Tampa Bay Rays Move To WDAE

CLEAR CHANNEL Sports WDAE-A (THE SPORTS ANIMAL)/TAMPA will take over from sister Talk WHNZ-A as the flagship for the AMERICAN LEAGUE champion TAMPA BAY RAYS baseball in 2009 under a multi-year agreement. The station will carry all regular season games and 17 Spring Training games. 

Play-by-play voice ANDY FREED, color commentator DAVE WILLS, and pre-game and post-game host RICH HERRERA will all be returning for their fifth season with the club, and WDAE will carry a "Countdown to Opening Day" show starting on FEBRUARY 2nd and a weekly mamager's show with RAYS field boss JOE MADDON. The RAYS continue to retain their own radio rights; the club was heard on CLEAR CHANNEL Talk WFLA-A through 2004, with sister WHNZ taking over in 2005 through last year's march to the WORLD SERIES.

"We are very proud to announce that WDAE 620-AM is the new flagship home of the TAMPA BAY RAYS," said RAYS SVP/Chief Sales Officer MARK FERNANDEZ. "This partnership is another major milestone in the evolution of the RAYS. WDAE is not only the dominant sports talk station in the Bay area, it is also an iconic brand throughout the region."

"Over the years CLEAR CHANNEL RADIO TAMPA BAY has always had an outstanding relationship with the RAYS. All of our stations have enormous respect for the RAYS organization and have had a lot of fun and success along the way," said WDAE PD MIKE KILLABREW. "Other than JOE MADDON, WHITNEY JOHNSON or the rest of the 620 staff, no one is more excited than me WDAE gets to call itself the flagship of the RAYS. This is a natural fit and just the beginning of a journey where we hope to build an even bigger fan base for a team which will one day bring the Bay area a WORLD SERIES championship."

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