(This Post-Dispatch story was published Aug. 6.)

The Cardinals' timetable for making a decision regarding their radio rights continues to expand, with the club still mulling multiple offers from stations wanting to air the games starting next season. Club officials originally said a decision was expected by the All-Star break, then indicated it would be late July or early August. But the second week of August is approaching, with no resolution, as several options remain under consideration:

— A return to KMOX (1120 AM), where the broadcasts were for 51 years before being moved to KTRS (550 AM) in 2006.

— An arrangement in which the games would be simulcast on KTRS and WXOS (101.1 FM).

— The status quo, keeping the games solely on KTRS.

KTRS general manager Tim Dorsey is optimistic that his station will stay in the mix in some form, saying he has had "very fruitful discussions" with the club. His preference is to remain the only Cards outlet in the immediate market.

"I think that would be the best scenario for any radio station in town," he said. "We've put together a very fair package."

But if the Cards elect to go in another direction, he's open to sharing the games with WXOS.

"In some way, shape or form, KTRS would like to be involved in Cardinal baseball," Dorsey said. "I'd like to think they're going to stay, but I have no reason to say that. If I knew the odds on anything, I'd probably be in Vegas."

The current situation has been in the making for half a decade: Five years ago this week, the Cardinals announced their highly controversial decision to leave KMOX, ending a relationship that was widely popular with fans near and far. But the Cards fled for what they thought was a more lucrative deal, buying 50 percent of KTRS — and gaining final say on decisions — for the bargain-basement price of $2 million.

Club officials thought they could reap much more by entering the broadcast business instead of taking KMOX's offer of $4.7 million annually, a deal that included profit-sharing for revenue exceeding that level.

KTRS management predicted the move would vault the station, which was 16th in St. Louis market share the spring before it got baseball, to No. 1. But although KTRS improved significantly in the first spring it had baseball, it reached only No. 5 as KMOX remained at the top in the Arbitron survey. KTRS' under-performance was underscored in that fall's ratings period. Even though the Cards won the World Series in their first year at KTRS, which carried all the postseason games, KMOX had more than twice the market share of KTRS that fall.

And when KMOX finally fell out of the No. 1 slot last year after more than a 31/2-decade run, it was music station WARH (106.5 FM), not KTRS, that surged to the top. And in the latest ratings, KMOX was No. 4 in the market and KTRS was 13th — and that was in June, when the Cards were in the middle of their season.

The pot of gold never materialized at KTRS for several reasons:

— The economy went into a major downswing.

— Traditional media were hit extremely hard, with radio — especially AM — high on that list.

— Many outrageous moves were made internally in the initial stages that drew listeners' ire, as the Cards brought aboard two out-of-towners to make programming decisions for a key station in a very parochial market.

Most of the existing mild-mannered on-air personnel were fired and replaced with snide, smart-aleck hosts from outside the market. The results were astounding — yet highly predictable. At a time when the station should have been drawing new listeners following the massive amount of buzz about the Cards, the moves actually drove listeners away: KTRS tumbled to 18th the winter after the shakeup. A return to the old ways was implemented gradually, with KTRS now back to a lower-key approach.

But the key original problem remains — KTRS' signal reach at night, when most games are played, is minuscule compared to KMOX's. So hundreds of thousands of potential listeners outside the team's radio network are shut out of the free broadcasts, and some people in the immediate area still complain that they can't hear the games in offices, hospitals and other buildings.

Cards President Bill Dewitt III wasn't available for comment this week, but previously said fans' wishes are a key component being considered.

"One of the things that is the main driver is how fans react,'' he has said. "That's something we try to keep the pulse of.''