MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins made their long-anticipated move to FM radio official on Wednesday, Aug. 15, announcing they will broadcast their games on KTWN-FM 96.3 starting in 2013.

The move, which had been reported in Tuesday’s Pioneer Press, will end a six-year run on KSTP-AM 1500 for the Twins. The AM station, also known as 1500 ESPN, will continue to air some complementary Twins programming, including manager Ron Gardenhire’s show and the offseason “Hot Stove League” show.

But Twins games, pregame and postgame shows will move to the Pohlad family-owned KTWN, a change that team president Dave St. Peter said is both a risk and an opportunity.

He said the Twins had been clear with Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns 1500 ESPN, that they eventually wanted a presence on FM radio, but the station was unable to find an FM partner. On KTWN, the Twins should have a clearer signal and, St. Peter hopes, a chance to reach younger listeners.

Unlike 1500 ESPN, KTWN is a music station, having switched from hip-hop to an adult-rock format last winter. Moving away from a sports talk station means the Twins will likely build more programming around feature stories than deep baseball analysis, St. Peter said, an approach that could attract casual fans who might not otherwise interact with the team.

The Pohlads will have to hope the Twins’ presence lifts the fortunes of their radio station; KTWN reported a 1.4 market share earlier this month, its lowest in more than three years.

St. Peter and Northern Lights Broadcasting senior vice president Sam Elliot Gagliardi said the station will roll out new programming in the coming months, but the station will continue to play music during the day before Twins games at night.