Courtesy Oakland A's

(March 4, 2010) The A's on Wednesday morning announced another change to their radio broadcasting schedule by welcoming Chris Townsend as the club's new in-studio host of Oakland's one-hour postgame show on XTRA Sports 860 AM (KTRB).

The news comes just a month after longtime A's pregame radio host Marty Lurie revealed his plans to head across the Bay to join the Giants broadcast team at KNBR.

Townsend, a nationally syndicated radio broadcaster with more than 13 years of media experience in the Bay Area, will make his program debut Thursday. "A's Talk with Chris Townsend" is scheduled to air immediately following the team's Cactus League opener against the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, Ken Korach, Ray Fosse and Vince Cotroneo will handle the game broadcast, with the pregame show slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. PT.

"I've always liked and respected Chris," said Ken Pries, A's vice president of broadcasting and communications. "He has followed the A's pretty closely over the years, and I felt like he had some really good insight into the team. I think he'll be a strong host."

Townsend currently hosts "Sports Overnight America with Chris Townsend," a syndicated show on the Sports Byline Network, which is carried on more than 500 stations in 177 countries. He also hosts "The Chris Townsend Show" on a Sacramento-based radio station.

The new A's broadcaster, who also boasts TV experience with Giants, 49ers and Warriors coverage, brings with him an impressive baseball background. He was captain of the San Jose State baseball team in the early 1990s and is also the grandson of seven-time All-Star Bob Elliot, who was the first third baseman in the game's history to win the National League MVP -- accomplished with the Boston Braves in 1947.

With Townsend officially on board, former postgame host Robert Buan will continue to contribute to the club's show by providing on-site insights and interviews while still acting as the club's broadcasting manager.

"The station did an extensive search to find a host," Pries said, "and they knew they wanted to make a change and do something different. But they still wanted to have Robert involved in some way because he has a great relationship and rapport with players and obviously has a good following.

"The station decided they wanted a different look, a different feel -- but keeping Robert involved is important to keep that continuity going."

Another big change debuting Thursday is what Pries calls "an incredible signal." KTRB recently added a daytime transmitter in Hayward, Calif., which will now provide quality day game coverage for A's fans in all local counties, as well as some outside of the Bay Area.

"They're going to notice a big difference in the strength of the signal," Pries said. "It's extremely strong."

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