Emporia State Athletics is on the move, and this season there will be more opportunities than ever before for fans to follow the Hornets. Emporia State has partnered with Emporia’s Radio Stations, Inc., to create the Hornet Sports Network (HSN) to bring live play-by-play coverage to Hornet fans across northeast Kansas, the Kansas City Metro area and the world.
“We are pleased to announce the creation of the Hornet Sports Network as a way to provide more access to the high-quality broadcasts originating from our long standing partnership with Emporia’s Radio Stations,” said Emporia State Vice President/Director of Athletics David Spafford. “Having Emporia State football and basketball available over the air in Kansas City and Topeka will allow us to reach a broader audience of potential new fans and future students.”
The flagship station KFFX 104.9FM in Emporia will distribute its audio stream to affiliates across northeast Kansas and worldwide via internet streaming at kvoe.com. The HSN provides radio play-by-play coverage of Emporia State football, men’s and women’s basketball, as well as selected baseball and softball games on KFFX.
“We are excited to continue our decades long relationship with Emporia State University Athletics as the flagship station for the Hornet Sports Network,” said Emporia’s Radio Stations General Manager Ron Thomas. “Our talented team is looking forward to providing quality sports broadcasts for the HSN this season and many more to come.”
Blake Cripps, the radio Voice of the Hornets, will lead the HSN team play-by-play coverage as well as serving as the host of Hornet Talk, the weekly coaches show that runs on Monday’s during football and basketball seasons. Cripps will be joined on the football broadcasts by Tagan Trahoon on the sidelines and former Emporia State Director of Athletics Kent Weiser in the booth.
Current affiliates of the HSN are the flagship station KFFX 104.9FM in Emporia, Sports Radio 1490 KTOP in Topeka and 103.7FM in Kansas City. KFFX has been the radio home of Emporia State Athletics since 1988, the longest active and continuous partnership between an athletic department and a commercial radio station in the MIAA.
The audio from the HSN will also be used on the MIAA Network video stream of most Emporia State home athletic events. Last year Emporia State Athletics produced 177 events for the MIAA Network, including the NCAA Division II Soccer Regional Tournament and the long throwing events at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.