- 98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship for the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Revolution.
- The Red Sox list WEEI 93.7 as their English radio flagship and WCCM for Spanish.
- NESN is the Red Sox’s TV home.
Boston is a radio sports town. Games are still on the radio for every major team, two FM stations talk sports all day, and plenty of fans watch the TV broadcast with the radio call turned up instead. Here is where each team lives on the dial, using the teams’ and stations’ own statements.
The radio flagships
| Team | Radio flagship | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Red Sox | WEEI 93.7 FM (English); WCCM (Spanish) | Red Sox broadcast page on MLB.com |
| Patriots | 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) | 98.5 The Sports Hub; Patriots.com lists 98.5 game audio |
| Celtics | 98.5 The Sports Hub | 98.5 The Sports Hub |
| Bruins | 98.5 The Sports Hub | 98.5 The Sports Hub |
| Revolution | 98.5 The Sports Hub | 98.5 The Sports Hub |
98.5 The Sports Hub describes itself as the flagship station for the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and New England Revolution. It is licensed by the FCC as WBZ-FM, Boston. WEEI-FM at 93.7 is licensed to Lawrence and calls itself New England’s sports radio. The Red Sox name it as their English-language flagship.
Tip: A flagship carries every game, but each team also has affiliate stations across New England. If you are on the Cape or up north, check the team’s own list of affiliates for a closer signal.
Red Sox on TV
The Red Sox call NESN, the New England Sports Network, the official home of the team. According to the team, NESN’s coverage includes an hour-long show before and after every game, and fans in New England can watch through the NESN 360 app with a direct subscription or a TV provider login. Because NESN is watched through a TV provider or the NESN 360 subscription, an antenna alone will not bring in its Red Sox games.
Following a game away from the TV
- Car or kitchen radio: the simplest option and free.
- Station apps and streams: WEEI is on Audacy and The Sports Hub streams from its own site; streams depend on your connection.
- Team apps: the Patriots point fans to the Patriots Official App for live team radio programming.
- Spanish-language radio: for the Red Sox, the team lists WCCM; for other teams check the team page each season.
Why the radio is ahead of the TV
Fans who mute the TV and turn on the radio call often notice the radio is a few seconds ahead. Streams and digital TV both take a moment to process, and the amount differs from one setup to the next, so the two rarely line up perfectly. Over-the-air radio is usually the quickest of the three.
Sports talk between games
Both 93.7 and 98.5 fill the day with sports talk, call-in shows and team news. 98.5 The Sports Hub notes that it has won the National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Award for Major Market Sports Station of the Year in 2011, 2014, 2019 and 2023. If you prefer news to sports, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 runs traffic and weather together on the 3s; see Boston Radio Stations by Frequency: FM and AM Dial Guide.
A season checklist for fans
- Save the flagship frequencies in your car radio presets: 93.7 for the Red Sox and 98.5 for the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins and Revolution.
- Install the station apps before the season starts so you are not hunting for them in the first inning.
- If you travel around New England, look up the team’s affiliate list for the stations near your destination.
- For Red Sox TV, sort out your NESN access before opening day rather than on it.
Where the stations come from
The FCC’s public files show WBZ-FM, The Sports Hub, licensed to Boston, and WEEI-FM licensed to Lawrence, north of the city. Both reach most of Greater Boston, but if you live far to the south or west, one may come in more clearly than the other. If a game fades in and out, the tips in Better FM and AM Reception in Boston: Practical Fixes for Weak Stations usually help.
Sports radio also lives on streaming. WEEI’s website points listeners to Audacy, and The Sports Hub runs a listen-live player on its own site. Streams are useful at a desk or outside the signal area, but they depend on your connection and can lag behind the live radio call.
Spanish-language radio calls are part of the picture too. The Red Sox list WCCM as their Spanish-language flagship, and its FCC license is for Haverhill, in the Merrimack Valley. Listeners in southern parts of the metro area may find the stream easier than the signal, so check the team’s broadcast page for current options before the season starts.
Rights change
Broadcast deals are signed for a set number of seasons and can move between stations. Before opening day, check the team’s own broadcast page for the current radio and TV homes. For local news and highlights without cable, see How to Watch Boston Local News Without Cable.