101 ESPN ANNOUNCES RAMS RADIO BROADCAST TEAM, LINE-UP FOR 2009-2010 SEASON
    

ST. LOUIS – As the new voice of St. Louis Rams, 101 ESPN proudly announces their broadcast team and programming line-up for the 2009-2010 St. Louis Rams NFL season.

KMOV’s Sports Director Steve Savard will join 101 ESPN and continue as the “Voice of the Rams,” calling all of the Play by Play action. 101 ESPN Afternoon Drive Host and Former Rams Defensive Tackle D’Marco Farr will increase his profile on Rams radio, taking over Color Analyst duties. Farr previously served as the third man in the booth and as a contributor to the Pre-Game show. Additionally, former Rams and Cardinals Coach and Football Analyst Jim Hanifan also will make the transition to the Bonneville St. Louis Radio Group, serving as Pre-Game and Post-Game Co-Host and Analyst.
John Kijowski, Bonneville St. Louis Radio Group Vice President and Market Manager, notes, ”Having the continuity, experience and credibility of Steve Savard, D’Marco Farr and Coach Jim Hanifan will make the transformation of the Rams Radio broadcasts both professional and seamless, as Bonneville St. Louis Radio Group and the St. Louis Rams embark on this new era of Rams Radio.”

Savard, a St. Louis native and former Dallas Cowboy player, is an award-winning sportscaster who has earned six Emmy awards, including “Best Sportscaster” honors in 1999, 2001 and 2003. In 2003, Steve also earned a first-place Missouri Broadcasters Association sports award for a special program, "The Cardinals - A Team to Remember." He has also served as the "Voice of the Rams" since 2000. His play-by-play work on the Rams Radio Network helped the Rams broadcasts earn "Air Awards" for the Best Sports Play-By-Play in St. Louis in both 2000 and 2001.

“I’m flattered that John and Jason want me to continue in the play by play role. I sense a strong commitment to putting on a first class, professional broadcast. I’m ready for kickoff right now.”

Commenting on the new broadcast line-up, Kijowski added the following about D’Marco Farr. “Since he started working for us, it’s been clear to Bonneville St. Louis just how talented D’Marco is. His transition to 101 ESPN as a sports radio host has been a natural progression for him in his career, and I’m thrilled to have him assume a bigger role alongside Steve Savard on Rams Radio broadcasts, “notes Kijowski.
A former St. Louis Ram, Farr made a successful career switch into broadcasting in 2001. He was a regular on Fox Sports Net's hit show "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period." from 2001 to 2003, and he has remained on FSN as a co-host of the network's college football coverage. From 2005 until September 2007, Farr hosted the D'Marco Farr Show with Kevin Kiley on KSPN in Los Angeles. D’Marco has been a Pre-game Analyst for Rams Radio since 2006.

“I’m extremely excited to be part of this team and to take on the challenge of being the color analyst for Rams Radio. It means a lot to me personally and I understand that I’ve got big shoes to fill considering the great work that’s been done by those who’ve come before me including both Jack Snow and Jim Hanifan. I greatly admire the work those two gentlemen have done and I will do everything I can to carry on the tradition of making Rams radio the very best it can be. Now let’s win some games and get back to the playoffs and I’ll be all set.”

According to 101 ESPN Program Director Jason Barrett, the station will feature Afternoon Drive Host Randy Karraker as the lead host for the Pre-Game show, plus add the Big Ten Network’s Brent Stover as one of the hosts of the Post-Game coverage. Stover regularly anchors the nightly program Big Ten Tonight, along with serving as co-host for other Big Ten games, coverage and sports programming. A seasoned sports broadcaster, Stover was previously a Cardinals reporter for Fox Sports Midwest the past two seasons.
101 ESPN will also promote sports reporter Brian Stull to an expanded role for the Rams Radio Network. Stull will be taking over as the station’s Sideline Reporter during the Rams games, and will also serve as one of the three co-hosts for the Pre-Game show, along with Randy Karraker and Jim Hanifan. Brian will also be 101 ESPN’s “go-to guy” for post-game locker room interviews.

The 2009-2010 broadcast team for Rams Radio is as follows:

All of the Rams game day shows and coverage, along with the weekly Rams programs will be executed under the watchful eye of Executive Producer Chris Neupert. Studio Producer duties will vary by program and schedule, rotating between 101 ESPN Producers Ben Boyd, Todd Wise and Chris Gardner. Steve Bear will be the In-Game Spotter, and engineering responsibilities will be handled by Dodie Rahlman, Craig Rutledge, Marshall Rice, Bob Hoffman and Ken Cunetto.

Along with the Rams game day coverage and pre-and post-game shows, 101 ESPN will broadcast “Rams Rush Hour Shows” weeknights from 7:00 until 8:00 pm. As part of “Rams Rush Hour Shows,” Coach Steve Spagnuolo and General Manager Billy Devaney are expected to do weekly shows.

Rams’ Executive VP of Football Operations/Chief Operation Officer, Kevin Demoff says, “The Rams couldn’t be more pleased with the broadcast team 101 ESPN has assembled to bring Rams’ football into our valued fans’ cars and homes. We share 101 ESPN’s commitment to putting the best possible product on the air, and the passionate and talented team of Steve Savard, D’Marco Farr and Jim Hanifan, along with the additions of Randy Karraker and Brian Stull, will help deliver a unique game day experience. 101 ESPN’s coverage of the Rams – both on Sundays and throughout the week – will be must-hear radio.”

Program Director Barrett notes, “We at Bonneville are committed to broadcasting excellence and the addition of seasoned broadcast professionals like Steve Savard, Jim Hanifan and Brent Stover combined with our impact players D’Marco and Randy will help us launch Rams Radio the way we wanted – with superior knowledge, experience, passion and credibility with our listeners, Rams football fans and the NFL.”

Kijowski adds, “With this team of broadcast professionals that Bonneville St. Louis has brought together, we know that this will be a great season for the Rams Radio Network on 101 ESPN.”

For more information about 101 ESPN and the Rams Radio Network’s Broadcast Team and Programming Line-up, please contact Program Director Jason Barrett at (314) 983-6230 or via email at jbarrett@bonneville.com.  And to keep up with the latest Rams and NFL news, visit 101 ESPN’s web site at www.101ESPN.com.

About Bonneville International
Bonneville St. Louis is an affiliate of Bonneville International (www.bonneville.com), which was founded in 1964 and currently owns and operates 29 radio stations in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Phoenix, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City markets. It also owns and operates KSL Television (NBC affiliate) and has operating divisions of Bonneville Communications and Bonneville Satellite in Salt Lake City. Bonneville's motto is "Do good, do well, make a difference, and have fun."

In addition to competing aggressively in major-market broadcasting by structuring its business model on the three principles of building its people, making a difference in the community, and meeting aggressive financial goals, Bonneville also enjoys a longstanding reputation and is known industry-wide for its nationally recognized and award-winning commitment to serving the communities where it broadcasts.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Bonneville is known for its innovative business model and is a national leader in providing quality, values-oriented media products.