The iconic Major League Baseball franchise St. Louis Cardinals and 50 kW 1120 blaster KMOX-AM were synonymous with one another for over fifty years, beginning in 1954, until the team bought a stake in its own AM station and moved play-by-play broadcasts to it. But next year, the games will be back on KMOX, part of the CBS Radio group.
The team bought a half interest in KTRS-AM, which has had the games for the past five years. It bought the stake for $2M, according to reports, and is now open to offers from anyone interested in acquiring it. KTRS has 5 kW day and night on 550 kHz.
That’s a far cry from the wallop packed by KMOX. One report notes that its nighttime signal can be heard in as many as 40 different states.
Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said fan sentiment had a lot to do with the decision and that the case for returning to KMOX was “very compelling.”
RBR-TVBR observation: One of the best ways to while the way the time on a long drive at night is to catch a baseball game on the radio and allow it to take the edge of the miles of roadway and headlights that occupy your visual faculties. And no station is better for that than an AM clear. Baseball fans throughout the Midwest will no doubt applaud this decision.
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