September 29, 2014 – The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team has reached a multi-year agreement with CBS Radio’s WFNZ 610 AM to serve as the flagship station for Hornets basketball and the Hornets Radio Network. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
As the radio home of the Hornets, WFNZ will broadcast all of the team’s preseason (except the Oct. 15 11:00 a.m. game), regular season and any potential postseason games. In addition to game action, each broadcast will now feature both a 15-minute pregame and postgame show. As part of the partnership, additional Hornets content will be developed on WFNZ and marketing opportunities for the team will include all of the CBS Radio stations within the Charlotte market.
“We’re thrilled to be returning to WFNZ, the premier sports talk station in the Carolinas,” said Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield. “We’ve had a great relationship with WFNZ and the entire family of CBS Radio stations in Charlotte. This partnership gives us the unique opportunity to reach Hornets fans across the radio dial.”
“WFNZ couldn't be happier to be the home of the Charlotte Hornets,” said Operations Manager/Program Director of WFNZ, WSOC and WBCN D.J. Stout. “I don't think our city has ever been this fired up about NBA basketball and we're thrilled to be the station that will be carrying all the action.”
Along with tuning in to the games on the radio, Hornets fans are also able to listen to the WFNZ broadcasts on the Hornets Mobile App. The Hornets App is available for all mobile devices and can be downloaded on iTunes or Google Play.
Scott Lauer will return for his eighth season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Hornets. He started broadcasting Charlotte games during the 2007-08 season after serving three seasons as the studio host for radio broadcasts. Matt Carroll, a former NBA player who played eight of his 10 seasons with Charlotte, will partner with Lauer and serve as the analyst for all Hornets home games.
The Hornets Radio Network affiliates will be announced at a later date.