The Rays announced Tuesday afternoon that WDAE 620-AM will be the team's new flagship station starting in the upcoming 2009 season. The team is moving to 620-AM, also known as The Sports Animal, from sister station 1250-AM. Both are part of Clear Channel, but 620 provides a much stronger signal.

"We are very proud to announce that WDAE 620-AM is the new flagship home of the Tampa Bay Rays,'' said Rays Senior Vice President/Chief Sales Officer Mark Fernandez. "This partnership is another major milestone in the evolution of the Rays. WDAE is not only the dominant sports talk station in the Bay area, it is also an iconic brand throughout the region.''

Most Rays games will be heard on 620-AM, however select games might be switched to 970-AM or 1250-AM. On the handful of occasions when there is a conflict with the Lightning, whose games also are broadcast on 620-AM, the Rays will move. If it's a game after 7 p.m., the Rays will move to 970-AM. If it's a game before 7 p.m., the Rays will be moved to 1250-AM.

Play-by-play voices Andy Freed and Dave Wills and pre- and post-game host Rich Herrera will all return for their fifth season. Also returning for the 2009 season will be the 30-minute pre-game show, an hour-long post-game show, and a weekly Countdown to Opening Day radio show, which will begin on February 2 and continue throughout spring training. The Rays also will launch a weekly one-hour manager’s show on WDAE.

The Rays also announced that WDAE will broadcast 17 spring training game, including eight from the team's new spring training facility in Charlotte County.

The move re-establishes WDAE's dominance in the local sports radio market. It is the flagship station for all three Tampa Bay professional teams -- the Bucs, Lightning and now the Rays.


-- TOM JONES, Times Staff Writer