For the third year, 101 ESPN will be the flagship station for the St. Louis Blues Radio Network. The Blues released details of media coverage for the upcoming season yesterday.
Chris Kerber and Joe Vitale return to call the action this season. Kerber has been with the team since the 2000-2001 season. Vitale spent six seasons in the NHL. While he never played for the Blues, he is a St. Louis native.
Not only will the 101 ESPN carry play-by-play of every Blues hockey game, but there will be plenty of shoulder programming. Each game will come with a one hour pregame show and extended postgame shows. Special shows will also be produced to preview the season, the playoffs and the Winter Classic.
Coach Craig Berube will make regular appearances in afternoon drive with The Fast Lane. Star winger David Perrone will make weekly calls to Karraker and Smallmon in the mornings. The morning show will also feature “The Blues Booth” each morning at 8:15. The segment will feature comments and visits from players and coaches.
There will be a major Blues presence online for the station too. The Last Minute Blues Podcast returns for another season. The show will post two new episodes each week. All games will also stream on 101espn.com.
On television, the Blues are headed back to Bally Sports Midwest. The RSN will carry 69 Blues games this season. The other 13 will be part of the national television packages recently acquired by ESPN and TNT.
Joe Kelly and Darren Pang will call the action on television. Pang will also call some national games on TNT this season. When he is out, Bernie Federko will step into the booth. Other times, Federko will work with Jamie Rivers, a former Blues defenseman and current 101 ESPN host, on the Blues Live pregame, postgame and intermissions shows.