If you’ve ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Parkway West after a brutal Steelers loss, you know the sound. It’s the sound of collective therapy. It’s high-octane frustration. Honestly, it’s mostly just people yelling about prevent defense or why the Pirates won’t spend money. That sound comes from 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh, the station that has basically become the official soundtrack for the city’s obsessive sports culture.
It’s KDKA-FM, but nobody calls it that. Since flipping to the all-sports format in 2010, it has managed to do something pretty rare in the era of national podcasts and slickly produced YouTube shows. It stayed local. Like, really local. You’re not getting generic national takes here. You’re getting guys who grew up in the South Hills or the Mon Valley arguing about line combinations for the Penguins' third line at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday.
Pittsburgh is a "big small town." Everyone knows everyone, and everyone has an opinion on the backup quarterback. That’s the fuel for the fire. Without that specific brand of Yinzer passion, the station probably wouldn't work. But it does. It works because it’s loud, it’s often reactionary, and it’s unapologetically focused on the 412.
The Daily Grind: From The Fan Morning Show to PM Team
The lineup has seen some shifts over the years, but the core remains built around personality. You’ve got the morning slot, which is usually a mix of news, humor, and the immediate aftermath of whatever happened the night before. If the Steelers played on Sunday Night Football, Monday morning on 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh is essentially a public hearing.
The mid-day and afternoon slots are where the real deep dives happen. Think about guys like Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. "Poni" is a professional pot-stirrer. Love him or hate him—and plenty of people on Twitter definitely lean toward the latter—he knows how to get a reaction. That’s the secret sauce of sports talk radio. It’s not about being "right" all the time; it’s about starting a conversation that lasts until the next commercial break.
Then you have Joe Starkey. A veteran. A legend in the market. His voice is synonymous with Pittsburgh sports media. When you pair someone with decades of experience against a younger, more analytics-driven co-host, you get this weird, beautiful friction. It’s the old guard versus the new school.
Why Radio Survives the Podcast Boom
People always ask why someone would tune into a radio station when they could just download a podcast. It’s a fair question. But podcasts are static. They’re recorded, edited, and uploaded. Radio is live. When the Pirates trade away a fan favorite for "international bonus pool money," you want to hear the reaction now.
You want to call in. You want to hear "Mike from Cranberry" lose his mind.
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93.7 The Fan provides that immediate feedback loop. It’s the "water cooler" that doesn't exist in offices anymore. It’s a community. A chaotic, often irrational community, but a community nonetheless.
93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh and the Pro Sports Pipeline
The station isn't just a place for fans to complain. It’s the flagship. It’s the home of the Pitt Panthers. It carries the heavy hitters. When you’re the official station for a major program, you get access. You get the coaches’ shows. You get the players.
This access creates a weird tension sometimes. How do you stay critical of a team when you’re also their broadcast partner? It’s a tightrope walk. The hosts at 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh usually handle it by leaning into the "fan" aspect of the name. They aren't trying to be objective news reporters in the traditional sense. They are fans with microphones.
- The Steelers Factor: Everything revolves around the black and gold. If the Steelers are winning, the ratings are great. If the Steelers are losing in a spectacular, dramatic fashion, the ratings are even better.
- The Pirates Struggle: Talking about the Pirates is the station's biggest challenge. It’s a cycle of hope, followed by June collapses, followed by anger at ownership. The hosts have to find new ways to talk about the same frustrations every single year.
- The Penguins Pulse: Hockey talk in Pittsburgh is different. It’s more technical. The callers are smarter about the X’s and O’s. The station pivots to this seamlessly during the winter months.
Dealing With the "Yinzer" Stereotype
Let’s be real. Pittsburgh sports fans have a reputation. The "Yinzer" is a real phenomenon—someone who bleeds black and gold, thinks the 1970s were the pinnacle of human civilization, and probably wants to fire every coach after a single loss.
93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh embraces this. They don't look down on it.
They know their audience. If they started talking about advanced "Expected Goals" metrics in hockey without grounding it in "grit" and "determination," the callers would revolt. The station bridges the gap between the casual fan who just wants to hear about big hits and the "nerd" who wants to talk about salary cap implications and draft capital.
It’s a balancing act that keeps the lights on.
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The Evolution of the Content
The station has had to change. They’re on the Audacy app now. They do video clips. They’re active on social media. They realized a long time ago that the "radio box" in your car isn't the only way people listen.
But at the end of the day, the content is the same. It’s about the debate.
Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Should the Pens trade the core? Why can't the Pirates find a first baseman? These questions don't have answers, which is exactly why they are perfect for four hours of airtime.
The Impact of Local Personalities
Names like Ron Cook, who recently retired from his full-time role, represent the backbone of this station. Cook brought a level of "newspaper guy" credibility that balanced out the hot takes. When you lose voices like that, the station has to reinvent itself.
Currently, the station relies on a mix of former athletes and career broadcasters. Former players bring the "inside the locker room" perspective that fans crave. They can tell you exactly what a player is thinking when they drop a pass or miss a assignment. That lived experience is something a standard journalist just can't replicate.
Real Talk: The Criticism
It’s not all sunshine and terrible towels. The station gets criticized for being too negative. Some fans think they "manufacture" drama just to get the phones to ring.
Is that true? Maybe.
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But that’s the nature of the beast. Calm, rational discussion about a 2-1 loss in mid-August doesn't exactly make for "must-listen" radio. You need the spark. You need the guy who thinks the season is over in Week 2. That’s what keeps people tuned in through the commercials.
How to Get the Most Out of The Fan
If you’re new to the city or just getting into sports, there’s a way to listen to 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh without getting overwhelmed by the noise.
- Use the App: Don't just rely on the FM signal. The Audacy app lets you rewind. If you missed a big interview with a GM or a coach, you can go back and find it.
- Follow the Producers: Often, the producers of the shows are just as funny and insightful as the hosts. They handle the social media feeds and provide the "behind the scenes" context.
- Check the Podcasts: Most of the major shows are clipped into podcast segments. If you only care about the Steelers talk, you can skip the rest and just grab the 20-minute "Steelers Saturday" segment.
- Don't Take It Too Seriously: This is the most important part. It’s sports. It’s entertainment. When a host says something that makes your blood boil, remember: their job is to make you feel something.
What’s Next for Pittsburgh Sports Radio?
The landscape is shifting toward betting. You’ve probably noticed the increase in gambling talk. Point spreads, over/unders, and prop bets are becoming a massive part of the broadcast. 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh has integrated this into almost every show.
It’s a controversial move for some long-time listeners who just want to talk about the game itself. But for the station, it’s a survival tactic. It’s where the money is, and it’s where a huge portion of the younger audience is spending their time.
Even with the gambling shift, the heart of the station is still the same. It’s about the connection between the city and its teams.
Final Insights for the Pittsburgh Fan
To truly understand the city, you have to understand its sports culture. And to understand the sports culture, you have to listen to the fans. 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh is the megaphone for those fans. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s occasionally exhausting, but it’s real.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve on Pittsburgh sports news, make a habit of checking the station’s "Daily Audio" page on their website. It’s the fastest way to get the pulse of the city without sitting through four hours of drive-time traffic.
Also, keep an eye on the transition of the morning and afternoon lineups over the next year. As legacy hosts move on and new voices take over, the tone of the station will likely shift toward more digital-first content. But as long as the Steelers are playing on Sundays, there will always be a place on the FM dial for people to call in and complain about a draw play on 3rd and long.
Next Steps for Listeners:
Download the Audacy app to stream the station live regardless of where you are in the country. If you're looking for specific team coverage, subscribe to the individual show feeds on your preferred podcast platform to avoid the general "filler" content. For those who want to engage directly, save the call-in number (412-333-9370) and wait for the "open phones" segments, which typically happen at the start of each hour. Stay informed by following the station's beat writers on Twitter for real-time updates from training camps and practices.