Press Release

(October 9, 2009) In less than one calendar year, the debut of the new WXOS-FM 101 ESPN has taken St. Louis sports fans and radio listeners by storm. Since the radio station's inception - and with only three Arbitron ratings periods under its belt - 101 ESPN has risen head and shoulders above their St. Louis sports/talk competitors.

Sports fans and radio listeners alike are switching to WXOS-FM 101 ESPN in droves, not only because of the crystal-clear broadcast quality that 100,000 watts can provide, but because of the radio station's show hosts and quality sports content and programming.

As predicted at the January 2009 launch of the new sports/talk station, 101 ESPN has reached the Top 5 among Men 25-54 in the St. Louis market. In the September PPM, "The Bernie Miklasz Show" has reached the #4 position in it’s target demographic group of Men ages 25-54.

And the radio station has made significant strides with their other daily and weekend programming, including the nationally-syndicated and popular “Mike and Mike in the Morning” Show which has tripled its audience/ratings growth since launching in January. Program Director Jason Barrett notes, “We’ve been pleased by St. Louis’ reception for ‘Mike and Mike’, and we’ve strived to give this show distinctive St. Louis flavor with local sports updates provided every 20 minutes during the daily broadcast.” He continues, “The best part of having the ‘Mike and Mike’ show in our line-up is the fact they can call on the ESPN ‘family of experts’ for breaking local and national sports news and information.” Barrett adds, “Quality content and credible news updates, whether done locally or nationally, is what St. Louis sports fans want most.”

101 ESPN has invested in quality reporting and currently features 6 reporters/hosts who cover St. Louis’ professional sports teams on a regular basis – St. Louis Post-Dispatch Cardinals Beat Reporters Joe Strauss and Derrick Goold, along with Brian Feldman for the Cardinals baseball; Post-Dispatch reporter Jim Thomas and Brian Stull for Rams football; and Tom Casey for St. Louis Blues hockey.

Besides the station's popular show hosts and commitment to sports/talk content and programming excellence, WXOS-FM cemented significant broadcast partnerships with St. Louis area sports teams in the brief 9 months the station has been on the air. 101 ESPN became both the "Flagship Station for the St. Louis Rams" and "The Voice of St. Louis University Billikens Basketball", with both strategic partnerships created before the station's January 2009 debut.

Of particular importance is the station’s status as the local ESPN radio affiliate. Barrett comments, “The ESPN relationship has allowed St. Louis sports fans to benefit by hearing the MLB Playoffs and World Series, NBA Finals and College Football Bowl Games static-free on the FM radio dial. Our moniker is this – when big moments happen in sports, you hear them on 101 ESPN.”

Bonneville St. Louis expects to add new listeners and create future lifestyle opportunities for 101 ESPN - not only for the hard-core sports/talk fans, but also for radio listeners who appreciate quality and entertaining content, as well as show hosts with their finger on the pulse of St. Louis sports.
Bonneville St. Louis Vice President and Market Manager John Kijowski weighs in on the recent Arbitron ratings, noting “When we initially launched 101 ESPN back in January, our primary goal was to bring the best quality sports/talk radio to the St. Louis market. Our focus is on continually improving our on-air presentation and online content so that radio listeners and die-hard sports fans alike can enjoy 101 ESPN.”

For more information about 101 ESPN’s latest Arbitron survey results, please contact Program Director Jason Barrett at (314) 983-6230. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the stats, scores and more by listening to 101 ESPN or visiting the station’s web site at www.101ESPN.com.

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