List of Kansas City Chiefs broadcasters
The following is a synopsis of radio and television broadcast outlets for the Kansas City Chiefs, a franchise from the National Football League.
Radio
[edit]| 1960–1962 | Charlie Jones |
| 1963 | Merle Harmon |
| 1964–1970 | Tom Hedrick[2] |
| 1971–1973 | Dick Carlson |
| 1974–1975 | Ray Scott |
| 1976 | Al Wisk |
| 1977 | Tom Hopkins |
| 1978–1984 | Wayne Larrivee |
| 1985–1993 | Kevin Harlan |
| 1994–present | Mitch Holthus |
From the team’s arrival in Kansas City in 1963 until 1989, KCMO (then at 810 AM) served as the Chiefs’ flagship. From 1989 until the end of the 2019 season, Cumulus Media's KCFX (101.1), a.k.a. "101 The Fox", broadcast all Chiefs games on FM radio under the moniker of The Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network, one of the earliest deals where an FM station served as the flagship station of a team radio network. Since 1994, Mitch Holthus has served as play-by-play announcer.[1] Former Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson served alongside Holthus for color commentary but starting in the 2016 season, Dawson's role was slowly minimized as he announced his retirement from broadcasting.[3] The Chiefs and KCFX was the longest FM radio broadcast partnering tenure in the NFL.[1][4]
With the start of the 2020 season, WDAF-FM (106.5 FM) became the flagship of the Chiefs network, with sister station KCSP (610 AM) carrying surrounding analysis and team interview programming as well as selected simulcasts of live games, and the Audacy app streaming coverage of all games online on desktops/laptops only. Games are available via the app, but only within the Chiefs' market which is western Missouri and eastern Kansas. Games are also available outside of the team market, as with all 32 teams, through a subscription to NFL+. The network's personnel, outside those exclusively contracted to Cumulus, were expected to be retained with the new Entercom contract.[5] Beginning with the 2024 season, Chiefs games will be broadcast on KFNZ-FM, also known as 96.5 The Fan.[6] WDAF-FM will continue to simulcast Chiefs games during the 2024 season.[7]
Radio affiliates
[edit]Chiefs games are primarily broadcast in Missouri and Kansas, where most of the team's fans are located. Games are broadcast in a total of 13 states, including Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas, and South Dakota. In total, 63 cities outside of Missouri and Kansas broadcast games. In accordance with NFL exclusivity rules surrounding Westwood One broadcasts, all AFC Championship and Super Bowl broadcasts are not syndicated outside of KCSP and WDAF-FM.[8] Stations in major cities are listed below.
| City | Call sign | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, Missouri | KFNZ-FM | 96.5 FM |
| Jefferson City, Missouri | KCMQ | 96.7 FM |
| Springfield, Missouri | KKLH | 104.7 FM |
| KGMY | 1400 AM | |
| Joplin, Missouri / Pittsburg, Kansas | KKOW | 860 AM |
| Manhattan, Kansas | KMAN | 1350 AM |
| Salina, Kansas | KINA | 910 AM/107.5 FM |
| KSKG | 99.9 FM | |
| Topeka, Kansas | WIBW | 580 AM/104.9 FM |
| Wichita, Kansas | KNSS | 98.7 FM |
| Emporia, Kansas | KVOE-FM | 101.7 FM |
| Des Moines, Iowa | KBGG | 1700 AM |
| Omaha, Nebraska | KXSP | 590 AM |
| Lubbock, Texas | KKCL-FM | 98.1 FM |
| St. Louis, Missouri | KMOX | 1120 AM/98.7 FM |
Television
[edit]
CBS and Fox are the main stations that broadcast Chiefs games that aren't primetime. The team's primary markets outside of Kansas City include the metropolitan areas of Wichita and Omaha.
Prior to the 1994 season, WDAF was the primary station for the Chiefs as an NBC affiliate (they aired on KMBC when ABC had the AFL package through 1964), since NBC had the AFC package. The inter-conference home games aired on KCTV starting in 1973 (when the NFL allowed local telecasts of home games). After week one of the 1994 season, WDAF switched to Fox (which got the NFC package), and has aired the Chiefs' inter-conference home games since. The bulk of the team's games moved to KSHB through the end of the 1997 season. Since that time, they have aired on KCTV, save for the 2015 Week 17 game vs. the Oakland Raiders, which aired on WDAF when the NFL cross-flexed the game from CBS to FOX.
Preseason game affiliates
[edit]Preseason games are broadcast throughout the majority of the states of Missouri and Kansas, as well as portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Nearby major cities besides Kansas City with broadcasts include Wichita, Des Moines, Tulsa, and Lincoln.
| Metro area | Call sign | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City metro | KSHB-TV | NBC |
| Columbia, Missouri Jefferson City, Missouri |
KMIZ / KQFX / KZOU | ABC / FOX / MyTV |
| Des Moines, Iowa Ames, Iowa |
KDSM | FOX |
| Ft. Smith, Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas Springdale, Arkansas Rogers, Arkansas |
KNWA / KFTA | NBC / FOX |
| Joplin, Missouri Pittsburg, Kansas |
KODE / KSNF | ABC / NBC |
| Lincoln, Nebraska Hastings, Nebraska Kearney, Nebraska |
KFXL / KHGI | FOX / ABC |
| Ottumwa, Iowa Kirksville, Missouri |
KTVO / KTVO 3.2 | CBS / ABC |
| Springfield, Missouri | KOLR / KOZL | CBS / Indy |
| St. Joseph, Missouri | KQTV | ABC |
| Topeka, Kansas | WIBW / EIBW | CBS / MyTV |
| Tulsa, Oklahoma | KOTV / KQCW | CBS / CW |
| Wichita metro Ensign, Kansas Hays, Kansas Goodland, Kansas |
KWCH / KSCW-DT / KDCU | CBS / CW / Univision |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Herb, Kuhbander, Looney, and Moris, p. 51
- ^ Martinez, Marlon (January 26, 2024). "'One of the best highlights of my life': Former voice of the Chiefs reflects on his time with the team". KSHB. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Hall Of Famer Len Dawson Reducing Role With Chiefs Radio Network". SunFlowerRadio.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ "101 The Fox extends Kansas City Chiefs radio broadcast rights through 2009 season". Kansas City Chiefs. August 24, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (5 December 2019). "Chiefs flagship radio station and broadcast partner moving on the dial in 2020". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ Sports Comes to FM in Kansas City with Launch of 96.5 The Fan
- ^ Grathoff, Pete (August 8, 2024). "Kansas City Chiefs and Royals games will have a new radio home starting next week". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network affiliate stations". ArrowheadPride.com. 9 September 2020.