Report: Twins in discussions with WCCO, KFAN and SKOR North over future radio broadcast rights

Twins current radio broadcast deal with WCCO expires at the end of the 2024 season.

May 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minneapolis and St. Paul are featured in a display in the outfield of the home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field. / © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

While the Minnesota Twins are attempting to figure out TV broadcast plans for the 2025 season and beyond, they are also reportedly in negotiations over their radio broadcast deal, which is set to expire after this season with WCCO.

According to The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman, the Twins are in discussions with KFAN, SKOR North and WCCO over the radio broadcast rights for the team.

The Twins have been with WCCO since 2016 after stints with Hubbard-owned 1500 ESPN (now SKOR North) from 2007-2012 and Pohlad-owned stations from 2013-2016. Before moving to 1500 ESPN in 2007, the Twins had spent the previous five decades on WCCO.

KFAN is the largest broadcaster of the three, averaging a 7.2 share of active listeners in the most recent Nielsen ratings compared to WCCO's 4.5 share and SKOR North's 0.1 share. While KFAN boasts a larger listenership, it also has a large inventory of top-rated shows and team broadcasts.

The Timberwolves and Lynx joined KFAN's portfolio of sports broadcast last year, joining the Vikings, Wild and Gophers football and basketball teams. Gleeman reported that with the congested inventory, it's "likely fewer than half of the Twins' games would be on KFAN."

Timberwolves and Lynx games are currently split between airing on KFAN or on a team-specific streaming channel on the iHeart media app.

Gleeman further indicated that, according to team sources, a decision to switch broadcast partners "could come down to the Twins' willingness to upset a core audience of longtime AM radio devotees unable or unwilling to shift to FM and/or streaming."

The delicate balance of the decision comes at a time when frustration has been brewing among Twins fans over the inability to watch many of their team's games this season due to the ongoing Bally Sports North carriage situation and Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy case.