Westwood One Sports (radio network)

Last updated

Westwood One Sports
Type Sports radio network
Country
United States
Ownership
Owner
Key people
  • Mark Chernoff (director of programming)
  • Chris Oliviero (EVP of programming) [1]
History
Launch date
  • September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04) (CBS Sports updates)
  • January 2, 2013 (2013-01-02) (Full programming)
Former names
  • CBS Sports Radio (2013–2024)
  • Infinity Sports Radio (2024–2025)
Links
Webcast Listen live (via  Audacy)
Website www.westwoodonesports.com

Westwood One Sports (formerly Infinity Sports Network) is an American sports radio network programmed by Westwood One and Audacy, Inc. It debuted as CBS Sports Radio with hourly sports news updates on September 4, 2012, and with 24/7 programming on January 2, 2013. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

At launch, programming on the network featured reporters and personalities from CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network, and CBSSports.com. [2] Westwood One Sports is broadcast throughout the United States on radio affiliates and streamed online. [5] [6]

History

The network was originally founded as CBS Sports Radio, which was operated by CBS Radio in partnership with Westwood One—who handled sales and distribution. [7]

In November 2017, Entercom assumed operations of the network after it merged with CBS Radio. It continued to manage the network under a licensing agreement with CBS. [8] The rights to the CBS logo, but not the name, expired at the end of 2019; [9] the rights to the CBS cross-branding—which had originally been scheduled to expire at the end of 2020, ended on April 15, 2024. At this time, the network rebranded as Infinity Sports Network; the name is a nod to Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, a corporate predecessor to CBS Radio. [10] [11]

On October 21, 2025, Audacy announced that the day-to-day operations of Infinity Sports Network would be taken over by Westwood One, and that the network would rebrand as Westwood One Sports on December 29, 2025. The network introduced a new lineup, including a new morning show hosted by podcaster Drake C. Toll, and new afternoon drive hosts Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla (formerly of WMVP Chicago). Programming from Audacy's BetMGM Network is also being incorporated into the national lineup, including You Better You Bet and BetMGM Tonight. [7] [12] [13]

Stations

Westwood One Sports airs on more than 300 stations nationwide. The nominal flagship station of Infinity Sports Network is WFAN / WFAN-FM in New York City (although WFAN-AM-FM only carry some brief reports and occasional weekend shows from the network), where some of its programs are produced from. [7] Since WFAS shifted to conservative talk in 2021 (and went silent in 2024), [14] [15] New York City has had no full-time Westwood One Sports network affiliate station, although the network is heard around the clock on an HD Radio digital subchannel of WFAN-FM. WFAS, along with WHLD in Niagara Falls–Buffalo, were among numerous Cumulus Media stations that had been part of the network's core affiliates but flipped to conservative talk. [16]

Audacy also distanced itself from the network when it shifted focus to its own in-house BetQL Network, which features discussions of gambling, in 2021. The BetQL stations continued to carry some Infinity Sports Network programs, including The Jim Rome Show and its late night programming. [17]

Other affiliate stations include:

References

  1. ↑ "CBS SPORTS RADIO SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM ANNOUNCED". CBS Radio. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "CBS CREATES THE LARGEST MAJOR MARKET SPORTS RADIO NETWORK IN THE NATION". CBS Radio. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ "CBS Sports Radio". CBS Radio. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ "CBS Sports Radio". Cumulus Media Networks. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "CBSSR Affiliates". CBS Sports Radio. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ "CBSSR Stream". CBS Sports Radio. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Venta, Lance (October 21, 2025). "Infinity Sports Network To Be Rebranded As Westwood One Sports As Cumulus Media Takes Over Operations". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  8. ↑ "EX-2.2". sec.gov. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  9. ↑ @radioinsight (December 16, 2019). "CBS Sports Radio has informed..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "CBS Sports Radio to Become the Infinity Sports Network". barrettsportsmedia.com. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  11. ↑ "CBS Sports Radio To Rebrand On April 15". Radio Insight. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Infinity Sports Network To Become Westwood One Sports In December Rebrand". Insideradio.com. October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Westwood One Announces New Weekday Sports Talk Lineup". Insideradio.com. December 18, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Suburban New York AM To Go All Digital Next Month" by Lance Venta, April 20, 2021 (radioinsight.com)
  15. ↑ Venta, Lance (May 20, 2021). "WFAS Sets Lineup For Its All-Digital Talk Flip". RadioInsight. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ "WHLD switches format to conservative talk hosts, led by Dan Bongino | Entertainment | buffalonews.com". May 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Audacy Flips Seven Stations to BetQL Network". June 21, 2021.
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