Sixers leaving WIP for The Fanatic
The Sixers' regular-season finale Wednesday night will be their last game on WIP, ending a long relationship with the station.
The team announced a multiyear agreement for all games to air on 97.5 The Fanatic, and for a significant number of games to be simulcast on 950 ESPN Radio.
The first broadcast will be Game 1 of the Sixers' first-round playoff series Saturday. That game will air on the FM dial; some playoff games will also be simulcast, although which games has not been determined.
Announcer Tom McGinnis will continue to call the games, "without change," according to a press release.
The move comes as WIP has added game coverage of both professional and college teams following its incorporating an FM signal on 94.1.
"For the first time ever, all 76ers games all season long will be found on a single station on the preferred FM band and many will be simulcast on AM as well," Sixers CEO Adam Aron said in a statement. "The Sixers rapidly growing fan base will no longer have to set their radios to 'scan' to find where their Sixers will be aired. We appreciate the support of our previous primary radio station broadcaster over the years, but know that this move to The Fanatic and ESPN Radio is the right move for Sixers fans."
In a statement, Marc Rayfield, a senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio, which operates WIP, said: "WIP and the Philadelphia 76ers have been broadcast partners for many, many years. A changing competitive landscape has required both sides to reevaluate its priorities.
"We thank the 76ers, its great play-by-play announcer Tom McGinnis, Comcast Spectacor and the new ownership group for giving us the privilege of broadcasting their games, and wish them luck in this season's playoffs, as well as in the years to come."
Beginning next season, each game will be preceded by 20 minutes of pregame coverage and followed by 40 minutes of postgame coverage. The postgame show will include a live broadcast of the coach's news conference.
The Sixers and Greater Media Philadelphia, which owns the radio station, also said they are seeking to build a network outside the immediate radio signal area.