WIND to carry NIU football, basketball

Northern Illinois University has found a new home for its college sports broadcasts with WIND 560-AM, school officials announced Monday.

The partnership was announced by NIU associate vice-president and director of athletics Sean T. Frazier, along with AM 560 general manager Jeff Reisman and Learfield Sports, the new multimedia rights holder for NIU Athletics.

WIND will carry every Huskie home football game as well as the one-hour NIU football coaches radio show each week throughout the season. WSCR 670-AM, a larger 50,000-watt station, had carried NIU football games since 2005 but declined to renew its deal. WSCR will carry Illinois football and basketball in the 2014-15 season.

Under the new deal, WIND also will provide coverage of 12 Huskie men's basketball games, three NIU women's basketball games, and 14 episodes of "NIU Weekly," the 30-minute show that showcases the Huskies' athletics program.

"There's no doubt this partnership with AM 560 is going to be great for NIU fans across the region," Frazier said.

Reisman said his station relishes the opportunity to be the "home of the Huskies" in Chicagoland.

"I'm excited about our partnership," said Reisman. "Huskie football has accrued more wins in the past five years than any other team in the state of Illinois. They are a collegiate powerhouse."