PHILADELPHIA -- Temple University and The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT have reached an agreement on a new multi-year deal that will expand the University's athletic coverage on the 50,000 watt CBS RADIO-owned station. Besides continuing its live broadcasts of Temple football and men's basketball, which the station has aired since the 2001-02 season, WPHT will now broadcast six Temple women's basketball games in each year of the contract. In addition, WPHT will air weekly coach's shows for football and men's basketball as well as a monthly Temple Sports Update Show.
"We are excited to be able to not only continue, but strengthen our relationship with WPHT," said Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw. "This deal sets a record for radio exposure of Temple athletics. The opportunity to provide commercial radio exposure for women's basketball, one of our primary concerns in terms of radio coverage, highlights this agreement."
"Listeners and alumni have come to rely on the station for Temple sports, and we are pleased to continue as the radio home for the university," said David Yadgaroff, Vice President & General Manager of The Big Talker 1210 AM-WPHT. "By expanding our agreement with Temple we're able to expose our already outstanding evening and weekend lineup, including coverage of the Phillies and Sid Mark's Sounds of Sinatra, to vast new audiences across the Delaware Valley."
The new agreement goes into effect on August 31 when the Temple Owls kick-off their 2006 football schedule against the University of Buffalo. That game, which commences at 7:00 p.m., will be moved to WNTP 990 AM due to WPHT's existing contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Al Golden Radio Show debuts on Monday, September 4. It will be taped at 7:00 p.m. every Monday in front of a live audience at the South Philly Taproom and will be aired at 9:30 p.m. that night.
For the 12th consecutive season veteran Philadelphia and KYW Newsradio announcer Harry Donahue will do the play-by-play for Temple football while former Owls quarterback and Maxwell Award winner Steve Joachim returns for a seventh season as color analyst. Donahue, who will serve as host for the Al Golden and Fran Dunphy radio shows, will again team with former Temple standout John Baum for men's basketball broadcasts. Baum, who is also an Assistant Athletic Director at Temple, is entering his 10th season as color analyst.
The Temple Sports Update show will be co-hosted by Donahue and Bradshaw. The show debuts immediately following the Temple-Louisville football game on September 9.
The Temple women's basketball six-game radio schedule on WPHT will be announced at a later date.
