Kent State men’s basketball and football teams will go greater distances this fall.

A five-year agreement between Kent State and Akron’s WNIR 100.1 FM will improve game broadcasts with a signal that will span north to Lake Erie, south to New Philadelphia, west to Lodi and east to the Pennsylvania border.

WNIR will also extend pre-game coverage to one hour and extend the post-game show to 30 minutes for more live interviews with athletes and coaches.

“There will be much more interaction with our coaches and student athletes and the radio station,” said Laing Kennedy, director of athletics. “It will be much more live, you’ll feel like you’re there.”

Bob Klaus, WNIR sales manager, had similar feelings

“The relationship is mutually beneficial,” Klaus said. “We both have superb products, combining them together gives the audience an even better, more entertaining product.”

The contract between WNIR and Kent State includes intense mutual marketing.

Kent State will include WNIR’s radio station on billboards, while WNIR will promote upcoming Kent State athletic games on its talk shows.

Kent State is also working toward developing strong ties to the Kent community while reaching out to 100,000 alumni in the WNIR listening area.

Kristen Guy, TV2 sports anchor, said she is excited about the change.

“With the station reaching a broader area, we can get more people excited about Kent State sports,” said Guy, a junior broadcast journalism major. “Hopefully it will draw in a bigger fan base here.”

Contact Student Recreation and Wellness reporter Laura Rushnok at [email protected].