Auburn radio station KAHI to broadcast San Francisco Giants games after losing A’s
After being the odd one out in the A’s shuffle to broadcast from West Sacramento, Auburn radio station KAHI-AM/FM has landed with a new team, the San Francisco Giants, for the upcoming baseball season.
The station signed a deal Wednesday with the team and Giants flagship broadcaster KNBR-AM/FM to bring the black and orange to the Sierra foothills and other parts of the capital region not covered by the clear channel behemoth based in San Francisco.
The switch, the latest chapter in a flurry of dial moves as the A’s play in the capital region for at least three seasons, brings the A’s longtime rivals to more listeners east of Sacramento, which has tuned into Giants games on KNBR since 1979.
KAHI General Manager Jerry Henry says games will start airing on 950 AM and a repeater on 104.5 FM once the stations finalize the technical details.
The A’s announced in February that their radio broadcasts would be anchored by Sacramento station KSTE-AM (650), part of the iHeartMedia network. Bay Area fans can continue listening to A’s games on KNEW-AM (960). The move cut out two local mainstay broadcasters: KHTK-AM (1140), which is the flagship for Sacramento Kings broadcasts, and KAHI 35 miles east.
“We were part of the A’s network and broadcast for 57 consecutive seasons. And with their move from Oakland to Sacramento, they acquired a new flagship station, and we were pushed out,” Henry said. “Sure, we were disappointed. But I understand it was a business decision. The Athletics were very apologetic.
“And we thought, well, we have a lot of listeners who might enjoy the Giants.”
KAHI’s switch to Giants broadcasts is expected to give listeners in Placer, El Dorado and Nevada counties a stronger signal to hear play-callers Jon Miller, Duane Kuiper and others during the season. While KNBR-AM’s 50,000-watt station is easily heard in the capital, weather and other factors can make tuning in to San Francisco hard, especially up the hill.
Henry said that though there is some sadness about the station not carrying A’s games, “we’re thrilled to be part of the KNBR family and to be carrying their flagship broadcast.”
Henry said a serendipitous fact about KNBR and KAHI’s FM signals is that they both have the same frequency, 104.5. “It’s just coincidental. But I mean if someone is driving down the hill and listening to our FM translator and the signal gets weak, their radio will automatically jump over to KNBR, and the same goes for people traveling in the other direction.”
All the changes mean that baseball fans will need to develop new habits to tune in to their team of choice, as many spring training die-hards have already learned.
So where can you hear the game? Here’s a breakdown:
Where to hear A’s radio broadcasts
- KSTE-AM (650), Sacramento
- KATD-AM (990), Pittsburg (Spanish)
- KFIG-AM (1430), Fresno
- KFPT (790), Fresno
- KIQI-AM (1010), San Francisco (Spanish)
- KNEW-AM (960), San Francisco
- KNRO (1400 AM/103.9 FM), Redding
- KWNR-FM (95.5 HD-2), Las Vegas
Where to hear Giants radio broadcasts
- KNBR (680 AM/104.5 FM), San Francisco
KAHI (950 AM/104.5 FM), Auburn
KBAA-FM (103.3), Grass Valley (Spanish)
KCMY (1300 AM/102.5 FM), Reno
KEKA-FM (101.5 FM), Eureka
KFIG-AM (1430), Fresno
KFPT (790), Fresno
KHKA-AM (1500), Honolulu, Hawaii
KKJL (1400 AM/106.5 FM), San Luis Obispo
KMEN-FM (100.5), Fresno (Spanish)
KMLY-FM (95.1), Salinas/Monterey (Spanish)
KNEZ-FM (107.3), Reno (Spanish)
KPUA-AM (670), Hilo, Hawaii
KSFN (1510 AM/99.3 FM), San Francisco (Spanish)
KTNS-AM (1060), Fresno (Spanish)
KUNK-FM (92.7/96.7), Mendocino
KXZM-FM (93.7), San Jose (Spanish)
As for television, Giants will stay on NBC Sports Bay Area and A’s will continue on NBC Sports California.
