Mark Packer, WFNZ’s owner in ‘preliminary’ talks

Veteran sports broadcaster Mark Packer is in talks with Entercom Communications, which bought Charlotte sports station WFNZ-AM (“Fan” 610) and news/talk station WBT-AM (1110).Packer referred questions about the rumored negotiations to his San Diego-based...

Mark Packer, WFNZ’s owner in ‘preliminary’ talks

Veteran sports broadcaster Mark Packer is in talks with Entercom Communications, which bought Charlotte sports station WFNZ-AM (“Fan” 610) and news/talk station WBT-AM (1110).

Packer referred questions about the rumored negotiations to his San Diego-based agent, Craig Fenech, who confirmed that “preliminary” talks have been held with Entercom.

Fenech said that Packer’s contract with Sirus/XM radio is up this spring.

When WFNZ-AM switched to sports talk in 1997, “Primetime With the Packman” was one of the station’s first shows and Packer became Charlotte’s best-known sports radio talk-show host. It lasted 13 years, through 2010, before Packer left the station when he and WFNZ were unable to reach terms on a new contract.

Since then, Packer has made various media appearances and been active in college sports broadcasting on satellite radio.

In October, Entercom Communications announced it had agreed to acquire Charlotte stations WBT-AM, WFNZ-AM and WLNK-FM (“Link” 107.9) from Beasley Broadcast Group for $24 million in cash.

Matt Hanlon, Charlotte market manager for Entercom’s stations, said he could not comment on the report. Entercom is the nation’s fourth-largest radio broadcast company with 127 stations with various formats in 28 cities.

Mark Washburn: 704-358-5007, @WashburnChObs

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