Just one day before the season kickoff FAMU Athletics announced the renewed of its radio broadcast agreement with Cumulus Media, reversing an earlier decision to end a partnership that sparked an outcry from Rattler fans.
The renewed agreement keeps FAMU football on Tallahassee’s 96.1 JAMZ, preserving a decades-long tradition of broadcasting Rattlers games to fans across the region. More importantly, it restores a piece of the game-day experience that generations of FAMU fans have come to expect. The first broadcast under the new agreement will be FAMU’s season opener against Albany State.
The reversal is welcome news for fans, but it also raises a question: Why did the university decide to end the partnership in the first place?
The initial decision quickly became a public-relations problem for FAMU, with fans questioning why the university would abandon a familiar platform that has long been part of the Rattlers’ connection to the Tallahassee community.
The lesson for the university is straightforward: Not every change represents progress. Sometimes leadership means recognizing what is already working before the people who care most about the institution have to say so.