But it wasn't.

The 10,000 watt station, formerly known as 96 Rock, flipped formats at 9 a.m. from active rock to sports talk and changed its name to 95.9, The Sports Animal. The switch, which was said to be recently in the works, gives Delmarva its first-ever full-time FM sports radio station.

"It's something new that hasn't been done before," said Randy Scott, the station's program director. "The clarity of FM radio is better than AM radio."

The 96 Rock format began in 1999 and previously ran from 1981-93. From 1993-99, the station was known as 95.9 The Coast. The content for The Sports Animal will primarily come from ESPN Radio, "The Dan Patrick Show" and the first local live sports-talk show, "Off the Bench," co-hosted by Scott and Jon "Whiskey" Wilson.

The station will also air live sports, including tonight's NCAA men's basketball championship game, in addition to Baltimore Orioles games. As 96 Rock, the station aired preseason and regular season coverage of the Washington Redskins, something Scott said "plans to be retained."

Scott, who is also the program director of Sportstalk 960 AM, said both sports stations will currently remain as separate entities. Sportstalk 960 runs programming from Fox Sports Radio, Delmarva Shorebirds games and NFL Football.

"Sports fans will be well-satisfied with the coverage from ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio," he said.

Since the change from rock to sports talk, Scott said he has received several calls.

"There was a lot of buzz about it being April Fools and thought it was a stunt, but it's no joke," he said.

6-9 a.m.: Mike and Mike in the Morning

9 a.m-12 p.m.: The Dan Patrick Show

12 p.m.-1 p.m.: "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd

1-4 p.m.: The Scott Van Pelt Show

4-7 p.m.: "Off the Bench" with Randy Scott and Whiskey