Thursday, October 30, 2014

Boynton Beach At Hallandale Preview

     The District 15-6A title will be decided between two undefeated teams on Friday night as the Boynton Beach Tigers travel 40 miles down I-95 to Hallandale and take on the Chargers. The winner will host a regional quarterfinal game in two weeks while the loser will have to go on the road and face the defending FHSAA Class 6A champion Miami Central Rockets.
     It was a high-scoring shootout on the road last week for Boynton Beach(9-0, 4-0) as they got by Coconut Creek 63-58. The Tigers have scored as least 42 points in seven of their nine games this season. They have compiled three shutouts and outscored their opponents 456-150 this year.
     Quarterback Lamar Jackson looks to move his team down the field on offense with his running out of the pocket and passing ability. His main targets on receptions will be wide receivers Donte Sylencieux and Dieuly Aristilde who intend to run deep patterns. They have a bunch of choices to use in the backfield with Zander Bernard, Zaire Ivory, Chauncey Mason and Jordan Galvan as their running backs.
     After three straight seasons of having to look at Dillard above them in the final district standings, Hallandale(8-0, 4-0) went on the road and finally defeated them two weeks ago 30-14. The Chargers have beaten every team they faced by at least eight points this season and they have outscored opponents 319-102.
     Tyler Huntley is expected to dictate the Chargers offense from the quarterback position. Running back Taj Mcgowan will get most of the carries while Sh'mar Kilby-lane, Juwan Taylor and Rodney Holmes can run in short yardage situations with a full house backfield. Hallandale has numerous options at wide receiver with Josh Hammond, Neru N'shaka, Chris Cotto and Bernard Scott.

Panthers Stop Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers returned home following a two-week, four-game road trip and defeated the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. The Cats lost their previous game five days ago in overtime at Arizona.
     Arizona(3-5-1) scored in the first period on their second power play attempt at 17:27. Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a shot from the right circle that was deflected in front by the stick shaft of Martin Hanzal which sneaked in between Roberto Luongo and the near post.
     In the second period, Florida(3-2-3) evened the contest at 5:37 on their third power play. Jussi Jokinen fed a pass from the left wing to Brandon Pirri at the edge of the left circle and he fired a one-time slapshot by Mike Smith. Pirri scored in his third consecutive game while Jokinen extended his point and assist streak to three games.
     The Panthers took their first lead of the game during the third period in an unusual way. Scottie Upshall had exited the penalty box after he served a two-minute charging penalty and received a lead pass beyond the red line from Tomas Kopecky. Upshall skated in alone through the slot area and put a backhand shot in with 9:04 remaining in the third.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Heat Take Season Opener Over Wizards

     The post-LeBron James era began for the Miami Heat in their home opener on Wednesday night as they got a 107-95 victory over the Washington Wizards at American Airlines Arena. The Heat entered the game as the defending four-time Eastern Conference champions.
     Washington(0-1) got out to a 28-22 lead after one quarter and trailed 53-52 at halftime. Neither team led by more than five points during the third quarter as Miami(1-0) was up 72-70 at the end of the period.  The Wizards came as close as 76-75 with 9:36 left in the fourth quarter. The Heat then scored the next eight points and never looked back.
     Chris Bosh compiled a team-high 26 points and 15 rebounds in 39 minutes for Miami. Norris Cole had 23 points and Dwyane Wade added 21. Luol Deng made his Heat regular season debut and put together 12 points in 30 minutes.
     Paul Pierce debuted for the Wizards with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. John Wall dropped in 16 points and recorded a team-high 11 assists. Drew Gooden and Marcin Gortat both scored a team-high 18 points each for Washington.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Dino Costa Returns To Florida

     Former local sports host Dino Costa makes his return to the Florida airwaves on November 3 as he will co-host a mid-afternoon show with Pat Paolini on WAOC-AM in St. Augustine. He had a previous run as the afternoon host at WNNR-AM in Jacksonville from June 2003 until February 2004.
     Costa had a brief stint as the afternoon host on 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM in Fort Lauderdale when the station launched into a sports format in April 2004. The position lasted just three months. Costa was let go when he would not accept Bruce Warner as a new co-host on his show.
     He recently had a reign at Mad Dog Radio on Sirius XM Radio as an evening sports host until early September 2013. Costa was shifted to the Sports Nation channel as the morning host where he stayed for only one month before he was ousted. He joined the satellite radio company in January 2010.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Coyotes Get By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a four-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime loss to the newly named Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night at Gila River Arena. Both teams will meet again in Sunrise on Thursday night. The Panthers have earned at least one point in all five road games this season.
     Neither team scored during the first two periods. Florida(2-2-3) broke the tie at 1:47 of the third period. The Coyotes committed a turnover behind their cage and the Cats capitalized. Tomas Fleischmann carried the puck to right of the net and passed in front to Brandon Pirri. He faked a forehand shot in the low slot and scored on the backhand around Mike Smith for a Panthers 1-0 lead.
     Arizona(3-3-1) evened the game at 9:51 on the power play as Justin Hodgman picked up his first NHL goal in his National Hockey League debut. A Keith Yandle slapshot from the blue line was deflected by Lauri Korpikoski in front and saved by Roberto Luongo. Hodgman pounced on the rebound and put it in from close range.
     The Coyotes got a man advantage in overtime when Aleksander Barkov was called for high sticking at 1:25. They scored on the power play at 2:20 when Sam Gagner passed the puck from the low left circle to Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the top left circle. He fired a shot by the left glove of Luongo for the win.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Florida Panthers On Spanish Radio

     The Florida Panthers will have three home games during the 2014-15 season on the radio in Spanish language. It will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes 1210 WNMA-AM in Miami and ESPN Deportes 760 WEFL-AM in West Palm Beach. They will be on October 30 against the Arizona Coyotes, January 15 against the Colorado Avalanche and March 21 against the Boston Bruins. 
     The Panthers had Spanish language radio broadcasts on WCMQ 1210 AM during their first three campaigns in the National Hockey League with Arley Londono as the play-by-play announcer and Felix DeJesus as the game analyst. Florida played their first five seasons at Miami Arena in Dade County before they moved to their current home in Sunrise. Londono will work all three games in the same play-by-play role and will be joined by Octavio Sequera as the game analyst.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Steve White New WMEN Afternoon Host

     Steve White began as the new afternoon host at 640 Sports WMEN-AM on Monday. He recently hosted one show at the station on Saturday afternoon. He replaced Jon Linder who was the interim afternoon host since August 25.
     White held several titles at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from late 2009 to early October 2014. He first joined the organization as a salesperson and added on-air duties as a weekend host. He was a late morning show sidekick for Gino Torretta from late 2010 until the end of December 2011. White also worked for Torretta as a college football studio host for Touchdown Radio Productions.
     Prior to arriving in Miami, he was the sports director and senior producer at ABC Radio. White joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in the mid 2000's as the program director. He took over the early afternoon show with Brandon Guzio from May 2009 to late September 2009 then he was let go.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Capitals Slip By Panthers

     The Florida Panthers played for the second straight day on the road and were defeated in a shootout by the Washington Capitals 2-1 on Saturday night at Verizon Center. The Cats have scored three goals in their last 4 games. Five games into the 2014-15 season, they tallied just five goals.
     Washington(3-2-0) got on the scoreboard first as Jason Chimera got a goal at 17:12 of the opening period by Al Montoya, who made his first start in net with the Panthers.
     Florida(1-2-2) matched it on the power play during the third period when Brad Boyes scored at 4:27. Sean Bergenheim and Dylan Olsen were credited with assists on the play.
     The game went into a shootout where the Caps scored on all three of their attempts. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin all converted for the Capitals while Jonathan Huberdeau got the lone tally for the Cats.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Glades Central Dominates University School

     The Glades Central Raiders clinched the District 7-4A title as they routed the University School Suns 50-3 on Friday night in Davie. Glades Central will host a regional semifinal to begin the FHSAA playoffs in November. After giving up a field goal, the Raiders scored 50 unanswered points to dominate this game.
     University School(1-7, 0-2), who had 12 players transfer out prior to the 2014 season, finished their first possession with a 25-yard field goal by Billy Mitchell at 9:03 of the first quarter.
     The Raiders meant business with their first play on offense as quarterback Jonathant Istache ran down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown. They never looked back after that as Glades Central was up 7-3 at 8:50. Special teams got involved for the Raiders with 1:49 left in the first as they blocked a punt and Antonio Brown scored from five yards away to make it 14-3.
     Glades Central(6-2, 2-0) added 22 more points in the second quarter. Wide receiver Les'Kee Hessing took an inside handoff up the middle for a seven-yard score at 7:52. Running back Rashard Martin rushed around the right side for a score from 13 yards out at 2:48. He also returned an interception 12 yards for a touchdown with 1:40 left in the half. They made a two-point conversion on a pass play to go up 36-3.
     The third quarter was classified as being the Ja'kevious Vickers quarter after he was held out of action in the first half. He pounded through the middle with a four-yard touchdown run at 7:05 as the Raiders led 43-3. It was then agreed upon to have a running clock for the remainder of the contest. It did not matter during the first play on the next possession for Glades Central as Vickers ripped out of the backfield into open space on the right side and scored untouched from 59 yards out at 1:55 for a 50-3 cushion.

Panthers Blank Sabres

     The Florida Panthers gathered their first win of the 2014-15 season with a 1-0 shutout victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night at First Niagara Center. The Cats have scored a combined three goals in their last three games.
     Florida(1-2-1) outshot Buffalo(1-4-0) 13-2 in the first 16 minutes of the game and 16-3 overall in the first period. They continued to pepper the Sabres net at the beginning of the second period. It paid off as Sean Bergenheim scored his first goal of the season at 3:01 with assists from Brad Boyes and Dmitry Kulikov.
     Roberto Lunogo made 26 saves to get his 67th career shutout in the NHL. He past Patrick Roy for 13th all-time in career shutouts. Head coach Gerard Gallant picked up his first win at the helm for the Panthers.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Jon Linder Ends Interim Reign

     Jon Linder will end his short run at 640 Sports WMEN-AM as interim afternoon host on Friday. He was brought in on August 25 when he replaced Orlando Alzugaray who returned to Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. 640 Sports is expected to make an announcement who will become the new afternoon host at the station.
     Linder had a previous stint with the station for three weeks earlier this year as the early afternoon host from January 20 until February 7. He lost that position when James Crystal Enterprises had to reorganize their organization due to chapter 11 bankruptcy. He joined the station as a fill-in host in December 2013.
     He was a sports reporter and fill-in host at WQAM from 2007 to early 2013. Linder was elevated to football studio host of the University of Miami Hurricanes Radio Network from 2010 to 2012. He also hosted a late night football show from August until late December 2011. Prior to arriving in Miami, he had a long stint during the 2000s as an afternoon host and later a Sunday morning host at 770 WWCN-AM in Fort Myers.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Kevin Rogers At WIOD

     Former local sportscaster Kevin Rogers recently joined News Radio 610 WIOD-AM as a weekend news anchor. He still continues as a writer and handicapper for VegasInsider.com.
     Rogers lost his evening host position at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and his role as Florida Panthers Radio Network studio host back in August. He joined WQAM in 2008 and added duties as the Panthers host in September 2010 when the team shifted their radio broadcasts back to their original flagship station.
     He was first noticed locally when he joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in the mid 2000s as a late night host. Rogers was able to upend competitor Ed Kaplan of WQAM in the ratings for late night supremacy. He was later promoted to evening host, late morning host and Florida Panthers radio studio host during his reign at that station.
     Rogers, a Florida State University grad, started his professional broadcasting career as a sports talk host at KCSP-AM in Kansas City before his move to Miami.

Rachel Nichols Loses CNN Show

     Former Sun-Sentinel sports writer Rachel Nichols had her Friday night show Unguarded With Rachel Nichols dropped by CNN. She started that program in September 2013. She will continue as a sports reporter along with being an NBA and NCAA basketball sideline reporter for Turner Sports broadcasts.
     Nichols first got noticed locally as Rachel Alexander and worked as a writer for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel sports section from 1995 to 1996. She would leave the newspaper for a sports writer role at the Washington Post where she worked until 2004. Nichols later joined ESPN as a sports reporter for over eight years. She moved to Turner Sports and CNN in January 2013.

United States Ties With Honduras

     The United States men's national soccer team made an appearance in Boca Raton on Tuesday night and tied Honduras 1-1 in an international friendly at Howard Schnellenberger Field on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.
     The Americans struck first in the tenth minute as Boca Raton native and striker Jozy Altidore scored with an assist by Michael Bradley. It would be the only shot on goal by the U.S. in the game. Maynor Figueroa evened the match for Honduras late in the second half during the 86th minute of play.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Panthers Shut Out By Senators

     The Florida Panthers were blanked by the Ottawa Senators 1-0 on Monday night at BB&T Center. The biggest thing that might have been noticed was the lack of people at the arena as it was the lowest attended home game in Florida Panthers franchise history at 7,311. The previous low was 10,063 in 2007 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
     The defeat matched the Panthers start from 2007-08 in which they lost their first three games, however Florida(0-2-1) chalked up one point after losing in overtime during their opening game at Tampa Bay.
     There was only one goal in this contest and Ottawa(2-1-0) was able to get it in the second period. Clarke MacArthur carried the puck through the slot area following a short pass by Kyle Turris, went around Erik Gudbranson and put a backhand shot by Roberto Luongo at 15:34.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Panthers Loss Home Opener To Devils

     The Florida Panthers had their home opener at BB&T Center on Saturday night and were handily defeated by the New Jersey Devils 5-1. The Cats had won their last five home openers prior to tonight. The Devils won their first two road games to begin a season for the first time in franchise history.
     It did not take long for New Jersey(2-0-0) to score as they put in a tally just 2:37 into the first period. Eric Gelinas fired a slapshot through traffic from the left point following a pass by Jon Merrill at the right point.
     The Devils extended their margin to 2-0 when they scored on their first power play at 8:46. Patrik Elias cycled the puck from the right side to on top of the zone where Gelinas was. He ripped a shot which was deflected by Martin Havlat in the low slot area. It was the first goal by Havlat with his new team.
     They made it 3-0 at 13:13 on their next power play opportunity. Mike Cammalleri scored his third goal of the season when he redirected the puck from the slot area. Marek Zidlicky took a slapshot from the left point set up by Damon Severson, who got his first NHL assist and point on the play.
     Things got better for Severson late in the first period as he compiled his first NHL goal with 28 seconds remaining when he blasted a slapshot from the right point.
     The momentum still belonged to the Devils early in the second period as they got a five-goal cushion at 2:59. Adam Henrique sent a pass to the low left circle to Michael Ryder. He backhanded the puck to the slot and Ryan Clowe put in a one-timer. Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant decided to replace Roberto Luongo with backup Al Montoya after he surrendered five goals on 14 shots by New Jersey.
     Florida(0-1-1) broke the shutout at 16:31 on their third power play. Scottie Upshall received the puck at the side of the Devils net on a Brian Campbell feed. He backhanded it to Derek MacKenzie in the low slot and he snapped in a shot by Cory Schneider for his first goal as a Panther.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Dillard At Boynton Beach Preview

     The two schools from District 15-6A who made the FHSAA playoffs last year will face each other on Friday night as the Dillard Panthers travel from Fort Lauderdale to Boynton Beach and challenge the Tigers.
     Boynton Beach(6-0, 1-0) lost their only game of the 2013 regular season at Dillard 41-13. Both clubs were eliminated in the postseason by eventual FHSAA Class 6A champion Miami Central.
     The Tigers have not been tested this season as they have ripped apart their opponents in every game. Along with their victory at home over Cardinal Newman 63-0 last week, they have outscored the opposition 329-80 after six games. They will have a tough final two games of the regular season as they visit Broward County twice to face Coconut Creek and Hallandale.
     The offense is led by quarterback Lamar Jackson who will run with the ball out of the pocket and throw the ball to wide receivers Donte Sylencieux and Dieuly Aristilde. They have numerous options in the backfield with Zaire Ivory, Zander Bernard, Chauncey Mason and Jordan Galvan as running backs.
     Dillard(3-2, 1-1) is expected to put a heavier emphasis on their passing game than running game. They have Jason Collins at quarterback who will throw the ball a ton in this contest. Wide receivers Demetrius White, James Jackson Jr., Deonta Nelson and Jordan Merrell can get their share of receptions from Collins. Look for running backs Elgirn Oates, Tyles Boyd and Tajue Williams to get occasional carries.

Panthers Loss Season Opener To Lightning

     The Florida Panthers opened the 2014-15 regular season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night. The Bolts swept the Panthers 4-0-0 last season to win the inaugural Governor's Cup.
     There was no scoring between both clubs in the first period as the Cats were held to one shot in the first 19 minutes of the game. Tampa Bay held an 8-3 edge in shots after one period.
     Florida(0-0-1) drew first blood in the second period as they scored at 5:03. Derek MacKenzie won a face-off in the right circle and steered the puck to Dylan Olsen at the right point. He sent a short pass to Erik Gudbranson in the middle of the ice and he fired a slapshot over the left glove of Ben Bishop for a 1-0 lead.
     Tampa Bay(1-0-0) answered back on the power play just over two minutes at to tie the game 1-1 at 7:12. Valtteri Filppula received a cross-ice pass from Anton Stralman at the top left circle. He faked a shot and fed Tyler Johnson in the right circle where he redirected a wrist shot past the left side of Roberto Luongo.
     The Bolts added another power-play goal at 7:17 of the third period when Ryan Callahan converted on the tally. Florida evened it up at 2-2 with 10:44 remaining in regulation as Aaron Ekblad picked up his first NHL assist and point on a goal by Jonathan Huberdeau.
     The Lightning were rewarded the man advantage on a Scottie Upshall interference penalty at the end of the third period. They capitalized on the 4-on-3 in overtime during a bad line change by the Panthers. Bishop flung a long lead pass down the penalty-box side to Victor Hedman who raced down the left side and snapped a shot over the right shoulder of Luongo at 1:11 for the 3-2 victory.

Strikers Take Rowdies And Coastal Cup

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-2 on Wednesday night at Al Lang Stadium to win the Florida Derby. After losing the previous four Coastal Cups, the Strikers captured the silverware for the first time. It was also the first time that the Rowdies lost a home game during the regular season to Fort Lauderdale since the rivalry was renewed in 2010.
     Tampa Bay dominated the first forty minutes of the first half. They were able to get goals from Tamika Mkandawire in the 11th minute and Darel Russel in the 38th minute.
     Fort Lauderdale closed the gap with two goals in the final five minutes of the half. Fifa Picault compiled both tallies during the 43rd and 44th minute. Shawn Chin, who assisted on the first two Strikers goals, scored the game winner in the 56th minute.
     The Strikers and Rowdies came into this game tied in aggregate goals at 3-3. Tampa Bay won the first game at home 3-2 on May 24 while Fort Lauderdale put up a 1-0 shutout at Lockhart Stadium on August 2.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Willie Mitchell Named Florida Panthers Captain

     The Florida Panthers announced that their next captain will be defenseman Willie Mitchell. He will become the eighth captain in franchise history. Previous captains for the club included Brian Skrudland, Scott Mellanby, Paul Laus, Pavel Bure, Olli Jokinen, Bryan McCabe and Ed Jovanovski.
     Mitchell joins the Cats as a free agent in early July. He played for the Los Angeles Kings for the last four seasons. He captured two Stanley Cup championships with that team in 2012 and 2014. Mitchell had one goal and 11 assists in 76 games with the Kings during the 2013-14 campaign.

Doug MacLean On NHL Network

     Former Florida Panthers head coach Doug MacLean can now be seen on the NHL Network as of today on a show called Hockey Central at Noon. The program originates from Sportsnet 590 The Fan CJCL-AM in Toronto and has been broadcast nationally in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet. He has been a co-host on the show with Nick Kypreos and Daren Millard since September 2010.
     MacLean became the second coach in Florida Panthers history in 1995-96 and led the team in his first season to their only Eastern Conference championship before they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. He stayed with the club until being let go in late 1997.
     He became the first general manager for Columbus Blue Jackets in January 1998 and added duties as the head coach in January 2003. MacLean stepped down from the bench in January 2004 and elevated current Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant to the top spot. The Blue Jackets fired MacLean at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Lake Worth And Forest Hill Game Suspended

     The District 13-7A game on Friday night between the Lake Worth Trojans and the Forest Hill Falcons was suspended with 8:36 left in the second quarter due to a weather delay. The game will be resumed at 9AM on Saturday morning at Bill Harvey Stadium in Lake Worth.
     Lake Worth(3-2, 1-1) was leading 7-6 with 8:36 remaining in the first half when officials stopped the game due to lightning in the local vicinity.
     Detrone Young took the opening kickoff 53 yards for Forest Hill(2-2, 0-2) to the Trojans 46-yard line. The Falcons would cap their first drive with a one-yard plunge through the middle by quarterback Marcus Frazier to make it 6-0 at 8:04. They failed with a run on a two-point conversion.
     The Trojans took their first lead of the contest during the second quarter. Running back Donte Fils-Aime rushed around the right end and scored a touchdown from ten yards away to tie the game at 8:37. Lake Worth went up 7-6 as they converted on the extra point.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Dwyer Outlasts Royal Palm Beach

     It was the highly anticipated matchup between the frontrunners in District 13-7A as the Dwyer Panthers defeated the Royal Palm Beach Wildcats 47-24 on Thursday night at Blum Stadium. Dwyer, the defending FHSAA Class 7A champions, now holds first place in what may be the most competitive district from top to bottom in South Florida high school football this year.
     Royal Palm Beach(4-1, 2-1) marched down the field and scored on their first possession as tight end Marlon Eugene caught a ten-yard pass up the middle from quarterback Toddy Centeio at 6:53 of the first quarter for a seven-point lead.
     Dwyer(5-1, 3-0) responded as it took three plays on their first drive to tie the game at 5:59. Wide receiver Dante Cousart made a reception on the left sideline, ran past two defenders and scored from 57 yards away.
     At the start of the second quarter, the Wildcats tried a fake field goal deep in Panthers territory and were stopped at the five-yard line. Dwyer struck fast on the next play as quarterback Daniel Parr threw a ball over the secondary which was caught by wide receiver Isaiah Johnson at midfield. He pulled away and scored a 95-yard touchdown to give them a 13-7 lead at 11:35.
     Devin Wallace cut the margin down for Royal Palm Beach to 13-10 as he kicked a 43-yard field goal at 7:22. They were able to regain the lead 17-13 with 1:31 left in the second as Centeio connected with wide receiver Derick Python on the right sideline for a 15-yard touchdown.
     Both teams combined for 27 points in the third quarter. The first possession in the second half for the Panthers was successful as running back Cornelius Smith capped it with a five-yard run through the left side to make it 20-17 at 8:58. After Wildcats running back Demarcus Holloway fumbled, Parr ended the next drive as he went around the left end to score from five yards out at 5:23 to give Dwyer a 26-17 margin.
     Royal Palm Beach stayed in the game with 3:52 left as running back Shamar Jackson rushed down the left sideline and scored on a 48-yard touchdown run to cut the gap to two points at 26-24.
     The momentum disappeared on the first play of the Panthers next drive when Smith ran for 64 yards to the Royal Palm Beach five-yard line. Parr scored on the next play with a run through the right side and made it 33-24 with 3:27 to go in the third.
     The fourth quarter belonged to Dwyer when they scored a touchdown on their first play. Cousart received a six-yard pass from Parr in the top right corner of the end zone at 11:51. The Wildcats fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. The Panthers capitalized as wide receiver Tavares Martin made it 40-24 on a 15-yard catch with 11:00 remaining in the game.

WQAM Sold To CBS Radio

     Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has been acquired by CBS Radio from Beasley Broadcasting. It is expected to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission by the end of the year.
     Both organizations have agreed to exchange 19 radio stations between them as CBS Radio will pick up all Beasley Broadcasting entities in Miami which includes WQAM, WPOW-FM and WKIS-FM. Beasley will still have a footprint in South Florida as they keep their radio stations in Boca Raton and Fort Myers.
     Beasley Broadcasting will get the entire CBS Radio clusters in Tampa Bay and Charlotte. They add sports stations WHFS-FM and WHFS-AM in Tampa Bay along with WFNZ-AM and WBCN-AM in Charlotte. In addition, they acquired WIP-AM in Philadelphia which is the second longest running sports radio station in this country behind WFAN-AM in New York City.
     WQAM has been owned by two organizations since the 1980s. Sunshine Wireless Company controlled the business when WQAM flipped to a sports format on April 5, 1993. They sold the radio station to Beasley Broadcasting in 1996. CBS Radio had a connection with WQAM when CBS Sports Radio Network was picked up by the station in January 2013. Former WQAM talent Chris Moore, Scott Ferrall and Damon Amendolara work as sports hosts at that network.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Miami Ratings September 2014

     It was the closest ratings race since September 2013 as 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM squeaked by to be the top rated sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. They stayed at the top spot for the 13rd consecutive month.
     104.3 The Ticket dropped from a 1.6 to a 1.3 in September. They have lost almost half of their audience since they hit a record-high 2.5 back in May when the Miami Heat was going through their annual playoff run. The station tends to have lower rating when they are not airing Heat game broadcasts.
     Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM was edged out in September as they improved from a 0.9 to a 1.2 and finished a close second in South Florida. The dramatic push was due to the change in the midday slot as Orlando Alzugaray, a.k.a. The Big O, returned to the station after a four-year absence. They finally have a show with a longtime Miami personality that can counter Colin Cowherd on WAXY-FM. The return of University of Miami Hurricanes football broadcasts also pumped up the ratings.
     Even as the flagship station of the Miami Dolphins and the start of the regular season, Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM remained flat at a 0.2 for the eighth straight month. It also seems that having the Miami Marlins game broadcasts on the station over the past six months did not help at all and had no impact.