Behind the Broadcast: ‘Inside Pro Football’ moves to WTMM-FM

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ken Schott

“Inside Pro Football” started as a segment on FOX Sports 980 WOFX-AM during Dan Murphy’s “Murphy’s Law” sportstalk show segment seven years ago.

When Murphy’s show was cancelled, local sports agents Ray Brownell and JR Rickert sought to expand their segment to a regular show, and Clear Channel Albany, WOFX’s owner, was receptive. The program had a six-year run on the station.

But starting two weeks from today, “Inside Pro Football” will have a new home. It’s joining ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team (WTMM-FM), where it will be on every Saturday at 9 a.m.

“We had some conversations with the folks at The Team earlier this summer,” Brownell said. “They came at us pretty aggressively, and wanted us to bring the show over there. . . . Fortunately, we have a very established product in the market that people enjoy listening to. This has certainly opened up some opportunities for us, and we’re excited about going there.

“The people at WOFX have been great over the years,” Brownell said. “We got our start there. We thank them for all that.”

WTMM program director Brian Noe is happy to have “Inside Pro Football” on the station.

“Football is king in this country,” Noe said. “The more content that you have, especially local content about that league [the NFL], the better.”

It probably won’t be the only sports property that WOFX loses.

The University at Albany is expected to take its football and men’s basketball broadcasts from WOFX to its college station, WCDB-FM (90.9). The Great Danes and WOFX were together for 12 years. In addition to the game broadcasts, there were a weekly segments with football coach Bob Ford and men’s basketball coach Will Brown during “Big Board Sportstalk with Rodger Wyland.”

The games are moving to the college radio station, WCDB-FM (90.9). It seems like a strange move, but there is more to it than that. The school will be streaming the games on its website.

The games are expected to have a major presence on the school’s athletic website, with audio and video.

“We’re exploring all of our options,” Charlie Voelker, associate athletic director of external affairs, said in an interview Wednesday. “We should have a decision in the next couple of days.”

As of late Friday afternoon, no announcement had been made.

Wyland will continue his play-by-play role for the Great Danes.

DeFruscio gets job

Dominic DeFruscio, who has been a part-timer on WOFX’s “Big Board Sportstalk with Rodger Wyland” and an employee at NBC13 (WNYT), has been hired by SiriusXM Radio as a producer.

DeFruscio, 24, will start on the NASCAR channel. He is a graduate of LaSalle Institute and UAlbany.

“When I started as an intern with Rodger, he and Kenny [Place, Big Board Sportstalk executive producer] taught me everything,” DeFruscio said. “They gave me so much time and energy in teaching. And I fell in love with what I was doing. Rodger also opened so many doors for me. Rodger and Kenny both went so far out of their way with me.”

Travers Stakes

NBC Sports will have coverage of the Travers Stakes, along with three other races, today. The two-hour broadcast starts at 4 p.m., and can be seen on NBC13 (WNYT) and NBC13 HD.

The other races on the broadcast are the King’s Bishop, Test Stakes and Ballston Spa Handicap.

Laffit Pincay III will host NBC Sports’ telecast. He will be joined by Gary Stevens, Randy Moss, Bob Neumeier and Donna Brothers.

Musburger re-signs

You’ll be looking live at Brent Musburger for a few more years. He signed a multiyear deal to stay with ESPN, the cable network announced Monday.

Musburger will continue to serve as a play-by-play commentator for multiple sports across ESPN and ABC. He will start his seventh season calling the weekly “Saturday Night Football” series on ABC, as well as and several bowl games a year for ESPN, highlighted by the BCS National Championship. He will also continue to call college basketball games.

“I couldn’t be happier about staying at ESPN,” Musburger said in a statement. “It was never a consideration for me to move on from here. The people I work for and with are some of the best in the industry. I love the atmosphere at college events and surrounding myself around college athletes. Hey, that’s how I stay young.”

College football

tv schedule

The college football season kicks off Thursday night, and that means it’s time once again for what games will be on in the Capital Region.

There is a new channel this season. I will be listing games from the Pac-12 Network.

Here are the games, with the announcers (where available) in order of play-by-play man, analyst and sideline reporter.

Thursday

ESPN and ESPN HD — South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (Rece Davis/Jesse Palmer and David Pollack/Samantha Steele); Washington State at BYU, 10:15 p.m.

Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 HD — Northern Colorado at Utah, 7 p.m. (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth); Northern Arizona at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. (Ron Pitts/Gary Plummer/Erin Coscarelli).

SNY and SNY HD — Massachusetts at Connecticut, 7:30 p.m. (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra).

ESPNU and ESPNU HD — Texas A&M vs. Louisiana Tech, 7:30 p.m.

ESPN3 — Central Florida at Akron, 7 p.m.; Eastern Michigan at Ball State, 7 p.m.; Southeast Missouri State at Central Michigan,

7 p.m.; Texas San Antonio at South Alabama, 7:30 p.m.; McNeese State at Middle Tennessee State, 7:30 p.m.; Eastern Washington at Idaho, 9 p.m.

Friday

ESPN3 — Villanova at Temple, 7 p.m.; Wagner at Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m.

ESPNU and ESPNU HD — North Carolina State vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN HD — Boise State at Michigan State, 8 p.m. (Carter Blackburn/Rod Gilmore/Jemele Hill).

Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 HD — San Jose State at Stanford, 10 p.m. (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece).

parting shots

ESPN Classic will show Roger Clemens pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters when they host the Bridgeport Bluefish in an Atlantic League baseball game tonight at 8. “SportsCenter” on ESPNEWS will cut-in live to every inning Clemens pitches. The game can also be seen on ESPN3. . . .

The U.S. Open tennis tournament starts Monday. The Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel HD begins its coverage at 10:30 a.m. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD comes on the air at

1 p.m. . . .

There are four NFL preseason games on this weekend. NFL Network and NFLN HD has Washington at Indianapolis at 4 p.m. today, and CBS6 (WRGB) and CBS6 HD has the Houston-New Orleans game tonight at 8. On Sunday, FOX23 (WXXA) and FOX23 HD televises San Francisco at Denver. At 8 p.m., NBC13 and NBC13 HD has Carolina at the New York Jets. . . .

Finally, this is day 3,217 in the dispute between NFL Network and Time Warner Cable.