University of Texas Athletics and LEARFIELD/Longhorn Sports Properties announced today that iHeartMedia Austin will become the new radio home for the Texas Longhorns.
The multi-year partnership will bring fans across greater Austin live game day broadcasts for Longhorns football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and softball, as well as coaches’ shows and other programming.
iHeartMedia’s KVET-AM 1300 The Zone will become the flagship station, with Longhorns football and men’s basketball programming simulcast on KVET-FM 98.1. Broadcast stations for other sports will be announced at a later date, including Spanish-language broadcasts for football game days.
LEARFIELD’s Longhorn Sports Properties, which manages the Longhorn Radio Network and Texas Athletics’ multimedia rights, negotiated the partnership.
“The move of our network’s flagship radio station to KVET is a huge win for our fans in Austin and central Texas,” said Chris Del Conte, Vice President and Director of Athletics at The University of Texas. “The powerful signals of AM 1300 The Zone and 98.1 KVET will give our Longhorn faithful access to crystal clear radio game broadcasts from the northern tips of Williamson County down to the southern regions of Caldwell and Hays counties and out east to our friends in Bastrop and west into the beautiful Hill Country. No matter where you are in that footprint, you’ll get your Horns loud and clear from kickoff, tipoff or first pitch. Then you add the cherry on top to this deal with our network’s partnership with the mighty brand of iHeartMedia, and we’ve hit a home run in every way.”
In addition to its flagship programming, iHeartMedia and its Austin stations – 98.1 KVET (KVET-FM); AM 1300 The Zone (KVET-AM); 103.1 Austin (K276EL/KVETHD2); 96.7 KISS FM (KHFI-FM); 102.3 The Beat (KPEZ-FM); KASE 101 (KASE-FM); Alt 97.5 (K248CU/KASEHD2) – will receive promotional exposure at Texas Athletics events and more, including on-site broadcasts from the famed BEVO Blvd on football game days.
“Texas Longhorns is one of the leading college sports brands in the country, with Longhorn Nation continuing to be recognized for their pride and dedication to their home team,” said Kevin LeGrett, President of iHeartMedia Sports. “We are excited to be the broadcast home to these passionate sports fans, providing great programming and play-by-play coverage not only in Austin, but everywhere via iHeartRadio.”
The Longhorn Radio Network broadcasts football and men’s basketball game days, as well as coaches’ shows statewide on more than 30 affiliates. Additionally, broadcasts are available on SiriusXM satellite radio and streamed live worldwide on TexasSports.com and the Texas Athletics mobile app, as well as the iHeartRadio app. Fans can find the complete list of listening options on TexasSports.com/radio.
Craig Way, entering his 23rd year as the ‘The Voice of the Longhorns’, will continue his play-by-play role on game days, alongside familiar personalities and analysts. Longhorns Football kicks off their 2023 season vs. Rice on September 2 at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
About iHeartMedia Austin
iHeartMedia Austin owns and operates 98.1 KVET, KASE 101, 96.7 KISS FM, 102.3 The Beat, AM 1300 The Zone, 103.1 Austin and ALT 97.5 and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
About Longhorn Sports Properties
Longhorn Sports Properties is the local LEARFIELD team dedicated to representing The University of Texas and oversees the comprehensive athletics and campus multimedia rights relationship. LEARFIELD is a media, data, and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics that unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. Its services include licensing and collegiate sports properties’ multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics and insights; ticketing software; and ticket sales, premium seating, and fundraising services; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for NACDA’s acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, recognizing athletic departments across all divisions.