Major League Baseball’s most prestigious franchise will remain with the country’s most prestigious sports radio station.
Wednesday afternoon, Audacy announced a multi-year extension that will keep WFAN as the flagship radio and digital home of the New York Yankees. Yankees broadcasts can be heard on the Audacy app in addition to WFAN. Audacy didn’t state the length of the contract, but according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the partnership will extend into the 2030s.
“The Yankees are excited to extend our longstanding relationship with WFAN and Audacy,” Lonn Trost, Chief Operating Officer of the New York Yankees, said in a press release. “WFAN has been our flagship station for over two decades, and we look forward to fans continuing to enjoy Yankees baseball over its airways and on the Audacy app.”
WFAN has not been the Yankees’ flagship station for over two decades as Trost curiously stated in the press release, but the Yankees have been part of the WFAN family for over two decades.
The Yankees’ previous deal with WFAN was for 10 years, valued between $10-$15 million annually, and set to expire after the 2023 season. Prior to joining WFAN for the 2014 season, the Yankees spent 13 years on sister station WCBS. Audacy currently controls the radio partnerships of both New York baseball teams, as the Mets are in the middle of a contract with WCBS that lasts through the 2025 season.
“The New York Yankees are the city’s premier sports franchise and WFAN is the city’s premier sports platform, so together we form a potent combination for fans and client partners,” added Chris Oliviero, Audacy’s New York Market President. “2022 is our 21st consecutive season of broadcasting the Bronx Bombers, and we look forward to continuing to have the honor of being the soundtrack to more memorable and historic pinstripe moments.”
The partnership extension includes the Yankees Spanish language broadcast, which can be heard on WADO. John Sterling, Suzyn Waldman and Sweeny Murti are the announcers for WFAN’s English call, while Rickie Ricardo, Francisco Rivera, and Rene Luna provide the Spanish language broadcast.
Considering the Yankees’ new deal with WFAN is expected to last into the 2030s, it’s fair to assume significant changes will hit the broadcast at some point during the contract. Sterling is currently 84 years old and Waldman, who was just elected to the Radio Hall of Fame, is 75. It would seem highly unlikely that the Sterling-Waldman tandem will last the duration of the Yankees’ next deal with WFAN.
The press release also states that WFAN will launch year-round Yankees-themed content in addition to their in-season game broadcasts. Audacy and WFAN didn’t offer specifics, but allow me to introduce you to sports radio in New York, which already features year-round Yankees-dominated content.
[Audacy]
