Broadcasting giant Clear Channel made it clear yesterday that it's interested in adding the Pirates to its radio sports lineup, which already includes the Steelers, Penguins and Pitt football and basketball.

KDKA holds the rights to Pirates games and has for more than 50 years. But the contract expires at the end of this season, and the Pirates have let it be known they are interested in talking with other stations.

Under the terms of the existing agreement, the Pirates are bound to negotiate only with KDKA through tomorrow. After that they can talk to other stations, and Tim Schuldt, the team's vice president for marketing, sales and broadcasting, said that's what he intends to do.

"We think it would be a good match," said John Rohm, the regional vice president for Clear Channel, which has six stations in the Pittsburgh market. "We're very interested in talking to them."

Clear Channel carries games on its AM station, Fox Sports Radio 970. Each team also is heard on a different FM station.

"The way you win in our business is by listening to what the marketplace wants," said Rohm, a native of Brentwood. "With as many stations as we have, it enables us to have contact with many different audiences. This is a sports-crazy town. Pittsburghers love their sports teams and their heroes. There's a huge appetite for sports and we try to give it to our audiences."

KDKA has an older listening audience and the Pirates are particularly interested in reaching a younger demographic. Clear Channel has the answer for that with its five FM stations -- WDVE (102.5), the ratings leader in the region, WWSW (94.5) WPGB (104.7), WXCX (105.9) and WKST (96.1). Those stations range from rock to news-talk to oldies to alternative to top 40.

"The important component on our end for them is we have the expertise and the complete promotional infrastructure," Rohm said. "We can provide a superior broadcast, exciting promotions and entertaining [auxiliary] programming.

"A team's goal is to sell tickets and we help them hit that goal. We really provide the infrastructure that's missing in other organizations. We have a very, very broad media platform. Our Web sites have extremely heavy traffic."

Rohm said he saw no problem with conflicts that might exist in September between the Pirates and Steelers and the Pirates and Pitt.

"We have great partners already with the Steelers, Pitt and the Penguins and we have agreements in place with those folks that cover any potential conflicts. I don't do the scheduling, but I don't see any type of conflict."

The Pirates can begin negotiating with other stations Friday.

"I think we'd be happy to give them a call and introduce ourselves," Rohm said.