102.5 FM The Bone/102.5 HD-2 to be flagship stations for USF Football;
Bulls Unlimited digital radio to continue on TuneIn app;
USF Football Radio Show moves to Wednesday nights;
Louk to lead football radio broadcasts for 26th season
TAMPA, AUG. 29, 2022 – USF Athletics has finalized a three-year radio partnership agreement with COX Media Group that makes 100,000-watt 102.5 FM The Bone and its high-definition counterpart, 102.5 HD-2, the flagship stations for USF Football broadcasts starting this fall, Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly announced on Monday.
“We are very excited to announce this new radio partnership with 102.5 The Bone, their enthusiastic management team and on-air talent,” Kelly said. “Their 100,000-watt, over-the-air FM signal reaches from Pasco County in the north to Naples in the south and east to Orlando and, of course, our digital radio station will continue to be heard worldwide on the TuneIn app. We are looking forward to working closely with The Bone in promoting our programs and growing Bulls Nation across the Bay area and beyond.”
USF – one of the first two universities in the nation to launch its own 24-hour, digital radio station – will continue to broadcast on its digital outlet, Bulls Unlimited, over the TuneIn app and other digital radio platforms. USF Football games will air live on 102.5 FM and also on its high-definition sister station 102.5 HD-2, which is available on most receivers made after 2016.
The Bulls Unlimited digital radio station will continue to carry all USF football games and nearly all other USF Athletics radio broadcasts to a worldwide audience.
“The partnership between The Bone and USF football is just a perfect fit,” said Director of Operations for Cox Media Group, John Brennan, a USF graduate. “I couldn’t be more excited for the growth of our brand and to be able to feature such a strong Tampa Bay sports product for our great listeners.”
The USF Football Radio Show with Head Coach Jeff Scott will move to Wednesday evening broadcasts from 6-7 p.m. on 102.5 HD-2 and Bulls Unlimited. The show will debut on Wed., Sept. 7 with a live broadcast at World of Beer on East Fowler Ave. Host Jim Louk returns with co-host Joey Johnston as they welcome weekly conversations with Coach Scott, a USF assistant coach and a USF student-athlete each week.
Louk returns for his 26th season leading the USF football game broadcast crew and will be joined again by analyst Sam Barrington, a standout Bulls linebacker, and Johnston as sideline reporter. Jim Lighthall and Darek Sharp return to host the pre- and post-game football shows. USF Football game broadcasts will feature a two-hour pre-game show – with the first hour on Bulls Unlimited only – and a one-hour post-game show.
Lighthall also returns as the voice of USF men’s basketball and will again be joined by Johnston on the broadcasts. Sharp returns as the voice of USF women’s basketball and will again be joined by Brigid Merenda on the broadcasts. USF men’s and women’s basketball will air on Bulls Unlimited and 102.5 HD-2.
USF opens the 2022 football season this Saturday, taking on BYU in a 4 p.m. kickoff at Raymond James Stadium. The game can be heard live on 102.5 FM/102.5 HD-2 and Bulls Unlimited digital radio on the TuneIn app.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, which will expand to 21 teams with the recently announced additions of women’s lacrosse (2023-24) and women’s beach volleyball (2024-25). The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and completed its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including seven trophies in the 2021 calendar year, and own 139 conference titles in department history. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for more than seven straight years and have posted a program-record 15 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0 as of the spring of 2022. USF has had over 500 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17. USF has had over 500 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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– #GoBulls
