Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU Announces Formation of the Eagle Nation Sports Network
7/28/2009 4:00:00 PM | Football, E-Gridiron Group
Football broadcast to be heard on both WEMU (89.1 FM) and WCHB (AM 1200)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University football fans from across southeast Michigan will soon have the ability to follow the gridiron action via a syndicated radio broadcast with the launch of the Eagle Nation Sports Network.
Beginning this September, EMU football will be broadcast on a pair of radio stations along with continued availability on the Internet. WCHB (AM 1200) in Detroit will join WEMU (89.1 FM) in Ypsilanti to extend the coverage of the Eagles.
The expanded coverage is through a partnership with Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc. and Radio One, Inc.
"The addition of WCHB to our broadcast network gives us a tremendous opportunity to expand our listening audience into a premier radio market like Detroit," EMU Director of Athletics Dr. Derrick Gragg explained.
"We are excited to be teaming up with Radio One and in bringing EMU Football to commercial radio," added Tom Varga, Senior Vice President of Nelligan Sports Marketing. "Not only will our new agreement with Radio One deliver the excitement of EMU football to more people than ever before, but will bring great value to our current corporate partners and play a major role in the expansion of our sponsorship program."
"Radio One Detroit and AM1200 WCHB are pleased to be the flagship station for EMU football during the 2009 season," said EMU alumna and Radio One Detrot's Vice President/General Manager Kathy Stinehour. "In addition to broadcasting all EMU football games, we are proud to announce that we will also be airing a football coaches show, Speaking English, featuring head football coach Ron English. The show will air on AM1200 every Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. throughout the season. We look forward to what is sure to be an exciting year of EMU football!"
WCHB, which boasts a day-time signal of 50,000-watts and a night-time signal of 15,000-watts, gives EMU a commercial radio presence in Detroit for the first time since the 2005 football season. WCHB's regular programming features an inside look at the Motor City with news, talk, and inspiration featuring Mildred Gaddis.
"WEMU has been broadcasting EMU football and basketball games for decades," mentioned WEMU's Program Director Clark Smith. "We are excited about the expansion of the program's audience reach this fall. This is a great opportunity."
WEMU, which has a continuous 15,500-watt signal, will continue to serve as the FM flagship and originating station for the EMU football and basketball broadcasts. In 2008-09, WEMU broadcast more than 50 live games, as well as interviews and stories during WEMU's news programs. Listeners in eight counties can catch Eagles' games on 89.1 FM. As a public radio station with a large broad-based audience, WEMU's signal extends from Washtenaw County to the Detroit metropolitan and Toledo, Ohio markets.
Veteran Detroit-area broadcaster Matt Shepard leads the Eagle Nation Sports Network broadcast team for the ninth year. Shepard first handled EMU football play-by-play duties during the 1999 season. He returned in 2002, and has held the post for seven straight seasons. A widely known football and basketball broadcaster, Shepard is the voice of University of Michigan men's basketball and the WNBA's Detroit Shock. During his career, he has called NFL Europe games for FOX and, in 2005, Arena Football League games for Fox Sports Net. Shepard's resume also includes extensive work as a reporter for the Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons and Detroit Tigers, and play-by-play work for the Michigan High School Athletic Association football state finals and the CCHA hockey television package. Detroit radio listeners also know Shepard for his weekday morning show on WDFN (AM 1130).
Analyst Rob Rubick joins Shepard in the booth for his 12th straight year as part of the EMU broadcast team. Following an eight-year career as a tight end with the Detroit Lions, Rubick has established himself as a superb analyst, providing detailed and pertinent commentary from an insider's perspective. Rubick's broadcasting resume includes analyst work for Grand Valley State University, Detroit Fury and MHSAA game broadcasts. He has also provided studio analysis for Fox Sports Net's Lions coverage. Rubick received a master's degree in education from EMU.
Producer/Engineer Jeff Fulton returns for his 24th year on the broadcast team. Fulton has also served as the on-site engineer for EMU basketball broadcasts from 1991 until 2003. A fixture in the Ypsilanti community and a longtime EMU supporter, Fulton was also the former communications director for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department.
Brian Nemerovski rounds out the on-site broadcast crew. In his seventh year, Nemerovski roams the sidelines during the contest and handles the on-field interviews following each EMU game. The Washtenaw County native is also the play-by-play voice of the EMU men's and women's basketball broadcasts. Nemerovski, who also serves as EMU's E-Recruiting Coordinator, provides coverage of EMU athletics during WEMU's news programs and on the station's Web site.
About Radio One, Inc.
Radio One, Inc. (www.radio-one.com) is one of the nation's largest radio broadcasting companies and the largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners. Their market portfolio includes stations in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, St. Louis and Washington, DC.
About Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc.
Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc. provides sales and marketing expertise for sports properties worldwide. NSM is dedicated to building long-term relationships with clients through exceptional management of the properties represented and by maximizing revenue growth through their corporate relationships. In addition to EMU, NSM represents some of the elite college properties in the country, including the Colonial Athletic Association and its 12-member institutions , the Horizon League, the Pac-10 Conference, the Patriot League, Brown University, Colorado State University, Fairfield University, Florida Atlantic University, Indiana State University, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, University of Louisville, Marquette University, Middle Tennessee State University, Monmouth University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Providence College, Rutgers University, West Virginia University, University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, the Champs Sports Bowl, the Capital One Bowl and the Penn Relays.
