NL Gary SouthShore Railcats

WJOB AM 1230 Partners with T-DUB and the RailCats

Published on April 27, 2004 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release


HAMMOND, IND - The new owners of WJOB AM 1230 in Hammond, Ind., today announced an agreement to broadcast the home and away games of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, the professional minor league baseball team serving northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs. WJOB also announced that longtime Chicago radio personality, Tommy Williams, will join the staff to do a local sports show weeknights from 9 p.m. to midnight. Williams is also the public address announcer for RailCats' home games at U. S. Steel Yard.

"Like the RailCats, we're trying to develop quality sports entertainment and to have a positive impact on the economy of northwest Indiana and the south suburbs of Chicago," said Alexis Vazquez Dedelow, CEO of Vazquez Development, LLC, which last month purchased WJOB AM 1230 and WIMS AM 1420 in Michigan City, Ind. for $1,525,000. The heritage radio stations, once major voices in the corridor from downtown Chicago to southwestern Michigan, had fallen on hard times and were in a court receivership.

"WJOB will be for the RailCats what WGN is for the Cubs – a partner who tells the world what fun baseball can be. We'll be giving away tickets on the air, handing out tee-shirts at the games, and we'll have our own WJOB section at U. S. Steel Yard where our on-air personalities will mix with fans," said Ric Federighi, Vazquez Dedelow's partner in Vazquez Development, LLC. Federighi has been a prominent fixture in Chicago radio since the early 1980s, as an executive and on-air personality, and is the host of "Federighi and Fowler" from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekday mornings on WJOB and WIMS.

"The buzz around WJOB and WIMS is just tremendous. Callers one after the other are excited, and local businesses are excited too. I feel like I'm living some sort of radio dream and someone should pinch me to wake me up," said Federighi, 37, often considered one of the most energetic and up-and-coming forces in Midwestern radio.

"We're excited to form a partnership with WJOB that enables us to bring fun, affordable, family entertainment to listeners throughout the Region via our broadcasts of RailCats baseball," said Roger Wexelberg, RailCats Vice-President & General Manager. "RailCats baseball on WJOB Radio is a program that will make a positive impact in the community, provide exciting and memorable experiences for our fans, and add to the quality of life in Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs."

Veteran sportscaster Alan Garrett will perform the play-by-play of RailCats games on WJOB. Garrett will be joined on home game broadcasts by award-winning sportscaster Bill Hazen.

Tommy Williams, known for his ten years at WSCR AM 670 in Chicago as "T-DUB," will host "T-DUB NIGHTTIME" starting at 9 p.m., or immediately following RailCats' games. After RailCats' home games, WJOB will make arrangements for Williams to do his show live from a Gary site.

"There's a lot of good things happening at WJOB, and I'm just glad to get in on the ground level. We'll talk area, Chicago and national sports. It depends on what the fans want to talk about. We'll take on all-comers," said Williams, a 1975 Gary Roosevelt High School graduate. Williams also worked for ten years at WLTH in Gary.

Williams starts "T-DUB Nighttime" immediately. WJOB's first broadcast of the RailCats will be May 20th, an away game against the Joliet JackHammers. The RailCats' home opener at U. S. Steel Yard is Monday, May 24.

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Northern League Stories from April 27, 2004


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