Broadcasts of Hoosier games moving to stronger signal at 105.1 FM
By Doug Wilson,
Herald-Times Staff Writer
The Indiana Hoosiers are moving up the radio dial this year to Big Red Country.
Indiana University basketball and football games will be heard on Bloomington station WGCT, Big Red Country 105.1 FM, this fall instead of WBWB, B97 FM, which has broadcast Hoosier games for about a decade.
The change is being made primarily because WGCT is 6,000 watts, compared with the 3,000-watt B97. The stronger signal will allow residents of counties surrounding Bloomington, particularly Greene County, to receive better reception for IU games.
Art Angotti, president of Indianapolis-based Artistic Media Partners, which owns both radio stations, said that with a new IU football coach and relatively new athletics director, this seemed to be the perfect time to make a change.
"We wanted to do anything we could to give the athletics department and the football and basketball programs a boost," said Angotti, a former IU track and field athlete and former winner of the Z.G. Clevenger award recognizing graduates who make significant contributions to IU athletics.
Another factor favoring the switch to WGCT is that its programming format will allow better on-air promotion of IU games through more appearances by IU coaches and representatives, according to Brett Hutton, general manager of IU Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Communications, which produces the IU game broadcasts.
In addition to WGCT, Artistic Media stations in Lafayette and South Bend are being added to the IU sports network.
Don Fischer, voice of the Hoosiers for 30 years, said Monday that it was in the late 1970s that Lafayette had a station broadcasting IU games. He said a story has been told over the years that the station was sabotaged by Purdue University fans. But Fischer doesn't know if the story is true.
"We've posted extra security guards around the building," joked Angotti, who said the game broadcasts from his station, WAZY-AM, will serve many IU alumni who live in the Lafayette area.
Another change in the IU football broadcasts this year will involve the broadcast team. Longtime IU broadcasters Fischer and Joe Smith will be joined by a new color-commentary announcer.
IU has decided to replace former IU assistant football coach Buck Suhr as color commentator. The decision was made as part of an annual review of its football broadcasts, according to IU athletics department spokesman Jeff Fanter.
IU and IU Sports Properties are expected to select a replacement for Suhr in the next week or two.
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