HOOKS & CLEAR CHANNEL INK THREE-YEAR DEAL
Catch the Hooks on KKTX 1360 AM and KUNO 1400 AM
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Corpus Christi Hooks and Clear Channel Radio have announced a three-year agreement for the official English and Spanish broadcasts of Hooks games. The announcement was made by Nolan Ryan and Jim Lago of Lago in the Morning on News Radio 1360 KKTX and simulcast on Clear Channel’s other Corpus Christi stations.
All 140 regular season Hooks games will be broadcast in English on News Radio 1360, KKTX-AM, and all 70 home games will be broadcast in Spanish on KUNO, La Preciosa, 1400 AM. The agreement includes any exhibitions and post-season games. The Texas League All-Star Game, set for June 26th, is part of the package.
“The opportunity to partner with two of the biggest names in radio in Corpus Christi, Jim Lago and KKTX, is something that we feel very fortunate to get to do,” stated Hooks founder and CEO Reid Ryan. “We feel like the format of KKTX is a perfect fit for our fan base and the fact that Clear Channel has six stations in Corpus Christi, we are going to be able to market ourselves to a wider fan base.”
The new partnership enhances the relationship between the Hooks and Clear Channel and includes exciting new ventures, most notably the construction of Clear Channel’s Ryan-Sanders Radio Studio at Whataburger Field. The studio, to be located near the main entrance, will host selected Clear Channel shows, plus pre- and post-game shows.
The agreement also includes a two-minute report, “On Deck with Matt Hicks,” to be broadcast daily on News Radio 1360 KKTX, as well as a weekly, 15-minute show featuring Latin Hooks players on La Tremenda 1400 AM.
“This Broadcast partnership is a wonderful next step for what has been a great working relationship between our two organizations,” stated Clear Channel General Manager John Richards. “The increased synergy from this association can only amplify Corpus Christi’s entertainment experience.”
Clear Channel Communications, headquartered in San Antonio, owns and operates six radio stations in the Corpus Christi market: News Radio 1360, KKTX-AM; Oldies 93.9, KMXR-FM; C-101 (rock), KNCN-FM; K-99 (country), KRYS-FM; Tejano 99.9, KSAB-FM; and La Preciosa 1400 AM, KKTX.
Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations Matt Hicks returns for his third season as “Voice of the Corpus Christi Hooks.” Acclaimed for his work in Frederick, Maryland and El Paso, Hicks has been behind the mic for every Hooks game. He begins his 13th year in the Texas League and 19th in professional baseball.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Hicks was the only minor league announcer listed in Baseball America’s special reader’s survey of favorite baseball broadcasters around the country, published in March of 1997. He also can be seen in the film “Major League II” as an extra in scenes featuring Hall-of-Fame announcer Bob Uecker.
The first Hooks broadcast on News Radio 1360 will be an exhibition game against Round Rock at The Dell Diamond on March 31st, and the first regular season broadcast will be April 5th from Lawrence Dumont Stadium in Wichita. For the past two seasons, Hooks games were carried in English on KOUL (103.7 FM) and in Spanish on KMJR (105.5 FM).
