Audacy and Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals have agreed to a multi-year extension to their partnership, which includes making Audacy’s “96.5 The Fan” KFNZ-FM the Royals’ flagship for all spring training, regular and postseason games, with games also streamed via the Audacy app within the Royals broadcast territory.
With the new deal, Royals game coverage moves to a full-time FM sports station in their hometown for the first time in the team’s history. Audacy had aired the team’s games on “The Fan 610” KFNZ-AM.
Royals Hall of Famer Denny Matthews will be calling the plays for a 57th season, making him one of just four announcers in MLB history to broadcast for the same team for more than 50 years. Matthews will again be joined in the booth by Ryan Lefebvre, Jake Eisenberg and Steve Stewart.
The Fan’s Josh Vernier will host Royals pregame and postgame shows and join the station’s weekday programming throughout the season to discuss the latest news surrounding the team. Throughout the season The Fan will also air weekly interviews with Royals manager Matt Quatraro on Wednesdays at 9am (CT), and bi-monthly interviews with Executive VP and General Manager J.J. Picollo.
“We’re thrilled to extend our longstanding partnership with the Royals and, for the first time ever, bring every pitch, hit, and home run to fans on crystal-clear FM,” Audacy Kansas City Senior VP and Market Manager Roxanne Marati. “As the premier home for everything Kansas City sports, we’re proud to be the go-to destination for Royals fans and keep them connected to their favorite team throughout the year.”
Kansas City Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman adds, “Audacy is an important and valued partner for us, and has earned their reputation as one of our fans’ favorite platforms to connect with the Royals. Moving to FM is a positive for everyone, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Audacy to serve the needs of our passionate and knowledgeable fans.”