Women's Basketball To Receive Unprecedented Radio Coverage in KC
Oct. 5, 2004
Lawrence, Kan. — The University of Kansas women’s basketball program will receive unprecedented radio exposure in Kansas City this season.
KU officials and ESPN Plus announced that Entercom’s KMBZ-AM 980 and KXTR-AM 1660 will collaborate to air all of KU’s women’s basketball games live for the first time in Kansas City.
KMBZ and KXTR will join Jayhawk Radio Network affiliate stations in Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita in carrying all KU women’s basketball games during the coming season.
KU and ESPN Plus also announced an agreement to extend KMBZ’s affiliation with the Jayhawk Radio Network through the 2005-06 season.
“We’re very excited that our Entercom radio affiliate in Kansas City is strengthening its partnership with KU athletics,” said KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins. “And we are particularly pleased that the women’s basketball program will get the coverage in Kansas City we know it deserves.”
“We are pleased to extend and expand the coverage of KU sports in Kansas City,” said Angela Haar, general manager of ESPN Plus at KU, which operates the Jayhawk Radio Network. “This will further increase our coverage of KU women’s basketball, and enable us to carry all the women’s games and “HawkTalk with Bonnie Henrickson” live in Kansas City.”
“Entercom considers the relationship with KU athletics one of our most valuable assets,” said Michael Keck, vice-president and general manager of KMBZ. “We’re excited to work with Lew Perkins and Coach Henrickson in making KU women’s basketball one of the premier programs in the country.”
KMBZ will continue to air KU football and men’s basketball games, as well as “Hawk Talk,” the weekly call-in shows featuring KU head football coach Mark Mangino and KU head men’s basketball coach Bill Self, and “Jayhawk Report,” athletics director Lew Perkins’ weekly radio show.
The KU women’s basketball team will be led by new head coach Bonnie Henrickson. Henrickson arrives in Lawrence after guiding the Virginia Tech to a record of 158-62 and seven postseason appearances in seven years. Under her guidance, Virginia Tech reached the NCAA tournament five times and the WNIT twice, and won 20 or more games every season.
In 2003-04, Henrickson led the Hokies to a 23-8 overall record, including a 10-6 mark in the Big East, which placed eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia Tech advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year before bowing out to No. 5 Penn State.
