KANSAS CITY, Mo. ¡ª The Kansas City Royals and Audacy announced a multi-year extension to their radio broadcast partnership. 96.5 The Fan (KFNZ-FM), Kansas City¡¯s first full-time FM Sports station, will serve as the team¡¯s flagship station, airing Spring Training, regular and postseason games. Games will also be streamed via the Audacy app within the Royals broadcast territory.
¡°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,¡± Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman said. ¡°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.¡±
¡°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 Vice President and Market Manager Roxanne Marati said. ¡°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.¡±
Royals Hall of Famer Denny Matthews returns for a remarkable 57th season, one of just four announcers in MLB history to broadcast the same team for more than 50 years. He¡¯ll be joined again by Ryan Lefebvre, Jake Eisenberg, and Steve Stewart with Eric Guthrie as the Producer/Engineer.
96.5 The Fan will feature pregame and postgame shows hosted by the station¡¯s Royals insider Josh Vernier.
Throughout the season, 96.5 The Fan will also air weekly interviews with Royals manager Matt Quatraro every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. CT and bi-monthly interviews with Executive Vice President/General Manager J.J. Picollo. Vernier will join the station¡¯s weekday programming throughout the season to discuss the latest news surrounding the team.