Chris Townsend

AKLAND ATHLETICS

Oakland Athletics Baseball Company

h 7000 Coliseum Way h Oakland, CA 94621

510-638-4900

h Public Relations Facsimile 510-562-1633 h www.oaklandathletics.com

OAKLAND, CALIF. –

Chris Townsend, a nationally-syndicated radio broadcaster with deep roots in Northern

California, has been named in-studio host for the Oakland A’s post-game radio show on XTRA Sports 860 AM for the

upcoming 2010 season, it was announced jointly by A’s Vice President of Broadcasting and Communications Ken

Pries and XTRA Sports 860 AM Program Director Kevin Barrett.

A’s Talk with Chris Townsend

will make its debut tomorrow immediately following the team’s Cactus League opener

against the Chicago Cubs (12:05 p.m. PST).

Xtra Sports 860 has very recently completed an enormous upgrade of its broadcast signal at 860 AM by moving it

’s

transmission site to the East Bay. The goal was to make the 50,000 Watts of power as loud and powerful as any

station in the Bay Area so that A’s fans can hear game day coverage of each game with the highest broadcast quality

possible in every county.

Townsend, who has spent the last 13 years compiling a diverse array of credits in the local sports landscape,

currently hosts

Sports Overnight America with Chris Townsend on XTRA Sports 860. The show is also broadcast on

Armed Forces Radio Network, which is carried on more than 500 stations in 177 countries. Townsend also hosts

The

Chris Townsend Show

on Sports 1140 KHTK Radio in Sacramento.

While Townsend will anchor the one-hour show at the XTRA Sports 860 AM studios, long-time A’s announcer Robert

Buan will continue to contribute to the club’s post-game show by providing on-site insights and interviews.

In addition to his radio shows, Townsend anchored a weekly San Francisco 49ers television show,

49ers Insider, on

Comcast SportsNet for three seasons. He also hosted

SaberCats Weekly on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area during

past AFL seasons, as well as live pre- and post-game shows and sideline reporter duty for the SaberCats during their

back-to-back Arena Bowl appearances in New Orleans.

Townsend, captain of the San Jose State baseball team in the early 1990’s, first arrived on the Bay Area broadcast

scene as an on-air talent for KNBR Radio (680 AM). He was the morning show’s resident sports authority, and hosted

pre- and post-game shows for the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors.

In addition to anchoring coverage from the

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro AM for 13 years, Chris has also covered the

1998 US Open at the Olympic Club

, 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, Super Bowl XXXVII, 2003 Final Four, and the

2002 World Series,

and was a regular contributor on FSN Bay Area’s 49ers All Access in 2003.

It’s no surprise Chris enjoyed success on the diamond and considers baseball his first love. His grandfather, seven

time all-star Bob Elliott of the Boston Braves, was named the National League MVP in 1947, becoming the first third

baseman in baseball history to win the award.

Xtra Sports 860 is owned by Pappas Radio of California, LP.