MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin Athletics Department and its exclusive multimedia rights holder Badger Sports Properties awarded both iHeartMedia Wisconsin and Good Karma Brands (GKB) as the official radio broadcast partners of UW Athletics. The agreement includes a five-year extension with existing partner iHeartMedia Wisconsin and a five-year agreement with GKB as a new broadcast partner.
“We set out to provide our fans the best possible broadcast experience, while recognizing the changing landscape of college athletics and the need to produce compelling content for our fans and student athletes alike,” says Scott Silvestri, vice president and general manager for Learfield. “Throughout this process it became clear that we had two very engaged companies, genuinely committed to our mission. We are thrilled with the result and are very thankful to iHeartMedia and Good Karma Brands for their commitment to UW Athletics, our fans and our student athletes.”
Kevin LeGrett, President of iHeartSports said, “We are thrilled to announce the exciting renewal of the University of Wisconsin’s athletic program across iHeart’s radio and digital assets. As we continue to champion sports excellence, we look forward to bringing Badgers fans closer to the action, celebrating their victories, and sharing inspiring stories of resilience and determination. Go Badgers!”
iHeartMedia Wisconsin, a partner of UW Athletics since 1994, will continue as the home of UW football, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s hockey, with accompanying ancillary shows on the same iHeart stations including 97.3 The Game WRNW FM and BIG 920 WOKY AM in Milwaukee and 1070 The Game WTSO AM, Newstalk 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 WIBA FM in Madison. The extension will include new content opportunities on “The Game Network” and extended coverage across iHeartMedia digital platforms including the iHeartRadio App, local digital and social media. In addition, the audio company has committed to the creation of a new women’s sports centric show called “Badger Women’s Sports Hour.” Next season’s broadcasters will remain the same, including talented duo of Matt Lepay and Mark Tauscher calling football, and Matt and Brian Butch broadcasting UW Men’s basketball.
“Our iHeart Madison and Milwaukee have many years of Badger Pride in our work and we are thrilled to continue to provide exciting live game day coverage, compelling online content, podcasts and more to fans across the markets, the state and beyond, On Wisconsin!” said Jeff Tyler President, iHeartMedia Wisconsin.
Good Karma Brands will be the new home of perennial powerhouse UW women’s volleyball, who finished the 2023 season at No. 3 in the AVCA Poll after a trip to the semifinals in the NCAA Tournament. The Women’s Volleyball matches will broadcast across two of GKB’s stations: Newsradio 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee and 100.5 ESPN in Madison.
Craig Karmazin, founder and CEO for Good Karma Brands said, “We are proud and excited to introduce broader coverage of Badger Volleyball, and to create avenues for audience expansion and other opportunities for a team that is proven to be best in class both on and off the court.”
In addition to carrying all Badger Volleyball matches, GKB will activate around select matches in Madison and Milwaukee, including a “Lead Her Forward” National Girls & Women in Sports Day celebration on 100.5 ESPN Madison.
“We are excited to partner with UW-Madison and Badger Sports Properties to provide fans with an engaging content experience for UW women’s volleyball,” said Greg Scalzo, market manager for GKB Milwaukee, which owns 620 WTMJ, ESPN Wisconsin and 101.7 The Truth. “Our team is excited to capture all of the enthusiasm surrounding the team and its athletes and activate in the communities that Wisconsin Volleyball impacts the most.”
iHeartMedia and GKB have both committed to collaboration on NIL and paid internship opportunities for UW student-athletes as part of their respective agreements.
“We are really excited to continue our strong partnership with iHeartMedia and connect with another great team in Good Karma Brands,” Deputy Athletic Director Mitchell Pinta said. “We have an incredibly passionate fanbase and it was a priority to ensure we can continue delivering our great events to them with high quality broadcasts. We are also thrilled about the new unique opportunities these partnerships will provide to our student-athletes.”
UW’s radio broadcast rights are managed by Badger Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield – the media and technology company powering college sports.
About iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia Wisconsin owns and operates WIBA AM, WIBA FM, WMAD FM, WZEE AM, WXXM FM and WTSO AM in Madison and WRNW FM, WRIT FM, WISN AM, WOKY AM, WKKV FM and WMIL FM in Milwaukee and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia, Inc. [NASDAQ: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
About Good Karma Brands
As a proud partner of ESPN, GKB represents the ESPN Radio Network and Podcasts, the full portfolio of ESPN Digital Products, ESPN Events and local ESPN affiliated radio stations in eight markets including Beaver Dam, Cleveland, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, New York, Los Angeles, and West Palm Beach. GKB’s other audio assets include Newsradio 620 WTMJ and 101.7 The Truth in Milwaukee, and 95.3 WBEV in Beaver Dam, WI.
With offices throughout the country and our home office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, GKB’s team includes over 550 teammates and was recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by multiple organizations, including Front Office Sports and Sports Business Journal.
For a full list of assets and more information, please visit www.goodkarmabrands.com.
About Learfield
Learfield is a diversified and influential media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 15,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.