New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Westwood One Sports, the official network radio partner for the
National Football League, will present comprehensive coverage of Super Bowl LI, live from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, February 5, 2017. The network will feature a full schedule of game day programming leading up to kickoff, when the NFC-Champion Atlanta Falcons take on AFC-Champion New England Patriots for the title. This is the 30th consecutive year and the 44th time overall Westwood One has broadcast the Super Bowl, America's biggest sporting event.
Country's multi-platinum, superstar act Big & Rich, comprised of Big Kenny and NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice" winner John Rich, will kick off Super Sunday on Westwood One with an exclusive remixed version of their hit song "Party Like Cowboyz." The customized opening theme will be mixed with highlights and sound bites from the two participating teams in their quest for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Big & Rich have garnered multiple Grammy, ACM, CMA and CMT
Music Award nominations. Three singles from their latest album Gravity - "Look at You," "Run Away with You," and "Lovin' Lately" - scored top 10 on the Country charts. The superstars' first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, includes their hit infectious single, "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)."
"Nearly half of NFL fans are Country music fans and we're thrilled to have
Big & Rich as part of our Super Bowl broadcast," said Suzanne Grimes, Westwood One's President and EVP, Corporate Marketing for Cumulus Media. "Our incomparable game day content offers Country music fans a real treat but also provides a superior, multi-platform experience for our NFL listeners and exceptional opportunities for our advertisers. I can't wait to get the party started!"
Beginning at 4:00 pm ET,
Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason bring listeners live coverage from NRG Stadium.
This is Harlan's seventh Super Bowl with the network. It also marks Esiason's 17th as the radio analyst, surpassing Hall of Fame Coach Hank Stram for the most in NFL history.
Hall of Fame wide receiver
James Lofton will patrol the Patriots sidelines and former NFL offensive tackle Tony Boselli, a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017, makes his Super Bowl broadcast debut from the Falcons sidelines. Jim Gray hosts the pregame and halftime shows, with contributions from Patriots quarterback and four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, and Cardinals Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Scott Graham kicks off Westwood One's extended pregame coverage with Super Bowl Preview at 2:00 pm ET. Additionally, Super Bowl XXXI winning Coach Mike Holmgren and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner will contribute to Westwood One's coverage throughout the day. Warner is also a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017, to be announced the night before the Super Bowl.
In addition to the Super Bowl LI game broadcast, Westwood One presents a full slate of pregame programming, starting at 2:00 pm ET on Game Day—
2:00 pm ET: "Super Bowl Preview"-- hosted by Scott Graham, Boomer Esiason, and Mike Holmgren
3:00 pm ET: "Super Bowl Insider"-- hosted by Jason Horowitz,
James Lofton, and Tony Boselli
4:00 pm ET: "Super Sunday" -- the Super Bowl LI pregame show, live from NRG Stadium
5:00 pm ET: Super Bowl LI game broadcast
Westwood One will also produce "Seven Days to Sunday—The Road to Super Bowl LI." This hour-long preview show will air each night during the week leading up to Super Sunday, beginning on Monday night, January 30th, and continuing through Saturday night, February 4th, 2017. Hosted by Scott Graham, the voice of NFL Films, the nightly program will feature interviews with players from both participating teams as well as coaches and other special guests. Each night's show will be co-hosted by a different Westwood One NFL analyst and will also feature a flashback to a previous Super Bowl.
Millions of listeners around the globe will tune in to Westwood One's Super Bowl LI coverage across more than 650 radio stations nationwide and 150+ FM translators. Fans can also hear the broadcast on SiriusXM, via the TuneIn
Radio app, and through NFL Game Pass, which is available on NFL.com and the NFL
Mobile from Verizon app.
The broadcast can also be heard worldwide via the American Forces
Radio Network, which provides programming to America's military forces. The network serves over one million men and women in uniform, Department of Defense personnel, American Embassies and Consulates in over 175 countries and territories, as well as on more than 200 U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command ships at sea.
Howard Deneroff is the Executive Producer of Westwood One Sports. Larry Costigan and Mike Eaby are the Coordinating Producers.
