Loons purchase radio station

The Great Lakes Loons have announced the purchase of radio station WYLZ 100.9-FM from the Last Bastion Trust. The Michigan Baseball Foundation helped finance the purchase of the station, which had previously been owned by Citadel Broadcasting. It has been rebranded ESPN 100.9-FM and will operate as an all-sports station beginning March 25, 2008.

ESPN 100.9-FM will carry ESPN Radio’s flagship weekday programs Mike and Mike in the Morning (6am-10am), The Herd (10am-1pm), and the Mike Tirico Show (1pm-3pm).

Michigan’s premiere sports talk show host Bill Simonson hosts The HUGE Show, weekdays from 3pm-6pm on ESPN 100.9-FM. The station will continue to be the flagship radio home for Great Lakes Loons baseball, carrying all regular season and post-season games, plus the 2008 Midwest League All-Star Game and Homerun Derby.

ESPN 100.9-FM will also carry various other ESPN Radio programs during night and weekend hours.

Loons President and General Manager Paul Barbeau noted that the opportunity to purchase the station was “too good to pass up” for several reasons. By owning a radio station, the Loons are able to secure a flagship station for the team’s radio broadcasts for as long as the team is the owner. The radio station also provides an opportunity to further promote the team, upcoming games and the charitable initiatives of the Michigan Baseball Foundation.

Like the Loons, the new ESPN 100.9-FM will operate as a non-profit organization. The radio station will provide an additional revenue stream for the Michigan Baseball Foundation, which along with the Loons has helped generate over $350,000 in charitable donations during the Loons’ first season. The station’s purchase also corresponds with the Foundation’s mission of promoting local economic development.

ESPN 100.9-FM will operate from the Citadel Broadcasting studios in Saginaw. After the conclusion of the baseball season, construction will begin on a state-of-the-art broadcast studio in the Dow Diamond press box, overlooking the baseball field.