Penn football fans unable to travel across the country for the Quakers' Sept. 18 opener at San Diego can now simply tune their radio to "the worldwide leader in sports" to hear the game being called.
This past summer, Penn reached a deal with ESPN 920 AM, which will cover all 10 football games for the upcoming season.
"It's a perfect fit," said Andy Bilello, Penn's associate director of Athletics for External Affairs, who helped negotiate the deal.
For the past few seasons, Penn football games were carried on The Christian Station, WVCH 740 AM. In the offseason, Bilello tried to find a station that would reach a larger audience.
"We were actively seeking opportunities to be on a stronger station - and it just happened that [ESPN was] one of those stations where, when we contacted them, they expressed strong interest from the start," he said.
This season's broadcasts can now be heard in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania. In New Jersey, the station is available in Burlington, Camden and Mercer Counties.
Bilello said that the signal is strongest to the north and east of the city.
Aside from the station's stronger signal, Bilello said that ESPN "is a very nice brand association for Penn football and Penn athletics."
Football coach Al Bagnoli echoed Bilello's sentiments in a statement announcing the deal.
"We are very delighted to be part of the ESPN family and look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with 920," he said.
Quakers football fans who are not in ESPN 920's broadcast range or who do not have a radio can still listen to the games, as all 10 games will be streamed live over the Internet at www.pennathletics.com.
Despite changing stations, last year's broadcasters, Matt Leon and Hench Murray, will remain as Penn's on-air talent. This is because the Penn Athletic Department is responsible for hiring its own broadcasters.
For now, the deal between Penn and ESPN Radio is only a one-year commitment. Bilello, however, hopes that ESPN will continue to carry Penn's games for years to come.
"Our goal is to try and continue and strengthen the relationship," he said. "For us it's a big improvement and we're really happy with the relationship thus far."
