You’re driving through the Cascades, maybe headed toward Newport or stuck in that nightmare I-5 traffic through Portland, and you just want the game. It’s a specific kind of itch. You don’t want a generic national broadcast; you want the voices that know exactly what a cold, rainy Saturday in Corvallis feels like. That’s where the Beaver Sports Network radio comes in. It is the literal heartbeat of Oregon State University athletics. If you aren't in the stands at Reser Stadium or Gill Coliseum, these airwaves are your only real tether to the action.
Honestly, it's about more than just a signal. It’s Mike Parker’s voice. If you’ve listened to a single Beaver game over the last two decades, you know that voice. It’s legendary. It’s frantic when it needs to be and soothingly familiar when the game is a blowout. For many of us, Parker is Oregon State sports. But finding the right frequency can be a bit of a moving target depending on where you are in the Pacific Northwest.
The Geography of the Beaver Sports Network Radio
The network isn't just one station. It’s a massive web of affiliates. Learfield, the massive sports marketing company, handles the distribution, but the local flavor comes from the individual stations that pick up the feed.
In Portland, your go-to has traditionally been Rip City Radio 620 AM. That’s the big dog. It carries the most weight and has the strongest signal for the metro area. But if you’re actually in Corvallis? You’re looking for KEJO 1240 AM. It’s small, it’s local, and it feels like home. They call it "The Joe."
It gets tricky when you head east. Or south. You might find the game on KKNX 840 AM in Eugene—which is always a little funny, listening to Beaver sports right in the backyard of the Ducks. But that’s the beauty of the network. It’s persistent. It’s everywhere. From KSKR in Roseburg to KUMA in Pendleton, the reach is surprisingly wide for a school that often gets labeled as the "little brother" in the state.
Why Radio Still Wins Over Streaming
You’d think in 2026, with every phone having 5G (mostly), that radio would be dead. It isn't. Not for sports.
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There is a lag on digital streams. Sometimes it's thirty seconds; sometimes it's two minutes. If you’re following a live thread on X or getting score alerts on your watch, a digital stream ruins the surprise. Radio is near-instant. When you hear the crack of the bat or the roar of the crowd on the Beaver Sports Network radio, it’s happening now. Plus, have you tried streaming a game while driving through the Santiam Pass? Good luck. Your LTE will drop, your app will buffer, and you’ll miss the game-winning touchdown. Terrestrial radio doesn’t care about your data plan.
The Voices Behind the Mic
Mike Parker has been the "Voice of the Beavers" since 1999. Think about that. He’s seen the highs of the Fiesta Bowl and the lows of the lean years. He’s joined by Jim Wilson on football broadcasts, and their chemistry is basically a masterclass in local sports broadcasting. Wilson brings the grit—he’s a former Beaver offensive lineman—and Parker brings the prose.
- Mike Parker: Play-by-play.
- Jim Wilson: Color commentary (Football).
- Jon Warren: Often heard on the sidelines or handling basketball duties.
It’s not just football. The network covers men’s basketball and baseball too. And let's be real, Beaver baseball is a juggernaut. Listening to a game from Goss Stadium on a Tuesday night in May is peak Oregon lifestyle. The pace of baseball fits the radio perfectly. You can paint your house or fix your car while Mike Parker describes the dirt on a pitcher's jersey.
How to Access the Network Anywhere
If you are outside the Pacific Northwest, you aren't totally out of luck. The Beaver Sports Network radio feed is usually mirrored on the Varsity Network app. It's a free app. It’s basically the digital home for Learfield’s college properties.
- The Varsity Network App: This is the easiest way for out-of-state fans. Search "Oregon State" and you'll find the live stream.
- SiriuxXM: Big games, especially Pac-12 (or whatever the current conference alignment looks like this week) matchups, often get picked up on SiriusXM’s dedicated college sports channels.
- The OSU Beavers Official Website: They usually have a "Listen Live" button that pops out a web player. It’s clunky, but it works.
There’s a weird nostalgia to it. My dad used to keep a battery-powered transistor radio in the garage just for the Beaver games. I find myself doing the same thing with a Bluetooth speaker and a radio app, but the feeling is identical. It’s a shared experience. Thousands of people across the state are all groaning at the same penalty or cheering for the same sack at the exact same microsecond.
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The Technical Side of the Signal
The Beaver Sports Network uses a "hub and spoke" model. The primary broadcast originates from a booth—either at the stadium or a remote studio—and is sent via satellite or high-speed fiber to Learfield's headquarters. From there, it's redistributed to the individual affiliate stations.
Each station has its own power rating. KEX 1190 AM, for instance, has a massive 50,000-watt signal that can sometimes be heard in Canada at night. Meanwhile, the smaller stations in places like Brookings or Astoria might only reach a few dozen miles. This is why your reception might fade as you drive, forcing you to scan the dial for the next "spoke" in the network.
Common Misconceptions
People think you need a subscription. You don't. That’s the "free" in free-to-air.
Another big one: "The radio broadcast is the same as the TV broadcast." Nope. Never. The TV announcers are usually national guys who might have read a stat sheet ten minutes before kickoff. The Beaver Sports Network radio team lives this stuff. They know the backup long snapper's hometown. They know the history of the turf. They aren't neutral, and honestly, that’s why we love them. They are "homers" in the best sense of the word. They want the Beavers to win as much as you do.
What to Do If You Can't Find the Game
Check the schedule first. Sometimes, if there’s a conflict—like a baseball game and a basketball game happening at the same time—the network will split. One might be on the flagship AM station while the other moves to an FM sister station.
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- Check Social Media: The @BeaverAthletics account on X (formerly Twitter) usually posts the specific radio affiliates for that day's game about an hour before kickoff.
- Search by Call Letters: Instead of searching "Beaver radio," search for the specific station call letters like "KPOJ Portland" or "KEJO Corvallis." Their individual websites often have "Listen Live" features that are more stable than the general OSU site.
- TuneIn Radio: This used to be the gold standard, but some college games have moved behind a paywall here. Stick to the Varsity Network app if you want it for free.
Actionable Steps for the Best Listening Experience
If you want to do this right, stop relying on your phone's crappy internal speaker. If you're at a tailgate, get a dedicated digital radio with a long antenna. The reception in the parking lots around Reser can be surprisingly spotty because of all the interference.
If you're at home, try to sync the radio audio with your TV. This is the "Pro Move." Turn the TV volume down, turn the Beaver Sports Network radio up. You might need a digital delay device (like a Radio Jinker) to get the audio to match the TV's lag, but once you get it synced, it's the ultimate way to watch the game.
Don't wait until five minutes before kickoff to find your station. Frequencies change, affiliates drop out, and signals drift. Figure out your local affiliate now. Bookmark the Varsity Network page on your browser.
The network is the soul of the program. Whether they are winning the Civil War (yes, we’re still calling it that) or struggling through a rebuild, the radio is the constant. It's the sound of autumn in Oregon. It’s the sound of a wood-fired stove and a rainy afternoon. It’s the Beavers.
Go Beavs.