iHeartMedia flipped Classic Hip Hop “Throwback 99.1” W256BT/WMMS-HD3 Cleveland to Sports on Tuesday.
The new “Sports Radio 99.1” is currently running the national Fox Sports Radio lineup 24/7. The station states it is powered by Rock Entertainment Group, which owns the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, NBA G-League’s Cleveland Charge, and the WNBA expansion team set to debut in 2028.
The move marks the end of the Classic Hip Hop format after just fourteen months. The station had a 0.6 share in the July 2025 Nielsen Audio ratings. The potential change follows the local on-air staff of the brand moving back to sister CHR “96.5 Kiss-FM” WAKS-FM in late May.
iHeartMedia already operates a Sports brand in the Cleveland market as 1350 WARF Akron targets the market as “1350 The Gambler” with a mix of VSiN and Fox Sports Radio network programming. WARF had a 0.0 share in the July ratings as the third Sports station in the market behind Audacy’s “92.3 The Fan” WKRK-FM and Good Karma Brands’ “ESPN Cleveland” 850 WKNR. iHeartMedia News/Talk 1100/106.9 WTAM features Sports Talk at night plus play-by-play for MLB’s Cleveland Guardians and Cleveland Cavaliers, which both simulcast on Rock 100.7 WMMS.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com