According to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Lions will likely be switching broadcast partners for the 2021 season.
In his recent mailbag piece, Birkett made mention of the Lions will be leaving WJR-AM (760) and returning to WXYT-FM (97.1) The Ticket following the 2020 season.
From Detroit Free Press:
“I don’t have a crystal ball to know how that will play out, but one thing that seems likely to happen is that the Lions will change broadcast partners next year.
The team moved its flagship station to WJR-AM (760) starting in the 2016 season, but the scuttlebutt right now is that they’ll be headed back to WXYT-FM (97.1) next year. The team has had a rocky relationship with the station at times based on the strong opinions of its hosts. Hopefully, management resists pushback from the team if it gets broadcast rights and continues to encourage its hosts to speak their minds.”
Birkett, when referring to “strong opinions of its hosts,” is most definitely talking about 97.1 The Ticket host, Mike Valenti, who many believe was part of the reason why the Lions left the station for AM radio back in 2016. In fact, Valenti himself says he is the reason why the Lios left.