sweet Sixteen this past March.
For more information on supporting Bulldog broadcasts, please
contact Sunny 97.3 at (231) 796-9730 and ask for a sales
representative.
"What they are saying about the new
partnership"
Perk Weisenburger - FSU Athletics Director
"We're excited about moving forward with Sunny 97.3 as the Home of
the Bulldogs. This broadcast partnership and creation of a true
flagship station is an aspect of our multimedia package that our
athletic department has been in search of and is one that both
entities, Sunny 97.3 and Bulldog Athletics, can build on in the
years to come."
Steve Masters - Sunny 97.3 FM Owner
"We’re excited about this new partnership and are looking
forward to a long and successful relationship between Ferris State
Athletics and Sunny 97.3."
Jeff Pierce - Head Football Coach
"I'm thrilled our fans will have an opportunity to listen to
Bulldog Football on Sunny 97.3. They've been an active
participant in the community over the years and I think our product
will only continue to grow on their airwaves."
Jon Coles - Associate Athletics Director
"Sunny 97.3 will further supplement and enhance the growth that we
have seen over the past few years in terms of local and regional
sponsors finding new ways to partner with Ferris State, our quality
student-athletes and promising athletics department."
Bill Sall - Men's Basketball Head Coach
"Sunny 97.3 did an outstanding job in carrying and promoting our
postseason coverage last season and it will be wonderful to have
our team back on a local station full-time this coming year."
Bob Daniels - Head Hockey Coach
"It’s an exciting time to have Ferris State Athletics, and
Bulldog Hockey in particular, on the air live in the Big Rapids and
Reed City areas on Sunny 97.3. We look forward to a great
partnership with them."
Rob Bentley – Athletics Communications/Play-By-Play
Announcer
"I’m excited about the opportunity to help call the action
on Sunny 97.3 FM. It will be a welcome addition for our fans
to have one consistent home on the dial in which to listen to
Ferris State Athletics."
Tom Schneider - Bulldog Football Senior
Quarterback
"It’s important to give our fans the opportunity to listen
both on the radio and over the internet. It will be exciting
to have our games showcased on Sunny 97.3 and the Bulldog Sports
Network."