BATON ROUGE — The LSU Sports Network, which begins its 13th year as an in-house operation of the LSU Athletic Department, will feature 47 affiliates in four states when the Tigers open their football season on Saturday night against Tulane.
Anchored by a pair of 50,000-watt clear channel affiliates and two 100,000-watt FM stations, the LSU Sports Network is one of the strongest radio networks at the collegiate level. Eagle 98.1 (WDGL), a 100,000 watt FM station, serves as LSU’s flag ship station.
Forty-two of the 47 affiliates LSU Sports Network affiliates are located in Louisiana, while Mississippi has three affiliates, and Arkansas and Texas one each.
“This may be the strongest the network has ever been,” said Jim Hawthorne, who is the LSU Sports Network Coordinator in charge of affiliate relations. “I do know this is the strongest the network has been since I’ve been involved with LSU Athletics.
“With WWL (870 AM) blasting its signal east of the Mississippi River and KWKH (1130 AM) going west, LSU fans from across the country will be able to listen to LSU football games on a Saturday night. I don’t know of another radio network at this level that is any stronger.”
Hawthorne begins his 19th year as the play-by-play voice of the LSU Tigers. Hawthorne, who does play-by-play for LSU football, men’s basketball and baseball, will once again serve as host for LSU’s weekly live call-in coaches shows as well as the weekly half-hour show, “Tiger Talk”, all of which are featured on the LSU Sports Network.