Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
The Vancouver Whitecaps have a new radio home.
Following the shutdown of TSN 1040, the Whitecaps will not be moving to all-sports radio station Sportsnet 650, as had been speculated. Instead, the team has inked a new two-year broadcast deal with Corus Entertainment, the media conglomerate that owns Global and CKNW, among other stations.
Play-by-play of matches, including one-hour pre- and post-match shows, are moving to Vancouver’s all-traffic station, AM 730. Former TSN 1040 broadcasters, play-by-play man Corey Basso, and colour commentator Colin Miller will continue to call games as part of the new partnership.
“This is a fantastic partnership for our club and for our fans,” said Whitecaps FC Chief Communications Officer Tom Plasteras. “Corus Entertainment brings a tremendous reach to inform and engage our loyal supporters, and also to introduce new fans to the club. We are excited to have an expansive partnership that includes programming and
Four weeks after Bell Media pulled the plug on TSN 1040, there are inklings that something is on the horizon that will provide local sports radio fans with a choice, albeit an unconventional one.
Don Taylor has been teasing us on Twitter about something in the works with his old 1040 cohorts, appearing to hint at a return to television. Same goes for Matt Sekeres and Blake Price, who have both tweeted out that things are in the works and Price’s Twitter bio reading, “on the mic again shortly.”
Former 1040 alum, Rob Rees (advertising sales rep) and Rob Gray (program director) currently run North Beach Agency, a marketing and advertising agency located in Vancouver. The agency had a number of clients advertising on TSN 1040 and I’ve been told they could create an avenue for some of the hosts to return to a podcast or streaming format that would ultimately give those clients a home again.