Rise Against THE MACHINE

Rise Against THE MACHINE

The last few weeks have brought some disturbing changes to how fans get the Padres radio broadcasts. The problems have been well-documented here and elsewhere by people who I feel are much more qualified to talk about the subject, as I barely listen to Padres games on the radio.

Even in the years before Entercom came around, I would mainly tune in on the radio when in my car. Maybe once or twice a season something would happen with the power or cable going out and I’d have to break out the portable radio to get my fix. But, for the most part, I watch the games on TV.

Having said that, I’ve received questions from a few people asking about options to listening on 97.3 THE MACHINE. I’ve gathered all the information I could find and put it all right here for quick access.

MLB.tv Gameday Audio

This is the most obvious solution to the problem, but it’s going to cost you some cash. For $19.99 a year you get full access to the audio feeds of EVERY game ALL season. It’s a pretty great deal for a baseball fan, even for those of us who can listen to terrestrial radio. You will be able to listen on your computer or through the MLB At-Bat mobile app.

Now the only problem I can see with this is you still have to listen to Ted Leitner, Jesse Agler, and Tony Gwynn Jr. say, “You’re listening to the Padres Radio Network on 97.3 THE MACHINE,” before every commercial break.

MLB.tv Free For T-Mobile Subscribers

For those of you out there who just so happen to have a mobile phone through T-Mobile, guess what? You get the best deal imaginable. It’s not just the audio feeds, it also includes the TV feeds. For EVERY game. ALL season. For those of us who don’t have a T-Mobile phone, it’s $115.99 a year to get the same deal.

But here’s the catch: T-Mobile subscribers have to sign up starting today, March 27, and the offer goes away on April 2 at 11:59pm PDT. So you have less than a week to take advantage.

FOX Sports GO

The last option for fans is probably not ideal, but it’s there. If you get FOX Sports San Diego via your cable or satellite package you can use the FOX Sports GO website or the mobile app to stream the games. Since every game this season is on FSSD (except March 31, which is on FS1) you can get your fix that way. The only issue is that it’s the TV broadcasts and there isn’t an audio-only feed. So if you’re on your phone and not on wifi you’ll be burning through your mobile data plan like a hot knife through butter.


There you have it. Is it as easy as changing the station on your car radio? No. In fact, it’s a lot less convenient, in my opinion. Unless you have a connected car or a bluetooth receiver for your car stereo it’s damn inconvenient all-around. But the options exist. And if you’re serious about ditching THE MACHINE, then like Alexi Amarista at shortstop, it’s better than nothing.

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Scott Dunsmore has been a Padres fan since the 3rd grade. The Ghost of Ray Kroc possessed his body in 2011 and was finally exorcised by Elon Musk in 2022.

2 Comments

  • Terrence

    For those of us in the San Diego diaspora, the MLB.tv TV feed is the way to go. It’s more expensive than Gameday Audio, but you obviously get the video, as well. Not all of the pre-season games included video and in those cases it reverts to the audio feed and, yes, it’s weird hearing Uncle Ted say “You’re listening to the Padres Radio Network on 97.3 THE MACHINE,” at the beginning and end of segments.

    • Scott Dunsmore

      Are you talking about the $89.99/yr One Team option? Because that only gets you out-of-market games. The $115.99/yr choice is a better deal, if you can afford it. But if you just want to avoid THE MACHINE, which is what I was trying to say, the $19.99/yr Gameday Audio is easily the most affordable way to do that.

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