Coyote Radio Network Announces Flagship Station and Enhancements for 2012-13 Athletic Season
VERMILLION, S.D. - The University of South Dakota Athletics Department and its multimedia rights holder, Coyote Sports Properties, announced Thursday, January 5th that beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season numerous enhancements will be made to the Coyote Radio Network, including KVHT-FM 106.3 serving as the flagship station.
Coyote football and mens and womens basketball will return to KVHT-FM in Vermillion. Additionally, Joe Van Goor, the former voice of the Coyotes, will return as play-by-play broadcaster for football and mens basketball. Fans also will benefit from an increase in related radio programming, such as a weekly coaches show and a daily show.
"We are pleased to be back supporting the Coyotes over the airwaves, and we're equally excited to roll out new programming lined up for this fall", said Jeff Fuller, president of 5 Star Communications, which owns KVHT. "We aim to bring the best in radio coverage to Coyote fans, and we're certainly glad to have the opportunity to showcase that when football kicks off in August."
Coyote Radio Network coverage will be augmented through an agreement with Backyard Broadcasting, which will allow for all football games and the football coaches show to be broadcast on Sioux Falls affiliate KSQB-FM 95.7(also known as Q 95.7) and all mens basketball, the mens basketball coaches show, and select womens basketball games to be carried on affiliate KXQL-FM 107.9 (also known as KOOL 107.9). Craig Hodgson, VP/Market Manager of Backyard Broadcasting South Dakota, said, "We are thrilled to partner with the University of South Dakota as they gear up for their first year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012. This is an exciting time for Coyote Athletics and we're glad Q-95.7 and KOOL 107.9 can be part of it."
This move, coupled with the affiliation with KVHT-FM, will enable fans to hear Coyote game action and other USD Athletics programming all along the Interstate 29 corridor, from Sioux City, Iowa to Brookings, S.D. "These radio affiliate enhancements will allow Coyote fans across the region, especially in Vermillion, Yankton and Sioux Falls, to clearly hear exciting Coyote football and basketball action", said Travis Lee, Coyote Sports Properties General Manager.
Additionally, KMNS 620 AM in Sioux City, Iowa will carry all football and select mens and womens basketball games, serving as the Coyotes first-ever affiliate in this market.
The Coyotes new affiliation in Mitchell, S.D. will provide a 100,000-watt FM signal on KUQL-FM 98.3, which will carry all football and select mens and womens basketball games.
"I'm thrilled with the terrific strides Learfield Sports and the Coyote Sports Properties team have already made bolstering the Coyote Radio Network, ensuring our fans have the best possible game coverage and programming available", said South Dakota Athletic Director David Sayler. "We're happy to have KVHT back in the family, and we welcome the newly added affiliates that will broaden our reach into surrounding states, while also continuing to evaluate potential affiliate stations to ensure our presence throughout the state."
The rights agreement between South Dakota and Learfield Sports was announced in April 2011. In addition to USD, Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations. It also titles the Learfield Sports Directors Cup with NACDA and USA Today, and company-produced television programming is seen on more than 160 local stations, cable systems and Regional Sports Networks. Learfield Sports, which also provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide, is an operating unit of Learfield Communications, Inc. For more information and its complete collegiate portfolio, visit learfieldsports.com.
