Since the advent of the internet in the mid-’90s, the manner in which people consume their content has slowly evolved to where it’s really like the wild, wild West. If there’s a show that you enjoy, chances are you can consume it in any manner ranging from terrestrial radio to Spotify to YouTube, if you like visuals.
Despite the rise of podcasts and streaming, the aforementioned terrestrial radio is still the mechanism through which a majority of people consume their content their talk and music content, especially in their cars. In fact, the biggest battle in that realm has been for AM radios to remain a part of newly manufactured vehicles. It’s a dog fight.
For 32 years, Houston’s sports talk leader has been SportsRadio 610. Full disclosure, I host the morning show on 610, and I can tell you that our management team has been fighting for years to move our shows onto an FM signal, and bring us into the 21st century. On Wednesday morning, we announced at the end of my morning show, that SportsRadio 610 is indeed moving to FM, rebranding as 95.7 The Fan, and launching Thursday, August 13, at 8 a.m.
I can’t begin to tell you how exciting this is for me and for my colleagues at the station. Additionally, I can’t begin to tell you how significant this is for you, the formerly-known-as-SportsRadio 610 listener. It’s no secret that our signal has been scattershot for the better part of the last couple years. This is a change over to a 100,000 watt blowtorch. Gone are the days of the signal being smothered by static or dropping off altogether.
In other words, this is a great day! Since I know there is undeniable crossover between my radio listeners and my readers here, I thought a brief FAQ might help, so here we go:
So are there any lineup changes coming with this?
Nope. Everything remains as is with the current lineup, which during weekdays is my show with Seth Payne (Payne & Pendergast) from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., In The Loop (John Lopez, Reggie Adetula) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Drive (Clint Stoerner, Ron Hughley) from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and our night show, Area 45 (Patrick Creighton, Shaun Bijani), from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Additionally, we remain the home of the Houston Texans, so all Texans broadcasts and adjacent programming will run on 95.7. Worth noting, the Texans games have been running on 610 on AM and 100.3 The Bull on FM on game day. The games’ FM home will now be 95.7 The Fan.
So is 610 dead now, or will the shows still run there?
610 is not dead at all. The signal will be simulcasting all of the programming that will run on 95.7 The Fan, so if you’re cool with the signal on 610 and don’t feel like changing your presets, you’re taken care of. If it were me, I’d program in the FM signal on 95.7, but that’s me! 610 will change its branding from SportsRadio 610 to 610 The Fan.
Can I still listen on the free Audacy app?
Absolutely! If you’re not a terrestrial radio listener, and you’re somebody who streams your shows on your phone or tablet, the station will still be housed inside the free Audacy app. If you’re searching for the station inside the app, just be sure to search on “95.7 The Fan.” Additionally, our local programming all runs on our YouTube channel and Twitch streams, which you can find by searching “95.7 The Fan.”
