Sounders FC announces new television, radio broadcasters
Feb 12, 2016, 3:22 PM
Seattle Sounders supporters stand behind a large sign Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, as they watch MLS soccer training in Tukwila, Wash. (AP)
There will be some new voices joining the fresh faces on Seattle Sounders FC this season. The club announced Wednesday that Keith Costigan will handle play-by-play for the regional television broadcast and Matt Johnson will call games on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM beginning this season.
For the first time in club history, the Sounders are airing separate television and radio broadcasts, having previously simulcast the two.
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Costigan joins analyst and former Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the TV booth for all 20 matches airing regionally on Q13 FOX and JOEtv, while Johnson will provide radio play-by-play coverage for KIRO Radio 97.3 FM alongside a rotating panel of analysts, including former Sounders Danny Jackson and Wade Webber.
“In Keith we’re adding a broadcaster with national and international experience from his time with FOX Sports Media Group, while Matt brings a nuanced understanding of our club from his previous experience with Sounders FC, in addition to an unrivaled background in the Seattle sports scene from the past 20 years in this market,” Bart Wiley, the Sounders’ chief operating officer, said in the club’s press release.
The Sounders are coming off their strongest regional TV ratings in club history, including an 11 percent increase in year-over-year viewership and the highest regional household ratings in the MLS throughout 2015.
In addition to match broadcasts, KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz will continue hosting carry pre- and post-match shows with a rotating panel of analysts, along with “Sounders Weekly” on Thursdays at 9 p.m.
Here’s a link to the club’s press release announcing the broadcast information.
