ACU switches to ClearChannel

All ACU broadcasts to be on KULL 92.5 FM

ABILENE -- Two of Abilene's most successful organizations -- ACU Athletics and ClearChannel Radio -- have agreed on a 3-year contract that will showcase at least 150 Wildcat athletic contests over the life of the contract.

ACU director of athletics Shanon Hays and ClearChannel Vice President and General Manager Dean Minnick announced the deal Monday after the two sides finished hammering out the details of the agreement. ClearChannel will carry at least 52 regular-season games during each year of the contract, and will then carry all Lone Star Conference or NCAA post-season games in which the Wildcats participate.

ClearChannel will broadcast each of the Wildcats' 10 football games this season, followed by each Lone Star Conference basketball game (men's and women's games), and, for the first time in school history, 15 baseball games. Those baseball games include all four home LSC series (three games) and the three-game series at Tarleton State.

"The idea of adding ACU here in Abilene was a natural and we jumped at the opportunity," Minnick said. "ACU has a great tradition of excellence in sports and a strong following from local and area fans and alumni."

Hays was similarly pleased with the new deal.

"We're very excited about teaming up with ClearChannel, and we think this new partnership will really help expand our coverage of ACU throughout the Big Country," Hays said. "ClearChannel offers us the opportunity to do a lot of things to spread the word about ACU Athletics."

ClearChannel Worldwide hosts numerous collegiate-level broadcasts, including Texas A&M and Texas Tech. ACU's games will be broadcast on KULL 92.5 FM (Kool 92.5 FM), which is one of six ClearChannel stations in Abilene. The other five are KEAN 105 FM, KEYJ 108 FM, KISS 100.7 FM, KSLI 1280 AM and KEAN 1470 AM.

As part of the deal, ACU will receive a minimum of 10 promotions per week on each of the six stations, giving ACU Athletics unprecedented exposure in the Big Country area.

"We will provide promotion and publicity for ACU across the platform of all six of our Abilene radio stations," Minnick said. "We are working with the department of athletics on expanding coverage beyond anything done so far."

Play-by-play announcer David Bacon will continue with his duties as he enters his 18th season as the "Voice of the Wildcats." Bacon, an award-winning sports anchor at KTAB-TV in Abilene, has done play-by-play for Wildcat football and basketball games since 1985. He will continue to do play-by-play in football, as well as either men's or women's basketball.

Also continuing in his role will Chuck Statler, who will enter his 10th season as the color commentator on ACU football broadcasts. Statler, currently serving the people of Abilene and Taylor County as Precinct 4 County Commissioner, has been part of the ACU broadcast team from 1985-87 and continually since 1996.

The newest addition to the ACU broadcast team is Steve Landtroop, who will serve as the sideline reporter during football games, broadcast either the men's or women's basketball games and then serve as the Wildcats' play-by-play announcer in baseball.

Landtroop will provide instant updates on the field during football games, as well as interviewing coaches and players at halftime and during the Wildcats? expanded pre-game and post-game shows. Landtroop has more than 20 years of experience in radio, and was the play-by-play voice of Southeastern Oklahoma State University football, men's basketball and baseball in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He was behind the microphone when current Tarleton State men's basketball coach Lonn Reisman guided the Savages and all-America forward Dennis Rodman to the NAIA national tournament in the mid-1980s.

"We're obviously very glad to have David and Chuck back on the broadcast team, and we're equally as excited about adding Steve to the mix," Hays said. "Our fans have grown very comfortable with David and Chuck, and we believe they'll also like what Steve brings to each broadcast."

The Wildcats will open the 2002 football season on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. when it hosts Central Arkansas at Shotwell Stadium.