Country music star Garth Brooks has unveiled the second station in his SEVENS Radio Network partnership with TuneIn, called Tailgate Radio. Brooks made the announcement at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals, on Tuesday, saying the hybrid station will bring together music and sports.
The station incorporates a feature called “Switch,” allowing listeners to automatically toggle from the music stream into a chosen game broadcast. Tailgate Radio programming will be an upbeat and diverse playlist designed to amp fans up before play, and once a game’s coverage concludes, the station switches back to music.
NBC Sports reporter Maria Taylor will provide Tailgate Radio‘s voice. Shows include Tailgate Top 20 with Maria, where Taylor will countdown the top 20 songs from various genres and reminisce about the major sports highlights from a specific year. The Block Party is a 4-hour Saturday night mix show offering a diverse playlist. In Tailgate Takeover, celebrities and athletes will serve as guest hosts, sharing their personal playlists and musical preferences.
TuneIn is launching Tailgate Radio to work with NHL, MLB, NASCAR, Formula 1, INDYCAR Radio, ESPN Radio, and college sports affiliates. NFL games can also work with the station outside the US.
Taylor said, “Working closely with Garth and his foundation as we created the PowHER program, which mentors middle school girls, has been nothing short of amazing, and now, we are embarking on Garth’s extraordinary vision to connect sports and music fans with Tailgate. It’s such an honor to be chosen by greatness to be a partner in the radio space.”
Brooks commented, “This is one of those ideas someone says, ‘Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?’ This combines everyone’s passion for sports and music. It also allows you to enjoy your tailgate, barbeque, or poolside party without doing the work. There’s so much music on this channel, Tailgate Radio will be everyone’s favorite.”
