Courtesy the St. Louis Post Dispatch

(February 4, 2011) The Cardinals are changing radio stations but not announcers. Mike Shannon and John Rooney will return to the booth as the team moves its broadcasts back to KMOX (1120 AM) after five seasons at KTRS (550 AM).

Shannon is entering his 40th season in the booth and 54th with the organization for which he played, and Rooney will be in his sixth season. He came aboard when the Cards left KMOX, after five decades, for KTRS.

"We wanted continuity going over to KMOX,'' Cardinals vice president Dan Farrell, who oversees the club's broadcasting operations, said Thursday. "That was our primary goal, we wanted to keep the team intact.''

Shannon, who has a three-year deal as usual, is 71 and has no plans to slow down.

"You know me, I take it day by day — I've been signing three-year contracts for a number of years. I'm looking forward to this, everything with the Cardinals, with KMOX, with our broadcast team. John Rooney is one of the finest broadcasters in the business. We have a new and better relationship with KMOX. ... I think everyone from the Cardinals to KMOX to the fans, I think everyone is elated about the move. I don't think you can ask for any more.''

And he said he still has a zest for the job.

"The greatest thing about my job is that when you come to the ballpark you never know what's going to happen,'' he said. "When you have an organization like we have and a team like we have, where ownership, management and players are all trying to succeed and do the best for the fans, there are very few situations as good as we have.''

Rooney, 56, gets a five-year deal and said he is looking forward to calling games on KMOX.

"Everywhere I've gone, (the move) was so well received,'' Rooney said. "On the Caravan people mentioned that first and foremost, they were happy the games are going back to KMOX. I thank everybody over at KTRS; they were helpful for five years. But when you think of Cardinal baseball you think of KMOX, with all that history.''

He's set to be part of that for the next half decade.

"This is the only place I want to do baseball, St. Louis,'' Rooney said. "I thank them for putting that kind of confidence in me.''

Mike Claiborne also returns to host pregame and postgame programming, as well as the baseball-talk show that airs from Shannon's restaurant after Tuesday, Friday and Saturday home games.

Farrell said Rick Horton and Claiborne again will handle fill-in work when Shannon or Rooney is absent in a manner similar to last season. Horton, whose role on Cards telecasts on Fox Sports Midwest has been expanded to about 100 games this season, will be called on if he is available. If not, Claiborne will be the replacement. As has been the case, Shannon is expected to have about 15 days off during the season, Rooney about five.

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