Feb. 19, 2010
Cumulus Broadcasting, LLC and Vanderbilt University have announced a new agreement that will move Commodore football and men’s basketball games to 97.1 RQQ (WRQQ) as the flagship station on the Vanderbilt ISP Radio Network.
The three-year contract will go into effect for the 2010 football season and will run through the 2012-13 sports year with two option years to follow. Vanderbilt football and men’s basketball is currently heard over 104.5-FM The Zone.
“We have appreciated the long run with our current flagship station,” Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams says. “But as we looked at what would be Vanderbilt’s best option going forward, we found a terrific new partner with Cumulus Media and 97.1 RQQ. Their management is excited to welcome our programming and brings a very strong commitment to showcase Commodore athletics. Our fans are going to be very pleased that our games will be 97.1 RQQ’s top sports priority.”
“We are thrilled to partner with such a prestigious institute like Vanderbilt University,” stated Mark Sullivan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cumulus Media Nashville. “We’re excited and proud to be a flagship station for Vanderbilt sports and to be associated with the premier NCAA Conference.”
Vanderbilt football and men’s basketball games, Commodore call-in shows featuring Bobby Johnson, Kevin Stallings and Tim Corbin, and a popular daily Commodore update hosted by Joe Fisher will not be pre-empted by other programming in what is a very busy Middle Tennessee sports marketplace.
97.1 RQQ, operates at 45,000 watts, which thoroughly covers the Metro Nashville area and stretches well into Middle Tennessee. 97.1 RQQ will be the flagship of a network that includes 10 other Tennessee-based radio stations that stretch from Memphis to Chattanooga.
97.1 RQQ is Nashville’s Rock Station and now provides coverage of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, which began last Sunday with the broadcasting of this year’s Daytona 500.
ABOUT 97.1 RQQ, NASHVILLE’S ROCK STATION (WRQQ):
97.1 RQQ (WRQQ) Nashville’s Rock Station is located at 10 Music Circle East, Nashville, TN. 97.1 RQQ is quarterbacked by morning show award winners Bob & Tom from 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. Midday host J. Patrick, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. brings 10 years of Nashville radio experience and is an award-winning imaging and commercial production recipient. Afternoon drive is anchored by 22-year radio vet Mac, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., who is also the 2008/2009 A-I-R Award Winner for Afternoon Drive Radio Personality of the Year in Nashville. Mac moonlights as the arena announcer for the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators. 97.1 RQQ is a mainstream rock station serving all of middle-Tennessee and is part of Cumulus Nashville, a radio conglomerate consisting of five stations: SuperTalk 99.7 (WTN), 92Q (WQQK), 95.5 The Wolf (WSM), 97.1 RQQ (WRQQ) and i106 (WNFN). Cumulus Nashville is a part of Cumulus Media, the second largest radio company in America and the premier local marketing company in 68 cities across the US. Their radio and digital brands target numerous large and demographically-distinct audiences in each of these markets. For more information on 97.1 RQQ Nashville’s Rock Station, please visit www.971rqq.com. For more information on Cumulus Nashville, log on to www.cumulusradio.com. For corporate information, please visit www.cumulus.com.
ABOUT ISP SPORTS:
ISP Sports is entering its tenth year as the multimedia rights holder for Vanderbilt Athletics. As part of that agreement, the Winston-Salem-based company produces and markets a variety of services, including radio play-by-play and call-in shows, television programming, game programs, and corporate hospitality opportunities. ISP also markets the university’s official athletics website, www.vucommodores.com.
