BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Pete Arbogast is expected to be hired as the Bengals play-by-play announcer. The team's new network - WKYN-AM (1160) and WUBE-FM (105.1) - could announce it as early as this week.

Arbogast would be teamed with analyst Dave Lapham. Lapham formerly worked the games with Paul Keels. But Keels is under contract to WLW, the team's former flagship station.

Chancellor, the parent company of WKYN and WUBE, won the Bengals' broadcasting rights in late December.

Arbogast has done football and basketball play-by-play for Southern California.

He has also done the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.

''I heard a tape of a football game he did at USC,'' Lapham said. ''He's very good. I'm not sure it's a done deal. But I know he's the guy they want.''