Sox look to move broadcasts to WBOS

The Red Sox are negotiating with the owner of radio station WBOS to take an ownership stake in the station and move its radio broadcast rights there, a move that would effectively end the team's relationship with Boston's dominant sports station, WEEI.

The talks are ongoing, and no deal has been reached, according to three executives briefed on the situation. WEEI could still make a rich, last-minute bid to retain the right to broadcast Sox games, though the executives said that appears less likely than it did last year.

If WBOS owner Greater Media Inc. reaches a deal with the Sox, it is not clear how the station might change from its current rock format. The Sox are looking to acquire about a 25 percent stake, according to the executives, who requested anonymity because the talks are continuing. (The New York Times Co., owner of the Boston Globe, owns 17 percent of the Red Sox.)

The Sox parent organization already owns a controlling interest in NESN, a television network that features sports shows and games. With a radio station, the Sox could be looking to replicate the NESN model, with less risk because they would not own the station outright. The deal also has appeal because it would put the Sox on FM radio, which offers better sound quality than AM. WEEI is an AM station.

The team's chief operating officer, Mike Dee, declined to comment in depth for this story because negotiations are at a sensitive stage, he said. He merely said there are ''multiple interested parties" in Sox radio rights and that the team has not made a decision. But he already has indicated, while not referring to a specific deal, that buying a stake in a radio station interests the Sox. ''It fits with our profile," told the trade publication Sports Business Journal earlier this month.

In addition to WBOS, Greater Media Inc. in Boston owns radio station Magic 106.7 and WTKK. Its chief executive, Peter Smyth, said, ''Of course we have interest in the Red Sox," but declined to say anything more.

If the Sox leave WEEI, it could be a blow to a station that has built its identity around Boston sports. Over the years, Red Sox chief executive Larry Lucchino has made regular appearances, as have pitchers Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. That, combined with the right to Sox games and a stable of entertaining, sometimes acerbic, hosts has given WEEI the highest market share of any sports radio station in the country, according to market researcher Arbitron Inc.

WEEI has asked the Sox to make a decision before the start of the baseball season, said Julie Kahn, vice president and New England market manager for Entercom Communications Corp., WEEI's parent.

''If they stay with WEEI, they'll make a good business decision, but they'll make what decision is best for them," she said.

She also said WEEI has heard about WBOS's offer to sell a stake to the Red Sox, and that WEEI is not offering anything similar.

It's too early to count WEEI out. For one, they hold the radio rights and it is a big undertaking to ask fans to switch stations.

Second, renewing the relationship with WEEI presents fewer risks than owning a stake in a station. As part owners, the Sox would be subject to the ups and downs of the radio business.

But owning a stake in a radio station has a huge potential upside as well, and it would not just be financial. A radio station would give the Red Sox control over far more of their own content, rather than relying on third parties such as WEEI to reach the public. Many sports teams -- including the New England Patriots -- have set up ways to bypass mainstream media and talk directly to fans. The Kraft family, the team's owners, produces Patriot shows, and they also put information and video on the team's website.

The Sox's radio rights negotiations also show the value of the team at a time in which the radio business is changing rapidly. The Sox are likely to get between $10 million and $12 million a year for the right to broadcast the games, which would give them one of the richest radio deals in baseball, according to Sports Business Journal. It is rare for baseball teams to own radio stations, or even hold stakes, but the idea has precedent: Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs, also owns station WGN.

If the Sox go with an FM radio partner, they could incorporate more crowd noise into broadcasts, and may be able to improve sound quality. The Patriots made the switch to an FM station, WBCN, 11 seasons ago and haven't looked back. Major League Baseball teams in Atlanta, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. already have FM broadcast partners.

Sasha Talcott can be reached at stalcott@globe.com.