White Sox announce radio deal with ESPN 1000

ESPN Chicago and the White Sox jointly announced a multiyear agreement naming ESPN 1000 as the team’s flagship radio station on Thursday. Sox games will air on ESPN 1000, the team’s fourth radio home since 2015, beginning with the team’s first game of the 2021 Cactus League season on Feb. 27.

The agreement includes all Sox regular season and postseason games, as well as select spring training games.

“The White Sox are an extremely entertaining, talented baseball team with an incredibly bright future, and we’re thrilled to partner with them to bring the White Sox to ESPN 1000 fans,” said ESPN Chicago market manager Mike Thomas. “We’re dedicated to bringing the best content in Chicago sports to ESPN 1000, and having the Sox back on our airwaves just ensures that we’re making good on that promise.”

Said Brooks Boyer, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer:

“The White Sox have shared incredible moments with ESPN 1000, remembering the memorable voices of Ed Farmer and John Rooney on their airwaves making the final call in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series. As we prepare for an exciting era in White Sox baseball on the field, we are equally excited to partner with an all sports format radio flagship station whose brand resonates with Chicago sports fans.”

Andy Masur handled play-by-play duty alongside analyst Darrin Jackson in 2020 after the passing of Farmer, but ESPN has not announced who will man the booth next season.

The Sox have bounced around on radio after WSCR’s contract with the Sox expired after the 2015 season. WLS-890 was to be the new Sox flagship station from 2016 through 2021 but WLS owner Cumulus Media field for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Nov. 2017 and entered into a restructuring agreement. The Bankruptcy Court permitted Cumulus and WLS to end the agreement with the Sox, and WGN became the flagship in February, 2018.

The announcement was expected to be made Tuesday but was delayed after news broke the night before that newly hired manager Tony La Russa had been arrested on DUI charges in February.

Contributing: Jeff Agrest