(February 15, 2017) Moving from Michigan to Maryland, STAA member Kevin Gehl is the new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Hagerstown Suns.
The Suns are the Class-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
The Hagerstown move was set in motion when one of Gehl’s colleagues sent his demo and resume to the Suns General Manager.
“Tim Swartz, a fellow play-by-play broadcaster and former co-worker in the San Francisco Bay Area, reached out to me because he knew Hagerstown Suns GM Travis Painter had a lead broadcaster opening.”
The position was also emailed to STAA members on November 16th.
Gehl highlighted his most relevant experience to earn the Suns job.
“Having Tim as a reference for the position was key, but I also did my homework on the Suns organization and emphasized my strengths in public relations as well as broadcasting.”
After several years in broadcasting, Gehl understands how crucial it is to build good relationships. He appreciates how his STAA membership helps him connect with others.
“Last year, I attended the STAA One Day Ticket event in Salisbury, NC and made new friendships with fellow STAA members who became my colleagues across the Midwest League and now the South Atlantic League.”
Gehl has developed a range of broadcasting skills including sports TV reporting. More recently, he narrowed his focus to maximize for opportunities in the sportscasting industry’s growth areas.
“I spent eight years in local TV sports and I was fortunate to cover marquee events like the Final Four and Rose Bowl. But it’s no secret that local TV sports anchoring and reporting jobs are drying up and even the regional and national networks are turning away from traditional sports highlights and news shows,” Gehl observed.
“By contrast, live game coverage continues growing. With online streaming, there are now more live sports broadcasts than ever. Play-by-play has always been my true career goal and passion, so once I realized the brightest future lies in calling games, I left local TV and committed myself to pursuing play-by-play.”
(Visit Kevin’s website).