Erie, PA Now Without Sports Radio

Erie, Pennsylvania is without any sports talk radio for now. It seems that the future is also greatly in question. Avid listeners of WFAN 1330 AM awoke to quite a surprise Monday morning when, instead of hearing "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio they heard oldies radio. As of Monday morning The Fan, as the station was known, was broadcasting syndicated oldies radio and changed its name to Froggy 1330. The change comes less than a week after Froggy 94.7 FM changed its format from oldies radio to become BOB Radio, a syndicated station known for playing all genres of music.

The sudden loss of both the local ESPN affiliate and local sports talk radio came as a great shock to Erie sports fans, as no announcement of the format change was made. The Erie Times-News mentioned nothing of the change, and the website for the radio station was still the WFAN Sports Radio website as of noon on Monday. Phone calls to both 1330 AM and 1400 AM (both stations are owned and operated by the same company) led directly to syndicated radio shows. Neither office could be reached for comment. Local sports radio personality and Gannon sports announcer James R. LeCorchick posted a statement on his official website that reads "THE DEMISE of radio station 1330 the Fan (WFNN) is a sad day for local sports fans. There are an amazing amount of rumors regarding this move and the future of the station. I will try and get some legit info and comment much more later."

The change of format for 1330 AM means more than just the loss of ESPN Radio and sports talk radio. 1330 AM was the home of the Erie Sea Wolves, The Erie Otters, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and local sporting event, while 1400 AM was the home of the Cleveland Browns. According to a short audio post made my LeCorchick on his website the future of sporting events on Erie AM radio remains in question. Currently AM 1260 WRIE is the home of the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Indians while AM 1450 WPSE broadcasts Westwood One's coverage of the NFL as well as Penn State athletics. Neither AM 1260 nor AM 1450 would comment on any rumors regarding any change in their programming as of early Monday afternoon.

LeCorchick ended his blog by writing "1330 The Fan and 1400 WJET carried such entities as Cathedral Prep football, high school playoffs in football and basketball, Browns, Steelers, Gannon football and basketball, Seawolves, Otters, Pitt football and much, much more. What will be left out? I'll try and find out for you." As of Monday at 2:00 pm local Erie sports enthusiasts will have wait it out as they too search for a resolution to a very interesting and sudden change for radio in the Erie area.