For the first time in decades, Florida A&M football fans will no longer be able to tune in to Rattler games on the radio.
Radio broadcasts will no longer be available for Florida A&M football fans hoping to listen to games. For the last four to five decades, football games have been carried on the Rattler Sports Network via 96.1 JAMZ, a local Tallahassee radio station owned and operated by Cumulus Media. However, the athletic department has decided not to renew the contract with Cumulus Media.
FAMU's contractual agreement with Cumulus ended on June 30, two months ahead of the 2026 football season. Support organization, the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club, which funded the Rattler Sports Network in partnership with FAMU's athletic department, handed off radio responsibilities to FAMU athletics.
The final season of Rattler football on the radio was broadcast by Albert Chester Sr., FAMU's starting quarterback when the team won the inaugural NCAA Division 1-AA title, and alumnus Bryan Fulford, who hosts the O&G StrikeZone podcast. "Rattler Nation, I have some very disappointing news," Chester posted to Facebook on Monday, Aug. 10. "I was just advised by the athletic department that the 2026 FAMU football season will not, I repeat, will not be broadcast via radio. Sad day."
The shift to television and streaming is part of a broader trend in the sports broadcasting industry. FAMU's fully televised 2026 football season starts on Saturday, Aug. 29, when the Rattlers host the Albany State Golden Rams on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. The season will be broadcast on ESPN networks, SWAC TV, and HBCU GO.
FAMU's decision to end radio broadcasts has sparked an outpouring of support from fans. Greg Coleman, a former FAMU and NFL star punter and Black College Football Hall of Famer, expressed his disappointment on social media. "This is sadder than sad," Coleman said. "We say that we are the #1 HBCU, and three weeks from opening the season, and this is the news from the Highest of Seven Hills. Please tell me this is April Fools in August. My high school has a football broadcast. Say it ain't so!"
The 2026 season will feature a mix of conference and non-conference games, including matchups against top teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The full schedule is as follows: Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV; Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium, 3 p.m., ESPNU; Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network; and Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO.
Source: Yahoo Sports