The stations of the Capitol Sports Radio group are home to the play-by-play broadcasts of some of North Carolina’s signature teams, including The Carolina Hurricanes, The Carolina Panthers, Duke University and Appalachian State University. Additionally, CSR stations have the rights to the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA Men’s/Women’s basketball tournaments.
Capitol Sports Radio’s first entry into the market came on October 10, 2007 when CBC-owned WCMC-FM became known as “99.9 The Fan.“ It was the first time an FM station in the Raleigh-Durham market had carried the sports-talk format fulltime. On December 1, 2008, WCMC solidified its sports position when it became the market’s ESPN Radio affiliate.
At the outset WCMC transmitted from a relatively short tower in Franklin County—northeast of Raleigh. But in 2010, the FCC granted permission to move WCMC’s city of license to Holly Springs and boost its power to 26,500 watts. This boosted 99.9 The Fan’s audience penetration and coverage of the market.
On November 1st, 2009, Capitol Sports expanded its sports holdings with the launch of “620 The Buzz” on WDNC-AM. Shortly after 620 The Buzz was launched, the division added 1550 Deportes WCLY-AM, which is devoted to sports-talk in Spanish.
Capitol Sports most recent addition came in April 2012 when the sports radio division created “99.9 The Ticket” on WRAL-HD3. This new channel can be heard on HD radios and online via the stream.