The Chicago Cubs Radio Network comprises 25 stations in three states.[1]
Pat Hughes has been the play-by-play announcer since 1996. From 1996 to 2010, Hughes was partnered with Ron Santo. After Santo's death, Keith Moreland took over as color commentator, lasting three seasons (2011–13). Ron Coomer became the color commentator in 2014. Mark Grote handles the Cubs Central pre- and post-game shows. Coomer takes over the play-by-play (with Hughes watching to color) for the fifth inning of most games. Cubs television announcer Len Kasper joins the radio network to call the fifth inning of nationally-televised games.
All 162 regular season baseball games, some spring training games, and all postseason games are broadcast by the network, though not all affiliates distribute the entire slate. The games are transmitted to stations via C-Band satellite service on AMC-8.
From 1925 to 2014 (continuously from 1958 to 2014), the Cubs' flagship station was WGN, 720 AM, the lone radio station of the Tribune Company (which for many years simultaneously owned the Cubs, TV station WGN-TV and its national superstation, and the local newspaper from which it gets its name, the Chicago Tribune). When it was part of the Tribune Radio Network, the network's non-sports programming included the National Farm Report, a farm news feature hosted by Orion Samuelson; Samuelson Sez (a weekly commentary hosted by Samuelson); and Farming America, a farm news feature hosted by Steve Alexander (previously by Max Armstrong).
Beginning in the 2015 season, the Cubs' broadcast rights moved to CBS Radio, after Tribune declined to renew its longstanding broadcast rights (incoming Tribune CEO Peter Liguori is a New York Mets fan and does not think highly of the Cubs return on investment).[2] The first season will be broadcast on WBBM & WCFS-FM; the flagship for 2016 and beyond will be WSCR after that station gives up the rights to the Chicago White Sox to WLS.[3] All of the Cubs' on-air personalities made the move from WGN to CBS.[4]