Friday, July 22, 2005

Radio One Communications and Valparaiso University have announced a partnership to air all Crusader men's basketball and football games during the 2005-06 year. WAKE-AM, a member of the Radio One Communications' cluster of radio stations, will serve as the commercial flagship station for VU men's basketball and football during the 2005?2006 season.

The agreement re-establishes a longstanding relationship between VU and Radio One Communications, which aired VU sports from the late 1960s through the 1993-94 season.

?We are very excited about re-establishing the partnership between Radio One Communications and Valparaiso University athletics," said Mark LaBarbera, VU Director of Athletics. ?This cooperative arrangement provides significant exposure of Valparaiso University to the Northwest Indiana community and rekindles the outstanding tradition of Radio One Communications serving as the commercial flagship for Crusader men's basketball and football."

?Valparaiso University has a great academic and athletic tradition and I'm proud to say our relationship with the school is back after an eleven-year absence," said Leigh Ellis, President and General Manager of Radio One Communications. ?We worked on this idea for over a year and came to an agreement that works great for Radio One Communications and Valparaiso University".

Radio One Communications' broadcast heritage with Valparaiso University athletics includes the Gene Bartow era. Bartow coached the Crusader men's basketball team from 1964 to 1970, taking them to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in 1967. He eventually succeeded legendary coach John Wooden at UCLA in 1974.

One of WAKE's play-by-play announcers for Crusader sports was award-winning sportscaster Tony Roberts, now a 23-year veteran with Westwood One broadcasting Notre Dame Football, NBA and NFL games.

Radio One Communications operates four radio stations serving an area from Chicago to South Bend with its corporate offices located in Valparaiso. The four radio stations are Indiana 105, X-Rock 103.9, Z-107 and WAKE-AM 1500.