WFAN and other Audacy stations joining SiriusXM

For years, there was speculation about whether Chris “Mad Dog” Russo would ever return to WFAN, but in a surprising turn of events, it’s WFAN that will be joining SiriusXM.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported the news Tuesday morning, sharing that WFAN and 41 other Audacy-owned radio stations will soon be available on SiriusXM. In addition to WFAN, Philadelphia’s WIP, Boston’s WEEI and Chicago’s The Score are among the local sports stations included in the SiriusXM agreement. According to Marchand, the partnership, which will see Audacy receive a licensing fee, is expected to begin Sept. 1.

“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,” Kelli Turner, CEO and President, Audacy Inc., said in the press release. “We look forward to working together with SiriusXM to bring our outstanding talent and content to sports fans and news and talk listeners wherever they are, providing our audiences with more ways to stay connected to the conversations that matter most to them.”

Each of the 42 stations will be available on the SiriusXM app, while WFAN and eight other sports stations will also be offered in vehicles’ built-in satellite radios. WFAN, 104.3 The Score in Chicago, 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, 95.7 The Game, WIP, WEEI, 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, and The Fan in Cleveland and Pittsburgh will all be available to listeners in their cars and on the app. But for the first time since 2008, New York sports radio listeners will be able to hear Russo and WFAN on the same platform.

Russo left WFAN in Aug. 2008, marking the end of his iconic tenure alongside Mike Francesa before making his solo debut on SiriusXM Sept. 15 of that year. The early years of Russo’s solo act were challenging, often sparking some wonder about a potential return to terrestrial radio. But in the end, it’s WFAN that is joining Russo on SiriusXM.

The partnership will presumably result in cross-promotion between SiriusXM and Audacy’s local sports stations, possibly opening the door for Russo to make more appearances on WFAN. For Audacy, the agreement offers broader distribution for its local terrestrial brands. For SiriusXM, the agreement fills its local sports programming void. While SiriusXM offers its audience access to most live sporting events and games, the platform has been home to minimal local sports talk programming beyond Mad Dog Sports Radio.