BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - CSUB men's basketball games can now be heard on both Newstalk 1180 KERN and 96.1 FM following the new FM launch by American General Media this week.
The new station means CSUB men's basketball will be heard on both dials for the first time in history, further strengthening the exposure of CSUB broadcasts in partnership with American General Media, KERN and Learfield Sports, the multimedia-rights holder of CSUB Athletics.
KERN has been a longtime radio partner with CSUB Athletics and regularly features both CSUB men's basketball and select CSUB baseball games during the broadcast year.
This latest announcement is another piece in what has become a historic year for media exposure for Roadrunner Athletics that started with men's soccer being nationally-televised on the NSCAA TV Network in October. CSUB men's and women's basketball have already appeared on four separate regional networks thus far this season as well. Men's basketball is also part of the Western Athletic Conference's national television contract with Sinclair Broadcasting and the American Sports Network. The Roadrunners will play twice on that network beginning Saturday, February 7 against Grand Canyon. That game will be the first ever nationally-televised game originating from the Icardo Center. CSUB will also play on ASN February 28 at Seattle U.
"This is a great addition to our broadcast offerings," said assistant athletics director for communications Corey Costelloe. "Adding an FM signal for KERN is a great boost to our program and our broadcasts; it is another step in helping making our games available to as many fans as possible and we congratulate American General Media on this big move for their radio group."
All of the radio and television exposure also comes in the same season as the launch of the WAC Digital Network through Vista Wordlink and Pixsel. The new network featured several CSUB soccer and volleyball matches in the Fall and more recently, select non-conference men's and women's basketball games. Nearly every basketball game will also be available on WAC Digital once CSUB enters conference play in January. Select baseball and softball games are also scheduled for the Spring of 2015.
The WAC Digital Network includes computer and mobile-friendly streaming of home and away contests with CSUB home games streamed in multi-camera HD and produced locally by Fast Forward Video Services.
Other plans are in the works for even more coverage of CSUB Athletics in the near future.
The first game scheduled on the new KERN 96.1 FM will be on Thursday, Dec. 18 when CSUB plays Utah State in the first round of the World Vision Classic in Logan, Utah at 7 P.M. Due to an early start time, the Friday, Dec. 19 game against South Dakota State will be heard on SmartTalk 1230 KGEO beginning at 4 P.M. with the Roadrunners returning to Newstalk 1180 and 96.1 FM KERN on Saturday, Dec. 20 when CSUB takes on Idaho State in the final game of the World Vision Classic with a 4 P.M. scheduled tipoff time.
