QR Calgary 770AM (CHQR-AM) has unveiled the team that will anchor its Calgary Flames broadcasts this season, including play-by-play announcer Derek Wills and longtime host Pat Steinberg.
Corus Entertainment announced in mid-August, that QR had secured a five-year broadcast rights deal with Calgary Sports and Entertainment that will see the station broadcast all Flames home and road games. The announcement followed the abrupt shuttering in early July of Rogers Sports & Media’s Sportsnet 960 The Fan (CFAC-AM), where Flames broadcasts had been heard since 2001.
Wills has been the radio play-by-play voice of the Flames since the 2014-15 season on Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
Steinberg will host pre-and post-game coverage, along with new show, Flames Now, weekday afternoons starting Sept. 14. He formerly hosted Flames broadcasts and Flames Talk on Sportsnet 960. He’ll be joined on Flames Now by Jock Wilson, the host of QR’s Sportstalk, which will come to an end this Friday. Brenden Escott, the host of Inside Sports, the Edmonton Oilers Faceoff Show, and Oilers Overtime on Edmonton sister station, 880 CHED, also joins the QR lineup with Inside Sports to now be heard province-wide from 8 – 10 p.m.
“Bringing the Calgary Flames to QR Calgary is an exciting new chapter for our station, and for sports fans across the city. With such an exceptional broadcast team in place, we’re proud to deliver unparalleled access and bring listeners closer to the action than ever before,” said Tammy Cole, VP Audio, Corus. “With Derek and Pat leading our Flames broadcasts, we’re building a lineup that brings together trusted voices, compelling local programming and deeper access to the teams and personalities that matter most to our listeners. QR Calgary will be a destination for fans from game day through the rest of the week.”
“This partnership is about keeping Flames hockey connected to the C of Red and building on the longstanding tradition of Flames radio; a tradition shaped by memorable voices and moments that have brought generations of fans closer to the team,” added Robert Hayes, Calgary Sports and Entertainment’s President and CEO. “We’re thrilled to have Derek Wills and Pat Steinberg continue behind the mic as part of this next chapter, bringing the passion, insight and energy Flames fans have come to know and appreciate over the years.”
The Flames broadcast rights return to CHQR-AM following a 37-year absence from the station’s airwaves, which last aired the team’s 1989 Stanley Cup run.
QR Calgary’s refreshed lineup is as follows:
Morning
6 a.m. – QR Mornings with Sarah Crosbie
9 a.m. – The 9am Free 4 All with Sarah Crosbie, Stacey Brotzel and Shaye Ganam
10 a.m. – The Shaye Ganam Show
Afternoon
1 p.m. – The Courtney Theriault Show, marking its debut on QR Calgary
4 p.m. – Flames Now with Pat Steinberg and Jock Wilson, marking its debut on QR Calgary
Evening
6 p.m. – The Ben Mulroney Show
8 p.m. – Inside Sports with Brenden Escott
10 p.m. – The Last Show with David Cooper
