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KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM didn’t have to reinvent itself to capitalize on the Seattle Seahawks’ run to Super Bowl LX.
It simply leaned into what it has always tried to be: a reflection of the community at moments when the community is most engaged.
For Program Director Bryan Buckalew, the challenge wasn’t deciding whether to cover the Seahawks — that part was obvious — but determining how a news station could add value without becoming a sports station.
“It’s really a two-pronged approach,” Buckalew said. “Seattle Sports is our sister station, and they do an incredible job owning the Xs and Os and the hardcore fan conversation. Where we focus on the news side is much more about the fan experience and the broader impact. We’ll take sound and interviews from the sports station, but we’re also reporting original stories that speak to the general news consumer — people who want to understand what this moment means for the city, not just who’s on the injured list this week.”
That distinction has allowed KIRO Newsradio to fully participate in the Super Bowl conversation without stepping on its sister station’s toes. Buckalew said the separation is both intentional and natural, given the audiences each brand serves.
“They’re two very different audiences, and we’re very aware of that,” Buckalew added. “Seattle Sports has been all over the team coverage, and they’ve earned that trust with sports fans. Our job is to stay in our lane while still recognizing that when the Seahawks make a run like this, it becomes a general-interest news story. That’s where we come in — covering the stories that transcend sports and pull in listeners who might not otherwise spend a lot of time with us.”
The collaboration between the two stations has made the process smoother than it might be elsewhere. Buckalew said proximity and shared culture matter.
“We’re in the same building, and the sports staff and news staff work very closely together,” the KIRO Newsradio Program Director said. “It’s a collaborative relationship, and that makes everything easier. When sports personalities are willing to jump on our news shows and talk about the bigger picture, that’s a huge asset. For a newer FM news brand, having a strong sports partner during a Mariners run and now a Seahawks Super Bowl run is invaluable, and we’re very thankful for that.”
Buckalew believes moments like this validate KIRO Newsradio’s long-standing role in the market, particularly given its history with the Seahawks.
“There’s a heritage here that matters,” Buckalew said. “We’ve had 50 years of Seahawks history in this market, and KIRO has been the media partner on AM and FM for that entire time. That kind of continuity means something to people. When a team reaches the Super Bowl, listeners expect us to be part of that conversation because we always have been.”
While there will always be a segment of the audience that prefers news with no sports crossover, Buckalew said that group shrinks dramatically during a Super Bowl run.
“Of course there are people who say, ‘Just stick to the news and don’t talk about football,’” Buckalew added. “But that’s a very small part of the audience right now. When the Seahawks made Super Bowl runs in the past, the entire town got wrapped up in it. You see bandwagon fans, casual fans, people who haven’t paid attention all season suddenly caring deeply. On the news side, that’s what we’re covering — how the city rallies around the team and how that excitement shows up everywhere.”
That philosophy has guided story selection throughout the postseason. Rather than focusing on game analysis, KIRO Newsradio has leaned into civic angles and human-interest stories that broaden the appeal.
“We’re covering things like the mayor’s bet with the mayor of Boston,” Buckalew said. “That’s not really a sports-radio story, but it’s absolutely a general-interest story. Those are the kinds of angles that allow us to add something different instead of just repeating what listeners can get elsewhere.”
When the audience expands during moments like this, Buckalew said the goal isn’t to deploy a gimmick, but to let the station’s everyday strengths do the work.
“There’s not one special trick,” Buckalew added. “It’s about having a consistently excellent product. When new listeners show up because of a high-interest story like the Super Bowl, everything else has to hold up — the newscasts, the talk shows, the interviews. We make sure newsmaker interviews get shared across the building, that sound gets pulled, that stories get written for the website. That’s what we try to do every day of the year.”
For Buckalew, the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run has also injected energy into what is already a busy news cycle.
“It’s super fun,” Buckalew said. “There’s a lot going on — the Seahawks, a short legislative session, homelessness issues, a new mayor. We’re not changing who we are because the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl. We’re just making sure we’re covering everything at a high level. When you have great staff and strong communication, I think that shows up in the product, and moments like this remind you why local radio still matters.”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He joined Barrett Media after a decade leading several radio brands, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.