Nothing lasts forever. And so it is with Green Bay Packers games on Milwaukee radio. Since 1929, Packers games have been heard over WTMJ, a part of the Packers radio network for over nine decades. On Oct. 27 the Packers – who handle their radio network inhouse, as opposed to allowing the flagship station (usually the rights’ holder) to implement the logistics, etc. – announced that the games in Milwaukee will switch from WTMJ-AM to “97.3 The Game,” an iHeartMedia owned station with the calls WRNW. The switch starts next season.
For the record, WTMJ is the number one ranked station in the Milwaukee market, according to Talkers.com. The station snagged a 9.1 share (6+, weekly AQH). WRNW-FM ranked number 15 in the market with a 1.3 share, however, the station is all sports, whereas WTMJ is news/talk at 620 on the AM dial with 50,000 watts by day and 10,000 by night. The station does have an FM translator but therein lies the rub; more-and-more sports franchises are switching from AM to FM stations, regardless of an AM station’s legendary status. And make no mistake, WTMJ in Milwaukee is legendary.
The day is coming, soon I might add, when teams will solely carry their product on downloadable apps with even FM stations left to go silent, when it comes to broadcasting live sports.
