June 13, 2002

Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri has awarded its radio rights in the Springfield, Mo. area to US97 (KXUS, 97.3 FM), in a three-year agreement announced today.

The agreement calls for the 100,000-watt station to carry Tiger Football and Men's Basketball broadcasts through the 2004-05 season. Other Mizzou programming, including Tiger Talk and the Tiger Update (a daily report on Mizzou athletics), will be carried on sister station ESPN 1400 AM.

"This is an outstanding partnership that will benefit everyone involved," said MU Director of Athletics Mike Alden. "Certainly we feel that Mizzou and US97 will be a winning combination, but we're really just as happy for our supporters and fans in the Springfield area, who will be the real winners here. We're pleased to be on such a prominent station which provides us regional coverage throughout southwest Missouri, which continues to be an important area for the University," he said.

"Missouri Tiger Football and Basketball rounds out a great lineup on US97 and ESPN 1400 for the Clear Channel Springfield stations," said Operations Manager Mitch Baker. "Adding Mizzou to our lineup makes us the undisputed champion of big time sports in Southwest Missouri. Bringing the excitement of the Tigers and the Big 12 Conference to US97 is a natural fit for us. We rock, they rock - we're ecstatic!" he said.