College football fans from across Ohio soon will have the ability to follow Toledo Rocket gridiron action via a syndicated radio broadcast with the launch of The University of Toledo Football Radio Network.
Beginning this September, Toledo Rocket football will be broadcast on a number of radio stations not only in northwest Ohio, but also as far away as the Detroit and Cleveland areas. Later in the year, both men’s and women’s basketball will be broadcast as well.
“The creation of The University of Toledo Football Radio Network presents a unique opportunity for us to keep our Rocket football and basketball fans tuned in to the action and to broaden the reach of our University into new markets in a way that is engaging and exciting,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity.
“The University of Toledo has not only been a major player in the creation of this radio network, it is also leveraging it as a significant branding tool by securing the name ‘The University of Toledo Football Radio Network,’” said Michael Sydlowski, Rocket Sports Properties general manager. Rocket Sports Properties is UT’s multimedia rights holder and a property of Learfield Sports, which manages such rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations.
“Now, more than ever, university athletic departments must be aggressive in not only securing fans, but delivering all the action,” Sydlowski added. “With this network, UT will be able to bolster positive aspects of the University, as well as the Medical Center, to attract future students, potential patients and overall visibility for the campus.”
Learfield Sports also titles the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, manages marketing partnerships for the Black Coaches & Administrators, and provides exclusive sports programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the country. Dallas-based Learfield Sports is an operating unit of Jefferson City, Mo.-based Learfield Communications Inc., which made its initial foray into the world of sports marketing in 1975 as the radio rights holder for the University of Missouri. For more information, visit learfieldsports.com.
“The appeal of Rocket Athletics stretches far beyond Toledo and northwest Ohio,” said Mike O’Brien, UT athletic director. “The opportunity this radio network represents for increasing outreach to our supporters is incredible. UT is proud to be a leader in using all forms of media to keep our football and basketball fans tuned in to all the action.”
“This is an exciting step for The University of Toledo in many ways,” Burns added. “It broadens our reach in terms of academics and athletics’ awareness across the state and other areas, and it certainly puts us in a position of becoming more of a nationally known university.”
For more information, contact either Jennifer Duncan, Learfield Sports, at 469.7676.8324 or jduncan@learfieldsports.com, or Paul Helgren, UT assistant athletic director for media relations, at 419.530.4918 or paul.helgren@utoledo.edu.
