Portland, Ore. - Portland Family Entertainment (PFE), announced today that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Infinity Broadcasting Corporation. As part of the deal, Infinity will carry every Portland Beavers Triple-A baseball game and Portland Timbers A-League soccer game live. The four-year deal also includes an extensive promotional commitment by Infinity Broadcasting to promote the Beavers, Timbers and PGE Park events on all six Infinity stations in Portland. Infinity is the largest radio group in Portland with stations KINK-FM, KKJZ-FM, KUFO-FM, KUPL-FM, KVMX-FM and KUPL-AM. Infinity is a division of Viacom, one of the largest media companies in the world. Headquartered in New York, Infinity owns approximately 180 stations in 22 states.
"This is a tremendous step for PFE," said Marshall Glickman, General Partner and CEO for PFE. "We had a very tough decision because there was serious interest from several other stations. We felt like Infinity was the group that had the most enthusiasm for making this partnership more than just a typical sports franchise radio deal. They saw the potential for growing our partnership to include promoting several major concert events at PGE Park and getting involved with other PFE non-sports related activities. As the largest radio group in Portland, their six stations offer a wide variety of audiences for us."
As part of the four-year agreement, all Portland Beavers regular season and playoff games will be carried live on KUPL-AM (970AM). The eight games that are played in Pasco, Washington (due to construction at PGE Park) at the start of the 2001 regular season will be carried on KUPL-AM as well as in the Tri-Cities, Washington area on KALE-AM. All Portland Timbers A-League soccer games, including regular season, playoffs and U.S. Open Cup, will also be carried on KUPL-AM except for when they conflict with Beavers broadcasts, in which case they will be carried live on another Portland area radio station. Infinity is currently negotiating with several Portland radio stations to carry the Timbers games that conflict with Beavers game broadcasts. The game broadcasts will feature a thirty-minute pre-game show before every Beavers and Timbers game and a fifteen-minute post-game show following each game.
Legendary broadcaster and former Portland Trail Blazers voice Bill Schonely will serve as the voice of the Portland Beavers for every regular season and playoff game. Schonely will return to his broadcast roots when he served as the baseball voice of the Seattle Pilots in the 1960's. "The Shonz" will also host an interview at home plate with a player or coach immediately following each Beavers game at PGE Park. Schonely will be joined with color commentators to be named at a later date. The radio broadcast voices for the Timbers have yet to be finalized.
Infinity will dedicate close to 700 hours of programming (144 Beavers games and 30 Timbers games, not including playoffs and US Open Cup) to the PFE sports franchises as part of this agreement. PFE will retain all advertising inventory, which it is including as part of its sponsorship packages. PFE sponsors include Portland General Electric, Maletis Beverage (Budweiser/Widmer), Fred Meyer, GI Joe's, Thomason Auto Group, Standard TV & Appliance, Boyd's Coffee, Pepsi, Frito Lay and several others. "I know our sponsors will be pleased about our partnership with Infinity," said Glickman. "They have great stations and do a terrific job promoting and marketing events. We expect this partnership will have a major impact on the quality of events at PGE Park."
Infinity expects to promote three major concerts per year at PGE Park. The exact themes and lineups will be announced at a later date. "The concerts will be aligned with specific Infinity stations," according to KINK General Manager Stan Mak. "We are looking at two dates in July and another in September. I think our community will be pleased with the types of shows we will be able to bring in with PFE."
"Infinity is delighted to be entering into such a unique agreement with PFE and thrilled to have Bill Schonely's voice returning to the regular airwaves on one of our stations," said Dave McDonald, General Manager of KKJZ-FM, KUPL-FM and KUPL-AM . "PFE is bringing affordable, family fun back to Portland with the renovation of PGE Park and the re-emergence of the Beavers and the Timbers. This is a tremendous community asset - a place for our entire community, regardless of a person's income level. We think this is a perfect strategic partnership for our stations to tie-in with the type of atmosphere PFE is creating at PGE Park."
"This is an exciting new partnership for our audience of young and active listeners," said Mark Walen, General Manager of KUFO-FM and KVMX-FM. "I anticipate our listeners will bring a lot of enthusiasm to PGE Park events and really show their support for the Beavers and Timbers."
About PGE Park Renovation
In partnership with the City of Portland, PFE is overseeing the $38.5 million renovation of PGE Park. The renovation will be substantially completed by April 30, 2001, when the Portland Beavers host the Fresno Grizzlies. The new PGE Park will feature expanded concourses accommodating 2 ½ times the volume; brand-new corporate suites and lower bowl seats; affordable ticket pricing; new restrooms, merchandise kiosks and concession stands; upgraded menu items including fresh roasted peanuts and grilled food items; the Fred Meyer Family Deck featuring a vintage soda-fountain and open air grills; "Widmer Brothers," a field-level bar and grill; an upgraded playing surface with Major League Baseball compliant field dimensions; and compliance with modern seismic codes and American with Disabilities (ADA) standards. Grand Opening Festivities for PGE Park are scheduled for July 13, 2001. For tickets, call 503-553-5555 or go online to www.pgepark.com.
About Portland Family Entertainment
Portland Family Entertainment (PFE) is a professional sports team and entertainment facility management company. Established in 1998 and headquartered in downtown Portland, Ore., the company owns and operates the Triple-A Baseball Portland Beavers, A-League Soccer Portland Timbers and Single-A Baseball Tri-City (WA) Dust Devils. In a public-private partnership with the City of Portland, PFE is overseeing a $38.5 million renovation of PGE Park. In addition, PFE has a 20-year renewable agreement with the City of Portland to operate PGE Park. PFE also has a 10-year agreement with the City of Pasco to operate Tri-Cities Stadium in Pasco. For information, see the company's web site at www.pgepark.com or call 503.553.5555.
