fan 590 re-branded as sportsnet radio fan 590

There's been talk about this for the past few days on various industry chatter boards. I didn't think it'll take shape this soon. Will the re-branding of the longtime sports outlet into Sportsnet Radio work? Will Toronto cheer the change? Do they really need to change? The Fan has become the reliable sports spot for Toronto and people just naturally tune in for trusted news updates. I don't think this will materialize as a positive for the station. If they wanted to do a radio version of Sportsnet, they should've looked at satellite instead. Here's the official mombo-jumbo..

Rogers Media is pleased to announce the evolution of its sports radio stations in both Toronto and Calgary with the rebranding of the FAN 590 and the FAN 960 effective today.

The FAN 590 in Toronto and The FAN 960 in Calgary will be rebranded to Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 and Sportsnet Radio FAN 960. Rogers Sportsnet is Rogers Media’s sports specialty network, consisting of four regional channels and the nationally distributed Sportsnet ONE.

“We’re excited to bring the strength of these two brands together,” said Scott Moore, President of Rogers Broadcasting. “Both the FAN and Sportsnet resonate with passionate local fans. Our fans want to talk about and interact with their local teams. We offer the best place to do that.”

Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 in Toronto is home of Canada’s most listened to radio sports personality, Bob McCown, host of the #1 Sports Talk Show for the past 20 years (which is also simulcast and replayed on Rogers Sportsnet). Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 is home to Andrew Krystal in the Morning, Toronto’s all new and highly entertaining morning man. The Toronto station also has play-by-play rights to the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Buffalo Bills, and Toronto Argonauts. Some other high profile properties for the FAN 590 include the NFL, IIHF World U-20 Championship (Team Canada games) and MLB.

Sportsnet Radio FAN 960 in Calgary features morning man Mike Richards, the Prime Minister of the Politically Incorrect. Richards is not afraid to push the envelope which guarantees a lot of laughter. Rob Kerr is the host of Sportsline, the station’s drive-home program, and hosts the Calgary Flames pre and post games shows. Beside the Flames, Sportsnet Radio FAN 960 also has the play-by-play rights for the Toronto Blue Jays, Calgary Hitmen of the Canadian Hockey League, and the National Football League.