July 24, 2010

Athletics, Cookeville Communications announce multi-year broadcast partnership

Tech Athletics and Cookeville Communications have agreed to a new, multi-year partnership featuring the Golden Eagle Sports Network.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech University Athletics and Cookeville Communications have agreed to a new, multi-year partnership featuring the Golden Eagle Sports Network. Magic 98.5 will continue to serve as the flagship station for Golden Eagle Football broadcasts while Newstalk 1400 the Hub (WHUB 1400 am) will be the flagship station for fans to listen to Tech Basketball games.

“We value this broadcast partnership and look forward to the radio broadcasts on the Golden Eagle Sports Network,” said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics. “We are excited that Magic 98.5 will continue as the flagship station for Tennessee Tech football and that Newstalk 1400 the Hub will continue to carry the broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball games. We appreciate everyone at Cookeville Communications for embracing TTU Athletics.”

With the 50,000-watt Magic 98.5 as the flagship station, Tech’s football broadcasts can be heard throughout middle Tennessee on the Golden Eagle Sports Network. The football game broadcasts reach from the Kentucky border in the north to Spencer and Manchester in the south, from Nashville and Murfreesboro in the west to Crossville and Jamestown in the east.

“We think it’s a perfect combination to carry the Golden Eagle football games on Magic 98.5,” said Jerry Zimmer, owner and general manager of Cookeville Communications. “It brings together exciting football with a large, enthusiastic audience. We’re excited about broadcasting the games, and also about all the other things surrounding the games such as the tailgate park, ticket giveaways and some of the other things we have planned."

As part of the partnership, Magic 98.5 will continue to serve as co-host of the Purple Pride Caravan which has stops scheduled around the region leading up to the first home football game.

“We’re thrilled that our football game broadcasts are on a 50,000-watt station that reaches out to our loyal followers,” Wilson said. “The broadcast team did a great job last year, and we’re looking forward to this year’s schedule.

The football season opener is Saturday, Sept. 4, when the Golden Eagles play at the University of Arkansas.

Once again, veteran broadcaster Roger Ealey will be in the booth to call the action and will be joined by local sports authority Buddy Pearson in the press box. The football broadcasts on Magic 98.5 added live, sideline reports last season and will continue this year as Brandon Goodwin joins Ealey and Pearson with his updates from the field.

“Magic 98.5 listeners are an audience we want to capture,” Wilson said. “They are the ones who provide the excitement and enthusiasm when they are in Tucker Stadium, and they are the listeners we want to get our message to about Tennessee Tech football.”

All 11 regular season football games can be heard on the Golden Eagle Sports Network and Magic 98.5, which can be heard throughout much of the mid-state region. The broadcasts will also continue to be available through Teamline via the telephone and the Internet.