You're stuck in traffic on the Kennedy Expressway. The sun is dipping behind the skyline, and the ivy at Wrigley Field is finally turning that deep, mid-summer green. You know Justin Steele is on the mound. You can practically feel the energy of the bleacher creatures through your windshield. But you aren't there, and you aren't in front of a TV. You need to find a way to Chicago Cubs listen live before the first pitch crosses the plate.
It used to be simpler, right? You just turned a dial to 720 AM and hoped the atmospheric interference didn't ruin the broadcast. While Pat Hughes is still the legendary voice of the North Siders, the way we actually get his voice into our ears has changed. It's gotten more convenient, sure, but it’s also gotten a little more confusing with blackouts, app subscriptions, and territorial restrictions.
The 670 The Score Connection
If you are within the Chicagoland area, your primary destination is 670 The Score (WSCR-AM). This is the flagship station. It’s where Pat Hughes, the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award winner, delivers those iconic descriptions of "foul balls tucked away" and "long flies to left." Ron Coomer provides the color, and the chemistry is basically like sitting on a porch with two friends who happen to know everything about baseball.
The signal for 670 is massive. It covers most of Illinois and reaches deep into Indiana, Wisconsin, and even parts of Michigan. But AM radio is fickle. Under a bridge? Static. Near high-voltage power lines? Buzzing. That’s why the digital shift has been such a lifesaver for fans who can't deal with the crackle of a traditional transistor radio. Honestly, most people I know have switched to the stream even when they're sitting in their backyard.
Streaming the Cubs Locally and Nationally
The easiest way to Chicago Cubs listen live on your phone is through the Audacy app. Because Audacy owns 670 The Score, they host the stream for free. However—and this is a big however—geofencing is real. If the app detects you are outside the Cubs' designated broadcast territory, you might get "National Programming" or a different sports talk show instead of the live game. It’s a rights issue. Major League Baseball is incredibly protective of its digital audio rights.
If you find yourself outside the Chicagoland footprint, the Audacy app might let you down. This is where MLB At Bat comes in. For a few bucks a month (or a flat yearly fee), the MLB app gives you every single Cubs radio broadcast with no blackouts. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Des Moines, Denver, or Dubai. You get the home feed, the away feed, and even the Spanish-language broadcast if that’s your preference.
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The Spanish broadcast is worth a listen even if you only speak a little bit of the language. The energy is infectious. It’s a different way to experience the rhythm of the game.
Why Radio Still Beats TV for Many Fans
There is a specific art to baseball on the radio. Unlike football, which is all chaos and collisions, or basketball’s constant motion, baseball has "the gap." The space between pitches. The time when nothing is happening but everything is at stake.
Pat Hughes is a master of the "picture word." When you Chicago Cubs listen live, you aren't just hearing the score. You're hearing about the "silky smooth" dirt in the infield or the way the wind is blowing the flags toward the lake. TV shows you the game; radio makes you imagine it. For many of us, the imagined version is actually better. Plus, you can do the dishes, mow the lawn, or finish that spreadsheet while the game is on. You can't really do that with a 75-inch screen demanding your undivided attention.
Satellite Radio Options
For the road trippers and the long-haulers, SiriusXM is the go-to. They have a dedicated channel for every MLB team. The Cubs usually bounce around the 180s or the 800s on the digital app. The beauty of SiriusXM is the consistency. You can drive from Chicago to New Orleans and never lose the signal. No searching for a local affiliate in rural Kentucky. No worrying about cell towers dropping your data stream in the mountains. It just works.
Navigating the Blackout Myth
There’s a common misconception that radio broadcasts are subject to the same draconian blackout rules as Marquee Sports Network. Thankfully, that's not true. While you can't always watch the game on TV because of territorial disputes between cable providers and the network, the audio side is much more accessible.
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Even if the game is blacked out on your television, you can almost always find a way to Chicago Cubs listen live. The only real "blackout" for radio is the geofencing on free apps like Audacy when you're out of town. But as mentioned, the paid MLB At Bat service bypasses that entirely. It’s the most reliable "blackout killer" in the business.
The Tech Setup for the Best Experience
If you're listening at home, don't just use your phone's tinny speakers. It ruins the atmosphere.
- Smart Speakers: "Alexa, play sixty-seven the score on Audacy." It works most of the time, provided your location settings are correct.
- Bluetooth Headsets: If you're at work, one earbud in is the classic "stealth fan" move.
- High-End Radio: Some purists still swear by C.Crane radios. They are designed specifically to pull in distant AM signals. On a clear night in the Midwest, you can sometimes pick up 670 The Score from hundreds of miles away just by bouncing the signal off the ionosphere. It’s called "skip," and it’s how fans used to follow the team before the internet existed.
There is something romantic about that. Hearing the faint voice of Chicago through the static of a thousand miles. It connects you to the history of the game.
Historical Context: From WGN to The Score
You can't talk about Cubs radio without mentioning WGN 720. For decades, they were inseparable. The "Great Voice of the North" carried Lou Boudreau and Vince Lloyd, then later the legendary Harry Caray. When the Cubs moved to 670 The Score, it felt like a seismic shift in Chicago culture.
The move was about demographics and dollars, but for the fan, the transition was eventually smoothed over by the fact that Pat Hughes made the jump too. He is the bridge between the old era and the new. Whether he's on 720 or 670, as long as he’s the one saying "Cubs win! Cubs win!", fans will find the frequency.
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Dealing with Delays
One annoying thing about trying to Chicago Cubs listen live via a digital stream is the "sync lag." If you're trying to watch the game on TV with the sound muted while listening to the radio, you'll notice the radio is often 30 to 60 seconds behind the action. Or sometimes, the TV is behind the radio.
This happens because the digital signal has to be encoded, sent to a server, and then pushed out to your device. If you want a "real-time" experience, an old-fashioned over-the-air AM radio is the only way to go. It’s the only way to hear the crack of the bat at the exact moment it happens.
Practical Steps to Get Started Right Now
If the game is starting in five minutes, here is your checklist to ensure you don't miss the leadoff hitter.
- Check your location. If you're in Chicago, open the Audacy app or tune your dial to 670 AM.
- Check your subscriptions. If you're outside Illinois, see if you have an active MLB.com account. If you have T-Mobile, check your "T-Mobile Tuesdays" app; they often give away MLB.TV (which includes At Bat audio) for free at the start of every season.
- Verify the schedule. Day games at Wrigley are still a thing. Don't assume every game starts at 7:00 PM. Friday home games are almost always 1:20 PM starts—a tradition that refuses to die, much to the delight of people "working from home."
- Prepare for the post-game. The radio doesn't stop when the game ends. The post-game show on 670 The Score is where the real venting happens after a tough loss or the celebration peaks after a walk-off.
Listening to the Cubs isn't just about following a box score. It's about the storytelling. It's about the way Pat Hughes describes the shadows creeping across the infield in October or the way Ron Coomer groans when a pitcher misses his spot. It’s the soundtrack of a Chicago summer. Whether you are using a high-tech app or a $10 radio from a hardware store, getting that audio feed is a vital part of being a fan.
The team's performance on the field will fluctuate. They will have seasons of brilliance and years of "rebuilding." But the broadcast remains a constant. It’s the familiar hum in the background of our lives. Go find the signal, settle in, and get ready for the next "tapes are rolling" moment.
Next Steps for Cubs Fans:
To ensure you never miss a game, download the MLB app and create a free account to track live scores. If you prefer the local flavor, bookmark the 670 The Score schedule page to stay updated on pre-game show times and special interview segments with the coaching staff. For those traveling, verifying your SiriusXM login credentials before heading into a dead zone will save you the frustration of missing a late-inning rally.