You're stuck in 294 traffic. The kickoff is five minutes away. You hit the scan button on your dashboard, but all you're getting is pop hits and political talk. It’s frustrating. For decades, if you wanted to find the radio station Chicago Bears game broadcast, you just punched in 780 on the AM dial and called it a day. But things changed recently. If you're still looking for WBBM 780 for the game, you’re going to be met with news and traffic reports, not the booming voice of Jeff Joniak.
Basically, the Bears moved.
Starting with the 2023 season, the Chicago Bears shifted their primary broadcast home to WCFS-FM 100.3. This wasn't just a random tweak; it was a massive strategic shift for Audacy, the parent company that owns both WBBM and 100.3 (WSHE). They realized that while AM radio still has that nostalgic "football weather" grit, the modern listener wants the crisp, high-fidelity sound that only FM—and digital streaming—can provide. If you're looking for the game today, 100.3 FM is your primary destination, though the games are technically simulcast.
Why the move to FM 100.3 matters for fans
Honestly, the move to FM was long overdue. AM signals are notorious for getting fuzzy when you drive under a bridge or stand too close to a power line. By moving the radio station Chicago Bears game feed to 100.3 FM, the team ensured that the suburban sprawl—from Naperville out to Joliet and up into Kenosha—gets a crystal-clear signal.
Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer are still the stars of the show. Joniak is a legend. His "Touchdown, Bears!" call is practically the soundtrack of Sundays in Illinois. Thayer, a former member of the 1985 Super Bowl team, provides the kind of gritty, offensive-line-focused analysis you just don't get on the national TV broadcasts. They have a chemistry that feels like two guys arguing at a bar, but with the professional polish of guys who have seen every snap for twenty years.
But here is the catch.
While 100.3 is the "home," the broadcast ecosystem is actually way more complex than just one frequency. Because of the way broadcasting rights work, the signal is often split. During the regular season, you can still find the game on WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM. This simulcast approach is designed to catch the "old guard" who refuse to leave the AM band and the "new guard" who want the FM clarity.
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Digital streaming and the blackout headache
Streaming is where things get kinda messy.
You’d think in 2026 you could just open any app and hear the game. Not exactly. If you try to stream the radio station Chicago Bears game through a generic radio app like TuneIn while you’re outside of the Chicago market, you’ll likely get hit with a blackout or a loop of pre-recorded news. This is because the NFL guards its digital rights like a hawk.
To listen digitally, you usually have to use the Chicago Bears Official App or the Audacy app. Even then, geofencing is a thing. If your phone's GPS says you're in Indianapolis, the app might block the local Chicago feed to protect the local market's rights. It's a massive pain for fans living out of state.
- Local Fans: Use the Audacy app or the Bears app.
- Out-of-Market Fans: You’re basically forced into NFL+ (formerly Game Pass).
- The "Pro Tip": A lot of fans use a VPN to set their location to Chicago so they can use the free Audacy stream, though the NFL tries to play whack-a-mole with those IP addresses.
The broadcast usually starts two hours before kickoff. The pre-game show on 100.3 FM is actually worth listening to. They do deep dives into the injury reports that go way beyond the surface-level stuff you see on Twitter.
The Spanish broadcast and secondary options
We shouldn't ignore the Spanish-language broadcast. The Chicago Bears have a massive Latino following, and the games are broadcast on Latino Mix 93.5 FM. The energy on this broadcast is often higher than the English one, even if you only understand half of what's being said. The passion is universal.
Then there's the SiriusXM factor.
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If you're driving cross-country, searching for a local radio station Chicago Bears game is a lost cause. SiriusXM carries every NFL game. The Bears feed is usually on a specific channel assigned each week. Check the "Sports" category on your satellite radio interface. The beauty here is that you get the Joniak/Thayer call rather than the opponent's announcers, which is vital because nobody wants to hear a Green Bay announcer talk about "the frozen tundra" for three hours.
Technical signal reach: Who can actually hear it?
The 100.3 FM signal is broadcast from the top of the Willis Tower (or Sears Tower, if you're a real Chicagoan). It pumps out 5.7 kilowatts. This gives it a "protected" radius of about 40-50 miles, but on a clear day, you can pick it up much further.
Interestingly, the AM 780 signal is a 50,000-watt "clear channel" station. This means at night, due to atmospheric "skip," you can sometimes hear the Bears game in places like Michigan, Ohio, or even parts of Canada. If you’re a night-owl fan driving through the Midwest during a primetime game, 780 AM is actually your best bet because the AM waves bounce off the ionosphere. FM doesn't do that. FM is "line-of-sight," meaning if the earth curves or a mountain gets in the way, the signal is gone.
What most people get wrong about the broadcast
People think the radio is just a backup for when they aren't near a TV. But real Bears fans—the die-hards—often mute the TV and turn on the radio. Why? Because the TV announcers are often generalists. They might call a Bears game one week and a Cowboys game the next. They don't know the roster's depth like Joniak and Thayer do.
The problem with this "mute the TV" strategy is the delay.
Digital TV signals (cable, satellite, or streaming like YouTube TV) are often 30 to 60 seconds behind the live action. Radio is much faster. If you try to listen to the radio station Chicago Bears game while watching the TV, you'll hear the touchdown on the radio before the kicker even lines up on your screen. It ruins the surprise.
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There are devices like the "Sportsync" radio that allow you to manually delay the radio audio to match the TV picture. It sounds like a lot of work, but for a high-stakes game against the Packers, it’s a game-changer.
Actionable steps for your next Sunday
Don't wait until the ball is in the air to find the feed.
First, program 100.3 FM and 780 AM into your car's presets right now. Having both is key because if you're in a parking garage or a tunnel, AM might actually hold the signal better than FM.
Second, download the Audacy app and create a free account. Don't wait until Sunday morning when the servers are slammed and you're struggling to remember your password. Open the app, search for "Bears," and "favorite" the station so it's on your home screen.
Third, if you’re planning on tailgating at Soldier Field, bring an actual battery-powered radio. Cellular towers near the stadium get absolutely choked on game day because 60,000 people are trying to upload Instagram stories at once. Your phone's data will crawl, and your stream will buffer. A traditional radio signal doesn't rely on cell towers. It’s the only way to get the play-by-play in real-time while you're flipping burgers in the South Lot.
Finally, if you are out of the Chicago area, check the official Bears website on Friday afternoon. They post a "Station List" of affiliate stations. There are usually about 15-20 stations across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa—from WXCM in Rockford to WQTY in Linton—that pick up the feed. You might be surprised to find a local frequency that works perfectly for your location.
The broadcast landscape is shifting toward digital, but for the Chicago Bears, the radio remains the soul of the experience. Whether it's the crispness of 100.3 FM or the long-distance reach of 780 AM, the voice of the Monsters of the Midway is always within reach if you know where to look.