Headlines
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• Congrats to STAA member Mark Shelley, the new voice of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
• Longtime sports anchor Eric Perkins is leaving KARE 11 in Minneapolis after working 25 years with the station.
• Former Vanderbilt broadcaster Joe Fisher has joined Tennessee Tech.
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• Channel 7 sports reporter, anchor Justin Rose is leaving broadcast TV for a new challenge.
• Scott Hanson signed a multi-year contract extension as the host of NFL RedZone.
• Malika Andrews will serve as the NBA Finals sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC
• KCFX Kansas City announced the addition of Matt ‘Sparks’ Sparker as afternoon host to fill the slot created by the retirement of Skid Roadie in May.
• Boston sports radio legend Glenn Ordway announces retirement from daily hosting. (Inside Radio)
• Congrats to STAA member Geoff Haxton! He signed up for another year with Texas Tech. The upcoming season with be his 6th with the university.
• Longtime NBA Reporter Marc Stein is leaving the New York Times to start a Substack newsletter.
June 2021
• Mike Hoss named play-by-play announcer for New Orleans Saints game day broadcasts on WWL. (Saints)
• Pat Foley will call his final season of Blackhawks hockey in 2021-22 (Blackhawks)
• Congrats to STAA member Corey Gloor! Corey has officially been introduced as the “Voice of the Green Wave” and director of broadcasting.
• “103.7 The Game” in Lafayette, LA will debut a new afternoon show, “Crunch Time,” hosted by David Grubb. (Inside Radio)
• Bucks sideline reporter Zora Stephenson joins NBC Sports for the Olympics. (NBC)
• High School sports radio announcer Gattis Hodges retires after 40 years. (Daily Advance)
• Ryan Brown, Lance Taylor, Jim Dunaway, Sean Heninger are leaving WJOX in Alabama to start a digital platform.
• Hawaii sportscaster Robert Kekaula, 56, has passed away. He’ll always be remembered for his generosity.
• STAA member Alex Jensen recently made his major league baseball broadcast debut. Congrats Alex!
• Continuing a partnership that dates back to 1994, Sacramento sports talk KHTK “Sports 1140” will remain the radio flagship of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. (All-Access)
• Sacramento sports anchor Lina Washington announced she will leave ABC10 to take a job in her hometown of Phoenix.
• Congratulations to STAA members and former STAA All-Americans Jack Benjamin and Chris Lewis. Both have been chosen by NBC for play-by-play assignments at next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
• Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy ‘resting comfortably’ at Mass General after leaving booth, NESN says
• KNBR Program Director Jeremiah Crowe is leaving the Bay Area to move to Las Vegas with his family. (All-Access)
• Entravision will remain the exclusive Spanish radio broadcaster of the NFL. (Inside Radio)
• Carl Dukes, afternoon co-host at Audacy sports “92.9 The Game” WZGC Atlanta, will host a Sunday morning show (6-10am) on CBS Sports Radio.
• Stan Verrett signs new deal with ESPN, will also host 11 PM editions of SportsCenter. (ESPN)
• MMA reporter Ariel Helwani announces he’s leaving ESPN, reportedly headed to Action Network.
• Duane Kuiper released a statement through the San Francisco Giants announcing that he’ll miss time to undergo chemotherapy for a medical condition.
• Famed ESPN director Kurt Ackerman has passed away at 58.
• Brian Custer moves from Fox Sports to ESPN, where he’ll call college sports and host SportsCenter. (ESPN)
• Mick Mixon, voice of the Panthers, to retire after 2021 season. (Panthers)
• Nashville sports anchor Tatum Everett is leaving Fox affiliate WZTV. (Inside Radio)
• Hall of Famer Jim Lampley has signed with Triller to will call Lopez-Kambosos on June 19.
• Congrats to STAA member Casey Bryant! Bryant is the new Vice President of Broadcasting and Communications of the Vermilion County Bobcats.
• Nashville sports anchor Tatum Everett is leaving Fox affiliate WZTV.
May 2021
• The Erie Otters have found the next voice of the team announcing Shawn Bednard as the new play-by-play announcer and media relations manager.
• WWE and Adnan Virk have parted ways. (WWE)
• Charles Hanagriff is leaving his midday show at WNXX Baton Rouge. (Radio News Online)
• Memphis Tigers Athletics has new radio home at News Talk 98.9 “The Roar of Memphis” (Local Memphis)
• One of the best in the business. Congrats Ernie Martinez on your announcement. Martinez hosted his final show on XTRA 1360 in San Diego last Friday.
• ESPN anchor, reporter Michael Eaves signs multi-year extension: “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity” (Awful Announcing)
• Christopher Gabriel announced he is leaving 940 ESPN in Fresno, CA for a new opportunity.
• Jeff Levack is leaving his WTMM (Albany, NY) sports talk show and will be replaced by Charlie Voelker. (Times Union)
• Good luck to STAA member Jerry Schemmel as he attempts the event dubbed “The Toughest Bicycle Race in The World,” the Race Across America, in June. He is doing the event as a fundraiser for the Kyle Pease Foundation. Click here for info and a donation opportunity.
• For its NHL coverage, ESPN has signed Leah Hextall to do play-by-play and other roles (New York Post)
• WFAN signs Boomer Esiason, Gregg Giannotti to contract extensions.
• Marv Albert will reportedly retire after the NBA playoffs, ending nearly 60 years at the mic (Awful Announcing)
• Rachel Cook named PD at ESPN 93.5 in Missouri. (All-Access)
• Joe Valerio, who oversaw the majority of the production of ESPN’s Sports Reporters during the show’s 30 years on the air, has died at age 71. (ESPN)
• Steve Willits to join the Everett AquaSox broadcast team according to the club.
• CBS Sports & Fox Sports alum Pete Blackburn has joined Bally Sports to cover the NHL. (Awful Announcing)
• SIRIUSXM NBA Radio will air a new weekly WNBA show hosted by longtime ESPN sportscaster Holly Rowe. The show will air Fridays at noon ET. (All-Access)
• KCBS San Francisco All News morning sports anchor Steve Bitker announced his retirement.
• David Nuño joins TexAgs as Director of Broadcast Media. (Texas A&M)
• AT&T SportsNet’s Bill Worrell will broadcast his final Rockets game on May 14. (Rockets)
• Joel Klatt, Kevin Kugler, Alex Faust, Noah Eagle and others will highlight Fox’s coverage of the upcoming developmental football league. (Awful Announcing)
• North Dakota State University extended its broadcast relationship with Radio FM Media and Bison 1660, the school announced.
• STAA member Kevin DiDomenico is the voice of Salem Red Sox this season, the team announced.
• Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk are set to join Turner’s NHL broadcasting team. (The Athletic)
• Malcolm Butler is the ‘new’ voice of Louisiana Tech (LA Tech Sports)
• Breland Moore is joining WTXF (Philadelphia) as a sports anchor and reporter. (Inside Radio)
• Jim Paschke announces his retirement after 35 years as Bucks play-by-play announcer.
• Justin Spears and Ali Farhang return to ESPN Tucson for afternoons. The “Spears & Ali” show will be heard weekdays from 3-6pm.
• Amazon’s Thursday Night Football deal will start with the 2022 season. (Awful Announcing)
• Congrats to Noah Syverson! He joins the Johnson City Doughboys this summer as the play-by-play broadcaster.
April 2021
• Congrats to STAA member Justin Gallanty! He is joining the Memphis Redbirds broadcast booth this summer.
• Congrats to Tanner Hoops! He’s partnering with Fuller Digital Solutions as their play-by-play voice for Woodbury Central (Iowa) athletics.
• Danny Cunningham has rejoined 850 ESPN in Cleveland as a content teammate. (Radio Insider)
• Adrienne Roberson is set to become the first woman public address announcer in Orioles history. (Orioles)
• Jac Collinsworth joined NBC Sports’ Kentucky Derby coverage as a reporter at Churchill Downs (Awful Announcing)
• Sad news. Rutgers announced the passing of play-by-play voice, Lou Brogno.
• Congrats to STAA member Cody Schindler! Cody will serve as the broadcaster and be the play-by-play voice of the Peoria Chiefs this season.
• Dan Hasty recently made his MLB debut in the booth as a fill-in with the Detroit Tigers. Congrats Dan!
• 104.5 The Zone in Nashville launched The Zone TV which features the station’s popular live and local Sports Talk shows from 6:00am to 6:00pm, original sports programming on 104.5 The Zone Podcast Network, and more.
• Fox will broadcast The Spring League football games for 2021 season, along with FS1 and FS2 (Awful Announcing)
• Phillies added Gregg Murphy to the radio broadcast team as a weekend pre/post host. (Philly Inquirer)
• Congrats to STAA member Marty Bannister! He’s joining iHeartMedia’s Chillicothe station group in Ohio that includes WBEX-AM and six music brands as news & sports director. (Talkers)
• Congrats to Philip Galati! He’s set to join Brazos Valley Cavalry FC in USL League Two as the play-by-play voice this summer.
• Kayla Santiago becomes Rowan Radio’s first female Sports Director starting May 1st, the station announced.
• Bob Valvano is taking time off from his ESPN 680 Lousiville show over health issues. Get well soon, Bob.
• Chris King to miss at least two more Islanders broadcasts due to COVID-19 protocols. (Radio Insider)
• 102.5 The Game in Nashville named Caroline Fenton a new evening co-host.
• The Jimmy Malone Show made its debut this week on FOX Sports 1350 in Cleveland. (Radio Insider)
• The Rays extended their radio contract with WDAE in Tampa Bay, the club announced.
• Sports anchor and reporter Kristen Rodgers is departing FOX 29 after four years in Philadelphia “for a new chapter” that will take her back home to the west coast. (Philly Voice)
• Entercom changes its name to Audacy while killing off their Radio.com brand, the company announced.
• Congrats to STAA member Sam Weiderhaft! He accepted the play-by-play broadcaster/media relations job with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Low-A, Chicago Cubs).
• Congrats to Jim Nantz! He signed a new contract with CBS. (Sports Business Journal)
• Dick Stockton is retiring after 55 years in sportscasting. Congrats!
• John Jastremski is leaving WFAN for Bill Simmons’ The Ringer. (New York Post)
• All Oakland A’s regular season games will air on iHeart’s KNEW this season.
• Congrats to STAA member Ryan Zimmerman! He joins the Gary SouthShore Railcats as the play-by-play voice of the team.
• Entercom taps longtime sports broadcaster Andy Gresh as midday show co-host for WEEI, the station announced.
• Arizona Rattlers announced their TV broadcast team for the 2021 IFL season with Floyd Simmons on play-by-play.
• Matt Vasgersian will take over play-by-play duties for the Angels starting this season, the club announced.
• Lisa Byington will make history as the first female play-by-play broadcaster to call a men’s NCAA tournament game. (CBS)
• Dale Arnold announced his retirement from WEEI after 30+ years with the station.
• STAA member Andrew Belleson is focused on achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a sports broadcaster. In order to accomplish his goal, Belleson is stepping away from the Cubs PA booth.
• Joe Tait, the voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers for two generations, dies at age 83.
• Danielle Murr announced she is leaving the “Greg Hill Show” on WEEI.
• Buck Reising joined Nashville “104.5 The Zone” as host of the 10:00 am to 1:00 pm show. (Talkers)
• Sad news. Larry Clisby, longtime radio voice of Purdue basketball, passes away after battle with cancer, the school announced.
• ESPN has re-signed Rece Davis as ‘College GameDay’ host, the network announced.
• FOX Sports’ lead play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson named the 2021 winner of the Jake Wade Award.
February 2021
• Steve Selby has announced his retirement from the Memphis Redbirds broadcast booth.
• 1080 The Fan in Portland has moved “Dirt & Sprague,” from 12-3pm to mornings. Current morning co-host Dusty Harrah moves to 12-3pm, joined by KOIN-TV spots anchor AJ McCord.
• New Orleans Saints play-by-play announcer Zach Strief announced he is leaving WWL to become the assistant offensive line coach for the team.
• Hall of Famer Barry Larkin is headed to the Reds broadcast booth, the team announced.
• The Milwaukee Brewers have resigned with Fox Sports Wisconsin on multi-year carriage deal (Awful Announcing)
• Congrats to Beth Mowins! She joins Marquee Sports as a fill-in play-by-play voice for Jon Sciambi and the Chicago Cubs.
• Dodgers hired Kirsten Watson to their broadcast team as a reporter/host including TV and radio responsibilities for pregame and postgame shows. (Dodgers)
• ESPN Networks will carry NCAA DI Cross Country Championships through the 2023 season. (NCAA)
• Buster Olney Signing ESPN Extension to Remain on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ (ESPN)
• Chicago’s 670 The Score brings Matt Spiegel back to the air in a full-time capacity, hosting the afternoon drive show with former partner Danny Parkins. (Talkers)
• Jack Nolan, the voice of Notre Dame, has announced his retirement.
• Dodgers Spanish broadcaster Jorge Jarrin retires. (LA Times)
• FOX Sports Ohio and the Cincinnati Reds announced John Sadak will join the television broadcast team as the play-by-play broadcaster.
• Brian Mitchell and JP Finlay will co-host midday show as part of new lineups at 106.7 the Fan (Washington Post)
• Congrats to STAA member Geoffrey Chiles! He joins Belmont Abbey Athletics as the Director of Broadcasting.
• Congrats to STAA member Maura Sheridan! Sheridan is the 1st woman named radio voice of UVM men’s hockey, the school announced.
• Ian Eagle has reportedly signed a new contract to keep him at CBS. (Awful Announcing)
• Scott Kaplan joins afternoon drive with Jorge Sedano and LZ Granderson on ESPN Los Angeles, the station announced.
• ESPN Charlotte has launched the Afternoon Rush. Current morning co-host Molly Cotten will join current 4-7pm hosts Bobby Rosinski and Mark Yarbro on “The Afternoon Rush” from 2-6pm. (Radio Insider)
• WFAN legend Mark Chernoff is retiring as the station’s program director. (New York Post)
• Congrats to Michael Baribault! He’s the new play-by-play voice for the Healdsburg Packers starting this summer.
January 2021
• Congrats to Donny Chiarel! He joins the Syracuse Spartans as a broadcast intern this summer in Central New York.
• Al Galdi announced he is no longer with The Team 980 in Washington, D.C.
• 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore is shuffling its lineup. Jerry Coleman, co-host of the station’s “Big Bad Morning Show,” will transition to host “Sports with Coleman,” weekday evenings from 6-10pm ET. Jeremy Conn will now serve as morning show co-host. (Talkers)
• Alanna Rizzo announced she is leaving the Dodgers and SportsNet LA after seven seasons.
• Red Sox reporter Guerin Austin has left NESN after six years, with the network not renewing her contract. (Awful Announcing)
• Detroit native Jim Costa announced his return to 97.1 The Ticket. Catch him nights, weekends, prime fill-ins and Lions/Tigers/Pistons/Wings broadcasts.
• Detroit native Jim Costa announced his return to 97.1 The Ticket. Catch him nights, weekends, prime fill-ins and Lions/Tigers/Pistons/Wings broadcasts.
• John Forslund will be the television voice of the Seattle Kraken. (Awful Announcing)
• Greg Lernard announced his new sports talk radio show on ESPN 105.1 The Zone in Chattanooga, TN from 11-1p CT.
• Sandra Golden is leaving the Fan in Atlanta after a decade. (AJC)
• Longtime Orioles announcer Jim Hunter won’t return to broadcasts in 2021 after the team elected not to renew his contract. (Baltimore Sun)
• Max Kelton announced he is the new play-by-play voice of the Gary SouthShore Rail Cats. Congrats Max!
• Congrats to Manny Rodriguez! Rodriguez announced he is the new play-by-play voice for the Green Bay Booyahs.
• Matt Vasgersian signed a new deal with ESPN as Sunday Night Baseball returns in 2021. (ESPN)
• Tom “Goz” Goslowski announced with a social-media post he is no longer employed at 104.5 The Team in Albany, NY.
• Program director Joe Zarbano is leaving WEEI after 14 years with the station. (Boston Globe)
• Jonathan Hutton, Chad Withrow and Paul Kuharsky will not return to the 104.5 in Nashville. Instead, the show’s hosts are joining Clay Travis’ OutKick.com website. (Tennessean)
• Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner has retired after 41 years with the team. Jesse Agler takes over as the primary radio voice of the team. (Padres)
• Trey Wingo will call golf for PGA Tour Live, beginning with the Farmers Insurance Open Jan. 28 (Awful Announcing)
• Jordy Culotta is out at 104.5 ESPN in Baton Rouge after more than a decade with the station. (Awful Announcing)
• Connor McKinight has joined ESPN 1000 in Chicago as the White Sox pregame and postgame host. (All Access)
• Mike Shannon is retiring from the Cardinals broadcast booth after the 2021 season. (Fox 2)
• ESPN Radio Syracuse host Seth Goldberg is leaving the station to take a job with the NBA. (Syracuse.com)
• Detroit sportscasting legend Frank Beckmann announced he will retire from WJR radio in March.
• Dan Sheldon and Nigel Burton have exited RIP City Radio 620 in Portland. (All Access)
• Jayson Braddock is no longer with ESPN 97.5 in Houston. (All Access)
• The Arizona Coyotes named Lyndsey Fry as their new radio analyst. She will become the fourth woman to fill that role for an NHL team. (ESPN)
• Kenny Albert will replace Doc Emrick as the lead voice of NHL on NBC (On Tap Sports)
• Former Angels broadcaster Victor Rojas is the new president and general manager of the AA Frisco RoughRiders (Awful Announcing)
• Congrats to STAA member Rob Longo! He’s accepted a position with the Charlotte Hornets as their radio producer and studio host for the Hornets Radio Network.
• Congrats to Eric Vandefifer! He is the new voice of the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (DII) men’s and women’s basketball programs.
• Minneapolis talk host Dave Lee announced his retirement. He’s been named Minnesota’s Sportscaster of the Year six times and has won three Emmys for his television work. (Talkers)
• 2018 Jim Nantz Award recipient Katie Emmer announced she will not return to NBC Sports Philadelphia for the upcoming Flyers season.
• David Smock is the new play-by-play voice and coordinating producer for the Mariner Sports Network at Marymount California University. Smock will broadcast baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball. Congrats, David!
• Longtime college hockey broadcaster Ben Holden out at CBS Sports after broadcasting NCHC Pod (Grand Folks Herald)
• Sandra Scully, the wife of Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, passed away on Sunday night due to complications from a long bout with ALS. She was 76. (ESPN)
• Dan Le Batard has officially signed off ESPN Radio and Highly Questionable. (Awful Announcing)
• Ian Beckles and Jay Recher are the new afternoon drive program co-hosts on WDAE, taking over the daypart from retiring Tampa Bay radio icon Ron Diaz. (Talkers)
• Steve “Czabe” Czaban announced the end of his daily sports-talk show in Washington, D.C., but says the shift won’t impact his gig on 97.3 FM “The Game” in Milwaukee.
• The Score promotes Leila Rahimi to midday co-host with Dan Bernstein. (Robert Feder)
• Jon ‘Boog’ Sciambi is the new Cubs play by play broadcaster. (Awful Announcing)
December 2020
• STAA member Sam Kuperman will broadcast Coppin State University men’s and women’s basketball home games this season. Congrats Sam!
• SNY is letting go of studio host Jonas Schwartz after he joined the station in 2007. (New York Post)
• Bryan Main is hanging up the PA microphone after 2,000 games over 35 years. Congrats! (Times of San Diego)
• Scott Van Pelt announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t be doing his show for a while.
• Congrats to Marco Peralta! He’s set to join the Phoenix Suns Spanish broadcast team on 106.5 FM La Mejor to deliver highlights and to serve as a pre/half/post host.
• The Detroit Lions are returning to WXYT 97.1 The Ticket next season in Detroit. (All Access)
• Great news! Alabama announcer Eli Gold cleared by doctors, will call SEC title game (Alabama)
• Former Titans GM Floyd Reese is stepping away from his radio show on 102.5 The Game in Nashville. (Nashville Post)
• Tom Rinaldi leaves ESPN for Fox, where he’s expected to be featured across CFB, NFL, MLB and soccer properties. (Awful Announcing)
• Congrats to Noah Eagle! Eagle will broadcast Nickelodeon’s NFL playoff game next month after “The SpongeBob SportsPants Countdown Special” before the game. (Awful Announcing)
• Congrats to STAA member Jared Dillard for being a recipient of the inaugural scholarship and grant from Adam Giardino’s Black Play-by-Play Fund!
• Congrats to Ryan Maguire! He joins ESPN 1000 as the Executive Producer for the Chicago White Sox Radio Network.
• Jessica Coody is believed to be the first woman to ever serve as the play-by-play announcer for an Oklahoma’s men’s basketball television broadcast. (Sooner Wire)
• Morning show hosts Judson Richards and Mike Costa announced they’ve been let go by XTRA1360 in San Diego.
• Longtime radio broadcaster Eli Gold will miss Alabama-Arkansas game after testing positive for COVID-19.
• Congratulations to STAA member Sam Farber, the new voice of the Hornets! Sam has been an STAA member since our inception. We’re fired up for you, Sam. Way to go!
• Al Michaels has won MLB’s Ford Frick Award for broadcasting excellence.
• Thom Brennaman has been hired by the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico as its play-by-play man for the 2020-21 season. (USA Today)
• Congrats to Andre Magaro! He joins the Kalamazoo Growlers in the Northwoods League next summer for the 2021 season.
• Congrats to Doug Russell! He announced he is joining the iHeart team in Milwaukee.
• WXYT extended its rights deals with the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings (Radio Insight)
• ESPN’s Dan Dakich has COVID-19 and will broadcast North Carolina-Iowa from his home. (Awful Announcing)
• Rick DiPietro, Chris Canty and Dave Rothenberg are moving to mornings on ESPN New York and will be on from 5-8 a.m. (New York Post)
• Chris Rongey announced his time with ESPN 101 in St. Louis is over.
• Legendary broadcaster Peter Alliss, known as the “Voice of Golf,” has died at 89.
• Bernie Miklasz announced his return to radio. He’s set to host weekdays 3-6 pm slot for KFNS The Fan 590 in St. Louis.
• Congrats to STAA member Phil Constantino! He is the new Director of Broadcasting for Athletics for Gardner-Webb University.
• Cubs TV broadcaster Len Kasper reportedly is leaving the North Side to become the radio play-by-play voice of the White Sox. Fox Sports broadcaster Chris Myers reportedly will replace Kasper in the Cubs TV booth. (CBS Chicago)
• David Smock is a play-by-play sportscaster near Los Angeles. He was diagnosed officially August 3 with throat cancer that’s between Stage Il-Stage III. “Today (Dec. 2), I completed my 5th of eight chemo days (63%). Back to radiation, tomorrow (28%), hope to be done by Dec. 30.” Keep fighting, David.
• Congrats to Adam Gadamowitz! He announced he is the new play-by-play voice for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cop League.
• The voice of Vanderbilt Athletics, Joe Fisher, resigned from his position effective immediately.
• Congrats to Adam Giardino for being named the MiLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America.
• 97.5 The Fanatic hired John Kincade as the new morning show host in Philadelphia. (Philly Voice)
• Tampa Bay radio legend, Ron Diaz, announced his retirement on WDAE.
• Marc Farzetta announced he will no longer be hosting 97.5 The Fanatic’s morning show in Philadelphia.
• Congrats to Blue Jays play-by-play commentator and ESPN broadcaster Dan Shulman named winner of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Jack Graney Award (Hall of Fame)
• NBC Sports Boston’s Kyle Draper heading to Sacramento for pre/post and play-by-play duties. (Kings)
• The new wood-bat MLB Draft League is launching with five teams and could add a sixth, according to MLB.
November 2020
• SportsGrid Radio and SiriusXM announced a deal to launch the SportsGrid Radio Channel on SiriusXM, effective January 7, 2021.
• Longtime Montana Griz play-by-play man Mick Holien passed away. (Daily Inter Lake)
• Congrats to Bonita Hill for being added to Golden State Warriors pre and post game coverage on NBCS Authentic.
• Eastern Michigan announced Tom Helmer will take over as the radio voice of EMU men’s and women’s basketball on WEMU.
• Congrats to Noah Wolf! Wolf is the new play-by-play voice for the Iowa State Women’s Basketball program. (Iowa State release)
• Ryan Ruocco is the new lead ESPN announcer for women’s college hoops. (ESPN)
• Chip Brown from The Zone in Austin, Texas announced he was part of the latest rounds of cuts with iHeart.
• Congrats to Cal Friedman! He is the new play-by-play voice for the Valley Blue Sox in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
• Congrats to STAA member Sam Weiderhaft! He’s joining the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball team as the play-by-play voice.
• Jamie Little is making broadcast history by becoming the first woman named as the television voice of a national motorsports series. Little is the play-by-ply voice for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series. (FOX Sports)
• Congrats to Casey Buscher for becoming the Sports Director/Chief Anchor at KSBY in California.
• Brian Anderson is the latest voice on the NBA2k series. (WISN)
• Congrats to Anthony Tornatore! He announced a deal to serve as the play-by-play voice for NAWA Wrestling starting in December.
• John Clayton, Jim Moore and Tom Wassell have been laid off by 710 Seattle as part of ESPN’s larger cost-cutting measures. (Seattle Times)
• Sports anchor and reporter, Julianne Pelusi, is joining WGRZ in Buffalo. (Ad Week)
• Congrats to Kevin DiDomenico! He announced his new position as the home voice of Radford University basketball.
• Congrats to Jonathon Hoppe! He announced he’s joining the WTVM sports team in Columbus.
• Producer Chris Cote has returned to “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” after being hired directly by Le Batard as his personal assistant. (All Access)
• Congrats to Nicole Weaving! She’s set to join NTVNews and KFXL Nebraska as a multi-media journalist covering both news and sports.
• The New York Mets announced plans to keep farm teams in Syracuse, Binghamton and Brooklyn.
• Ryan Kent Jr. is the new play by play voice for the Southern Illinois University women’s basketball team. Congrats Ryan!
• The Portland Trail Blazers have named Jordan Kent its new television play by play broadcaster. (KXL)
• Gary Gerould will return for 36th season as radio voice of the Kings. (Sacramento Bee)
• ESPN veteran Mark Jones has been named the Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer. (Kings)
• Jim Costa announced his departure last week from ESPN 96.1 in Western Michigan as part of cuts within the network.
• ESPN’s Miami-based “Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz” was informed Chris Cote is among the network’s massive layoffs announced in a company-wide internal memo. (Miami Herald)
• Yankees leaving Trenton, moving Double-A affiliate to Somerset, N.J. (NJ.com)
• Legendary Iowa State hoops broadcaster Rich Fellingham has died at age 75. (Des Moines Register)
• ESPN laying off 300 employees in huge pandemic-related cuts according to the New York Post.
• Fred Heumann will remain in Lansing, Michigan after being hired by WILX-TV. He spent 16 years as the Sports Director with WLNS-TV before being fired last year. (Lansing State Journal)
• Len Morton, a longtime sportscaster who was the radio voice for University of Tulsa athletics and Tulsa pro baseball, passed away at 91. (Tulsa World)
• Chicago White Sox destined for ESPN 100 after turning down a deal from Entercom. (Robert Federer)
• Josh Parcell announced his decision to leave Wilson & Parcell on WFNZ in Charlotte.
• Memphis radio vet Tim Van Horn has joined KWAM in Tennessee. (Radio Insider)
• Rangers Hall of Fame radio voice Eric Nadel agrees to a two-year contract extension.
October 2020
• Bernie Miklasz and Steve Savard seem headed to a return to St. Louis airwaves by joining KFNS. (STL Today)
• Chad Dukes has been fired from 106.7 The Fan in DC for ‘racist and inappropriate comments’ (Washington Post)
• KWBT (CBS Sports Central Texas) in Waco, Texas is adding “Go Big or Go Home with “Big Rich” Richardson, weekdays from 6-9am, starting November 2. (Radio Insider)
• Craig Carton is officially returning to WFAN as co-host of new ‘Carton & Roberts’ Show. (Newsday)
• Congrats to Tyler Katz! He is the new voice of the Pierre Trappers in Pierre, South Dakota.
• Congrats to STAA member Jack Kizer! He is the new voice of the Bellarmine women’s basketball team. (Bellarmine University)
• Dori Monson has returned to Seattle airwaves following his two week suspension. (All Access)
• Joe Benigno is officially retiring from WFAN according to the New York Post.
• Blues radio voice and Vice President of Broadcasting, Chris Kerber, recently underwent throat surgery. (NHL)
• Troy Athletics is raising funds for Ralph Black home radio booth, according to the University.
• DC United Spanish broadcaster, Carlos Alberto “Escopeta” Osorio, has died of cancer.
• Legendary soccer broadcaster Andrés Cantor has been named the recipient of the 2020 Colin Jose Media Award, which honors journalists whose careers have made significant long-term contributions to soccer in the United States. (Soccer HOF)
• Bill Cunerty, a former Saddleback College coach and high school football broadcaster in Southern California, has died from Parkinson’s disease (OC Register)
• North Carolina’s News 13 sports anchor/reporter Chris Womack has been promoted to sports director.
• Craig Carton’s WFAN return is imminent according to the New York Post. Evan Roberts is the favorite to partner with him.
• Cavs, Monsters and Charge announced a multi-year extension with iHeart. (NBA)
• Fox Sports Radio hits Pensacola airwaves with new station ‘The Fan’ (PNJ)
• Sabres play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret plans to return for his 50th season. (Finger Lakes News)
• A new, multiyear extension has been signed between Entercom and CBS Sports to continue simulcasting WFAN-AM/FM, New York’s “Boomer & Gio” morning drive show on the CBS Sports Network. (Radio)
• There will be a new, yet familiar face at the anchor desk for WXOW News 19 evening news viewers in Wisconsin. Dustin Luecke will be filling the role of Evening News Anchor/Producer. (WXOW)
• One of the greatest to do it — Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick has announced his retirement.
• Sports writer, radio broadcaster Sid Hartman passed away at 100.
• Big congrats to Mike Yam! He announced he’s joining the NFL Network.
• Phillies radio play-by-play broadcaster Jim Jackson announced he will not return to the Phillies next season.
• Congrats to Preston Willett! He’s been promoted to Sports Director of CBS 19 in Virginia.
• Harry Mayes and Eytan Shander are teaming up with Barrett Brooks for new mid-day show, ‘The Middle,’ streaming live on PhillyVoice and across the Sports Map Radio Network, the station announced.
• Meridith Mulkey has joined the WTVY Sports team. Meridith will serve as the Weekend Sports Anchor and report during the week, the station announced.
• Rich Herrera is the new Program Director and afternoon host for KCUB in Tucson, Arizona. (News Radio)
• YES Network broadcaster Jack Curry missed the New York Yankees’ postseason after contracting COVID-19. (Fox Sports)
• Longtime Peoria TV anchor Mark Welp moves to nights amid changes at WMBD/WYZZ. (Arizona Sports)
• Raptors’ play-by-play announcer Paul Jones appointed to Canada Basketball Board of Directors (NBA)
• Jim Rose joins News Channel Nebraska’s Sports Team (News Channel Nebraska)
• The NFL has suspended Ian Rapoport for two weeks. (Awful Announcing)
• Baseball hall of famer and broadcaster, Joe Morgan, passed away. (Washington Post)
• Dori Monson, Seahawks’ game day/radio host, has been suspended. (The Athletic)
• Under a new one-year deal, all Villanova football and basketball games for the 2020 – 2021 season will be carried on Beasley Media Group Philadelphia adult hits WBEN-FM “95.7 Ben FM”, the school announced.
• Arash Markazi will host a daily radio show on the Mightier 1090 in San Diego. (Awful Announcing)
• Jon Jansen joining 97.1 The Ticket for the ‘Stoney and Jansen’ show (Detroit Free Press)
• ESPN 102.5 The Game officials announced after months of serving on an interim basis, co-hosts Robby Stanley and Joe Rexrode are the new permanent hosts of the station’s new morning show. (Nashville Post)
• Fred Gerteiny, a sports anchor at News 12 Connecticut, has been fired. (Connecticut News)
• 95.7 The Game plans new morning show with Kate Scott, Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky. (The Athletic)
• Longtime Edmonton broadcaster and former Oilers play-by-play commentator Tim Dancy passed away.
•Congrats to STAA member Shawn Tiemann! He’s been named “Voice of the Lady Griz” for the University of Montanta.
• Congrats to John Michaels! He joins 680 The Fan in Atlanta this week full-time.
• Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket names studio in honor of Jamie Samuelsen (Awful Announcing)
• ESPN play-by-play voice Jason Benetti has signed a multi-year extension with the network. (ESPN)
• Jay Johnstone, longtime major leaguer and broadcaster, has passed away at 74. (Awful Announcing)
• The Vikings radio team is not expected to travel to games all season. (Twin Cities)
• Bob Slovak is no longer with ABC 13 in Houston after a budget cut due to COVID-19.
• Jason Martin announced he’s signed a new deal with 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Congrats to Kellen Allen for accepting a MMJ position in Beaumont, Texas at 12 News Now.
• Wyatt Wheeler is set to join 96.9 in Missouri as part of SportsTalk, weekdays 4-6pm. (Radio Insider)
• The SportsMap Radio Network has added “Gameday with Hutson Mason” (All Access)
• Congrats to STAA member Brady Haupt. Brady has been named the Silver Dome winner for medium-market play-by-play by the Illinois Broadcasters Association. He also wins a share for best humorous commercial. Well done, Brady!
• John English will return as the play-by-play announcer for the upcoming Fresno Monsters USPHL season, the team announced.
• Entercom Chicago’s Dan McNeil has been fired after making a crude comparison about an ESPN reporter’s wardrobe. (USA Today)
•”The Fan” 680 in Atlanta dropped veteran hosts Stephen “Steak” Shapiro and John Kincade this week and added several personalities from Xtra 106.3 including “Hometeam” Brandon Leak and Joe Hamilton.
•Mark Seidel, a producer and assistant program director at Charlotte’s WFNZ, has passed away at 37.
• Sports anchor Jim Rose has signed a new 3-year deal with ABC 7 in Chicago. (Roger Feder)
• Joe Buck was surprised live on-air with his nomination to the Hall of Fame (Fox Sports)
• Adrian Healey has joined Austin FC as the executive director of broadcast and content. (MLS)
• Derek Rae is returning to ESPN as the lead play-by-play voice of the Bundesliga. (ESPN)
• Congrats to Jeff Roberts! He is the new play-by-play voice for the Morley Stanwood Mohawks football program in Morley, Michigan.
• Illinois WAND-TV sports anchor and reporter Gordon Voit announced he is leaving the station.
• Reporter and host Jen Lada has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN according to the network.
• “Wanna Bet?! Weekend Edition” hosted by Tom Barton – is being syndicated nationally as part of a deal with United Stations Radio Networks and Gow Media’s SportsMap Radio Network. (Talkers)
• Kenny Albert wasn’t on NFL on Fox this week due to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. (Awful Announcing)
• CBS NFL announcers have been told to avoid voicing opinions on racial and social justice issues. (Forbes)
• Jim Hayes is no longer with KFNS in St. Louis. (St. Louis Today)
• Merv Johnson, who has been involved with the Oklahoma football program for the last 41 years, announced his retirement as the Sooners’ radio analyst.
• STAA member Johnny ‘The Ballgame’ Mallory has joined 93.1 The Ticket — Boise’s ‘Idaho Sports Talk’ (All Access)
• Sports Hub’s Fred Toucher has returned to the air in Boston. (Radio Insider)
• The Orlando Magic will discontinue a separate radio and TV broadcast of basketball games next season and instead simulcast the TV broadcast on both mediums. (Athletic)
• The NFL’s Ramon Foster has joined 104.5 The Zone in Nashville (Radio Insight)
• Former Georgia 13WMAZ sportscaster and hall of famer Bobby Pope has passed away. (Radio Insider)
• Bob Robertson, longtime Washington State broadcaster and Hall of Famer, has died at 91. (ESPN)
• Trey Wingo is no longer with ESPN according to reports. (New York Post)
• The Steelers play-by-play voice Bill Hillgrove has been suspended two games. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
• Mike Tirico will call 3-5 Sunday Night Football games in place of Al Michaels this season. (New York Post)
• Longtime Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven announced his retirement from the booth.
• Reporter Michele Steele is staying at ESPN after signing new multiyear contract. (ESPN)
• Mix 102.9 in Alabama flipped from Hot AC to “Fox Sports 102.9”earlier this month. The station is carrying the national Fox Sports Radio lineup as well as local high school play-by-play. (Radio Insider)
• Sean McDonough has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN. (Awful Announcing)
• Mauro Ranallo and WWE have agreed to terms of his release (Awful Announcing)
• Wyoming Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dave Walsh to continue broadcasting Cowboy football, Reece Monaco will call Cowboy basketball and Keith Kelley will announce Cowgirl basketball, the school announced.
• Dallas 1310 The Ticket’s Norm Hitzges announced he’s undergoing treatment for bladder cancer.
• Beloved Waco broadcaster Butch Henry has passed away. (Radio Insider)
August 2020
• Congratulations to STAA member TJ Wengert. TJ has been promoted from seasonal broadcaster to Director of Broadcasts, Media Relations and Sales with Tri-City Chili Peppers baseball of the Coastal Plain League.
• Westwood One and Entercom announced Bill Reiter‘s return to CBS Sports Radio on Monday, August 31. Reiter will host “Reiter Than You” every weekday from 10am-12pm ET. (All Access)
• Butch Henry, a longtime KCEN-TV account executive who for years was also a sports broadcaster and play-by-play announcer, has died. (KWTX)
• 960 KGKL San Angelo TX will flip to Sports on Tuesday, September 1 as “ESPN 960”. (Radio Insight).
• Garrison Diehl has joined the Toledo Sports Network as a play-by-play broadcaster.
• Denver host Darren McKee has apologized for accidental use of racial slur in tweet. (Denver Post)
• Play-by-play announcer Scott Chase has been elevated to a corporate role as the Director of Group Programming for Saga Communications. (Radio Insider)
• The AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights games will broadcast on 1230 The Game KLAV, the league announced.
• ESPN Fort Wayne 1380 dropped ESPN Radio for Fox Sports Radio and has been rebranded as 1380 The Fan. (All Access)
• Tim Murray is joining the sports betting network VSiN Live in Las Vegas. Congrats Tim!
• NFL sideline and pregame TV reporters will reportedly be prohibited from field access in 2020. (Awful Announcing)
• Thom Brennaman pulled from 2020 Fox Sports NFL broadcasts after using homophobic slur during Reds-Royals broadcast. (Awful Announcing)
• The White Sox appear headed to ESPN 1000 according to Robert Feder.
• Cincinnati Reds play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman was caught on a hot mic using an Anti-LGBTQ slur during Wednesday’s Reds doubleheader vs. the Royals. (SI)
• Gary Thorne has signed a deal to rejoin MASN’s Baltimore Orioles broadcasts for this season, but only in a limited capacity. (News Radio)
• Ravens play-by-play announcer Gerry Sandusky returns for his 14th year as the voice of the Ravens. (Baltimore Sun)
• Sources tell Crossing Broad that Beasley Media Group is leasing 610 ESPN to iHeartRadio, which will then flip formats.
• Jeff Biggs has joined SportsMap Radio Network as ‘NFL Rush’ Anchor (All Access)
• Dave Andreesen has been promoted to Director/Programming & Operations/News-Talk-Sports Brands for WTSN in New Hampshire. (All Access)
• Kyle Martino has left NBC’s Premier League coverage. (Awful Announcing)
• Charlotte Hornets indefinitely suspend radio broadcaster John Focke after using a racial slur in a tweet. (Charlotte Observer)
• ESPN’s Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the ‘Monday Night Football’ opening game. (Sporting News)
• Jen Lada, Greg Scalzo and Ben Brust have joined ESPN 94.5 Milwaukee. (Radio Insight)
• ESPN has officially announced its new Monday Night Football commentator team of Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick (Awful Annoucing)
• Longtime Midlands TV sports anchor Rick Henry taking time off to battle cancer.
• Adrian Garcia-Marquez is taking over the play-by-play on Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM and will be reunited with analyst Francisco Pinto, the two recently having spent six seasons together doing Lakers games on television.
• Dennis Carter has come out of retirement to host weeknights from 7-9pm alongside Rich Roth on 105.9 WLNI-FM in Lynchburg, Virginia.
• “97.1 The Fan” Columbus OH is launching a new local morning show on Monday, August 17. The new “Morning Juice” will feature Brandon “Beamer” Beam, Bobby Carpenter and former Ohio State University player and coach Anthony Schlegel. (Radio Insight)
• Entercom and the Cleveland Browns ink a multi-year broadcast partnership extension. As part of the deal, 92.3 The Fan and sister WNCX-FM will continue serving as flagship radio stations of the team.
• Mike Yam announced his departure from the PAC-12 Network.
• Damien Barling and Kenny Caraway have joined ESPN 1320 Sacramento to host the midday show. (All Access)
• The Washington Football radio broadcast team will feature DeAngelo Hall and Bram Weinstein (Washington Post)
• ESPN 101.7 Albuquerque dropped its regular local host Jim Villanucci and producer/host Sam Hauser in a move the station says was forced upon it by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports and the economy. (Radio Insider)
• Ex-Coach George Karl has joined 104.3 The Fan in Denver as a Nuggets analyst. (Denver Post)
• ESPN 1000 Chicago will debut a local morning show hosted by David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood on Monday, August 17. (Chicago Tribune)
• 104.5 The Zone Nashville’s new programming lineup delivers 4 local shows each weekday. The new schedule kicks off weekdays with “The Wake-Up Zone” from 6-9am hosted by Jason Martin. (All Access)
• Everett Fitzhugh is the first broadcaster hired by the Seattle Kraken, and the NHL’s first Black play by play announcer.
• Phillies broadcaster Gregg Murphy, Eagles reporter Derrick Gunn reportedly among those laid off from NBC Sports Philadelphia. (All Access)
• The Rich Eisen Show will return to broadcast radio on “The Mightier 1090” San Diego when it launches later this month. (Inside Radio)
• Chris Brown is the new host of the team-produced “One Bills Live.” Congrats Chris!
• Congratulations to former Nuggets & Rockies voice Jerry Schemmel. His radio show Amazing Americans is being syndicated! The show has been airing on 104.3 The Fan in Denver. The show profiles positive, inspiring individuals. Stations interested in carrying the show can contact Chris Witting at chris@syndication.net
• 102.3 KRMG will be the new official home of the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network. (Radio Insider)
• Melanie Newman is the first woman in Orioles history to broadcast a regular season game and one of four active female broadcasters in MLB.
• Longtime Edmonton broadcaster and former Oilers play-by-play commentator Tim Dancy has passed away.
• After 16 years doing sports talk in Louisville, Lachlan McLean is saying goodbye to radio to return to TV as a full-time News Anchor for Spectrum News 1 in Kentucky. Congrats!
• WFXO in Alabama will become “Fox Sports 98.3” on Monday, August 17 carrying the national Fox Sports Radio lineup and 35 hours per week of high school football coverage.
• Long-time KNBR host Ralph “Razor” Barbieri passed away at 71 after his battle with Parkinson’s disease.
• Rangers radio broadcaster Matt Hicks tests positive for COVID-19 (Dallas Morning News)
• After a 10-year absence, Rick Watson will revive his popular New River Valley sports radio show in Virginia. (All Access)
• Brady Farkas has been let go by sports radio station 101.3 The Game in Burlington, Vermont. (Radio News)
• Entercom Sports 610 in Charlotte will swap their midday and afternoon shows starting today. (Radio Insider)
• Radio icon Robert Galvez Martinez has passed away. (Radio Insider)
• The longtime voice of the URI Rams, Jim Norman, died last week in South Kingstown.
• ESPN sets new ‘Monday Night Football’ booth of Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese, per reports.
• Heartbreaking news from Detroit. Longtime sports media personality Jamie Samuelsen has died at 48. (Detroit News)
July 2020
• Nick Springer accepted a graduate assistant radio play-by-play broadcast position at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
• Cayman Kelly is the new voice of ESPN Audio. Congrats!
• ESPN 710 KSPN Los Angeles announced a brand new lineup from 5a-10p.
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• Cayman Kelly is the new voice of ESPN Audio. Congrats!
• CBS has added Kelly Tilghman to their PGA Championship coverage.
• CBS Sports introduced their broadcast team, including Kate Abdo, for UEFA Champions League and Europa League coverage.
• Shukri Wrights will host a new weekday sports talk radio show for Full Press Radio starting August 3rd weekdays from 2pm-5pm ET.
• Seven-time Emmy Award-winner Mike “Doc” Emrick headlines NBC Sports’ roster of play-by-play commentators for the Stanley Cup qualifiers and playoffs, along with Mike Tirico, John Forslund, Kenny Albert, Brendan Burke and Gord Miller.
• Todd Kalas returning to Astros’ telecasts after COVID-19 absence.
• ESPN Radio 1320 in Sacramento has appointed Danny Freisinger as Brand Manager. Freisinger will continue to serve as Assistant Brand Manager for 95.7 The Game San Francisco, a position he has held since 2016.
• Jamie Samuelsen from 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit announced to his listeners that he has been battling colon cancer for the last 19 months.
• “95.7 The Game” San Francisco morning co-host Joe Fortenbaugh has announced he is leaving the station to relocate to Las Vegas for a position with ESPN.
• Lotus Broadcasting has become the new broadcast partner for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
• The Los Angeles Chargers will have a new Spanish-language radio broadcast team entering the 2020 season. Francisco Pinto will provide color commentary and Adrian Garcia Marquez will serve as the play-by-play announcer on Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM.
• Mike Francesa announced on his show that July 24th will be his last day on Entercom’s “The Fan” WFAN New York.
• Ronnie “Night Train” Lane and Tom Krasniqi have signed contract extensions with iHeartMedia Sports WDAE-AM in Tampa.
• Sports Hub host Fred Toucher is off the air after revelations on Tuesday’s show
• Adam Amin will make his Fox Sports debut Saturday with the Cubs-Brewers.
• In My Opinion with Denton Day takes over from 6p-9p ET every Saturday and Sunday on SportsMap Radio (formerly SB Nation Radio) starting this weekend.
• Washington’s NFL team has hired former NBC Sports Washington anchor and reporter Julie Donaldson to be its vice president of media and one of its gameday radio voices. She is believed to be the first woman to be a full-time part of an NFL team’s radio booth. (Washington Post)
• Pat Boylan will return for his sixth season as the play-by-play voice of the Fever and will call the games remotely from Indianapolis. (Indianpolis Star)
• CNN has signed sportscaster Bob Costas as a contributor. (CNN)
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• ESPN has reached a multi-year contract extension with veteran ESPN Radio host Freddie Coleman. (ESPN)
• Mike Maniscalco will serve as the play-by-play voice for the Hurricanes TV playoff broadcasts, the team announced.
• USL’s San Diego Loyal announced its broadcast team for the 2020 season featuring Jack Cronin as the lead play-by-play voice.
• Mitch Holthus, known as the “Voice of the Chiefs”, will return for his 27th season calling games as a play-by-play commentator. (Kansas City Star)
• 97.1 The Ticket WXYT in Detroit announced Rico Beard will join the station as afternoon co-host starting August 3.
• Scott Ferrall returns to Southern California airwaves by joining The Mightier 1090 in San Diego.
• Cardinals broadcaster Tim McCarver has decided to opt out of the 2020 MLB season
• STAA member Mark Shelley accepted the Play-by-Play and Media Manager/Account Executive position with the St. Cloud Norsemen in NAHL Hockey. Congrats!
• Larry Michael, longtime radio voice of Washington’s NFL team, announced his retirement.
• Longtime sports anchor George Ofman has been laid off by WBBM 780AM/WCFS 105.9FM.
• Gow Media is changing the name of its sports radio network, SB Nation Radio, to SportsMap Radio Network.
• Cumulus announced Mark Rider will re-image Sports WGFX The Zone in Nashville.
• Carolina’s The Fan extended their radio partnership with the Hurricanes through the 21-22 season, the team announced.
• Jeff Caves announced he’s leaving 93.1 KTIK The Ticket in Boise, Idaho.
• Dave Leno announced he will broadcast the World Team Tennis season over the next 3 weeks handling PA announcing on-site and calling a few matches of PxP on the Tennis Channel.
• Nate Jackson has joined 104.3 The Fan in Denver as an on-air talent. He will be heard across all of the station’s programs as a contributor and fill-in host, in addition to contributing digital content. (The Fan)
• The Pac-12 announced conference-only football schedule and a delay to the start of mandatory activities
• Mike Golic announced he will broadcast college football games for ESPN and ABC this season.
• Tyler Henry announced he is joining Learfield IMG as a studio host for the upcoming college football and basketball seasons.
• iHeartMedia Philadelphia announced FOX Sports Radio The Gambler, is now the official broadcast partner of the Philadelphia Union.
• The Mightier 1090 in San Diego announced it will carry “Into The Night with Tony Bruno and Harry Mayes” from 9pm to 12am.
• ESPN Radio shuffle: Mike Greenberg is returning to ESPN Radio, Mike Golic Sr . is leaving the daily programming lineup, and Dan Le Batard is having his show shortened by an hour to make way for Greenberg.
• Kirk Herbstreit could make ‘Monday Night Football’ his second job (New York Post)
• Bryce Ladwig is the new Sports Director at KYNT/Riverfront Broadcasting in Yankton, South Dakota.
• Scott Kaplan announced his 10-day contract with 710 ESPN Los Angeles. Kaplan will host 12-3pm for the next two weeks.
• KNBR and morning-show personality Bonnie-Jill Laflin have parted ways, ending what turned out to be short stay at the sports-talk station. (Mercury News)
• SportsGrid Radio Network announced today an agreement to power the relaunch of San Diego’s Mightier XEPRS 1090 AM radio station using their advanced cloud-based automation and live production tools.
• John Forslund ‘s contract as the voice of the Hurricanes is set to expire. (ABC 11)
• The ESPN Radio affiliate in Baton Rouge is mixing up its lineup. The “Sports Today” duo of Charles Hanagriff and Jimmy Ott is breaking up as Hanagriff will join former LSU running back Jacob Hester for a new show called “Hangin’ with Hester and Hanny,” which will air weekdays from noon-3 p.m.
• Andy Masur is the new radio voice of the Chicago White Sox. (Chicago Tribune)
• Trail Blazers play by play broadcaster Kevin Calabro has parted ways with the team. (OregonLive)
• Bomani Jones and ESPN confirm a multi-year extension that will continue to keep Jones on Highly Questionable.
• The NBA will reportedly have most of its national Turner and ESPN announcers and analysts calling games on-site in Orlando. (Awful Announcing)
• All weekend long, Entercom sports talker WFAN, New York is celebrating its July 1, 1987 birth as the nation’s first sports-only radio station with programs hosted by former WFAN air personalities.
• Edwards Media Launches Sports Talk Station in Waco Market. The station is being branded “CBS Sports Central Texas” and will air on the HD2 channel of hip hop KWBT-FM “94.5 The Beat.”
• Legendary NBA announcer Marv Albert will sit out the NBA’s Orlando restart. (New York Post)
June2020
• ESPN announced a new NFL Live lineup with Laura Rutledge, Marcus Spears, Dan Orlovsky, Keyshawn Johnson, and Mina Kimes.
• Detroit sports talk station WDFN has been taken off-air after 26 years in a format change by iHeartMedia. WDFN was Detroit’s first all-sports talk radio station, debuting in 1994.
• Pablo Torre will host ESPN’s The Daily podcast after signing a multi-year extension with the network.
• The Oakland A’s are re-considering an all-streaming plan and might add radio back to mix (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Red Sox play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien says he will not broadcast from the park for home or away games this season and instead will work from NESN studios. The Twins and Cubs will also broadcast games remotely.
• Long time radio voice Gary Gerould will fill in on an interim basis alongside analyst Doug Christie for the eight-game NBA restart in Orlando. Gerould and Christie will call the games virtually from Golden 1 Center on NBC Sports California beginning around July 30. (Kings)
• Chuck Damico has been named program director for Philadelphia Sports Talker ‘97.5 The Fanatic.’ (Radio Online)
• Entercom signed Marc Hochman to a new multi-year contract extension to continue to be heard on “Hochman and Crowder” alongside co-host Channing Crowder on WAXY-AM (AM 790 The Ticket) Miami. (All-Access)
• Frank Harnish and Ryan McKinnell no longer with Lotus Broadcasting in Las Vegas. (Radio Online)
• Brazos Valley Bombers games this season will be broadcast live on The Zone 1150 in Texas. Will Scott will serve as the team’s play-by-play voice the team announced.
• Bob Uecker will be on the radio call for Brewers home games in 2020. (Awful Announcing)
• The Albany A’s announced the hiring of STAA member Maura Sheridan as the play-by-play announcer for all “home” games this summer.
• WGR Sports Reporter Paul Hamilton‘s temporary furlough has turned into a permanent departure. (Buffalo News)
• Cromwell Media Nashville is the new home Of Vanderbilt University Athletics, the school announced.
• SB Nation’s Matt Perrault has tested positive for COVID-19. (All Access)
• Dennis Glasgow has left 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh-Durham after more than 6 years with the station.
• Congrats to Alex Feuz! He will broadcast games in upstate New York for the Albany Dutch this summer.
• The status of Spanish-language radio broadcasts of Philadelphia Eagles NFL games is up in the air as a legal dispute between two former business partners plays out in federal court.
• The summer-collegiate Futures Collegiate Baseball League will launch its 2020 season on July 2. The 6 teams participating: Worcester Bravehearts, Brockton Rox, North Shore (Lynn) Navigators, Westfield Starfires, New Britain Bees and Nashua Silver Knights.
• Steelers play-by-play radio broadcaster Bill Hillgrove has been charged with DUI
• Congrats to Gareth Kwok! He joins the Healdsburg Packers as their radio play-by-play broadcaster this summer.
• The Mariners are premiering a ‘Black Voices in Baseball’ panel this week.
• The SEC announced a new communications internship in honor of Edward Aschoff
• Sports talk programming pro Terry Foxx has been named brand manager for WFNZ-AM in Charlotte. Congrats!
• The Franchise 107.9 has switched from a sports-talk format to Latino music, leaving the Jenks football and Oral Roberts University basketball programs with no radio partner. (Tulsa World)
• Stevy Levy remains the favorite to be the next play-by-play voice for Monday Night Football (New York Post)
• WGN Radio in Chicago is in talks with Garry Meier about a potential afternoon return. (Robert Federer)
• The Los Angeles Chargers have signed a deal with Estrella Media, the team announced.
• Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler could call NFL ‘Monday Night Football’ games this fall. (Sporting News)
• Cal Athletics and its exclusive multimedia rightsholder, Cal Bears Sports Properties, announced a new multi-year broadcast agreement with Cumulus Media and KGO 810 AM in the San Francisco Bay Area. The agreement extends the decades-long partnership between the University and KGO.
• “Mic’d Up” hosted by Matt Miller and Aaron Cunningham is being moved from Saturdays to weekdays, airing from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
on Fox Sports Joplin in Missouri. (Four States)
• The summer-collegiate Coastal Plain League has announced a July 1 season opener for three teams.
• The Sugar Land Skeeters are set to launch a four-team indy league at Constellation Field for 2020.
• Jemele Hill and Cari Champion are nearing a deal to host a show on VICE (Outkick)
• Emmanuel Acho to replace Jason Whitlock as co-host of FS1’s ‘Speak for Yourself’
• Bryan Fongers is joining Cornerstone University’s Men’s Basketball broadcast team in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• ESPN is rumored to be eyeing Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson for the national morning slot. (Outkick)
• “SportsRadio 610” KILT in Houston has added Ron ‘Show’ Hughley to its afternoon show alongside Clint Stoerner.
• Kevin Harlan says TNT broadcast crews will call NBA games from studios in Atlanta
• Professional Fighters League, the MMA league that appears on ESPN under typical circumstances, has launched PFL Studios, a unit aimed at producing new kinds of content for TV as well as digital and mobile venues. (Variety)
• Adam Giardino has announced the Black Play-by-Play Broadcaster Grant initiative in partnership with baseball broadcasters across the country.
• SportsGrid has announced the June 8th launch of its overnight weekday program lineup distributed nationwide across the SB Nation Radio Network. (News Radio)
• MLB team radio and TV broadcasters reportedly will not travel to road games, instead calling the action off monitors from either their home ballparks or a studio in their home cities. (Courtesy Tampa Bay Times)
• As many as 100 contract workers on Fox Sports Detroit’s game broadcasts each will start receiving $2,500 stipends as early as Friday, an additional step by parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group to provide financial assistance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• SportsGrid has announced the June 8th launch of its overnight weekday program lineup distributed nationwide across the SB Nation Radio Network. Programming will feature Scott Ferrall, Gabe Morency and Scott Wetzel.
• Bob Costas is working on a series of shows about iconic former baseball announcers, including Vin Scully, Jack Buck and Harry Caray. (Courtesy St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• ESPN loses another talent to Fox Sports as Jonathan Vilma jumps ship. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Longtime NFL reporter/insider Josina Anderson is out at ESPN. The official move is unrelated to any cutting of personnel related to the coronavirus’ economic impact on Disney and ESPN. ESPN declined comment. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Former Hampton University and Norfolk State football and basketball broadcaster Ron Pinkney has passed away. He is also believed to be the first African American play-by-play announcer on a major television network. He celebrated his 85th birthday last week. (Courtesy WAVY.com)
• The Seattle Sounders have parted ways with broadcaster and former coach Alan Hinton over a tweet. (Courtesy Seattle Times)
• Chuck Damico is the new PD at Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic. He’ll continue as APD at sister station WMMR. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• After 33 years as the Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer, Grant Napear has resigned after drawing criticism for a series of tweets on Sunday night. (Courtesy Yahoo Sports)
• Lee Grosscup, who became a gregarious and beloved radio broadcaster for Cal footballl, died Monday. He was 83. (Courtesy SI.com)
• One of the wonderful people in our industry, Adam Amin is the new TV voice of the Chicago Bulls. Amin, a 33-year-old Chicago native, replaces the retiring Neil Funk. Congratulations, Adam! (Courtesy Chicago Bulls)
• Former Channel 3 Philadelphia sportscaster Mike Forrest has passed away. The 76 year old spent more than 40 years in the media business. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
May 2020
• Congratulations to longtime STAA member John Thayer, the new voice of U. of South Dakota football and men’s basketball. John is replaced as voice of Coyotes women’s basketball by fellow STAA Carter Woodiel. Way to go, Carter! (Courtesy Argus Leader)
• Props to longtime Wake Forest play-by-play voice Stan Cotton. Stan is being inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in July. He’s a graduate of the University of Tennessee. (Courtesy VolsWire)
• Sports Anchor Megan Mawicke is among at least 12 employees at WBBM-Channel 2 Chicago who have been laid off. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• KVIA ABC-7’s Erik Elken is the new play-by-play man for the UTEP football and men’s basketball streams on ESPN3 and ESPN+. Nate Ryan will handle women’s basketball on ESPN+. (Courtesy KIVA)
• Former College of Charleston Voice Jeff McCarragher has become the national voice of professional and collegiate cornhole competition on ESPN. (Courtesy Post and Courier)
• Nebraska Wesleyan play-by-play voice and veteran Lincoln, NE sportscaster Dick Janda is retiring after a 46 year career. Congratulations, Dick! (Courtesy KLKN)
• Live sports are back! College baseball tournament to be broadcast June 4th. Brett Dolan will be on the call. (Courtesy TylerPaper.com)
• Expedition summer collegiate baseball league targeting July start. (Courtesy Fremont Tribune)
• Hats off to Sports Anchor/Reporter Tyler Murry. He is leaving ABC17 in Columbia, MO for a yet-to-be announced position in Nashville.
• Congratulations to STAA member Nate Rohr, the new voice of summer college baseball’s Fremont Moo! (Courtesy Fremont Tribune)
• John Murphy to exit weekday radio show, remain Bills play-by-play announcer. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• FOX Sports targeting ESPN’s Jonathan Vilma. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Phyllis George, pioneer sports broadcaster and former Miss America, passes away at age 70.
• The Josh Innes Show is joining 97.5 FM in Houston.
• Joe Buck says FOX is preparing to use fake crowd noise and fake fans for NFL broadcasts
• NBC Sports on-air talent taking voluntary pay cuts through end of 2020. (Awful Announcing)
• ESPN will have a new Monday Night Football booth with Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland not returning, according to Richard Deitsch. Both Tessitore and McFarland will remain in prominent roles at ESPN.
• ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Adam Amin is reportedly leaving the network to sign with Fox Sports. (New York Post)
• Longtime St. Louis sports journalist Bernie Miklasz is out at 101.1 FM (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• Longtime Milwaukee and Houston radio personality and programmer Mike Elliott died on April 20 at age 82 after contracting pneumonia.
April 2020
• Kyle Bogenschutz is out at 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit in a surprise move in sports-talk radio circles. (The Detroit News)
• Rumors of changes at ESPN Radio have Mike Greenberg returning, but not with his former partner Mike Golic. Instead, Greenberg may be a candidate to take on the 1-3pm national ESPN Radio show, which was formerly held by Stephen A. Smith (New York Post)
• The Cape Cod League has officially cancelled the 2020 season.
• An investor is planning a return of the Mighty 1090 in San Digo this summer. (SDUT)
• Former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has been hospitalized after taking a fall at his home. (LA Times)
• Longtime play-by-play radio man Tom Stage announced he’s retiring after two decades with the Montana Lady Griz basketball team.
• More changes have been made at Tyler Media Oklahoma City as Mike Steely and Jessi Stone have departed mornings at Sports “107.7 The Franchise” KRXO-FM Oklahoma City and 1270 KRXO Claremont/107.9 K300CY Tulsa.
• ESPN 1000’s Marc Silverman revealed a cancer diagnosis.
• Cumulus Media Sports “104.5 The Zone” WGFX Nashville has announced the appointment of Paul Mason as its new Program Director.
• In Wisconsin, legendary Racine broadcaster Gary Suhr passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
• Tommy Rezac is the new afternoon and sports announcer for KROX in Minnesota. Rezac will host Monday-Friday 11a–4p and handle play-by-play duties for UMC athletics and KROX’s high school coverage.
• Jerry Schemmel, longtime Rockies broadcaster, is joining 104.3 The Fan according to the Denver Post.
• Congrats to Kaitlin Sharkey! She is joining the FOX 32 sports team in Chicago.
• ESPN has decided not to renew boxing reporter Dan Rafael‘s contract. (Outkick the Coverage)
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• Emmanuel Berbari and Josh Schaefer will form the Chatham Anglers broadcast team for the 2020 season, the team announced.
• ESPN’s Will Cain could be on the move to Fox News. (Front Office Sports)
• Charles Davis is on his way to CBS to replace Dan Fouts as the network’s #2 analyst. (Miami Herald)
• Drew Brees is reportedly signing with NBC over ESPN when he retires from the NFL (New York Post)
• Kristen Balboni is the new team reporter for the Carolina Panthers.
• Nashville SC announces television broadcast team. Tony Husband will serve as the play-by-play announcer, while Jamie Watson will be the club’s color analyst and Lori Lindsey will be between the benches as the club’s sideline analyst when the Major League Soccer season resumes.
• Georgia Swarm play-by-play announcer and STAA member, Mark Zinno, has been called for military duty to protect Georgia from COVID-19.
• Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky have emerged as top candidates for next season’s “Monday Night Football” booth. (New York Post)
• SportsGrid’s national talk hosts Scott Ferrall and Gabe Morency will launch their SportsGrid weekday programs across the SB Nation Radio Network effective Tuesday, April 14.
• ”Talkin’ Golf With Ann Liguori” is set to return to WFAN/New York
• The Texas Associated Press annual Broadcasters Contest has honored KWED’s Mike McBride and Ivy Koehler-Meehan with a first place award in AP’s Play-by-Play category.
• NBCSN is launching ‘Lunch Talk Live,’ a daily sports talk show with Mike Tirico.
• Spokane sports radio duo of Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens signed off for the last time on Friday, the duo announced.
• Bob Varsha, one of the most highly respected broadcast hosts and play-by-play commentators in U.S. motorsport, has tested positive for COVID-19.
• WFAN’s John Minko is retiring after nearly 33 years at the popular station.
• After a three-week hiatus, Marty & McGee will return to its weekly Saturday morning schedule on SEC Network with an audio-only format, beginning Saturday, April 4, at 7 a.m. ET. (ESPN)
• Entercom has become the latest radio company to institute layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts in the wake of the COVID-19-fueled economic shutdown.
• White Sox broadcaster Ed Farmer, who grew up on the South Side and pitched in the major leagues for 11 seasons before embarking on a 28-year broadcasting career, died Wednesday night. (Chicago Tribune)
March 2020
• Andy Loce is the new play-by-play broadcaster for the Martinsville Mustangs in Virginia.
• Nickelodeon is set to simulcast an NFL playoff game geared to young viewers. (Pro Football Talk)
• “The Tony Bruno Show” is set to debut on SiriusXM on April 6th.
• 1250 The Ticket in Fort Wayne, Indiana has shut down. The station went silent last week.
• ESPN college football play-by-play commentator and Fort Lauderdale resident Bill Roth recently donated meals to the staff at Broward Health Medical Center.
• Drew Brees has been offered the analyst position on Monday Night Football post-retirement (Fox Sports).
• FOX Sports 1230/1320 & 94.7 FM in Pennsylvania announced they’ve temporarily stopped local programming.
• Dallas news/talk stations WBAP and KLIF aired a town hall with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, titled, “Assisting DFW Businesses During the Coronavirus.”
• Great news to hear Giants broadcaster Jon Miller and his wife have tested negative for coronavirus.
• Two employees at ESPN’s Manhattan offices test positive for COVID-19 coronavirus. An ESPN employee based in Bristol has also tested positive.
• ESPN’s Peyton Manning ‘Monday Night Football’ dream is dead according to the NEw York Post.
• The ESPN affiliate in Albuquerque announced “Team Up for New Mexico with Scott Galetti and Joe O’Neill,” a local talk show from 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It temporarily is replacing a nationally syndicated ESPN show during the COVID-19 crisis.
• The Los Angeles Rams and KABC teamed up to host a virtual Te’LA’thon to assist Southern California response efforts during this unprecedented global health crisis.
• Local sports broadcasters are making personalized videos on Cameo to help raise money for DC’s food banks.
• Kansas sports broadcaster, Dick Anderson, is set to retire.
• Syracuse freshman Ezeir Cameron is the voice of the San Diego League for the 2020 season. Cameron will serve as the play-by-play announcer for all weekend games Fri-Sun on live-stream webcasts.
• WGN Radio chose not to renew evening host Justin Kaufmann‘s contract.
• Sports talk radio programmer Tony DiGiacomo has left his role as program director at WFNZ Charlotte last week after his contract was not renewed.
• CBS and Turner Sports will pay all NCAA tournament technicians and freelancers.
• David Smoak announced, effective immediately, 1660 ESPN (Central Texas) is national only with more changes coming.
• ESPN is bringing back The Ocho this Sunday, March 22nd.
• Texas A&M’s longtime play-by-play radio announcer Dave South has officially announced his retirement.
• Syracuse’s ESPN Radio has taken several shows off the air due to coronavirus outbreak.
• Westwood One has announced it will replay 15 “Great Games in NCAA Tournament History” in the timeslots it planned on airing live NCAA mens’s basketball tournament games over the next three weeks.
• Emma Tiedemann has been hired as new voice of the Portland Sea Dogs.
• Tri-City (Coastal Plain League in Virginia) have hired TJ Wengert as the inaugural “voice of” the Chili Peppers.
• The Lexington Legends announced Wednesday that Andrew Murphy will serve as their Broadcaster and Media Relations Director for the 2020 Season.
• ESPN has suspended production on PTI and early-morning SportsCenter.
• SNY will ‘pause’ original programming for up to two weeks in wake of coronavirus crisis.
• Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund is self-quarantined in his basement in Apex after staying in the same Detroit hotel room as Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for the novel coronavirus.
• The Colorado Broadcasters Association canceled the Awards of Excellence gala.
• FS1 announced they will suspend production of all studio programming until at least March 20th.
• According to SBJ’s John Ourand, ESPN plans to air live editions of SportsCenter all day and night on their flagship, with ESPNEWS continuing to offer its usual simulcast of First Take, Your Take With Jason Fritz, and The Will Cain Show. ESPN2 will simulcast a combination of both ESPN and ESPNEWS programming.
• Tony Grossi has returned to ESPN Cleveland after his suspension for Baker Mayfield comments.
• The National Association of Broadcasters has announced the cancellation of the 2020 NAB Show scheduled for April 18-22, 2020.
• Beasley Media has announced that 101.1 WRIF Detroit “Dave & Chuck The Freak” producer James Campbell has been tabbed as the new host of their syndicated E-Sports CheckpointXP show.
• The CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street in New York was shut down for at least two days after two employees tested positive for COVID-19.
• The NWSL announced a three-year broadcast deal with CBS and Twitch.
• After nearly eight years at WFRV-TV in Green Bay, sports anchor and reporter Ryan Rodig is moving on. He Tweeted that he will remain in Green Bay but did not announce any future plans. (Courtesy WBANewsroom)
• Congrats to Heather Prusak, thew new sports anchor/reporter at WIVB4 in Buffalo. She moves across town from WGRZ-TV, where she has worked for almost six years. Prusak replaces Jenna Harner, who is leaving for a bigger market. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• Props to Ruthie Polinsky, the new sports anchor/reporter at NBC6 in Miami. She joins the team after spending three years as a sports anchor and reporter at WPRI in Providence, RI. (Courtesy NBC6)
• Fox Sports Radio WCKG 1530-AM in DuPage, IL is being rebranded as “Sportsbook Radio.” The move capitalizes on the legalization of sports wagering at casinos in Illinois. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• U. of Washington athletics are moving moving from KOMO 1000 to Sports Radio 950 KJR, owned by iHeart Media. Tony Castricone will remain the Huskies broadcast voice.
• Red Sox TV voice Jerry Remy will be skipping an early season road trip. Remy has battled cancer multiple times. His doctors have told him his underlying health conditions put him at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus. (Courtesy WCVB)
• Chicago Sports Reporter Adam Hoge is leaving WGN 720 for NBC Sports Chicago. Hoge will sign on this week as the regional sports network’s new multi-platform White Sox Insider. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• WMVP 1000 in Chicago is adding a nightly baseball talk show hosted by Jonathan Hood. Robert Feder speculates it could be a precursor to the station making a run at White Sox play-by-play rights. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• Congratulations to STAA’s 2019 Jim Nantz Award winner Drew Carter. Drew is part of BTN’s play-by-play roster for this season of men’s and women’s lacrosse. (Courtesy BTN.com)
• iHeart is moving LA Chargers broadcasts from KFI AM 640 to 98.7 FM.
• ESPN reportedly wants to team Al Michaels and Peyton Manning for dream ‘Monday Night Football’ booth. (Yahoo!)
• The Syracuse Mets hired Evan Stockton who spent last summer as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League.
• Jeff Roberts announced he is the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Central Michigan Softball.
• Joe Giglio joins WRAL SportsFan while 99.9 The Fan announces lineup changes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Legendary New York sportscaster Ed Ingles has passed away.
• “The Fan” turns 25 today and the Denver station is launching a campaign that will welcome back influential figures from the station’s history for a reunion broadcast that will allow Denver listeners to reconnect with talent from the past.
• Longtime Sea Dogs radio broadcaster Mike Antonellis is being called up to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he will join the Pawtucket Red Sox broadcast team according to the club.
• Brad Johansen, former Local 12 WKRC-TV anchor and sports director, joins NBC4 in Columbus. (NBC4)
• NBC Sports Radio will no longer be distributed by Westwood One as of March 31. (Awful Announcing)
• Per White Sox, Radio play-by-play announcer Ed Farmer will miss the remainder of Spring Training radio broadcasts on WGN as he continues to recuperate from from health issues that arose last season. Farmer expects to return to the booth when healthy.
• Tyler Petersen has been named the new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Idaho Falls Chukars.
• Dominic Cotroneo will make his TV debut next weekend on the PAC 12 Network.
• The Minnesota Twins will air games on WCCO & 102.9 The Wolf this season.
• Melanie Newman became the first woman to call Orioles play-by-play on Monday.
• The Bulls announced the remaining substitute TV play-by-play schedule through the end of the 2019-20 regular season. Adam Amin, Jason Benetti, Lisa Byington and J.B. Long will round out the final slate of road games alongside Bulls TV analyst Stacey King.
• Laura Hoover is the new play-by-play voice and media coordinator for the Gary Southshore Railcats. The STAA member is also the American Association’s first female lead broadcaster.
• Noah Syverson is set to join the Macon Bacon this summer in the Coastal Plain League as the team’s play-by-play broadcaster.
• Chipper Jones replaces David Ross this season on ESPN.
• The Dan Patrick show will remain on Fox Sports Radio but Rich Eisen’s show will not remain with the network. (The Big Lead)
• Tony Romo agrees to record-level extension with CBS Sports (Sports Business)
• Brett Hollander has joined the Orioles broadcast team. (MLB)
• STAA member Nicholas Badders remains with the Twins organization by joining the Mighty Mussels (Fort Myers) broadcast team for the 2020 season.
February 2020
• Roger Hoover, the original voice of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, will pursue new opportunities in collegiate sports. Scott Kornberg is being promoted the top play-by-play position. (Jumbo Shrimp)
• Luke Gamble announced he will join KXMB in Bismarck, North Dakota as the weekend sports anchor and reporter.
• Hannah Storm has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN, the network announced.
• John Brickley announced he has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN.
• Erik Bremer announced he will be the play-by-play voice of the Fredericksburg Nationals in their inaugural 2020 season.
• LAFC announced a renewal with 710 AM ESPN in Los Angeles. The station will continue as the soccer club’s English language radio partner, with Dave Denholm returning as the play-by-play voice.
• Jac Collinsowrth is leaving ESPN for NBC. (The Big Lead)
• Fox Sports’ Sara Walsh will serve as Nashville SC game day host. (USA Today)
• Kimberley A. Martin joined ESPN as an NFL reporter. Martin will cover the league year-round and contribute to ESPN’s NFL shows, SportsCenter, ESPN.com and more.
• Steve Raible will continue to work Seattle Seahawks broadcasts despite his retirement from KIRO-7.
• The Philadelphia Union announced Wednesday they have renewed their broadcast partnership with 6ABC and PHL17. For the first time in the team’s 11-year history, local fans will also be able to stream games at no cost.
• Congrats to Gustavo Ortega! He is the new play-by-play voice for the Los Angeles Force (NISA).
• Dick Bank, who called ‘64 Olympic track upset, passed away at 90.
• ESPN Cleveland suspends Tony Grossi for using ‘derogatory slur’ to describe Baker Mayfield.
• The San Antonio Missions have a new radio broadcast partner as the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers has inked a three-year deal with iHeartMedia Inc. All 140 Missions games will be broadcast live by KRPT (The Bull), which can be found at 92.5 FM or 93.3 FM.
• Adam Jaksa has been named as the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the Chippewa Sports Network and will serve in that role on CMU football and men’s basketball radio broadcasts.
• WXOS in St. Louis is bringing Cardinals television play-by-play personality Dan McLaughlin aboard as lead Cardinals contributor.
• Chicago District Golfer magazine editor Barry Cronin is the new co-host of the Saturday morning golf show “Scorecard” in Entercom’s WSCR “The Score.” He’ll work alongside WSCR reporter and update anchor David Schuster.
• SB Nation Radio announced it is adding Pat Kennedy and Daniel Ewing as college basketball analysts. Also, “SB Nation Tonight” host John Michaels will originate his show from the Final Four in Atlanta.
• Jonathan Zaslow “AM 790 The Ticket” in Miami agreed to a new, multiyear contract extension for him to remain host of the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm show.
• ESPN will have a two-person booth for Sunday Night Baseball with Matt Vasgersian and Alex Rodriguez, choosing not to replace Jessica Mendoza.
• Jon ‘Boog’ Sciambi and Chris Singleton will return for ESPN Radio’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage.
• Marshall Kramsky is joining MyNBC5 in Burlington, VT as a sports anchor/reporter.
• After a season as the Salem Red Sox play-by-play announcer, Melanie Newman is on the move. Wednesday the Baltimore Orioles named Newman to their TV broadcast team.
• ‘105.7 The Fan’ in Baltimore is making changes to the lineup. Jeremy Conn moves to evening show duties and host of “Orioles Baseball Tonight.” Beginning March 9, the new afternoon drive show is “Inside Access” with co-hosts Jason La Canfora and Ken Weinman.
• Atlanta Braves new sideline reporter Kelly Crull replaces Kelsey Wingert for Fox Sports. Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller said last month there would be no changes to the team’s broadcast lineup.
• Nick Kosko is the new play-by-play voice for the Jersey Flight in the National Arena League.
• WGN will air Chicago Fire soccer broadcasts after announcing a multiyear agreement to become the TV home for all locally broadcast Chicago Fire soccer games starting this season. (Robert Feder)
• Seton Hall’s radio station will celebrate Bob Ley’s career with a reception on Sunday and Ley will reprise his role as a WSOU sportscaster during part of the Seton Hall vs. St. John’s men’s basketball broadcast on 89.5 FM.
• Rob Brown accepted an offer to become the new mid-day host on ESPN Upstate in Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina.
• The Oakland A’s announced they will not broadcast games on local radio in the Bay Area.
• Congratulations to STAA member Dennis Ackerman, the new voice of University of the Pacific Tigers baseball!
• Fox Sports North says the Twins broadcast lineup has not been finalized.
• An all-female crew will broadcast Blues-Blackhawks on International Women’s Day. Kate Scott will serve as the play-by-play announcer, with former U.S. defenseman A.J. Mleczko serving as the color analyst. Current Team USA hockey star Kendall Coyne-Schofield will serve as the “Inside the Glass” announcer during the game.
• Jim Louth is the new APD at Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. (Talkers)
• Former GM Ruben Amaro Jr. taking analyst role with NBC Sports Philadelphia. (NBC Sports)
• Mississippi State baseball radio broadcaster Jim Ellis honored with Wilbur Snypp Award.
• Mark Zander, longtime Chicago radio rocker, is joining Good Karma Brands ESPN sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM as a part-time and weekend host. Starting February 22, he’ll be on with Fred Huebner from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. (Robert Feder)
• Mark Sturgis announced he is no longer with ESPN Upstate (WYRD) in South Carolina.
• Steven Douglas announced he will provide play-by-play for a number of UC Riverside baseball home games this season.
• STAA member Dave Polaski will serve as the fill-in play-by-play announcer for Duke baseball this season.
• Bob Matthews’ WTAR sports show comes to a close in Virginia. (Daily Press)
• Paul Finebaum could leave ESPN, SEC Network for sitcom about himself. (The Advocate)
• Big Ten Network’s Elise Menaker joins Marquee Sports Network talent roster as a field reporter.
• Danny LaRose will join the Miami Marlins broadcast department for the 2020 season.
• Les Halvorson and the late Scott Miller have been elected to the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Halvorson has been calling games on the radio since 1976 and Miller did radio play-by-play for North Dakota State for 20 years.
• 1310 The Ticket announced Bob Sturm as replacement for Dallas radio legend Mike Rhyner. Filling Sturm’s role on “BaD Radio” is show producer Jake Kemp, who moves up to the co-host role.
• Nashville sports talk hosts Derrick Mason and Braden Gall announced via Twitter they have been let go from their morning show duties on “102.5 The Game.” Third host Nick Kayal left the station in December.
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• STAA member, Jackson Kaplan is set to return for his third season as the home play-by-play voice of the Charlotte 49ers. Congrats Jackson!
• Meredith Gorman announced she will cover all of the Boston sports teams as a Reporter/Host for NESN.
• Marc Kestecher signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN to continue as the network’s lead NBA play-by-play voice and will call NFL, college football and college basketball games and will host studio coverage for marquee events. (ESPN)
• Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow signs extension but will cut travel, remotely call some games. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Congrats to STAA member Lee Mowen! Mowen is the new play-by-play broadcaster of the Champion City Kings in Ohio.
• Jerry Sullivan announced his show will no longer air on 1270 the Fan in Buffalo.
• Jay Cutler drawing interest from ESPN, CBS for broadcasting role. (The Big Lead)
• The Lynchburg Hillcats announced the hiring of Maura Sheridan as the first female broadcaster in team history.
• iHeartMedia and Brent Musberger’s VSiN are partnering with the XFL for sports betting audio content. (Talkers)
• Lazer Broadcasting and the SF Giants extended their radio partnership for three‐years for games to air on its newly launched Spanish sports talk KSFN-AM, San Francisco “Unanimo Deportes.” (Talkers)
• Nationals broadcast analyst F.P. Santangelo announced he’s returning to MASN for the 2020 season.
• The Miami Marlins announced they’ve agreed to a multi-year extension with iHeartMedia which keeps 940 WINZ as the team’s flagship radio station.
• Pete Sheppard signed a multi-year extension to stay with ESPN 99.3 in Florida.
• Daniel Gillman is the new voice of Cal State Bakersfield baseball for Learfield on ESPN Bakersfield 98.1 FM.
• San Francisco has a new sports radio station. KSFN-AM 1510 will be a 24/7 broadcasting affiliate known as UNANIMO Deportes San Francisco. (PR Newswire)
• FOX will use a two-man crew for the Daytona 500. Play-by-play announcer Mike Joy will be joined by four-time series champion Jeff Gordon. (Williamson Daily)
• Minnesota United’s TV broadcasts lose sideline analyst Jamie Watson to Nashville. (Twin Cities Pioneer Press)
• Spotify is buying The Ringer to boost its sports podcast content.
• Dale Duff leaves 92.9 FM ‘The Ticket’ in Maine to join WHOU broadcast team. (The Piscataquis Observer)
• Huntsville, Alabama host Jason Marks announced this will be his last week with The Ump 103.9 FM and 730 AM.
• XFL Defenders’ games to be broadcast on 106.7 FM and RADIO.com. (The Fan DC)
• Sports talk duo “Ben & Skin” left Entercom’s KRLD-FM, Dallas “The Fan” in October saying they had a new gig lined up. Now, we learn that the duo is the new afternoon show at iHeartMedia’s classic rock KEGL, Dallas “97.1 The Eagle,” effective Monday (2/10). (Talkers)
• After layoff, sportscaster Scott Kittell has returned to play-by-play duties in Minot, North Dakota. (KFYR)
• For the first time since 1986, long-time Detroit Tigers TV man Mario Impemba heads into a baseball season without a broadcasting job. (Detroit News)
• The Shreveport, Louisiana community lost a broadcast legend. Bob Griffin passed away at the age of 85. (KSLA)
• The Score’s Brian Hanley lands at ESPN 1000 in Chicago. (Robert Feder)
• Josina Anderson and ESPN could be headed toward a breakup. (New York Post)
• Minnesota Twins announced a multi-year partnership with Skyview Networks.
• Teddy Heffner – who was losing his daily sports talk show on WGCV in Columbia, South Carolina because of a pending format change – will join Columbia’s WCOS-AM FOX Sports 1400.
• John E. Hoover announced he is no longer with The Franchise in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Desmond Mason, Andrew Gilman and Colby Daniels were also let go by the station.
• Fun 92.1 WCKR in Hornell, NY has been flipped to Sports 92.1 The Team. The station is utilizing programming from CBS Sports Radio.
• 92.9 The Game in Atlanta signed a multi-year extension with the Atlanta Hawks.
January 2020
• Jorge Sedano has a new weekday timeslot on 710 ESPN from 10am-12pm in Los Angeles.
• Martin Kilcoyne is set return to KTRS radio. (Post Dispatch)
• In Oklahoma City, KRXO “107.7 The Franchise” morning host Andrew Gilman and afternoon sports talk host Colby Daniels have been let go. (Talkers)
• In Madison, “The Big 1070” has rebranded to “1070 The Game” and aletered its daily lineup. Effective 2/3, “The Crossover with Ted Davis & Dan Needles” and “Drew & K.B.” will be removed from the lineup. Longtime Wisconsin sports media personality Mike Heller moves from mornings to afternoon drive (without current morning co-host Dolphin), and Steve Czaban takes over the 6:00 am to 9:00 am daypart. (Talkers)
• “Sports Animal” 610 KNML Albuquerque is planning a translator change and potential rebranding.
• 101 ESPN’s Michelle Smallmon has been hired as an in-game hosts for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks (Post Dispatch)
• Jorge Sedano has a new weekday timeslot on 710 ESPN from 10am-12pm in Los Angeles.
• John Granato and Nate Griffin will broadcast Houston Roughnecks XFL games this season.
• Zack Bayrouty has been named the new voice of the Reno Aces. (KTVN)
• Congrats to Jake Nichols – He is the new Sports Director for WDKN in Dickson, Tennessee.
• Longtime television voice Dwight Burgess announced he is stepping down from Columbus Crew SC’s broadcasts.
• ESPN likely moving Jessica Mendoza out of Sunday night booth with more changes possible. (New York Post)
• STAA member Cullen Hult joins the Augusta GreenJackets (Single A San Francisco Giants) next month. Congrats Cullen!
• Pirates to replace Steve Blass with Kevin Young, Matt Capps, Michael McKenry on broadcasts. (Trib Live)
• Mike Rice to replace Jerry Schemmel on KOA radio’s Rockies broadcasts. (Denver Post)
• The Gambler, the New Fox Sports 1350 has debuted in Cleveland. (Radio Online)
• Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will call XFL Games on FOX (XFL News)
• Entercom and the Texas Rangers have announced a multi-year broadcast extension. Play-by-play announcer Eric Nadel will return for his 42nd season. Matt Hicksreturns for his eighth full year to call the majority of the games. Jared Sandler will return for his sixth year as host of the station’s pregame and postgame coverage, as well as play-by-play announcer for select broadcasts. (Entercom)
• ESPN is reportedly interested in Chipper Jones to be a baseball analyst. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Jake Query and Derek Schultz are out at WNDE in Indianapolis, victims of iHeartMedia downsizing. During their regular 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. time slot Tuesday on 1260-AM was national Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• Reporter and air personality Danny Cunningham is leaving KSTP-AM “SKOR North” in Minneapolis after his contract was not renewed.
• Las Vegas Aviators broadcaster and longtime STAA member Russ Langer will handle the webcasts of Chicago White Sox spring training games this year. (Courtesy Chicago Sun Times)
• Talking Sports with Teddy Heffner, heard locally in South Carolina on AM 620 and FM 96.3, is ending Jan. 31. (The State)
• FOX Sports Radio is preparing for its 20th annual Super Week coverage featuring Colin Cowherd and others.
• Congratulations to STAA member Marty Bannister, the new Afternoon Drive host at 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH. He follows the late Vince Koza. Bannister is currently is the play by play announcer for Ohio University’s men’s and women’s basketball on ESPN3. (Courtesy LimaOhio.com)
• Industry veteran Matt Fishman has been named Director of Content at 850 ESPN Cleveland. Fishman has worked in Kansas City, Chicago and for SiriusXM.
• Former Red Sox Voice Jerry Trupiano has joined the Dean College faculty as an adjunct faculty member and will teach a class called Sports & Entertainment Media Reporting. Veteran sportscaster John Rooke is also on the staff at Dean. (Courtesy MetroDailyNews)
• Pitt radio broadcast legend Bill Hillgrove returned to the airwaves on Saturday after missing a few weeks after undergoing back surgery. (Courtesy Pittsburgh Sports Now)
• 13 hires were officially announced for the Marquee Network at the Cubs Convention Saturday. Len Kasper and Jim DeShaies will join the network. (Daily Herald)
• Congrats to Mike Taylor for returning to afternoons on Ticket 760. Taylor will host 4-7p.
• Scott Ferrall is leaving CBS Sports Radio to join SportsGrid and host a pair of live video shows on their sports gambling platform. (Radio Insight)
• Entercom announced the new play-by-play broadcast team for the Red Sox on WEEI. The team will consist of play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione, who is entering his 38th season and veteran broadcasters Will Flemming, Sean McDonough and Lou Merloni. (News Radio)
• Martin Kilcoyne has left KFNS radio. (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• One of the great guys in sportscasting, Jerry Schemmel, the longtime sports broadcaster on KOA radio who has called Rockies games for the past 10 seasons, has lost his job. Schemmel has been laid off as part iHeartMedia’s massive job cuts. (Courtesy Denver Post)
• Jeremy Schaap is taking over ‘Outside the Lines,’ with no promise he’ll stick to sports. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• iHeartMedia staff hit with layoffs across the country.
• Ed Sherman and Steve Olken are stepping down from the weekly golf talk show on Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM.
• Jason Fitz has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN.
• The National Sports Media Association has named its Sportscasters of the Year. Click here to see the list of winners from each state.
• Late ‘voice’ of Kentucky athletics, Cawood Ledford, has been voted into NSMA Hall of Fame.
• Congratulations to sports anchor/reporter Lauren Walsh. She is moving from WVNY/WFFF in Vermont to WXII in Winston-Salem.
• Brandon Ross is the new play-by-play broadcaster for the Orleans Firebirds.
• ESPN is ready to offer Tony Romo an annual salary between $10 million to $14 million. (Front Office Sports)
• SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt is moving from Bristol to Washington, D.C. (ESPN)
• Colt Knost signed a new multi-year with PGA Tour Radio (All Access)
• Congratulations to Dan Patrick. Dan will be inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame this summer.
• The ESPN Radio broadcast for Monday’s college football championship game features Sean McDonough on play-by-play, Todd Blackledge providing commentary and sideline reports from Holly Rowe and Ian Fitzsimmons. (Courtesy STLToday)
• NBC Sports Washington could be D.C. United’s next broadcast partner. The team has ended its relationship with this season’s broadcast partner, FloSports. (Courtesy blackandredunited.com)
• Jorge Sedano has signed an extension with ESPN. Sedano hosts the evening show on ESPN Los Angeles and does a variety of work on ESPN’s TV networks.
• Cari Champion is leaving ESPN after seven years. Her departure is one of many pending changes to SportsCenter, including the noon ET SportsCenter no longer being a bicoastal show. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Allen Americans broadcaster Tommy Daniels will call the 2020 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on January 22nd in Wichita, Kansas. The game will be televised on NHL Network.
• Hats off to STAA member Michael Broskowski, the new voice of Clinton LumberKings baseball. Broskowski spent the last two seasons with the Orem Owlz.
• Grand Junction Rockies voice and STAA member Kyle Kercheval has been promoted to Director of Broadcasting and Sales. Hard work is rewarded. Congratulations, Kyle!
• Props to Chris Rosato Jr, the new voice of Yakima Valley Pippins summer collegiate baseball. Chris is a graduate of Edinburg University.
• Traug Keller is retiring from ESPN Radio. He is stepping away from his day-to-day duties as the SVP of ESPN Audio and as head of the ESPN Talent Office in February. VP of Production Dave Roberts will take over. (Courtesy RBR.com)
• Ex-play-by-play broadcaster Paul Bomleny is returning to WZOE in Princeton, IL as morning show host. (Courtesy BCRnews)
• Hats off to Whitney Harding, the new sports anchor/reporter at NBC4 in Columbus, OH. She’s been at WHAS11 in Louisville the past five years.
• Congrats to two STAA members in Minor League Baseball. Matt Dean is the new Communications & Broadcasting Coordinator for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Matt leaves the Charleston RiverDogs, where he’s been replaced by fellow STAA member Jason Kempf, formerly of Quad Cities. Carlo Jimenez. The USC student will be calling Portland Pickles summer collegiate baseball this summer!
• Congratulations to Marshall University voice Steve Cotton. Steve recently called his 1,000th game as voice of the Herd. He’s in his 24th season. (Courtesy WVAH)
• Congrats to Alex Feuz. He is the new play-by-play broadcaster of the Burlington Royals
• Jason Benetti, Adam Amin and J.B. Long draw more Bulls play-by-play assignments. (Chicago Tribune)
• 33-year-old Chris Lea is the new sports anchor/reporter for WRAL. (News Observer)
• Radio broadcaster Alan Horton broadcasted his 1,000th Timberwolves game. (Star Tribune)
• John Granato will be the play-by-play voice for the Houston Roughnecks (XFL Newsroom)
• Congratulations to Noah Gross, the new sports anchor/reporter at KTXS in Abilene, TX. Noah graduated from the University of Maryland in December.
• ’30 For 30 Podcasts’ Producer/Host Jody Avirgan announced his ESPN exit on Twitter.
• iHeartMedia named Chris Berry EVP/News, Talk and Sports Programming. (All Access)
• Mike Rhyner, co-founder of ‘The Ticket’ and a Dallas radio fixture since the 1970s, unexpectedly announced his retirement. (Dallas Morning News)
• Steve Stone announced his multi-year deal with the White Sox as broadcast analyst. (Chicago Tribune)
• Little Rock radio personality Eric Sullivan was fired after theft accusation. (KATV)
• Mike Jacobsen joined ESPN Madison as Program Director. (Radio Insight)
• John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman return to the Yankees radio booth in 2020. (Newsday)
• CBS Sports Radio unveiled a new weekday lineup that includes Pat McAfee. (CBS Radio)
December 2019
• WCVB Channel 5 has named Duke Castiglione as its lead sports anchor, tapping him to take over the sports desk from longtime broadcaster Mike Lynch. (WCVB)
• Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts officially took over WFAN afternoon drive time slot. (Newsday)
• Congrats to STAA member Alex Gold and Cody Tapp. They are the newest mid-day show on 610 Sports Radio. (KCSP)
• Terrible news from the weekend. TV sports reporter Carley McCord was one of five victims killed in a plane crash near the Lafayette Regional Airport in Lafayette, Louisiana. (Courtesy WDSU)
• Los Angeles Dodgers Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín was named one of the Honored Guests for the 131st Rose Parade that is themed “The Power of Hope.” (Courtesy Dodger Blue)
• KOA announced they have extended Alfred Williams contract by five years.
• ESPN Reporter Edward Aschoff was diagnosed with pneumonia and HLH before he died according to his fiance. Our thoughts are with his entire family during this incredibly sad time.
• Bill Reiter announced his final show with CBS Sports Radio this week.
• WCPO’s John Popovich is retiring as the ‘voice’ of Cincinnati sports for 40 years. (WCPO)
• Jeremy Roenick has been suspended for inappropriate comments about NBC Sports colleagues.
• David Fizdale will reportedly be back with ESPN as an analyst this season (SNY)
• ESPN’s Damien Woody could replace Cris Carter on ‘First Things First’ (Front Office Sports)
• 93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln is adding two hosts to the daily lineup with Derrick “DP” Pearson and Ryan Tabb
• Pitt and Steelers play-by-play broadcaster Bill Hillgrove, who will have back surgery, is going to miss at least the final two Steelers’ regular season games, two Pitt men’s basketball games and Pitt’s bowl game. He’ll be replaced on Steelers broadcasts by Rob King, on the Pitt football broadcast by Larry Richert and on Pitt basketball broadcasts by Jeff Hathhorn. (Pittsburgh Sports Now)
• Cubs announcer Pat Hughes has come up with a tribute to Bob Costas with the latest edition of his “Baseball Voices” series — audio compact discs that bring to life the careers of legendary baseball broadcasters. (St-Louis Post Dispatch)
• Northern Broadcasting has taken Sports “ESPN Northern Michigan” 105.5 WSRJ Honor/106.7 WSRT Gaylord MI off the air, while also preparing to sell another station to Central Michigan University.
• CBS will walk away from the SEC when its contract ends after the 2023 football season, and all indications are that the package will move to ESPN/ABC. (Sports Business Journal)
• Hundreds of people attended a memorial at La Cueva High School for Austin Denton. The 18-year-old sports broadcaster died from complications with a spinal tumor. (KOB 4)
• ESPN signed SportsCenter anchor Antonietta Collins to a new, multiyear deal 2020 will mark her 7th year with the network. (ESPN)
• Dan Patrick is not expected to return to ESPN Radio after meeting with ESPN executives multiple times. (New York Post)
• Tim Rosaforte announced his retirement from the Golf Channel after four decades of golf coverage.
• Andy Freed agreed to a multiyear extension with the Rays (Tampa Bay Times)
• Pac-12 Networks announced multiyear contract extensions with Kate Scott and Yogi Roth.
• 18 year old Albuquerque sportscaster Austin Denton has died from a rare spinal cancer. Denton was the PA announcer for La Cueva High School and worked with ESPN radio in Albuquerque for postgame interviews. (Courtesy KOAT.com)
• Fabulous news — Alabama Crimson Tide basketball voice Chris Stewart is back on the air after spending several months in the hospital fighting a serious infection. Stewart has been a sportscaster for the Crimson Tide Sports Network for 18 seasons. (Roll Tide Wire)
• Amber Wilson has signed a contract extension to continue co-hosting the midday show on 790 The Ticket in Miami.
• Congratulations to Indiana U. senior Jacob Vinson. He’s joining KTJJ/KREI in Farmington, MO as a play-by-play broadcaster and on-air talent.
• Congrats to Matthew Jarecki! He is the new afternoon hosts at Fox Sports 910 Phoenix
• CBS Sports announced Lance Barrow will be stepping down as lead producer of its golf coverage after the 2020 season.
• Chris Carlin will co-host an evening show on ESPN New York radio (Newsday)
• Westwood One announced ”Esports 30 With Kevin Knocke”
• WIVB-TV Channel 4 Buffalo sports anchor/reporter Nick Filipowski announced on Twitter Monday that he is leaving television to work in public relations at the end of the Buffalo Bills regular season. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• Former Phillie Ryan Howard is walking away from his multi-year contract at ESPN to focus on his business endeavors. Meanwhile, ESPN has re-signed Eduardo Perez and Tim Kurkjian. The network is also reportedly interested in signing former Yankee Curtis Granderson. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Zack Light made his debut as the Wichita Wings play-by-play broadcaster on Saturday.
• Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts will reportedly replace Mike Francesa on WFAN. (New York Post)
• Astros radio color analyst Steve Sparks is recovering at his home after suffering a heart attack last week. (Houston Chronicle)
• Statue unveiled at the Rose Bowl honoring legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson. (Pasadena News)
• News 6 Orlando Sports Director Jamie Seh will call play-by-play as part of the first ever all-female Cure Bowl radio broadcast team. KCTV-TV Sports Director Dani Welniak will provide color analysis and Liberty Flames Sports Network broadcaster Melanie Newman will do sidelines. (Courtesy clickorlando.com)
• 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston has promoted APD Rick Radzik to program director. He follows Mike Thomas who recently joined ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
• Sports Radio 730 Huntsville PD and Host Arky Shea is leaving the station. Tony Mac is replacing Shea afternoons alongside Jason Marks.
• The Reno Aces announced Ryan Radtke, a fixture in the Aces’ broadcast booth since the 2009 season, will not return in 2020.
• Congratulations to Ken Harrelson, who has been elected the 2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner. (Courtesy Baseball Hall of Fame)
• SB Nation Radio announced it will air the East-West Shrine Bowl on January 18th. Patrick Kinas will provide play-by-play, Derek Rackley is the analyst and Rick Berkey will report from the sidelines.
• Josh Vernier is returning to his Royals Insider role with KCSP. Vernier will also host pre-game and post-game shows as well as “Royal Hot Stove” (Courtesy KCSP)
• Friends, family and Chippewa fans gathered in Central Michigan University’s Plachta Auditorium to celebrate the life of Don Chiodo.
• Big congratulations to STAA member Sydney Cariel, the new sports anchor/reporter at ABC12WJRT in Flint, MI. The Arizona State alum leaves KWES NewsWest 9 in Midland/Odessa, TX.
• Props to Nick Mantas. He is joining WLNS-TV in Lansing, MI as a sports anchor/reporter. He leaves KTXS in Abilene, TX.
• It’s game over for Kristine’s Leahy’s Fox Sports show, “Fair Game.” Fox’s FS1 sports cable network is canceling Leahy’s year-old interview show. The last episode of “Fair Game” will air Dec. 27. (Courtesy Front office Sports)
• Nicole Briscoe signed a multiyear contract extension with ESPN. (Courtesy Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)
• First and Last Host Jason Fitz is the replacement for Stephen A. Smith on ESPN Radio. Smith’s departure was announced recently as he will take-on more TV duties. (Courtesy ESPN)
• 101 ESPN St. Louis PD Hoss Neupert is leaving the station. Tommy Mattern is taking over programming duties. (Courtesy Post-Dispatch)
• The Kansas City Chiefs have a new flagship radio station. 106.5-FM The Wolf (Entercom) is replacing 101.1-FM The Fox. Mitch Holthus remains the voice. The Chiefs have been on The Fox for 30 years. (Courtesy KSHB)
• Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family of longtime Central Michigan U. voice Don Chiodo. Don died Wednesday in a car accident. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• Congrats to Jake Eisenberg, the new No. 1 for the Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA). He follows Mark Nasser, who moves into a sales position. Eisenberg spent last season as the No. 2 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA).
• Syracuse University is launching a video sports talk channel on Twitch in partnership with ESPN Radio Syracuse The channel will offer a 24 hour stream of sports talk from ESPN Syracuse. (Courtesy CNYCentral.com)
• CBS announced big changes to its broadcast team for the 2020 golf season. Michelle Wie will serve as a contributor for several events, including the Masters. Trevor Immelman joins the network’s golf coverage as an analyst. Dottie Pepper is elevating to the role of lead on-course reporter and Frank Nobilo is expanding to a full-time role, covering the entirety of the CBS golf season. Andrew Catalon is also receiving a promotion, stepping into Bill Macatee’s role as fill-in host for Jim Nantz.
• SB Nation Radio announced a brand new mid-morning program ready to debut in January. “Above it All with Candace Cooper and Tiffany Marshall” is slotted for 10am-1pm ET.
• Mike Francesa’s final day as a regular WFAN afternoon host is this Friday. Entercom and the station do not have his replacements set but Evan Roberts is one of the choices to be part of the afternoon team. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Co-Host Greg Koch is retiring from SportsTalk 790 in Houston to concentrate on his health. The former NFL player has been hosting weekdays from 10 am too Noon with N.D. Kalu. This Friday (December 6th) will be Koch’s last show.
• Alex Strouf announced he’s accepted an internship as a lead producer and host with the Northwoods Baseball League.
• Ted Byrne, a longtime sports radio broadcaster in South Carolina, has passed away. (Courtesy ABC News 4)
• Beasley Media Group announced Tim Staskiewicz’s promotion to Digital Program Director for its entire Boston cluster.
• Klay Thompson will be a sideline reporter in Wednesday night’s Warriors game against the Chicago Bulls. (Courtesy NBC Sports Bay)
• Matt Jones announced his 5-year deal with iHeartMedia to continue Kentucky Sports Radio.
• Eric Johnson announced his departure from WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.
November 2019
• Former WFAN midday co-host Chris Carlin is in talks with WEPN ESPN New York 98.7FM (Courtesy New York Post)
• TV anchor and icon Ed Dague has passed away at the age of 76. Dague’s four-decade broadcasting career began in the 1960s (Courtesy Times Union)
• On Wednesday, Beth Mowins (the first female broadcaster to ever call a nationally televised NFL game) becomes the first person to ever call play-by-play for The Price is Right and its Wheel, star of the showcase showdown. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Entercom’s “610 Sports” KCSP Kansas City has cut ties with midday co-host Ron ‘Show’ Hughley. Hughley moved from nights to middays in July 2018 to be paired with Josh Vernier. Vernier and producer Stephen Serda remain in the 10am to 2pm time slot.
• Broadcaster’s Edge provides the simplest way for play-by-play broadcasters to prepare for a game. Easy-to-use, adapts to your custom board, stores nuggets, automatically updates stats daily, saves time. Rave reviews from network, big league, and college announcers. Click here to learn more.
• Matt Stewart will be the primary play-by-play voice for the new College Park (GA) Skyhawks of the NBA G-League. (Courtesy AJC.com)
• The Ticket in Dallas has given extensions to The Musers morning show featuring George Dunham, Craig Miller, and Gordon Keith. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• 670 The Score Chicago Sports Talk Host Danny Parkins is giving up his Sunday night show on CBS Sports Radio. 610 Sports Kansas City Host Carrington Harrison is replacing him on the network.
• The Fan Indianapolis PD/Host Jeff Rickard Tweets that he’s feeling better after suffering a major heart attack last Saturday. He hopes to be back to work soon. Our prayers are with you, Jeff!
• Congrats to Daniel Salle. He is the new men’s basketball voice at his alma mater, Carroll College.
• NBA insider Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports is nearing a deal to become a sideline reporter for TNT’s Tuesday Night NBA game coverage.
(Courtesy Front Office Sports)
• Nick Kayal has left the “Morning Drive” at Nashville’s 102.5 The Game Kayal joined the station in February 2018 after holding multiple roles at 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia and briefly hosting on SiriusXM’s Bleacher Report Radio. (Courtesy Radio Insight)
• Saturday was the end of an era for Purdue basketball. Larry Clisby, the radio voice of Purdue basketball since 1977, formally handed those duties to Rob Blackmon before tipoff Saturday. Clisby will stay on as a color commentator for now. (Courtesy Hammer and Rails)
• Former Syracuse Chiefs voice Jack Morse has died at age 84. Morse was a longtime television and radio broadcaster in Central New York. (Courtesy Syracuase.com)
• Bart Scott is expected to leave WFAN to join ESPN, where he will be part of a new 1-3 p.m. local team on 98.7 FM (Courtesy New York Post)
• Hockey Night In Canada’s Jim Hughson will be given the coveted Foster Hewitt Award today by Hall of Fame (Courtesy Sports Broadcast Journal)
• The St. Louis Cardinals inked a multiyear extension with radio flagship KMOX-A/ST. LOUIS, keeping the team’s games on the station through the 2024 season. (Courtesy WHIO)
• Toronto Raptors play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin has been named Sports Media Canada’s Broadcaster of the Year. (Courtesy Broadcast Dialogue)
• WTVF-TV sports anchor Jon Burton is adding radio duties to his busy schedule as the co-host of the 9-11a (CT) show on crosstown Sports WNSR. (Courtesy WNSR)
• Trey Wingo hopes to leave Golic & Wingo on ESPN Radio by the time next football season rolls around, multiple sources with knowledge of the news tell The Big Lead. It is unknown whether or not he will remain with ESPN when his deal expires in late 2020 (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• SEC Nation host Laura Rutledge has signed a contract extension, joining Get Up in New York City as a contributor. (Courtesy ESPN)
• ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio has a new multi-year agreement that calls for him to expand his role by serving as in-booth analyst for an NFL game on ESPN Radio. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Glad to see Alex Margulies will call play-by-play for nine Nevada Wolfpack men’s basketball games this season on Nevada Sports Net. (Courtesy Nevada Sports Net)
• Suzy Kolber, with a legacy of paving the way for women in sports broadcasting, enters the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
• WIP Philadelphia ’s Rob Ellis returns to TV to host a new sports betting show on CBS3. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Hats off to Rex Smith. Rex is leaving WPTA in Fort Wayne, IN for a sports anchor/reporter position at WOWT 6 News in Omaha, NE.
• Broadcasting and Media Relations Director Zach Bigley is leaving the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for the Frisco RoughRiders. Myrtle Beach is promoting their No. 2, Noah Cloonan, to replace Bigley. Both franchises are owned by the Greenberg Sports Group. Congratulations to Zach and Noah.
• Congratulations to STAA member Braiden Bell, the new voice at NCAA DI Cal-Baptist University. Braiden is a 2019 graduate of Arizona State University.
• Stephen A. Smith’s new five-year contract will make him ESPN’s highest-paid sportscaster with an annual salary that will approach $8 million per year. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Brendan Wiese, the sports director at KTRS (550 AM) in St. Louis, will be filling in for Mike Kelly on the Missouri Tiger Network’s radio broadcast of Friday’s Missouri-Northern Kentucky men’s basketball game. Kelly is with the football team in Georgia. (Courtesy STL Today)
• Congratulations to Washington University play-by-play voice and STAA member Jay Murry. Jay recently completed a solo 24-hour run/walk fundraiser for Rett syndrome awareness. To date over $3,400 have been raised.
• Cris Carter’s run at FOX Sports has ended. Via John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, FOX Sports has confirmed that Carter no longer is employed by the company. Carter was reportedly upset with his omission from the FOX Sports Thursday night pregame show (Courtesy Pro Football Talk)
• ABC & ESPN have set their XFL TV teams. Steve Levy, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini will call the XFL Kickoff, West Final, Championship and Saturday Games on ABC. Tom Hart, Joey Galloway and Pat McAfee will call Sunday Games on ESPN and ABC. (Courtesy ESPN)
• We’re fired up for longtime STAA member Scott Beatty. He is filling-in on the radio call this weekend (Nov. 8-10) when the Illini play at Grand Canyon University on Friday at the U of A on Sunday. Enjoy it, Scott!!
• Congrats to Christopher Saunders. He’ll be the voice of the Bristol Blues of the NECBL next summer.
• Mike Francesa is leaving WFAN at the end of the year. Francesa will still have a role with WFAN though and will also now have a bigger role with Entercom’s Radio.com. The details are both remain under wraps. (Courtesy NJ.com)
• Jason Benetti, Lisa Byington, JB Long, Adam Amin and Mark Schanowski will all fill-in for Bulls TV voice Neil Funk this season as Funk works a reduced schedule again this season. (Courtesy NBC Sports)
• Auburn basketball is honoring former radio play-by-play announcer Rod Bramblett with a commemorative design on its hoop. The program added a logo with the initials “RB” and a microphone patch on the basket stanchion. (Courtesy Montgomery Advertiser)
• The new, two-hour morning drive show on KFFN-AM in Tucson, AZ is hosted by Jeff Dean. He’s a 20-plus year broadcast pro who has served as PA announcer for University of Arizona Wildcats football and men’s basketball the past six years. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Nick Lalpuis, the new voice of the Mainers. Nick will graduate from the University of North Texas in the spring.
• ESPN LA 710 PD Dan Zampillo is leaving to join Spotify. He will help develop original sports podcast content. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Mets play-by-play broadcaster Howie Rose has been inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. (Courtesy WCBS 880)
• Cris Carter is suspended from First Things First, two sources told The Big Lead. One source said he is sidelined pending the results of a Fox investigation. Carter was off the FS1 morning program on Thursday and Friday. The nature of the investigation is unclear. (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• Notre Dame women’s hoops has announced its radio broadcast crew for the new season. Bob Nagle will call home games. Fighting Irish Media’s Tony Simeone will handle road games. 1991 alumnae Karen (Robinson) Keyes is the color analyst. (Courtesy UND.com)
• Long-time Grizzlies radio analyst Hank McDowell is stepping down. McDowell, who underwent brain surgery about two months ago, said “I’ve got a lot of living to do.” Elliot Perry and Michael Wallace will share the radio analyst duties. (Courtesy Commercial Appeal)
• The contracts of Minnesota United’s broadcast team of Callum Williams, Kyndra de St. Aubin and Jamie Watson have expired. It’s unclear whether any will return in 2020. (Courtesy TwinCities.com)
• Congratulations to Rob Adams, the new voice of the Hudson Valley Renegades. He follows STAA member Josh Caray, the new voice of the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Class AA Southern League. (Courtesy The Poughkeepsie Journal)
• Hats off to Colin Suhre, the new voice of McKendree University Bearcats men’s and women’s basketball.
October 2019
• Ex-Wisconsin Badgers basketball player and current AM personality Brian Butch of The Score in Appleton, WI is adding the Big Ten Network to his resume. Butch is joining BTN as a game and studio analyst.
• Former Seattle Mariners broadcaster Ron Fairly has passed away at age 81. He had been battling cancer. (Courtesy Seattle Times)
• BTN has announced its basketball play-by-play voices for this season. On the men’s side, they are Kevin Kugler, Brian Anderson, Brandon Gaudin, Cory Provus and Dave Revsine. For women’s hoops, Lisa Byington, Jeff Levering and STAA member Chris Vosters. (Courtesy BTN)
• U. of Hawaii radio basketball analyst Jeff Portnoy has been dropped from the broadcasts after 25 years. He had intended to retire after this season. Bobby Curran will call the games solo. (Courtesy Star Advertiser)
• Hats off to M.J. Baird, the new sports anchor reporter at KFDX 3 News in Wichita Falls, TX.
• Congratulations to longtime STAA member Justin Antweil, the new voice of Penn State University women’s basketball.
• Midday hosts Ben Rogers and Jeff “Skin” Wade have 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. For now, at least, Kevin Hageland and Cory Mageors are moving from nights to 10 am to 2 pm. The Fan’s morning show host Shan Sharif says Ben and Skin were not fired. (Courtesy Star-Telegram.com)
• Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, two stalwarts of the CBS golf broadcast team, will not return in 2020. Both faced expiring contracts that will not be renewed. (Courtesy Golf Week)
• Canes broadcaster Mike Maniscalco underwent successful surgery Monday to remove a large non-cancerous mass from his abdomen. Maniscalco is looking forward to returning to work as soon as possible. (Courtesy News Observer)
• The steaming service FOX Nation has added Kacie McDonnell as a sports and lifestyle host. She is coming over from New England Sports Network (NESN), where she covered Boston sports. (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• Stephen A. Smith will leave his ESPN Radio show next year as part of a new contract that is being negotiated. The deal, reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars, will keep Smith at ESPN through 2025. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to Cayleigh Griffin, the new Houston Rockets host/reporter on ATT SportsNet Southwest.
• Dwyane Wade joins TNT’s NBA team, reuniting with Shaquille O’Neal. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Dan Dakich suspended from ESPN’s The Fan in Indianapolis for not adhering to ‘journalistic principles.’ (Courtesy Indy Star)
• Lou Palmer, ESPN’s original “SportsCenter” anchor, died on Friday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 84. (Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)
• Minor League Baseball could contract by as many as 42 teams after the 2020 season, as MLB officials are promoting a radical alteration of the team lineup and potentially a realignment of leagues as well. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Congratulations to STAA member Daron Vaught, the new voice of Tubby Smith’s High Point U. men’s basketball program. Home games are on ESPN+. Road games are audio-only and are streamed through HPU’s Athletics website.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball is discontinuing radio broadcasts in favor of streaming. The change will save the department the five-figure fee it pays for radio. Wayne Larrivee remains play-by-play voice. (Courtesy Milwaukee Business Journal)
• Local sports media personality/NBA expert Jason Goff is joining NBC Sports Chicago as host of Bulls Pregame Live/Bulls Postgame Live. (Courtesy NBC Sports Chicago)
• Frank Gallo is taking a risk. An ex-banker, the one-time Niagara student is going all-in on carving out a career as a broadcaster. To that end, he’ll be the radio voice of Niagara University hockey this season. (Courtesy Niagara Gazette)
• ESPN will consider breaking up its “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast team. Alex Rodriguez is safe, according to sources. Matt Vasgersian and Jessica Mendoza have a 70% chance of returning, according to sources. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to longtime STAA member Andy McNamara. Andy is joining Sportsnet as their national Fantasy Football host / analyst / writer. He is providing multi-platform content via a radio show, social media videos, online video shows and writing.
• Hats off to Jackson Roberts, the new sports anchor/reporter at KVRR in Fargo, ND. Jackson is a 2019 grad of Ithaca College.
• Longtime 790 The Ticket Miami weekend host Greg Likens is leaving the industry.
• KILT (610 AM) talk show host Rick Kamla will depart the Entercom sports talk station after just two-plus months on the job to take a position with SiriusXM Radio. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Congrats to Arizona State grad Jeremy Grant Schnell, the new sports anchor/reporter at KFBB in Helena, MT.
• Hats off to Sports Reporter Jolie Starr. She is leaving WJRT in Flint, MI for a sports anchor/reporter opportunity at WLTX in Columbia, SC. Jolie is a U. of Miami (FL) grad.
• The Portland Trail Blazers have hired former player Michael Holton as their new radio analyst. (Courtesy The Oregonian)
• Sports talk radio vet Chris Carlin will be doing fill-in work on ESPN New York. He’ll co-host with Michael Kay when Peter Rosenberg takes time off for the Jewish holidays. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Twins radio voice Cory Provus has announced on Twitter he will broadcast college football for FS1 starting later this month.
• Steve Levy will call XFL play-by-play on ESPN. Curt Menefee will handle games for Fox. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to Winston-Salem Dash voice Joe Weil, the 2019 Carolina League Broadcaster of the Year! (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Rob Gronkowski is joining Fox Sports as an analyst across its NFL programming. (Courtesy NBCSports.com)
• Sports talk host JT The Brick is joining SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports channel for late nights. JT The Brick left FOX Sports Radio last year.
• Industry vet Mike Thomas has been named market manager of ESPN 1000 Chicago. He will oversee sales, content and marketing strategy and execution starting in January. Thomas has been at The Sports Hub in Boston since 2009. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• Ex-Bronco Tyler Polumbus is joining Denver Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan. Polumbus joins Darren “DMac” McKee and Nick Ferguson in PM Drive. Tom Nalen recently left the station. (Courtesy RadioInk)
• The University of San Francisco and KNBR 1050 announce new flagship radio partnership for Dons men’s basketball. Pat Olson remains voice of USF. (Courtesy KNBR)
• St. Paul native & longtime STAA member Charlie Beattie is FOX Sports North’s new Minnesota Gophers hockey voice. Congratulations, Charlie!
• Northern Arizona Suns G-League voice Jon Bloom is getting a call-up of his own. Bloom is scheduled to potentially call 25 games on the radio for the Phoenix Suns this season, starting Nov. 23-24 when the club plays back-to-back road games with Minnesota and Denver. (Courtesy dcourier.com)
• Jordan Byrd and Tom Kuyper have been named NAZ Suns G-League broadcasters for 2019-2020. Byrd has spent the last six years as the producer of the Burns & Gambo Show on 98.7 FM. (Courtesy dcourier.com)
• WLNS-TV 6 Lansing Sports Director Fred Heumann is no longer with the station as of two days ago. Management has declined to state a reason. Heumann declined to speak in detail about his departure. (Courtesy Lansing Journal)
• Congratulations to Jack Patterson, the new sports anchor/reporter at WRBL TV in Columbus, GA.
• Huge congratulations to longtime STAA member Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, Ballpark Digest’s 2019 MiLB Broadcaster of the Year. Way to go, Jesse! (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Big props to STAA member Jack Benjamin, the new voice of Nicholls State University football and basketball. He replaces Bryant Johnson, who recently left for a position at Virginia Tech. Benjamin was an STAA All-American in 2018, recognized as the third most outstanding collegiate sportscaster in the nation. (Courtesy Houma Today)
• Neil Funk, the Bulls long-time play-by-play announcer, is set to retire from broadcasting following the 2019-20 season. (Courtesy NBC Sports)
• Tom Tolbert is joining Tim Roye for Warriors home broadcasts on 95.7 The Game. While Tolbert handles color commentary for the home slate, Jim Barnett will travel with Roye for road games throughout the season. (Courtesy 957 The Game)
• ABC-7′s sportscaster Mark Giangreco, a local media fixture for 37 years, has agreed to a new multi-year deal with the station. Giangreco, 67, has been with the ABC-owned station for 25 years. (Courtesy Chicago Tribune)
• XTRA 1360 San Diego Producer Kyle Engelhart has announced he is the new Program Director at ESPN Las Vegas, 920 The Game and Fox Sports Radio Las Vegas.
• Former Fox Sports Florida sideline reporter Emily Austen is joining Liberty University TV as a sports anchor/reporter. (Courtesy Sports Spectrum)
• Michael Smith, a longtime ESPN commentator and host whose contract with the network just expired, has a new gig: He’s EVP and chief content officer of (co)laboratory — a new L.A. studio startup focused on developing original content about sports, featuring athletes as storytellers. (Courtesy Variety)
• Former Golden Knights pre- and post-game host Nick Gismondi has landed a new job as the rinkside reporter for Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago. (Courtesy Las Vegas Review Journal)
• Fox Sports Florida has named former Florida Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski and former NHL defenseman Jeff Chychrun as the Panthers’ new TV analysts. (Courtesy Sun-Sentinel)
• Houston Rockets TV sideline reporter Michelle Margaux is stepping down. She joined AT&T SportsNet Southwest before the 2018-19 season. Her replacement has not been announced. (Courtesy USA Today)
• The Golden State Warriors’ TV team has added Chris Mullin, Jennifer Azzi and Brian Shaw as rotating studio analysts. (Courtesy San Jose Mercuy News)
• Congratulations to John Vittas of the Charlotte Stone Crabs. John is the 2019 Florida State League Broadcaster of the Year.
• Todd Kalas and Geoff Blum will continue as the Astros’ television play-by-play and analyst tandem through 2021. Kalas and Blum, who are employed by the Astros, will be rejoined by field reporter Julia Morales, who is employed by AT&T SportsNet Southwest. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Tommy Thrall has been told he will return next year as the Reds radio play-by-play guy alongside Jeff Brantley. Marty Brennaman openly talked about Thrall taking over throughout the season. (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
September 2019
• Friends of University of Alabama basketball and baseball play-by-play announcer Chris Stewart have started an online fundraising campaign to help pay for Stewart’s medical expenses. Stewart is battling an infection that set in following heart bypass surgery. (Courtesy Tuscalooa News)
• 710 ESPN Seattle has a new lineup. Danny O’Neil and STAA member Paul Gallant host 7 to 10 am. Stacy Rost, Jake Heaps and Tom Wassell are on noon to 3 pm. Bob Stelton Dave Wyman and Jim Moore host 3 to 7.
• Big props to Brian Boesch, new play-by-play voice of Michigan men’s basketball. Boesch had been hosting halftime and postgame shows on the basketball broadcasts. He filled in on the broadcast late last season. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• Congratulations to Marc Whiteman, the new sports director at WYFF News 4 in Greenville, SC. He leaves WATE in Knoxville, Tennessee where he served for nearly four years as weekend sports anchor and reporter. (Courtesy WYFF)
• The NY Islanders are moving to ESPN New York. The station is home of the Knicks and Rangers; those games will take precedence over the Isles. Islanders’ games were previously on Hofstra’s radio station, with Radio.com the digital home. Any games not on ESPN will be on Hofstra radio. Chris King continues as Voice of the Isles. (Courtesy NY Post)
• Angels broadcaster Mark Langston underwent a procedure on Tuesday in Houston to have a defibrillator inserted into his heart. Langston will remain hospitalized for at least another day. We wish him a speedy recovery! (Courtesy OC Register)
• Al Trautwig is taking a personal leave of absence from MSG Networks. Trautwig, 63, is expected to return to his Knicks and Rangers hosting duties at some point during the regular season. It is unknown what issue Trautwig is dealing with. (Courtesy New York Post)
• University of New Orleans men’s basketball will air on 106.1 WRKN this season. Jude Young will call the play-by-play.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced their new radio/TV line-up. John Michael moves from radio to TV. The Cavs have hired Tim Alcorn, a local announcer who has called thousands of games (mostly high school, some pro fill in) as their new radio voice. Congratulations to John and Tim!
• Congratulations to Bryant Johnson. The football, basketball and baseball voice at Nicholls State University is leaving for a position that includes baseball, women’s basketball and other duties at Virginia Tech. Congratulations, Bryant! (Courtesy houmatoday.com)
• Angels radio analyst Mark Langston remained in a Houston hospital Sunday morning following a heart-related emergency. Langston collapsed in the broadcast booth at Minute Maid Park on Friday night before the start of the Angels-Astros game. (Courtesy Yahoo!)
• Tim Montemayor and his son Jake Montemayor are out and Bruce Jacobs and Dale Hellestrae are in for mornings at 1580 The Fanatic in Phoenix. (Radio Online)
• Annie Sabo is the new host of the “Wolves Live” pregame and postgame shows on Fox Sports North. She replaces Tom Hanneman. Sabo is the daughter of former Cincinnati Reds play Chris Sabo. (Courtesy Star Tribune)
• STAA member Nick Badders has wanted to visit Australia since watching The Crocodile Hunter on TV while in preschool. Now he’s going to work there. Badders is the new voice of the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League .
• Tony Kornheiser is returning to terrestrial radio. Kornheiser has joined Washington’s ESPN 630 “The Sports Capitol,” with an hour-long show airing weekdays at Noon. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Sports Reporter Breland Moore has left WHEC-TV in Rochester, NY. Moore covered the Bills for WHEC for three years. She is joining KCTV in Kansas City. (Courtesy Democrat & Chronicle)
• Webster University in St. Louis has added a new sportscasting class to its Sports Communication major this fall. (Courtesy Webster Journal)
• Dallas Cowboys voice Brad Sham won’t call the Sept. 29 game against New Orleans. He’ll miss only his second broadcast in 41 years to observe Rosh Hashanah. Ted Emrich, son of the late Cowboys public address announcer Roger Emrich, will call game. (Courtesy Dallas News)
• 710 ESPN Seattle evening hosts Brock Huard and Mile Salk are ending their daily show and starting a podcast. Scheduling issues, partly related to Huard joining Fox Sports as a college football analyst, prompted the change.
• Former USC star Reggie Bush is returning to the LA Memorial Coliseum for the first time in nearly a decade. Bush will be broadcasting for Fox Sports on Friday night in the pregame and halftime shows for USC’s game against Utah. It will be Bush’s first time back since NCAA fallout. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Oregon State broadcaster Mike Parker survived a spin-out crash on an Oregon Interstate on Monday, September 16th. We’re glad you are okay, Mike! (Courtesy KGW.com)
• Fox 45 Baltimore sportscaster Bruce Cunningham will call Towson football games for FloFootball.com. (Courtesy Baltimore Sun)
• The Kansas City Royals have announced a five-year extension with 610 Sports Radio to continue airing their games.
• 95.7 The Game in San Francisco has added local columnists Ray Ratto and Matt Kolsky as co-hosts to Dam Bruce’s afternoon show.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Drew Nixon. Drew is joining BEK Sports in Bismarck, ND as a TV play-by-play broadcaster for high school, college and semi-pro events.
• Host Tom Tolbert has signed an extension with KNBR San Francisco. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro expects competition from Silicon Valley when the NFL’s television contracts come up for renewal. Companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, DAZN, Hulu and YouTube could be among the bidders. (Courtesy Fox Sports)
• Heath issues continue for Alabama broadcaster Chris Stewart who was recently hospitalized following a setback from heart surgery. The longtime voice of various Crimson Tide sports was dealing with an infection related to his recovery. We wish Chris a speedy recovery. (Courtesy AL.com)
• Chris Carlin left a good job on Philadelphia sports radio for a dream job at WFAN late in 2017, but it lasted less than two years, ending with his abrupt departure from the station on Wednesday. (Courtesy Newsday)
• ESPN Syracuse has revamped its lineup. Two neew shows feature Seth Everett and Paulie Scibilia, and Etan Thomas and Danny Schayes. Daniel Baldwin moves on. (Courtesy Syracuse.com)
• Congratulations to STAA’s 2018 Jim Nantz Award winner Katie Emmer. Katie is the new Flyers pre and post game host on NBCSP.
• Minnesota Wild voice Bob Kurtz is reducing his road schedule. Guest play-by-play announcers on the road will include Vikings play-by-play man Paul Allen, Bob FM’s Jim Erickson, studio host Kevin Falness and Iowa Wild broadcaster Joe O’Donnell. (Courtesy StarTribune.com)
• Dan Sileo is out after one week at Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix. According to The Athletic, the Arizona Coyotes, who recently signed a deal with the station, expressed dissatisfaction with Sileo’s hiring and controversial history.
• Longtime Cavaliers play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod passed away suddenly on Monday evening (September 9th). He was 67. McLeod had been an NBA broadcaster for 36 years. Our condolences go out to the McLeod family. (Courtesy 923TheFan)
• Congratulations to STAA member Travis Demers. Travis has been named the permanent radio voice for the Portland Trail Blazers. Demers filled in on 57 games for longtime radio voice Brian Wheeler last season.
• The Milwaukee Bucks have hired Zora Stephenson as their new TV sideline and digital reporter. She leaves KDVR-TV in Denver. Stephenson replaces Katie George, who left this summer to take a position with the ACC Network after spending one season in Milwaukee. (Courtesy JSOnline.com)
• Salem Red Sox broadcaster Melanie Newman will be the sideline reporter for the ESPN Plus telecasts of Liberty University home football games. She’ll also call play-by-play for Liberty home volleyball. (Courtesy Roanoke.com)
• Condolences to the family of former St. Louis Cardinal and 101 ESPN St. Louis sports talk host Chris Duncan. Duncan has passed away at 38 after battling a brain tumor for several years.
• Tampa Bay Lightning play-by-play broadcaster Rick Peckham will retire after the coming season. This will be Peckham’s 24th season with Tampa Bay and 42nd broadcasting pro hockey. (Courtesy TampaBay,com)
• St. Louis’ 101 ESPN is launching a new midday show featuring Anthony Stalter and ex-St. Louis Blue and current Fox Sports Midwest Blues pre- and postgame show host, Jamie Rivers. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• Tim McCarver will receive the Vin Scully Award for excellence in sports broadcasting from Fordham’s WFUV Radio. (Courtesy AP)
• Pierre McGuire will no longer be on NBC Sports’ top NHL broadcast team. According to Rick Carpiniello of the Athletic, McGuire is being replaced by Brian Boucher. (Courtesy Yahoo Sports)
• Veteran sports talk host Kevin Wheeler has posted on Facebook that he has been let go by 101 ESPN St. Louis.
• Longtime Boston sports radio personality Jim McCarthy has died at the age of 91. McCarthy was known to generations of Boston sports fans as one third of the radio show “The Sports Huddle,” Boston’s longest-running sports talk show. (Courtesy Patriot Ledger)
• Congrats to STAA’s Adam Candee. Adam will be co-hosting The Green Zone on VSiN (SiriusXM 204) Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6-10p PT. There will be some other fill-in spots as well. VSiN is simulcast on MSG and NESN. Adam will continue co-hosting PM Drive on ESPN Las Vegas with Cofield and Company a couple of days a week.
• Hats off to STAA member Mario Jerez. Mario makes his regular season debut this weekend as the Spanish language voice of the New Orleans Saints
• Longtime STAA member Chris Vosters has the call Saturday (Sep. 7) of our K-State Wildcats home game vs. Bowling Green. Enjoy The Little Apple, Chris!
• Veteran Craig Shemon has renewed with ESPN Radio to continue filling in on various slots at the network. He will be filling in for Jason Fitz on First and Last on September 11th. Shemon will continue co-hosting his daily PM Drive show on 99.3 ESPN in SW Florida.
• Make sure you enjoy this season of Bruce Cooper hosting “Friday Night Fever,” the high-school football highlight show on Channel 12 in Phoenix. After 30 years, Cooper has announced plans to retire. (Courtesy AZCentral)
• Stockton Ports broadcaster Zack Bayrouty to call tonight’s (September 3rd) Oakland A’s game. Bayrouty will step in for Ken Korach, who has the day off, (Courtesy recordnet.com)
• Big lineup change at ESPN 710 Los Angeles. Steve Mason and John Ireland are moving from middays to PM Drive. Jorge Sedano moves from PM Drive to evenings. The Will Cain Show airs from Noon to 3.
August 2019
• A new management team is about to take charge at WMVP AM-1000 Chicago. Effective September 29, Good Karma Brands will lease the station and assume control of all operations. Station VP/GM Jim Pastor will retire in December. Fate of talent is uncertain. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• STAA’s 2018 Jim Nantz Award winner Katie Emmer is leaving FOX Sports North after one year. She has not yet announced the next step in her career. Good luck, Katie!
• Host Dan Sileo is joining Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix for Afternoon Drive. In addition, Jody Oehler is moving to mornings. Sileo most recently hosted Morning Drive at two San Diego stations. (Courtesy Radio Online)
• Veteran NHL analysts Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean are leaving Sportsnet. Kypreos says his departure was mutually agreed upon. (Courtesy cbc.ca)
• Legendary sportscaster Keith Jackson is getting a statue at the Rose Bowl. (Courtesy Pasadena News)
• Sports Host Dave Grosby, The Goez, is stepping aside as a daily host at 710 ESPN after 29 years on Seattle radio. (Courtesy MyNorthwest.com)
• Tony Bruno will be joining ESPN 97.3 WENJ in South Jersey during football season to act as the station’s de-facto NFL pre-game host. (Courtesy MSN.com)
• The Golden State Warriors have signed a multiyear contract extension with 95.7 The Game. This season will mark the team’s fourth with The Game and will feature play-by-play man Tim Roye in his 25th season. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• After six years as the sports reporter and weekend sports anchor at KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, CA, Nick King is leaving the station for KTVK in Phoenix. (Courtesy Fresno Bee)
• Sports talk host Dave Logan has signed a 10 year extension with News/Talk KOA in Denver.
• Congratulations to STAA member Dan Doherty, the new play-by-play broadcaster/sports journalist at ESPN Ithaca.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group has completed its $10.6 billion deal to acquire 21 regional sports networks and Fox College Sports from Disney. It more than doubles Sinclair’s revenue & makes the nation’s largest owner of TV stations more of a sports broadcaster. (Courtesy Baltimore Sun)
• Congratulations to STAA member Camille Gear, the new weekend sports anchor at WYMT in Hazard, KY. Camille is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee.
• 710 ESPN Seattle PD Mike Salk is adding programming duties for KIRO-FM and news/talk KTTH-AM.
• Ex-Fanatic host Sean Brace is launching new FOX Sports Radio station in Philadelphia, featuring Colin Cowherd. (Courtesy Inquirer.com)
• BTN has announced on-air talent for the new football season. Play-by-play voices include Kevin Kugler, Brandon Gaudin, Lisa Byington, Joe Beninati and Mike Monaco. (Courtesy BTN)
• After leaving Turner Sports, Ros Gold-Onwude will be hosting a series of First Take shows on ESPN. She is filling in for Molly Qerim. (Courtesy The Spun)
• Big props to STAA member Casey Bryant, the new play-by-play voice of the Danbury Hat Tricks of thee FHL.
• Congratulations to Amanda Ferguson. Amanda is leaving WVLT in Knoxville for WFMY in Greensboro, NC.
• George Plaster is starting another afternoon sports talk show, this one on WNSR. WNSR will drop Colin Cowherd to make room for Plaster. (Courtesy The Tennessean)
• Congrats to Sammi Jo Francis, the new sports anchor/reporter at KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno.
• Veteran Chicago sports talk host Mike North is now a media consultant and spokesperson forVegasScoresAndOdds.com. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• Hosts Jared Stillman and Floyd Reese have signed two year extensions at 102.5 The Game in Nashville. (Courtesy AllAccess
• In Phoenix, Mike Muraco and Dan Manucci are joining Fox Sports 910 to host weekdays rom 1 to 4 pm starting September 3.
• Legendary Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy returning for 48th season with team in 2019. (Courtesy AZ Central)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Rob Hipp, the new voice of Sam Houston State University football.
• Longtime Sioux City, IA sportscaster Tim Meacham passed away Sunday August 18th after battling a long illness. (Courtesy KSCJ.com)
• Sports Anchor Tom Martin is leaving Kansas City’s KCTV-5 at the end of August. He’s going to work for a local marketing company. (Courtesy Kansas City Star)
• Ashley Stroehlein is joining WCNC NBC Charlotte as a weekend sports anchor. Stroehlein was the weekend sports anchor at Charlotte’s WBTV for the past five years. She is also a sideline reporter at Conference USA games for the NFL Network and the pit reporter for racing. (Courtesy WCNC)
• Longtime WDAY-TV Fargo sports anchor Dom Izzo is leaving his nightly sportscast to focus on his daily radio show. Izzo will still be on TV for some sports coverage. (Courtesy InForum.com)
• Yankees TV voice Michael Kay is back on air six weeks after vocal cord surgery. However, the way his voice responded has left him “scared.” He is limiting the use of his voice as he gears up for doing five straight games this week. (Courtesy NY Post)
• XTRA 1360 San Diego sports host Darren Smith is adding a non-sports show on sister station KOGO-AM. Not Sports With Darren Smith and Jack Cronin airs weeknights from 7 to 8 pm. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• Big congratulations to 2011 STAA All-American Alex Perlman. Alex has signed a contract to call play-by-play for ESPN. Way to go, Alex!
• Hats off to Chris Renkel, the new sports anchor/reporter at Local 12 News WKRC in Cincinnati. He leaves WIAT in Birmingham, AL.
• Huge congratulations to STAA’s 2019 Jim Nantz Award winner Drew Carter. The Syracuse grad is the new sports reporter at CBS 42 in Birmingham.
• Legendary sportscaster Jack Whitaker has died at age 95.
• Yale men’s and women’s hockey on ESPN+ will be broadcast exclusively by STAA members this winter. It was recently announced that Bridgette Proulx will call women’s games. Joining the Yale broadcast roster for men’s games are fellow STAAers Kevin Gehl and Mike O’Brien.
• Chauncey Billups is joining Clippers broadcasts as television analyst. (Courtesy LA Times)
• Yankees TV voice Michael Kay returned to the YES broadcast booth on Saturday August 17th, more than a month after having surgery on his vocal cord. (Courtesy ESPN)
• WEEI Boston host Alex Reimer is leaving the station to join the staff of Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser as Director of Communications. (Courtesy WEEI)
• Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones is out as host of ‘Hey Kentucky!’ over his upcoming book criticizing Mitch McConnell. (Courtesy Courier-Journal)
• After missing more than a month, the TV voice of the Yankees, Michael Kay, will return to the broadcast booth on Saturday, August 17th. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congrats to Cam Gaskins, the new sports anchor/reporter at WOLO, ABC Columbia, MO. Cam was most recently at WGXA in Macon, GA.
• Turner Sports is revamping its NBA coverage and is on the verge of hiring Stan Van Gundy away from ESPN to be a prominent game analyst. (Courtesy NY Post)
• At 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Ben Rogers and Jeff Wade are moving from PM Drive to mid-mornings. Gavin Dawson, Jeff Cavanaugh, Lucious Alexander and Mike Bacsik leave mid-mornings to PM Drive. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Changes at AM 590 ESPN Omaha. Mike’l Severe returns after five years away to co-host mornings with Damon Benning. Gary Sharp moves to middays, replacing Nick Bahe who recently departed.
• The Kalamazoo Wings have named John Peterson as their new Broadcaster and Director of Public Relations. He replaces Issac Berkey, who after one season. Peterson leaves the Tulsa Oilers. Tulsa has promoted Zack Reynolds to be their new broadcaster. (Courtesy The Commercial News)
• Congratulations to Tina Nguyen, the new sports anchor/reporter at CBS 19 in Tyler, TX. The Texas A&M alum previously worked for Texas A&M Athletics’ 12th Man Productions.
• The Memphis Tigers new football and basketball radio studio host is Jeff Brightwell. He replaces the late Forrest Goodman. (Courtesy GoTigersGo.com)
• Sports Reporter Lauren Brill has left WEWS-TV in Cleveland to start a new business, “The Unsealed.” She Tweets, “We are uncovering what lies behind social media smiles by sharing an authentic narrative of people’s lives.” (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• The TV voice of the Yankees, Michael Kay, has been declared healthy. Kay will return to the Yankees broadcast booth shortly, although the exact day is not yet known. Kay has been off-air for more than a month after having a nodule removed from his vocal cord. (Courtesy NY Post)
• Sophia Jurksztowicz (Yurk-shto-vitch) has been named NESN Bruins Rinkside Reporter. Sophia has worked with various sports broadcasting companies, including theScore, Rogers Sportsnet, CBC News Network and Hockey Night in Canada. (Courtesy NESN)
• UCF football pregame host and sideline reporter Jerry O’Neill is retiring after 24 years on the broadcasts. Scott Adams, who spent the past 18 seasons as part of the broadcasting crew, takes over. (Courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
• The son of sportscaster John Rooke is the new voice of the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Austin Rooke will call Bruins home games this season on AHL TV. (Courtesy Providence Journal)
• Longtime Sports Director Rich Coppola is leaving Hartford’s FOX61. (Courtesy Hartford Courant)
• Spence Checketts is the new afternoon host at ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City. His show will air daily from 2 to 6. Checketts is the son of former Madison Square Garden President Dave Checketts. (Courtesy ESPN 700)
• Wayne Harvey is taking over mornings on 92.9 FM The Ticket in Bangor. ME. Dale Duff moves from mornings to afternoons from 3 to 4 pm. (Courtesy Bangor Daily News)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Brant Freeman. Brant is moving from radio to TV for coverage of Texas State football. He’ll also handle ESPN+ coverage for a variety of TSU sports, including men’s & women’s basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball.
• Andy Burcham is Auburn’s new football and men’s basketball voice. He follows the late Rod Bramblett. Burcham has been broadcasting various Auburn athletics for the last 25 seasons.
• The Athletic is reporting that Arizona Coyotes broadcasts are moving from Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix to Fox Sports 910. (Courtesy The Athletic)
• Hats off to Femi Abebefe, the new sports anchor/reporter at KOMO Seattle.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Reily Chestnut. He is joining Hub City Radio in Aberdeen, SD as an air talent and play-by-play broadcaster.
• Ed Werder has been re-hired by ESPN after being a part of the approximately 100 laid off during the network’s massive cuts in 2017. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Jessica Mendoza missed ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast from San Francisco because the analyst was in a car accident Friday. She is expected to return to the air next week after missing the Giants-Phillies game Sunday. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Longtime Raleigh, NC sports reporter and anchor Jeff Gravley will leave WRAL-TV when his contract is up at the end of the year. Gravely is going to pursue other opportunities, ideally in an environment where sports is the primary focus. (Courtesy News Observer)
• WILX-TV 10 in Lansing will broadcast “Decades with the Dean,” an hour-long look at sportscaster Tim Staudt’s 50 year career in the region. The show will air August 15th. (Courtesy Lansing State Journal)
• Basketball voice Bill Walton will broadcast a Chicago White Sox with Jason Benetti on August 16th. (Courtesy Bleacher Report)
• Former Maryland quarterback CJ Brown has been named a new color analyst for the Maryland Sports Radio Network football broadcasts. (Courtesy Baltimore Sun)
• Congratulations to STAA member Carl Hauser. He is leaving his comfort zone for new challenges as sports director at KJAM in Madison, SD.
• Redskins legend Sonny Jurgensen has announced his retirement from Redskins radio. The abrupt announcement came on the Redskins’ pre-game radio broadcast. Jurgensen will turn 85 on Aug. 23. (Courtesy 106.7 The Fan)
• Big props to STAA’s Donny Baarns, the new voice of University of Nebraska-Omaha hockey. He will continue his broadcasting role with Omaha Storm Chasers baseball. (Courtesy KETV.com
• Excited for STAA’s Scott Beatty, the new voice of University of Illinois baseball. He will continue serving as pre and postage host for Illini football and basketball. Way to go, Scott!
• Congrats to Tim Dittman and Mike Kool. Dittman is the new voice of University of Illinois volleyball. Koon will broadcast Illini women’s hoops.
• STAA member Adam Candee was on the call this week on ESPN2 (er, ESPN8: The Ocho) for Moxie Games 3 and Dodge Juggle 3.
• Former QB Luke McCown will join the Louisiana Tech Tech Radio Network this fall as the sideline reporter for some of the Bulldogs’ games. (Courtesy TylerPaper.com)
• Props to Dylan Scott, the new sports director at KOAA in Colorado Springs. Also joining the KOAA sports staff is Jake Gadon, who leaves KOSA-TV in Odessa, TX. (Courtesy The Gazette)
• ESPN Little League World Series coverage will include a ‘Kidscast.’ Airing on ESPN2, teens will offer play-by-play and sideline reporting. The goal is to gear the broadcast toward a younger audience.(Courtesy TVTechnology.com)
• Peoria Rivermen (SPHL) broadcaster and media relations director Brad Kupiec is leaving to pursue law school. (Courtesy PJStar.com)
• Entercom has announced the creation of the Radio.com Sports Digital Network – an all-digital, daily, live, subscription-free sports network that will feature over 75 hours of original podcast content weekly. (Courtesy Radio Online)
• Ryen Russillo is joining ex-ESPN teammate Bill Simmons’ The Ringer, exclusively, after spending 14 years with the Worldwide Leader. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Veteran sports reporter and anchor Carol Maloney will join ESPN 630/Washington, DC, as host of The Carol Maloney Show, weekdays 10 am to Noon, starting August 6. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• Congratulations to Bob Trosset, the new sports anchor/reporter at WBAL Baltimore. Bob is a 2017 grad of Loyola University Maryland.
• Entercom Miami has eliminated Josh Friedman’s and Alex Donno’s midday show on WQAM and Curtis Stevenson’s PM Drive show on 790 The Ticket. Dan Le Batard’s 10 a.m. to 1 p.m ESPN national show moves from The Ticket to 560 AM, as part of an effort to make WQAM more national and The Ticket more local. (Courtesy Miami Herald)
• On Monday, July 15, five years after being diagnosed with kidney disease, former PawSox voice Steve Hyder underwent a kidney transplant operation. They said my complexion changed for the better while I was still under the anesthesia,’’ Hyder said. (Courtesy Syracuase.com)
• The Blues aren’t alone in their move from KMOX to 101 ESPN. Sportscaster Alex Ferrario also is making the switch. Ferrario’s departure opens a spot for longtime area broadcaster Joe Pott to join KMOX as the Cardinals weekend studio host. (Courtesy STL Today)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Bridgette Proulx, the new voice of Yale women’s hockey on ESPN+.
• Former Washington State star Craig Ehlo will be the radio analyst on Cougar’s basketball this winter. Matt Chazanow will have the play-by-play. (Courtesy Cougcenter.com)
• University of South Florida Bulls football games will be broadcast on 620 WDAE in 2019. They leave news/talk WWBA. WDAE will no longer carry University of Florida games. (Courtesy The Daily Stampede)
July 2019
• NESN’s Kacie McDonnell is moving on. The anchor’s contract expires next month and she’s decided to explore new opportunities. McDonnell joined the regional sports network in August 2016. She’s primarily worked at the anchor desk (Courtesy WEEI)
• Florida Panthers promote Randy Moller to TV color analyst. He replaces Denis Potvin, who recently announced his retirement after 21 seasons. (Courtesy Florida Sun Sentinel)
• Mitch Rosen, program director of Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM, has taken on additional duties as PD of WSSP The Fan, the Entercom sports/talk station in Milwaukee. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• The Rams have announced that Mina Kimes will serve as a color commentator for a preseason game this August. Kimes is a senior writer at ESPN as well as a podcast host and frequent guest on various ESPN television programs. (Courtesy The Spun)
• Max Falkenstien, voice of the KU Jayhawks for 60 years, dies at age 95. (Courtesy Kansas City Star)
• Ex-Colts punter Pat McAfee is joining ESPN as Thursday Night College Football color analyst. (Courtesy Sports Illustrated)
• Michael Kay may return to the Yankees TV booth this weekend. In the meantime, Bob Costas will work one of next Saturday’s doubleheader games between against the Red Sox. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Denis Potvin has announced his retirement from television broadcasting. Potvin spent 21 seasons as the Florida Panthers TV color analyst.
• Congrats to Taylor Begley. Taylor has joined KESQ Channel 3 in Palm Springs, CA as a sports anchor/reporter. Taylor finished her Masters at USC in May.
• Congratulations to Alyssa Rae, the new sports anchor/reporter at WNCN in Raleigh, NC. She moves after four years at WSLS Channel 10 in Roanoke. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech.
• Longtime Angelo State University radio broadcaster Jeremy Bryant was honored again Monday, July 29, as the Lone Star Conference’s Outstanding Broadcaster of the Year. Congratulations, Jeremy! (Courtesy San Angelo Standard-Times)
• STAA member Will Palaszczuk is filling-in at ESPN Upstate (Greenville, SC) while Mark Sturgis takes an indefinite medical leave of absence.
• Three STAA members are joining the play-by-play roster at NCAA Division III UMASS Boston. Mike O’Brien, Dana Grey and Mike Drew will help on broadcasts of Beacons athletics in the coming school year.
• The Golden State Warriors are moving analyst Jim Barnett to radio; Kelenna Azubuike gets the TV gig. Barnett has been on the radio side for 35 years. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• Congratulations to Bud Nameck. He is retiring after more than 30 years on the air. Nameck is a two-time Sportscaster of the Year recipient in the state of Washington. He was the radio voice of Washington Sate Cougar basketball and a member of the Cougar football broadcast team for years. (Courtesy KWLY.com)
• ESPN host Dan Le Batard will remain at ESPN after meeting with ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro on Thursday (July 25th) following last week’s political outburst that violated company policy. Le Batard will return to his TV show today and his radio show on Monday. (Courtesy Fox News)
• Former Notre Dame and Florida quarterback Malik Zaire is joining CBS Sports Network as a national college football game analyst. He is just 24. (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• ESPN 630 in Washington DC has added Andy Polin as a sports update anchor and Bram Weinstein as afternoon host. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• Congratulations to STAA member Derek Tate. ate is joining NewsNet & MI News 26 in Northern Michigan as a sports anchor and play-by-play voice.
• Congrats to sports anchor/reporter Alexa Ross. She is leaving Fox 40 WICZ in Binghamton for WROC in Rochester.
• ESPN Central Texas (Waco) was vandalized Thursday night, and the station is now off-air due to the damage. They are off the air indefinitely. (Courtesy KXXV)
• Veteran sportscaster Tom Helmer is joining the football broadcast crew at Eastern Michigan University. He joins Matt Shepard and Rob Rubick. Helmer will handle play-by-play until Matt Shepard finishes baseball with the Detroit Tigers.
• Best wishes to ESPN Upstate host Mark Sturgis. Sturgis is recovering from a stroke he suffered Tuesday. Sturgis’ wife Tweeted, “He’s in ICU, and will be off the air for some time. Hopefully will be able to go home from the hospital, but short term rehab in a nursing home is a possibility.”
• Huge props to 2019 STAA All-American Alexa Shaw. She is joining NBC Sports Washington to host a live nightly sports talk show. Another member of STAA’s 2019 All-America class is new Clippers radio voice Noah Eagle. We are fired up for both!
• The sports team at KPRC Houston keeps expanding. In addition to welcoming sports anchor/reporter Ari Alexander, sports reporter Vanessa Richardson is joining the station from WLWT in Cincinnati. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Congratulations to Cristiano Simonetta, the new play-by-play voice of the Lincoln Stars of the NAHL. Cristiano has been overing the St. Louis Blues for The Athletic.
• STAA member Mitch Spinell is climbing the sports broadcasting ladder. The latest rung is as a weekend sports update man for the Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan (WKRK-FM) in Cleveland. He joined the station this month. Congratulations, Mitch! (Courtesy TimesReporter.com)
• Former New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich is joining ESPN as an analyst.
• QB Mark Sanchez is heading to ABC/ESPN to be a college football analyst. He’ll be in ABC’s lead college football studio with Kevin Negandhi and Jon Vilma. Sanchez is replacing Mack Brown, who left to coach North Carolina. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Clint Stoerner and Rick Kamla are the new afternoon drive hosts for SportsRadio 610 in Houston. Sean Pendergast will transition to the morning drive alongside co-host Seth Payne. (Courtesy Sports Radio 610)
• Rich Lord has left the building at SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM) in Houston after nearly two and-a-half decades. Morning co-host Mike Meltser is also no longer with the station. He had been with KILT since 2010. (Courtesy RadioInk)
• Matt Millen will return to the Big Ten Network broadcast booth this season. Millen stepped away in 2018 and eventually had heart surgery. (Courtesy Onwardstate.com)
• The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame have announced that Alabama football broadcaster Eli Gold will be the recipient of the 2019 NFF Chris Schenkel Award. He will be honored Dec. 10 during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner.
• The Washington Wizards have announced their new TV broadcast crew of Justin Kutcher, Drew Gooden and Caron Butler.
• The ACC Network’s football broadcast teams have been announced. Play-by-play voices include Dave O’Brien, Chris Cotter and Wes Durham. Jac Collinsworth will host a studio show.
• Congratulations to Clarissa Allen, the new sports anchor/reporter at WBBJ in Jackson, TN.
• LEX18 has pulled Matt Jones from his television show until he decides on U.S. Senate bid. Jones also hosts a regionally syndicated sports radio show in Kentucky. (Courtesy Kentucky.com)
• We are excited for STAA member Brian Sieman. Brian is moving from LA Clippers radio to TV to replace legendary Ralph Lawler. The Clippers radio voice will be STAA’s 2019 Jim Nantz Award runner-up Noah Eagle of Syracuse. Congratulations to both!
• NBC Sports Washington is expected to name Fox Sports announcer Justin Kutcher as its new Wizards play-by-play man this week. Kutcher will replace Steve Buckhantz, who called Wizards games for the past 22 years. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• YES Network is keeping Sarah Kustok at its primary Nets analyst after the Clippers made her an offer. YES and Kustok are finishing up a multi-year deal. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to STAA member Connor Onion. He will be the TV voice of SIU athletics on ESPN networks in the coming year. Onion has been a regular presence on Saluki radio and television games the last two years. (Courtesy TheSouthern.com)
• Hats off to Daren Stoltzfus, the new sports director at WESH Channel 2 in Orlando. He leaves ABC News 4 in Charleston, SC. In May, Pat Clarke revealed that he was out at WESH, where he has worked since 2003. (Courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
• Kevin Sheehan is rejoining The Team 980 WTEM-AM (Washington, DC). Sheehan returns to weekday mornings on August 5. He first joined WTEM in 2004 and hosted shows until the end of his last stint in 2018. (Courtesy Radio Online)
• Host Nick Bahe is leaving 1620 The Zone in Omaha. The former Creighton basketball player wants to pursue national basketball broadcasting opportunities. Bahe has been co-hosting mornings at The Zone since 2009. (Courtesy Omaha World-Herald)
• Brian Wheeler will not return to Portland Trail Blazers’ radio after 21 years. Wheeler missed most of last season because of health issues. (Courtesy The Oregonian)
• ESPN hires former Washington State star, NFL QB Ryan Leaf as college football analyst. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Gerry Callahan, a decades-long fixture on Boston sports talk radio, has hosted his last show on WEEI. Entercom has announced that WAAF’s Greg Hill will take over the “Mut & Callahan” slot starting July 27. (Courtesy Masslive.com)
• Soren Petro is moving to afternoon drive at WHB Kansas City. He replaces Kevin Kietzman who recently parted ways with the station. Petro as hosted middays for more than 15 years. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Congratulations to Ira Liebman, the new voice of the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL. Liebman moves to Atlanta from Sugar Land Texas, where he’s called hockey for the Sugar Land Imperials and baseball for the Sugar Land Skeeters. (Courtesy Gwinnett Daily Post)
• Former UPI, AP Broadcast, Mutual and Westwood One sportscaster John Tautges has passed away at age 63. Assignments included the Olympics, the Final Four, the Masters and U.S. Open golf tournaments, and play-by-play for college football and hoops. (Courtesy Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home)
• Florida Atlantic University football and men’s basketball are moving to WMEN 640 The Hurricane in West Palm Beach. Ken Lavicka will continue as voice of the Owls.
• ESPN LA 710’s John Ireland and Steve Mason have signed contract extensions. The Mason & Ireland has been the highest rated sports talk radio show in Los Angeles the last three years. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Congratulations to STAA member Drew Blevins, the new play-by-play voice for the Carolina Thunderbirds of the Federal Hockey League. He replaces Zak DeBeaussaert, who will be the new voice for the Columbus River Dragons. Blevins is a 2017 graduate of N.C. State. (Courtesy Winston-Salem Journal)
• Props to Mitchel Summers, the new sports anchor/reporter at WIBW in Topeka, KS. He leaves KXVA FOX 15 in Abilene, TX.
• Longtime Bay Area broadcaster Bob Fouts has passed away at 97. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• The Denver sports radio station dedicated to all Broncos all of the time is dropping the sports format. Orange and Blue 760 is flipping to news talk.
• Congrats to Evan Abramson, the new sports anchor/reporter at NewsChannel 10 KFDA in Amarillo, TX. He recently graduated from the University of Central Florida.
• Don Klein, who called “The Catch” and numerous other 49ers and Stanford highlights during a radio career that spanned more than 56 years, has died. He was 95. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay will have surgery next week on his vocal cords. He expects to miss about a month. (Courtesy Newsday)
• Former Notre Dame basketball player Jordan Cornette is joining the ACC Network. He will serve as a college basketball analyst and studio host. Cornette also will be a co-host on “Spain and Company” on ESPN Radio. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• For the first time in 30 years, John Sterling will miss a Yankees broadcast on Thursday. Sterling, who turns 81 on Thursday, has been feeling “a little under the weather.” Resting for a few days will help him gear up for the second half of the season. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congrats to Cody Stoots and Jake Asman, the new afternoon show on SB Nation Radio. . The show will launch July 22nd and air weekdays from 4pm-8pm ET.
• Vince Carter, widely regarded as a major NBA broadcasting talent prospect when he retires, is going to have a big role in ESPN’s coverage of Vegas Summer League. (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• Ex-Major Leaguer Todd Walker is joining NESN as a color and studio analyst for the second half of the Red Sox season.
• KARE 11 Minneapolis sports reporter Ryan Shaver is leaving for a job at Twin Cities Orthopedics. At TCO he’ll be a digital video/social media specialist. (Courtesy StarTribune.com)
• Congrats to Adam Unger, the new sports reporter at Channel 7 WKBW in Buffalo. Sports Director Joe Buscaglia is leaving for The Athletic. Matt Bove is replacing Buscaglia as sports director. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• SportsFan Radio 1330 in Rockford, IL is canceling its two local shows, Randy Ruef in the morning and Jake Logli and Jackson Schwartz in afternoons. (Courtesy rrstar.com)
June 2019
• On Friday, Keith Mills gave his last morning sports reports on WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and FM 101.5, 98 Rock and WBAL-TV 11. He caps 40 years as an institution in Baltimore sports journalism. (Courtesy WBAL)
• After 39 years in local Madison, WI sports television, Jay Wilson will be leaving his post as News 3 Now WISC sports director in December. (Courtesy Channel3000.com)
• Kansas City sports radio host Kevin Kietzman is out at 810-WHB after his comments about Chiefs Coach Andy Reid. Kietzman had hosted PM Drive for more than two decades. He’s also a founding partner of the station. (Courtesy KSHB.com)
• Rick Jeanneret is coming back for another year to do play by play on the Buffalo Sabres’ 50th season. He turns 77 in July. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• Katie George, a former Louisville volleyball player, Miss Kentucky USA 2015 and member of the WDRB Sports team, has joined the ACC Network as a reporter and anchor. (Courtesy WDRB)
• Big congratulations to longtime friend John Kentera, the new midday host at 97.3 The Fan in San Diego. Way to go, Coach!
• Denis J Puska is leaving the Amarillo Bulls of the NAHL to return home to Canada. (Courtesy Amarillo Bulls)
• ESPN Radio in Roanoke has flipped to a news-talk format.
• Susie Wargin is joining the Denver Broncos radio team as sideline reporter for KOA NewsRadio 850. (Courtesy Denver Broncos)
• ‘Outside the Lines’ host Bob Ley announces retirement from ESPN after 40-year run. (Courtesy USA Today)
• The New Orleans Pelicans are moving from WRNO to ESPN 100.3. The deal includes airing the team’s NBA summer league games.
• OKC Thunder TV analyst Antonio Daniels is joining the New Orleans Pelicans broadcast. (Courtesy The Oklahoman)
• WHB Kansas City has indefinitely suspended host Kevin Kietzman for comments he made about Chiefs’ Coach Andy Reid’s family. (Courtesy Kansas City Star)
• Mark Schlereth has agreed to a new three year deal to stay with Fox.
• WTEM, 980 in D.C. has picked up Fox Sports Radio now that WMAL-AM 630 is flipping to sports talk with ESPN on July 1. (Courtesy DCRTV)
• KNBR has signed Greg Papa to multi-year deal. He is part of a new lineup that will debut July 16. Gary Radnich has retired and Bob Fitzgerald has left the station. (Courtesy San Francisco Chronicle)
• Bay Area sportscaster Gary Radnich has announced his retirement from KNBR. Radnich’s radio departure curiously comes just a day after The Athletic reported that Greg Papa is leaving 95.7-FM The Game to join KNBR for an undisclosed sports talk show slot. (Courtesy East Bay Times)
• Almost six months after becoming the 49ers’ new radio play-by-play announcer, Greg Papa is reportedly joining the team’s flagship station. Papa is no longer with 95.7 The Game. Papa is joining KNBR 680 for an undisclosed sports talk show slot. (Courtesy Mercury News)
• Congratulations to Ari Alexander, the new sports anchor/reporter at KPRC 2 Houston. He leaves KVOA Tucson after more than three years.
• ESPN to extend Dick Vitale through the 2021-2022 season. The new deal will take him through what would be his 42nd year with the network. (Courtesy Front Office Sports)
• Longtime North Dakota broadcaster Duaine Sanden passed away on Sunday. Sanden was an early voice for UND sports and was elected into the North Dakota AP Sportscaster Hall of Fame in 2018. (Courtesy KNOX Radio)
• For the second straight month, David Kaplan’s ESPN 1000 midday show decisively beat the competition in their target male demographics. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• Cumulus Media and ESPN are launching a sports radio station in Washington D.C. ESPN 630 on WMAL-AM goes on-air July 1. The station will feature ESPN Radio’s weekday talk lineup.ESPN 630’s complete lineup will be announced soon. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Former Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall is joining the NFL Network. Hall will be an analyst on NFL Total Access and Good Morning Football. (Courtesy NFL Communications)
• Props to STAA member Greg Mroz, the new voice of the Idaho Falls Chukars. Greg’s resume includes stops with the Clinton Lumber Kings and San Rafael Pacifics. He was with the Helena Brewers last year but did not accompany the team on its relocation to Colorado Springs.
• Congratulations to STAA member Kyle Kercheval, the new voice of Grand Junction Rockies baseball. Grand Junction is the rookie affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
• Changes coming to New Orleans Pelicans’ radio broadcasts: Tulane’s Todd Graffagnini in; Sean Kelley moving on. Tulane and Learfield IMG are expected to collaborate on finding a replacement for Graffagnini before its football season. (Courtesy The Advocate)
• Hats off to Colin Schowe. He is joining Alpha Media in Moberly, MO as an on-air announcer and play-by-play broadcaster. Colin is from nearby Washington, MO.
• Forrest Goodman, a longtime member of the Memphis football and men’s basketball broadcast team, has died. He was 48. (Courtesy TheState.com)
• Keith Memoly is the new PD at ESPN 580 in Orlando.
• ESPN Deportes Radio is signing off this fall as listeners move more to digital and social. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Columbus Blue Jackets Network Host Ryan Mitchell is resigning to coach high school wrestling. The Blue Jackets air on 97.1 The Fan, which was bought this week by Tegna.
• WFAN Yankees Color Analyst Suzyn Waldman has been nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame. (Courtesy New York Daily News)
• ‘Voice of the Griz’ Riley Corcoran has signed a 3-year contract extension with the University of Montana. Corcoran is set to enter his fourth season calling football and men’s basketball at UM. (Courtesy MontanaSports.com)
• He is an Ozarks icon and a legendary name in sportscasting. Now, Ned Reynolds‘ contribution to the Ozarks is immortalized in the Missouri Broadcasters Hall of Fame. (Courtesy KY3.com)
• Congratulations to Adam Weiss, the new Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations for the Bismarck Bobcats.
• Longtime Pueblo broadcaster Lloyd Harvey Cornett III, known publicly as “Harv Holliday” has passed away at the age of 66. (Courtesy KOAA.com)
• Huge congrats to a wonderful man, Bill Mercer. The longtime voice of North Texas athletics, will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Mercer also mentored guys like Dave Barnett, George Dunham, Craig Miller, Craig Way and Mark Followill. (Courtesy DentonRC.com)
• RJ Young is the new host of the Sports Animal Tulsa’s 9-11 a.m. show. Previously known as The Sports Mix, it now is The RJ Young Show. Also, Oklahoma City radio veteran Erik Gee will be introduced as Pat Jones’ new co-host. (Courtesy Tulsa World)
• The Yankees and the YES Network are exploring developing YES Radio. YES and SiriusXM have had discussions about housing the radio network on the satellite service. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to STAA member Elijah Gonzalez. Elijah has been promoted from the No. 2 broadcaster to the No. 1 with the Connecticut Tigers. He replaces fellow STAA member Kevin Gehl, who is focusing on his TV play-by-play career.
• SportsRadio 610 Houston sports talk host Paul Gallant has announced that his contract is not being renewed after eight years with the station.
• Congrats to Remi Monaghan. She recently joined KTEN TV in Dennison, TX as a sports anchor/reporter. Remi is a 2019 graduate of Michigan State U.
• New York Mets broadcaster Ron Darling says that his thyroid cancer has been stabilized and that he plans to return to the booth for the Mets’ game in San Francisco tonight (Tuesday, June 4th). (Courtesy CBS Sports)
• Tony Paige is hanging it up. The veteran WFAN late night host will retire in September after 16 years over two stints – the longest tenure for a overnight talker in station history. (Courtesy NJ.com)
• The Detroit Lions have tabbed Fred McLeod as their new preseason TV play-by-play man. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
May 2019
• The Rise Guys Whitey Gleason and Mark Kreidler have left ESPN 1320 in Sacramento after five years. Both made the announcement on Twitter. ESPN Radio’s Sara Spain is currently on in the station’s afternoon slot.
• Congratulations to Ryan Campbell, the new sports anchor/reporter at WENY TV in Elmira, NY.
• The goddaughter of former PawSox broadcaster Steve Hyder will donate a kidney to Steve as he battles kidney disease. Steve’s goddaughter, Liz Hyder-McMorrow, read about Steve’s condition and reached out with a call of support. (Courtesy Providence Journal)
• Former ESPN anchor and reporter Jay Crawford will be joining Cleveland’s WKYC Channel 3 in the fall. A primary reason he’s being brought on board is to anchor the 5 p.m. newscast that WKYC plans to launch in January. (Courtesy Cleveland.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Nate Ryan, the new weekend sports anchor/reporter at KVIA ABC 7 in El Paso, TX. Nate has been a production assistant at ESPN. He is a graduate of DePauw University in Indiana.
• Hats off to Connor Newcomb. Connor is joining the Hagerstown Suns as a broadcasting and media assistant. He’ll work alongside STAA member John Kocsis.
• Former Lubbock, TX sportscaster Johnny May has passed away at age 75.
• Congrats to Georgia Tech voice Andy Demetra, the new TV voice of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Amy Audibert will be the analyst.
• Funeral services for Paula and Rod Bramblett will be Thursday, May 30 at 2 p.m. inside Auburn Arena. The Brambett’s were tragically killed Saturday night in Auburn in a car crash. Rod Bramblett was the voice of the Auburn Tigers for the last 16 years. Our prayers are with the Bramblett family.
• Terry Todt, whose voice became an important and familiar part of Litchfield,, IL area high school sports radio broadcasts, died Thursday at his home in Raymond following a lengthy bout with cancer. (Courtesy The Telegraph)
• San Diego sports talk duo Ben Higgins and Steven Woods have landed on their feet after the collapse of The Mighty 1090. The morning show is joining the Padres flagship, 97.3 The Fan. (Courtesy The Big Lead)
• Kirk Minihane has announced his departure from Entercom and Radio.com. Minihane had worked at WEEI Boston and hosted the Enough About Me podcast for nearly ten years. (Courtesy Boston.com)
• Pete Medhurst is getting called up to the big leagues next week, to fill in for Dave Jageler on Nationals play-by-play duties on the road in Atlanta and Cincinnati. Jageler will be filling in for Bob Carpenter on the MASN telecast. (Courtesy The Fan)
• SiriusXM ESPNU Radio is airing coverage of the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse final four this weekend. Dave Ryan, Mark Dixon and Jason Horowitz will call the games. Noah Eagle will host a pre and post game show. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• ESPN Radio’s 6-9p (ET) weekday “Spain & Fitz” show will become “Spain & Company”, as co-host Jason Fitz moves to morning duties and Sarah Spain continues with a rotating group of co-hosts. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Former Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood will replace Mark Kelso as the color analyst alongside play-by-play man John Murphy on the broadcast on WGR and the Bills radio network. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• Ex-BYU QB Riley Nelson will replace Marc Lyons as analyst on BYU football radio broadcasts. (Courtesy Salt Lake Tribune)
• Mike “Doc” Emrick, the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC’s NHL coverage, has won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-By-Play, for the record-setting sixth straight year. (Courtesy NHL.com)
• The NFL Network and Conference USA have agreed to a four-year partnership that will put 10 of the league’s Saturday football games on the network each season. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• 92.9 FM The Game in Atlanta has filled its midday slot in-house. Andy Bunker moves from evenings. He’ll co-host with ex-NFLer Randy McMichael. They replace John Michaels and Rick Kamla, who left in March..
• Orlando sportscaster Pat Clarke is leaving WESH-Channel 2 where he has worked since 2003. Clarke earned two weeks ago he is being replaced. He anticipates working through June. (Courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
• Congratulations to Ohio U. grad Nick Niehaus, the new sports anchor/reporter at 16 WAPT in Jackson, MS.
• Hats off to Forrest Hunt, the new Director of Media Relations & Broadcasting for Sonoma Stompers baseball.
• Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne will teach Arizona State University students about play-by-play this summer. Thorne is teaching remotely with no impact on his Orioles duties. (Courtesy WBAL.com)
• NESN will televise 23 Connecticut Sun WNBA games in 2019 on NESN and NESNplus. Bob Heussler will handle play-by-play. (Courtesy Multichannel News)
• Condolences to the family of longtime Tampa sports talk host Steve Duemig, who has passed away. He was 64. (Courtesy TampaBay.com)
• Bart Enis, whose contract was not renewed last fall by AT&T SportsNet Southwest, is back on the channel doing some studio hosting work while Kevin Eschenfelder takes time off. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• The ACC Network has added play-by-play broadcaster and studio host Chris Cotter, ex-players Mark Herzlich and Eric Wood and anchor/reporter Kelsey Riggs. Debbie Antonelli, Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Eric Mac Lain, Mark Packer, Mark Richt and LaChina Robinson will also be on the network. (Courtesy The ACC)
• Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Laura Rutledge will be the broadcast team for the second game of ESPN’s season opening Monday Night Football doubleheader. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Brock Huard is joining FOX as college football analyst. (Courtesy MyNorthwest)
• 92.9 FM ESPN Memphis Producer Jeffrey Wright, and The Commercial Appeal’s Mark Giannotto will take over sports-talk station’s 2-4 p.m. slot vacated by Eric Hasseltine. Wright still will produce The Geoff Calkins Show from 9-11 a.m. (Courtesy Daily Memphis)
• Tim Ring, who was the sports director for Channels 3 and 5, tweeted Tuesday night that he is “moving on” from that position. Ring went to work in Phoenix 10 years ago. (Courtesy AZ Central)
• Hats off to Tyler Shaw, the new sports anchor/reporter at KBTX in Bryan/College Station. He leaves KCWY News 13 in Casper, WY.
• ESPN Milwaukee has new lineups for its two stations. Mark Chmura & Gabe Neitzel will host mornings and Tony Smith & Bryan Dee middays on on 94.5 ESPN. Greg Matzek and Doug Russell from sister station Newsradio WTMJ will also have regular shows on 94.5 ESPN. (Courtesy WTMJ)
• Legendary WKAR Lansing, MI sports host Earle Robinson has passed. He was 71, Robinson was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. (Courtesy WKAR)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Josh Carary. Josh will be the inaugural voice of the Class-AA Rocket City Trash Pandas when the current Mobile Bay Bears relocate to Madison, AL for the 2020 season. (Courtesy Madison Record)
• Ex-Cleveland Browns All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas is joining NFL Network.
• NBC Sports Washington is eyeing 12 candidates for the Wizards’ play-by-play job. Dan Hellie of NFL Network and Dave Feldman of NBC Sports Bay Area are scheduled to interview by the end of this month. (Courtesy The Athletic)
• The NFL Network is being forced to cut $20 million out of its projected budget and, in the process, already has eliminated at least five shows, including one that featured Deion Sanders. (Courtesy NY Post)
•Congratulations to Emily Giangreco. She is joining KVUE in Austin, TX as a sports anchor/reporter. She leaves KLFY in Lafayette, LA.
• Host Paul Burmeister, play-by-play voice Brendan Burke, and analyst Ryan Boyle will be NBC Sports’ first-ever commentators for the Premier Lacrosse League’s inaugural season, beginning Saturday, June 1. (Courtesy Niagara Frontier Publications)
• George Plaster is returning to Nashville sports radio. He’s launching a weekday show from 3-6 pm on WSM 650-AM. Plaster resigned Tuesday as associate athletics director at Belmont in order to return to the air. He had been in that position since 2016. (Courtesy The Tennessean)
• Props to Mark Pearson, thew new sports anchor/reporter at WAND-TV in Champaign, IL. He leaves WDAZ in Grand Forks. Pearson is a graduate of Butler U.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Joe Mixie, the new voice of the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League.
• Michael Dixon is the new voice of Lincoln Saltdogs baseball.
• Mets broadcaster Ron Darling has revealed he has thyroid cancer. Doctors are optimistic that the cancer is treatable and that Darling will be back on air in the next month or so. (Courtesy ABC 7 NY)
• Congrats to Jeff Kolb. He is leaving KOKI in Tulsa for a sports reporter position at KDFW Dallas.
• Props to Danny Mata, the new sports anchor/reporter at KRDO in Colorado Springs. Mata leaves a producer position at KRIV Houston. Mata is a graduate of the University of Houston.
• Bob Ley has extended his leave of absence from ESPN. Last October, Ley announced he would be taking a six-month sabbatical. Last week, ESPN confirmed that Ley would be extending his leave of absence from the network indefinitely. (Courtesy NJ.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Emery Songer. Emery will be hosting a sports talk show Saturday mornings on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines, IA.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. agreed to buy the Fox regional sports networks from Walt Disney Co., turning the local-TV company into a cable-sports powerhouse. The deal is valued at more than $10 billion. (Courtesy Bloomberg.com)
• Triple-A Baseball has announced that FOX Sports will serve as the new exclusive television home of the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game. The game will be televised live nationally on FS1 and available for live streaming on the FOX Sports app, as well as to MiLB.TV subscribers. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Steve Czaban, the Washington, D.C.-based sports-talk host, is returning to Milwaukee radio. Starting Monday, he’ll host “The Steve Czaban Show” from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays on 97.3 The Game. The Drew & KB show moves to PM Drive. Czaban will keep his PM Drive show on WTEM in D.C. (Courtesy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Longtime broadcast partners Bob Rathbun and LaChina Robinson will not be part of the Atlanta Dream television team in 2019, a financial decision that comes along with a choice to pull the games from Fox Sports South. (Courtesy High Post Hoops)
• Veteran Boston sports anchor Mike Lynch, a fixture on WCVB Channel 5 for more than 37 years, has announced he will be stepping aside in August. (Courtesy Boston Herald)
• The Carolina Panthers are in-talks with former quarterback Jake Delhomme to be the color analyst on radio broadcasts. Longtime analyst Eugene Robinson is not returning. (Courtesy The Athletic)
• ESPN 1000 Chicago sports talk host David Kaplan has a new deal to remain in his other gig as a personality on NBC Sports Chicago. He hosts the weeknight “SportsTalk Live” program. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• Former KU broadcaster and professor Tom Hedrick has been honored at The Kansas state capitol. Hedrick was recognized by the Kansas law makers for his outstanding contribution to the broadcasting and teaching professions. (Courtesy KU Athletics)
• Popular Vancouver hockey writer and broadcaster Jason Botchford has passed away. Botchford died of apparent heart failure on the weekend. He was 48. (Courtesy ca.sports.yahoo.com)
• KKTV Colorado Springs Sports Director Sam Farnsworth, who has been with the station since 2010, is leaving. Farnsworth has accepted a sports anchor position at KSL in Salt Lake City. (Courtesy Gazette.com)
• The Minnesota Lynx have hired Sloane Martin as their new radio play-by-play voice. She replaces John Focke, who is leaving for the Charlotte Hornets. Martin is a reporter and anchor for WCCO-AM radio. Congratulations! (Courtesy StarTribune.com)
• After more than seven seasons, Tim Heiman is stepping down as voice of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He’s being replaced by STAA member Jacob Wilkins. Heiman has accepted a mechanical engineering position with a local company. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, the short-season Class A minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, has hired Lake Stevens High School senior Payne Patchett as their radio broadcaster for the 2019 season. (Courtesy HeraldNet.com)
• ESPN has announced Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland, Lisa Salters as Monday Night Football Crew. McFarland moves from the sidelines to the booth. (Courtesy Sports Illustrated)
April 2019
• The Charlotte Hornets have hired John Focke as their new play-by-play voice. Focke has been the executive producer and studio host for the Minnesota Timberwolves and play-by-play broadcaster for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. (Courtesy NBA.com)
• San Diego sports radio station The Mighty 1090 is out of business after being unable to pay its transmitter lease. The station had been streaming online-only since mid-April. (Courtesy San Diego Union Tribune)
• Congratulations to Danny Mata, the new sports anchor/reporter at KRDO ABC13 in Colorado Springs. He’s been a sports producer/reporter at Fox 26 in Houston.
• Longtime Trail Blazers radio play-by-play voice Brian Wheeler will step away from the microphone for the remainder of the postseason. Local sports radio host and STAA member Travis Demers will fill in, as he did earlier this season. (Courtesy Yahoo Sports)
• Eric Hasseltine has announced he is stepping down from his afternoon sports talk show on 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis. Hasseltine will continue his play-by-play job with the Memphis Grizzlies. (Courtesy Daily Memphis)
• KRDO NewsChannel 13 Sports Anchor Rob Namnoum will handle play-by-play for the Colorado Springs Vibe in its first year at the Rookie League level after three decades in Triple-A. (Courtesy Colorado Springs Gazette)
• Dickey Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit against the AAF and the Atlanta Legends seeking more than $16,000 that Dickey says they owe for The Fan’s role as the official radio home of the Legends. (Courtesy AJC.com)
• Dwyane Wade is the biggest free agent in NBA broadcasting, and he could be the top target for a potential ABC/ESPN “NBA Countdown” shakeup. What is already certain is both ESPN and TNT are courting Wade. (Courtesy NY Post)
• Ed Jenson, the jovial, velvet-voiced play-by-play announcer for the Greenville Drive, died Tuesday. He was 69. (Courtesy Greenville News)
• Former Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson will be a full-time member of the team’s radio broadcasts for the 2019 season as an analyst with play-by-play voice Gerry Sandusky. (Courtesy Baltimore Ravens)
• Tigers radio analyst Jim Price will miss the team’s nine-game, 10-day road trip, as he recovers from a virus which has slowed him much of the month. He is expected back May 3rd. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• Chris “Mad Dog” Russo has signed a four-year deal to continue leading his Mad Dog Sports Radio channel on SiriusXM. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Channel 5’s Tim Throckmorton, the longest-serving TV sportscaster in Maine, is retiring after 39 years. (Courtesy Bangor Daily News)
• Congratulations to Nick Ferguson. The ex-Bronco is joining 104.3 The Fan in Denver. Ferguson and John Davis replace Cecil Lamey, will stays on staff as a digital content producer. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Props to Isaiah Dunk, the new sports anchor/reporter at KRTV/KXLH in Great Falls, MT. Isaiah is a graduate of the University of Montana.
• Former coach Mark Richt is joining the ACC Network as a studio analyst.
• Former Bronco and Denver market vet Tom Nalen is joining 104.3 The Fan. He’ll co-host PMD Drive with Darren McKee. He replaces the recently departed Alfred Williams. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Congratulations to University of Illinois baseball, women’s basketball and volleyball play-by-play broadcaster Dave Loane who has announced his retirement after 31 years at WDWS and Illinois.
• Props to Noah Newman (University of Dayton), the new Sports Director at WJTV in Jackson, MS. He moves from WAND in central Illinois.
• Omaha Storm Chasers voice and STAA member Donny Baarns. did the “old-time baseball announcer/Red Barber impression” voiceover for Budweiser’s new Jackie Robinson tribute spot.
• Chet Coppock, a Chicago sports broadcast icon known as “The Godfather of Sports,” has died. Coppock was injured in a car accident on April 11 in Savannah, Georgia. He died Wednesday due to those injuries. Coppock was 70 years old. (Courtesy ABC7 Chicago)
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed an extension with ESPN Pittsburgh through 2023.
• Morning show host Dan Sileo is out at the Padres flagship, 97.3 The Fan in San Diego. Market vet John Kentera is listed as the morning show host on the station’s website. (Courtesy San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Kyle Bailey has signed a new long-term deal to remain as afternoon host at WFNZ-AM/FM in Charlotte. (Courtesy RadioInk)
• Congratulations to Alison Mastrangelo, the new sports anchor at WSB-TV. She moves to Atlanta from Denver.
• Mets broadcaster Ron Darling is taking a leave of absence to have a large mass in his chest removed next week. He hopes to return in May. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Ric Bucher is joining FS1 as an NBA analyst.
• Wake Forest play by play announcer Stan Cotten will be honored with the Lindsey Nelson Award, given annually to an outstanding broadcaster who has helped advance the game of college football. The award is presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. (Courtesy 247sports.com)
• Iowa Hawkeyes voice Gary Dolphin will make his on-air return April 24 when he hosts the “Hawkeye Football Spring Practice Report” radio show. Dolphin hasn’t been on the air representing the school since being suspended on February 19th for an on-air comment. (Courtesy HawkCentral.com)
• Congrats to Larry Kreuger. The veteran host has signed an extension with KNBR.
• ESPN has signed a sweeping media-rights deal with the Big 12 that will see ABC or ESPN carry every football championship game through ’24 and will launch a Big 12-branded area on ESPN+. (Courtesy Sports Business Daily)
• San Diego’s Mighty 1090 is off the air, and the future is uncertain. The station has been taken off the air by the people who their tower in Mexico. The station is continuing to stream through their website and app. (Courtesy San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Pens radio voice Mike Lange will miss the start of the playoffs after an adverse reaction to medication for pneumonia. Lange was briefly hospitalized last week and is now resting at home. (Courtesy NHL.com)
• Fox Sports Detroit will have 17 “Players Only” telecasts in which former players offer running commentary and conversation during a game rather than traditional play-by-play. (Courtesy Crains Detroit)
• Kennesaw State voice Brian Katrek will be one of two hosts calling the golf action on the final hole for PGA Tour Radio. The broadcasts will be heard on Sirius XM. (Courtesy MDOnline.com)
• The Bengals and iHeartMedia Cincinnati have extended the agreement to broadcast the team’s games on radio through the 2024 NFL season. Dan Hoard remains the play-by-play voice. (Courtesy Bengals.com)
• Congratulations to Matt Finkel, the new sports anchor/reporter at NBC Connecticut.
• Miami sports talk personality Marc Hochman has signed a long-term contract to continue co-hosting the afternoon drive program on WQAM. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Longtime Cincinnati anchor Brad Johansen has been let go from WRAL in North Carolina just a year after leaving Ohio. Johnson has worked as sports director then as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports Network. (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Jesse Krull, the new sports anchor/reporter at WJHL in Johnson City, TN.
• Oklahoma sports talk radio pioneer Al Eschbach is being inducted into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame this week at the OAB’s annual convention in Oklahoma City. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congratulations to Lauren Jbara. She is joining Altitude Sports in Denver as a host/reporter. Lauren served as the in-arena host and digital reporter for the Detroit Pistons and the sideline reporter for Oakland University Men’s Basketball on ESPN3 for over three years.
• Props to Amy Zimmer, the new sports anchor/reporter at WJCL News in Savannah, GA. She leaves the Sports Director position at NBC Palm Springs (CA).
• Heat broadcaster Eric Reid was sidelined from the Heat-Celtics Wednesday (April 3rd) due to the flu. He was replaced on the call by sideline reporter Jason Jackson. (Courtesy Sun-Sentinel.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Zach Mackey, the new men’s basketball voice and football analyst at Montana State University. In addition, MSU has added football to the duties of Jason Alvine. Alvine is already the voice of MSU women’s hoops (Courtesy Billings Gazette)
• WEEI Boston columnist John Tomase is leaving to join NBC Sports Boston, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. (Courtesy Boston.com</div)>
</div=””> • Host Dan Sileo of The Fan in San Diego is also hosting a new, two-hour weekend show at the Enterom’s WEEI-FM, Boston. Sileo is a Connecticut native. His new show airs 3 to 5 pm.
• James Merilatt is joining Bonneville Denver. In addition to managing and creating material for 1043TheFan.com, Merilatt will be heard regularly across Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s on-air programming. (Courtesy Radio Ink)
• Steve Vecchione, a veteran sports announcer in New England, is the new play-by-play voice for the North Shore Navigators’ home games in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. (Courtesy NGSsports.com)
March 2019
• Less than a season into what he has described as his “dream job,” Chris Kroeger is out as the Charlotte Hornets’ radio play-by-play announcer. No word yet as to why. Former voice Steve Martin is finishing the season. (Courtesy Charlotte Observer)
• Guerin Austin’s immediate future as the Red Sox’ sideline reporter on NESN appears to be uncertain. However, she is not on the schedule for a couple of months following the first few weeks of the season, and her role has been left unclear. (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• Versatile Mike Claiborne is stepping up on St. Louis Cardinals radio play-by-play while Ricky Horton is recovering from knee surgery. (Courtesy STLToday)
• Mike “the Z-man” Zarrick returns to St. Louis airwaves on Monday. Zarrick says his show will be different from most competitors because it will be driven by calls from listeners. He has been on the air locally several times over the years, the last in 2017 on WGNU. (Courtesy STLToday)
• Longtime Louisville Redbirds, RiverBats and Bats broadcaster and STAA member Jim Kelch is coming back to the booth at Slugger Field. Kelch will take the mic alongside Bats broadcaster Nick Curran for home games this season as well as some road games for the Cincinnati Reds’ Triple A affiliate. (Courtesy Courier-Journal)
• Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets TV broadcaster Bill Davidge has announced he will retire after this season. (Courtesy Dispatch.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Maura Sheridan. Maura will become the fifth woman broadcaster in minor league baseball this season, joining the Fayetteville Woodpeckers as their No. 2. (Courtesy Fayobserver.com)
• Props to Leah Hextall. She will become the first woman to handle play-by-play in the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship when she calls three games in the East Regional this weekend on ESPN networks. (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• Mike Tirico will serve as play-by-play host for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur when the new event is shown on NBC on April 6. (Courtesy Augusta.com)
• Frank Thomas is joining NBC Sports Chicago as a White Sox analyst. (Courtesy Chicago Sun Times)
• MSG Networks and ESPN New York 98.7FM have reached a new multi-year agreement, ensuring that 98.7FM continues to serve as the radio home of the York Knicks and New York Rangers. (Courtesy ESPN)
• UT-Chattanooga football and basketball are moving to WFLI for the coming season. The station will also air weekly coaches shows.
• Ex-New York Knicks broadcaster Cal Ramsey has died at 81. He had been in poor health in recent years. Ramsey was an analyst for Knicks’ broadcasts from 1972 to 1982. (Courtesy New York Times)
• Tony Romo’s representatives are looking for a contract extension paying him “eight figures” annually to remain as CBS Sports’ top NFL analyst in 2020 and beyond. (Courtesy Sporting News)
• At SportsTalk 790 in Houston, Sean Salisbury is moving from afternoons to morning to replace the departed Josh Innes. The new afternoon show will feature Adam Clanton who returns to the station after a year away. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• WFAN held recent talks to sign SiriusXM host Adam Schein to be the eventual replacement for Mike Francesa. Schein has opted to stay with SiriusXM. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Dave Wannstedt won’t be a part of Fox’s new college football pregame show next season. The network is planning a show with newcomers Urban Meyer and Reggie Bush. (Courtesy Chicago Sun Times)
• Laurence Holmes, the veteran Chicago sportscaster and evening host at WSCR 670-AM, is moving up to a new afternoon shift at The Score. Starting March 28, Holmes will host solo weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. (Courtesy ReobertFeder.com)
• Johnny Holliday is joining NBC Washington as a contributor after leaving his ‘Nats Xtra’ role. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Sports talk host Wolfgang Miller of 1700 The Champ in Des Moines died Tuesday when he was hit by a truck. He was 44. Miller’s car was pulled over on the shoulder. He was hit by a semi-truck when he exited the vehicle. (Courtesy WHOTV)
• Congratulations to Howard Deneroff. He has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue serving as EVP/executive producer of Westwood One Sports. He’s been with the company for 30 years.
• Brandon Chase has been named Program Director at Fox Sports Radio Charlotte. He already works in the local Beasley radio cluster.
• The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have have named STAA’s Cullen Holt their Radio Broadcaster and Director of Media Relations.
• Brad Walker will broadcast games this summer for the Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plain League. Brad is a student at Ohio U. Congratulations, Brad!
• The Hollywood Reporter revealed Monday that ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and content chief Connor Schell flew to Denver a week ago to meet with Peyton Manning about joining Monday Night Football. (Courtesy National Football Post)
• Big shakeup at San Diego’s XTRA Sports 1360. Mike Costa moves from PM to AM Drive with Judson Richards. Nick Hardwick moves from mornings to middays with STAA member Jon Schaeffer. Rich Ohrnberger moves from middays to PM Drive with Steve Hartman.
• The Southern Illinois Miners have partnered with River Radio in a multi-year agreement to broadcast their games online at 1035espn.com. STAA member Jason Guerette returns for his sixth season as Voice of the Miners. (Courtesy The Southern)
• Wes Durham, well-known in Atlanta for his broadcasts of Georgia Tech and Falcons games, will get a starring role on the new ACC Network that launches this year. Durham will join Mark Packer as hosts of a live three-hour talk show, called “Packer and Durham,” from 7-10 a.m. weekdays on the network. (Courtesy AJC.com)
• Nick Camino is joining WKYC in Cleveland as a weekend sports anchor/reporter. Camino spent the last 12 years as a sports talk host at WTAM 1100. (Courtesy WKYC.com)
• Adnan Virk is joining DAZN to lead the MLB show “ChangeUp” after agreeing to not litigate dispute with ESPN. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Former Iowa State Cyclones broadcaster Bob Foster has died at the age of 65. He had reportedly been battling leukemia. (Courtesy KWWL)
• 790 KBME Houston sports talk host Josh Innes said Wednesday on Twitter that his morning drive program had been terminated for “budget reasons.” (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• 92.9 The Game in Atlanta has let go mid-day hosts Rick Kamla and John Michaels. Sources say it was a budgetary decision more than a programming one. (Courtesy AJC.com)
• Former KILT Houston PD Ryan McCredden has been named Operations Manager at Townsquare Media/Quad Cities. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Dick Groat is leaving Pitt basketball radio broadcasts after 40 years. The decision was made by the athletic department. Groat is 88. (Courtesy Post-Gazette)
• Carolina Panthers radio analyst Eugene Robinson is leaving after 17 years on the broadcasts.
• Congratulations to STAA member Thaddeus Krzus, the new voice of Clearwater Threshers baseball! He follows Kirsten Karbach, who is now with the Reading Fighting Phils.
• Hats off to Lyndsey Gough. She recently joined WTOC-TV in Savannah, GA as a weekend sports anchor/news reporter. Lyndsey is a graduate of the U. of Kentucky.
• Congrats to Devin Haney of 910 KINA-AM in Salina, KS. Devin is the winner of the 2019 KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportscaster of the Year award. (Courtesy Abilene-rr.com)
• Urban Meyer and Reggie Bush are joining Fox. Fox is attempting to mimic its big-name NFL and MLB studio-show success by loading up with marquee hires to make a potential run at ESPN’s “College GameDay,” (Courtesy New York Post)
• CBS and Turner announced the broadcast crews for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The eight crews that will call the NCAA Tournament are largely unchanged from a year ago (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Sports radio legend Tony Bruno and his former colleague Harry Mayes are reuniting for a new show that is being targeted for digital platforms. The show is in pre-production for a debut later this year. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• The New York Yankees have reached an agreement to repurchase the Yankees Entertainment Sports network (YES) from Disney at a price of $3.4 billion in a deal that is expected to close on Friday, It will mark the first of the nearly two-dozen Fox Regional Sports Networks, currently held by Disney, to be sold. (Courtesy FoxNews.com)
• Longtime Spurs TV announcer Bill Land is on the mend after breaking his wrist and suffering cuts to face in a recent fall. (Courtesy KSAT.com)
• Hall of Famer Jim Ross has revealed he and Vince McMahon have “mutually agreed” to end his WWE contract. Ross’s current deal expires March 29. (Courtesy New York Post)
• A Channel 45 anchor apologized Thursday on behalf of the station after play-by-play announcer Doug McLeod referred to “lynching ropes” while calling a game in the Minnesota Boys’ State Hockey Tournament. (Courtesy StarTribune.com)
• Mike Schmidt will scale back his broadcasting duties with the Phillies this season. He will only work Sunday home games after handling both home Saturday and Sunday games for the past four years. (Courtesy Philadelphia Business Journal)
• Mike North is returning to the air in Chicago for a weekly sports betting show on ESPN 1000. (Courtesy DailyHerald.com)
• Patrick Kelly, son of Blues TV announcer John Kelly, grandson of legendary Blues announcer Dan Kelly and nephew of former Blues broadcaster Dan P. Kelly, is set to call the title games in the two divisions of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association. (Courtesy St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• Eytan Shander is talking over overnights on SB Nation Radio starting March 11th. Shander’s resume includes WIP and WPEN in Philadelphia, Siriux XM and NBC Sports Radio.
• Longtime Wizards broadcaster Steve Buckhantz’s future at NBC Sports Washington is uncertain. The network recently informed Buckhantz that it would not pick up the option on the third year of his contract. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Matt Sabados will be the first voice of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Class-A Astros). Sabados spent the 2017-2018 academic year as assistant director of athletic communications at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he handled play-by-play duties for all college sports. (Courtesy Fayobserver.com)
• WCCO Radio news reporter Sloane Martin is the first woman play-by-play announcer at the Minnesota boys state hockey tournament. (Courtesy TwinCities.com)
• After slightly more than a month away from the microphone, Bob Matthews was back on the air Tuesday night to host his sports talk radio show on WHAM 1180-AM in Rochester, NY. Matthews broke his clavicle after slipping on ice. (Courtesy Democrat & Chronicle)
• Jessica Mendoza has been hired as a baseball operations adviser for the Mets. She’ll remain a broadcaster for ESPN — part of an increasing number of television commentators who also work for teams. Mendoza will be involved in player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement and health and performance. (Courtesy FoxSports)
• Joe Miller is joining Pete Medhurst as color commentator on Navy football radio broadcasts. Miller has done play-by-play for several other Navy sports programs over the years. (Courtesy Capital Gazette)
• Congratulations to STAA member Leo Goldman. Leo will graduate from Bowling Green University this Spring before heading to ABC/Fox Montana as a sports reporter.
• Pros to Danyel Detomo (Western Carolina U), the new sports anchor at KGWN in Cheyenne, WY. She leaves a job with the Carolina Panthers video crew. She replaces Anna Logan, who is now at CBS 12 in Palm Beach. FL.
• Brian Anderson, Brandon Gaudin, Kevin Kugler and Dave O’Brien will call the Big Ten men’s basketball conference tournament on BTN.
• Former Texas A&M women’s basketball announcer Mike Wright has been named Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the school. (Courtesy KBTX.com)
• Denver sports talk host Alfred Williams, who left 104.3 The Fan last week, is on his way across town to join KOA. First, though, he must wait out a non-compete. (Courtesy 9News.com)
• Columbus Crew soccer will air on 97.1 The Fan. Chris Doran will handle the English play-by-play.
• Bay Area sports statistician Bo Chapman, 35, died Feb. 18 from injuries suffered in a car accident. Both Bo and his father, veteran statistician Jeff Chapman, were longtime fixtures on Golden State Warriors broadcasts and with FOX Sports. Together, they started a stats and research company called S.T.A.T. LLC 4 years ago. The Warriors and the Chapman family are in the process of forming the “Golden State Warriors/Bo Chapman Statistician Training School”.
• With Joe Angel retiring, the Baltimore Orioles adding Kevin Brown to their radio broadcast team. Brown will work about 50 games this season with Jim Hunter resining the primary voice. (Courtesy York Dispatch)
• Blanca Jarrín, wife of Los Angeles Dodgers Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, has passed aways at age 85. The Jarrin’s are a wonderful family. Our prayers are with them. (Courtesy DodgerBlue.com)
• Great to hear Bob “Slick” Leonard is back on Indiana Pacers broadcasts. He’s been recovering from a fall since late December. (Courtesy IndyStar.com)
• Samantha Gannon, until today a weekend sports anchor and reporter at KOKH in Oklahoma City, will join the KDFW/Channel 4 Dallas sports desk in March as co-host and producer of a live weeknight sports/entertainment show. (Courtesy Star-Telegram.com)
• PM Drive co-host Alfred Williams is leaving 104.3 The Fan in Denver. He’s yet to announce his next move. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Sean Baligian, a veteran of sports-talk radio across Michigan, will take over the morning slot on Michigan Media Network created by the departure of Matt Shepard. (Courtesy MLive.com)
• We’re fired up for STAA member Blake Gardner, the new voice of Birmingham Legion FC. Gardner is the play-by-play broadcaster for various Samford University sports and has spent time as the sideline reporter for men’s and women’s basketball and soccer on numerous ESPN3 and ESPN+ broadcasts. (Courtesy Trussville Tribune)
• Congratulations to STAA member Max Thoma, the new broadcasting and media relations assistant for the Gary SouthShore Railcats. Max joins fellow STAA member Jared Shlensky in the the Railcats booth.
• ESPN will decide its MNF booth in the coming weeks following Jason Witten’s decision to resume his playing career. (Courtesy Yahoo.com)
February 2019
• The Salem Red Sox, the Single-A-Advanced minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have hired play-by-play announcer Melanie Newman. Newman will join Suzie Cool, creating the first all-female broadcast booth in all of baseball. (Courtesy 12Up.com)
• Veteran sports radio programmer Mike Thompson is getting back in the game as PD at 1620 The Zone in Omaha. Thompson’s accomplishments span markets from Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
• Ashley Docking is joining Greg Brady and Hugh Burrill in AM Drive at Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto.
• Long-time Kansas sportscaster Tom Hedrick has signed off for good after 62 years. In STAA’s humble opinion, Hedrick and Bill Mercer are the two best teachers of sports broadcasting our industry has seen. Congratulations, Tom, on your own career and on the countless careers you’ve helped launch.
• Iowa play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin, who was suspended last week for likening Maryland’s Bruno Fernando to “King Kong” during a game, will be reinstated after the end of the season. (Courtesy Chicago Tribune)
• Congratulations to STAA member Brennan Mense (and fellow K-State Wildcat!), the new No. 2 broadcaster with the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
• Host/Reporter Andy Lindahl has left Orange & Blue 760 in Denver.
• Philly Sports Talk, a mainstay on NBC Sports Philadelphia and Comcast SportsNet since the launch of the network in 1997, is being canceled. The final live episode — featuring Marc Farzetta and Amy Fadool Kane — will air Feb. 28. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• 710 ESPN Seattle has remade its evening show. Curtis Rogers, Stacy Rost and Jake Heaps will handle 7 to 9 pm Mondays through Thursdays. In addition, Ludia Cruz, Taylor Jacbos and Rogers get a new Saturday morning show. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• FC Cincinnati soccer will air on WDJO. Tom Gehlerter and Kevin McCloskey will call the games; Lindsay Patterson will handle sidelines.
• Former outfielder Coco Crisp is joining Oakland A’s radio as an analyst for 33 games on the team’s new TUNEIN channel. (MLB.com)
• Iowa radio announcer Gary Dolphin has been suspended for the rest of the basketball season after an on-air ‘King Kong’ reference. This marks the second on-air incident this basketball season that put Dolphin in hot water publicly. Jim Albracht and Bobby Hansen will finish the season. (Courtesy HawkCentral.com)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Joey Zanaboni, the new voice of the Johnson City Cardinals. Joey spent the past two seasons with the Texas AirHogs of the American Association. He’s replaced in Texas by Tim Costello, who was already in the organization.
• The Houston Dynamo is dropping it’s English radio broadcast. They are keeping Spanish radio. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Former Phillies star Ryan Howard is joining ESPN as a baseball analyst. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Dennis Eckersley has re-upped for five more years at NESN. (Courtesy Sports Business Daily)
• Rusty Hilst is retiring after five decades as the voice of Eagle Radio, Hutchinson (KS) High School and Hutchinson Community College. Congratulations on a fabulous career. (Courtesy KSN.com)
• Congratulations to Erik Bremer, the new Broadcasting & Media Relations Assistant or the Potomac Nationals.
• Fox Sports broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt will cover the 15-20 Tampa Bay Rays games Dewayne Staats takes off this season. (Courtesy TampaBay.com)
• Congratulations to Hofstra senior Victoria Conway, the new play-by-play broadcaster for the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League.
• Hats off to Shawn Murnin the new Media Relations and Broadcasting Manager for the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Murnin was with Hagerstown last season.
• South Carolina sports talk host Phil Kornblut’s show will return to statewide airwaves on February 25th. (Courtesy Post and Courier)
• David Steele, who has been announcing Orlando Magic games since their first NBA season in 1989, will be inducted into the organization’s hall of fame during a ceremony Friday afternoon, February 22nd. (Courtesy Orlando Sentinel)
• Congratulations to STAA member Jesse Goldberg-Strassler. Jesse is one of four Blue Jays minor league affiliate broadcasters to be called up for the opportunity to call multiple Blue Jays spring training games.
• Props to Nick Kosko. The 2018 Rutgers grad is the first play-by-play voice for Atlantic City of the Arena Football League.
• Clippers broadcaster Ralph Lawler will be inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame in September. After 40 years broadcasting Clippers games, Lawler will be honored with the Curt Gowdy Media Award. (Courtesy OC Register)
• Congratulations to STAA member Dan Zangrilli. Dan is returning to 97.3 The Fan in Pittsburgh to host Pirates pre and post-game shows. Zangrilli held the position between 2012 and 2016.
• Midday co-host Mark Willard is leaving XTRA Sports 1360 in San Diego for evenings on KNBR San Francisco. Drew Hoffar moves to 10 pm to midnight. STAA member Jon Schaefer is currently in Willard’s old seat opposite Rich Ohrnberger in San Diego. (Courtesy KNBR)
• The Oakland A’s are set to announce that KTRB (860 AM) will carry all games this season and the audio also will be found on the TuneIn app, the first time an MLB team has a direct partnership with a free streaming service. TuneIn will also launch a full-time A’s channel. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• Congratulations to Mike Wilner. Mike is stepping into a play-by-play roll on Toronto Blue Jays radio after 17 seasons on the broadcast team. Mike will work alongside Ben Wagner. (Courtesy SportsNet.ca)
• Former ESPN personality Adnan Virk is seeking a settlement with the network that fired him after he reportedly leaked confidential information about its broadcast plans. He denies leaking proprietary information or doing anything wrong. (Courtesy Yahoo.com)
• Larry Murphy is returning to Detroit Red Wings TV broadcasts, replacing Darren Eliot. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• Ryan Reynolds is the new weekend sports anchor and sports reporter for KLST News in San Angelo, TX. Ryan is from League City, Texas and graduated from Sam Houston State University. Congratulations Ryan! (Courtesy Conchovalleyhomepage.com)
• WEEI has revealed the Red Sox radio rotation for 2019: Sean McDonough, Josh Lewin, Mario Impemba, Chris Berman, Lou Merloni, Dale Arnold, Tom Caron and Dave O’Brien will work alongside Joe Castiglione. Castiglione has signed a contract extension. (Courtesy WEEI)
• The Chicago Cubs are teaming with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch a regional sports network in February 2020 that will become the exclusive television home of the Cubs. The Marquee Sports Network will air the full regular season schedule, expanded pregame and postgame coverage, classic broadcasts from the archives and other local sports programming. (Courtesy Chicago Tribune)
• Longtime Orioles broadcaster Joe Angel won’t be returning this season. An announcement on Angel is likely to be made soon by the club. Angel has declined comment. (Courtesy BaltimoreBaseball.com)
• Longtime Padres voice Ted Leitner says an eye condition will eventually cause him to go blind. He says, “I just don’t know when. … I don’t know how many years I have.” (Courtesy Times of San Diego)
• Big congratulations to STAA member Sam Levitt, the inaugural voice of the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Amarillo is the AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Sam has been the No. 2 with Corpus Christi. (Courtesy ABC7 Amarillo)
• KSBY San Luis Obispo, CA Sports Director Jessica Vo is leaving the industry. Weekend Sports Anchor Chance Dickman will replace her. (Courtesy San Luis Obispo.com)
• Entercom is launching Radio.Com Sports, a new online platform. Integrated into its Radio.com streaming service, the new app and website will include a “Sports Insiders” program, featuring premium content culled from a network of experts who will make appearances on Entercom sports stations. (Courtesy Inside Radio)
• NBA sideline reporter/host Cassidy Hubbarth has chosen to stay with ESPN over an opportunity with Yahoo/Turner, and there is a Twitter component. She will begin a new half-hour Twitter pregame show called “Hoop Streams” before showcase Saturday NBA games on ABC. The shows will be live from the arenas. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to Jordan Lank, the new No. 2 for the Fayetteville SwampDogs. Jordan is a junior at Arizona State U.
• Islanders announcer Chris King returned to booth Saturday after missing hist first game because of illness in 25 years on Thursday. King went to the ER with tightness in his chest. Fortunately, tests revealed all good news. Glad you are well, Chris! (Courtesy Newsday.com)
• Former San Diego Charger-turned-sportscaster Jim Laslavic is retiring. Laz has been on TV in San Diego since 1982. Congratulations on two fabulous careers, Jim!
• Raj Sharan has been promoted from APD to Program Director at 104.3 The Fan in Denver. He follows Armen Williams, who left in December for KILT in Houston.
• Columbus, OH is losing a sports radio station. WZXZ (105.7 FM), which is owned by iHeart Media, flipped back to classic rock on Friday (February 8th). Among its personalities were Bruce Hooley and former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Chris Spielman. Matt McCoy and Stanley Jackson also hosted a local show. (Courtesy Dispatch.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Jon Schaeffer. Jon has been named voice of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football. Games will air on XTRA 1360. Fellow STAA members Jeff Munn (Arizona) and Mark Zinno (Atlanta) are also AAF radio voices.
• Props to Casey Hogan. Casey is returning to Tarleton State University as Director of Marketing and Broadcasting. He was previously the voice of the Texans before leaving in 2016. (Courtesy YourStephenvilleTx.com)
• Excited for STAA member Andrew Mossbrooks. Andrew has turned a fill-in opportunity with the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings into a gig for the rest of the season. Awesome!
• Charles Woodson has announced he is leaving ESPN. As for what’s next for the former All-Pro defensive back said: “I’ll see you next season somewhere. Stay tuned.” (Courtesy USA Today)
• Mike Tirico to call Red Wings game February 20th on NBCSN, his first NHL assignment. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• Jerry Miller recently broadcast his 2,000th Idaho State game. Well done, Jerry!
• Longtime A’s pre- and postgame radio announcer Chris Townsend has a new job, working directly for the team as a host and senior broadcast producer. (Courtesy SF Chronicle)
• The Alliance of American Football’s Birmingham Iron has its new radio voice, Thom Abraham. Games will air on WERC.
• Fired up for STAA member Mark Zinno. Mark has been named play-by-play voice for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football. Congrats Mark! STAA members are radio voices for two of the AAF’s eight franchises. Jeff Munn will have the call for the Arizona Hotshots.
• BIG congratulations to Kirsten Karbach. Kristen has been named director of public/media relations and radio broadcaster for the Reading Fightin Phils. She replaces Mike Ventola, who has been named a media relations manager with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Karbach has been with the Clearwater Threshers since 2013. (Courtesy Reading Eagle)
• 2018 U. of North Texas grad Kyle Youmans is joining the West Virginia Power as their No. 2 broadcaster.
• Jason Benetti, Lisa Byington, Andy Demetra, J.B. Long and Kyle Draper will serve as the Bulls’ substitute TV broadcasters for the remainder of the regular season. They will fill in for Neil Funk, who has been working a reduced schedule. (Courtesy 670 The Score)
• Lindsay Czarniak and Sara Walsh are heading to Fox to share NASCAR Race Hub weekend hosting duties. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Irv Brown, a longtime Denver sports-talk radio host, died Sunday morning. He was 83. Brown spent more than 40 years on the air until his retirement in April 2016. (Courtesy KDVR.com)
• Iconic Louisiana Tech broadcaster Dave Nitz has been selected for the 2019 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He will be inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame June 8. (Courtesy Shreveport Times)
• Lorenzo Neal has signed a new, long-term deal with 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. Neal co-hosts mornings with Joe Fortenbaugh and Dan Dibley. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congrats to Kaleigh Emery, who is joining the sports team at Fox 9 in Minneapolis. She leaves her sports anchor/reporter position at KYFR in Bismarck, ND.
• Props to Davis Ellington, the new voice of the North Adams SteepleCats of the NECBL.
• The Chicago Dogs of the American Association have named Sam Brief as their play-by-play broadcaster and media relations manager. Congratulations Sam!
• ESPN rising star Adnan Virk has been fired, sources told The Post. Virk is accused of leaking confidential company information to the media on multiple occasions. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Marvin Lewis, Terrell Davis, Maurice Jones-Drew, Andrew Siciliano and Steve Mariucci are the newest names who will be on Alliance of American Football telecasts in some capacity. Alex Flanagan will be the studio host. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Former 97.5 The Fanatic hosts Harry Mayes and Eytan Shander will host a new midday show on 97.3 ESPN (WENJ) out of Northfield, N.J. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Charlotte, NC is getting a new sports station. Beasley Media is launching Fox Sports Charlotte 1600 AM and 94.7 FM. The station is not having local programming to start.
• San Francisco Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming has signed an extension through 2022. (Courtesy NBC Sports)
• 101 ESPN is the new flagship radio station for the St. Louis Blues Hockey beginning with the 2019/2020 season. KMOX has been the team’s radio home since 1974.
• Huge congratulations to founding STAA member John Leahy. The Lowell Spinners baseball voice has been awarded the NY-Penn League’s Warner Fusselle Award for Radio Excellence. (Courtesy The Valley Dispatch)
January 2019
• The Alliance of American Football has signed media deals with Turner Sports and the NFL Network. In March, the AAF agreed to have CBS carry the opening game on Feb. 9 and the championship game in April, with CBSSN carrying one game per week. (Courtesy Sports Business Daily)
• Learfield/IMG has shut down the S.C. Radio Network in South Carolina. Phil Kornblut’s ‘SportsTalk’ show temporarily moves to 100.7 FM The Point in Columbia. (Courtesy Post and Courier)
• Brad Lane is the new program director at ESPN 94.5 and 540 ESPN in Milwaukee. Lane is the former PD at KSTP in Minneapolis.
• Hats off to Harold Kuntz, the new sports anchor/reporter at FOX 4 in Kansas City. He leaves a similar position at KOTV Channel 6 in Tulsa.
• Congratulations to Devin Reiners, the new sports anchor/reporter at KTIV in Sioux City. Devin graduated from the U. of South Dakota one year ago.
• Dave Fox will be the voice of the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football. Games will air on ESPN 700. Fox is a longtime local sports anchor at KUTV.
• There will be a new PM Drive show on 96.9 The Game in Orlando. Brandon Kravitz is replacing Jerry O’Neill as co-host with The Shot Doctor. The new show debuts February 11th. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Congratulations to Chierstin Susel (Arizona State U). She has joined the sports staff at 12News in Phoenix after leaving WBIR-TV in Knoxville.
• Props to Courtney Mims, the new Sports Director at WMBB in Panama City, FL. Courtney is a 2018 grad of the U. of Florida.
• Hats off to Daniel Ver Steeg is the new play-by-play voice for the Sioux City Bandits of the Champions Indoor Football league.
• A.J. Hoffman has been promoted to Program Director at ESPN 97.5 in Houston. Hoffman will continue co-hosting afternoon drive on the station.
• Jay Puskar is joining JET 24/FOX 66 in Erie, PA as sports director and weekday sports anchor. Puskar is the former sports director at the local NBC affiliate. (Courtesy YourErie.com)
• Tony Flynn, who worked for a Green Bay radio station and announced Packers games in the 1950s, has died at age 92. (Courtesy Green Bay Press Gazette)
• Veteran Temple, TX sportscaster Gene Pemberton has passed away at age 79. (Courtesy TDNews.com)
• WJFK’s Sports Junkies announce a second Virginia affiliate – Richmond sports talker WRNL. Starting February 4. They recently announced they’d also be carried by sports talker WTAR in the Norfolk area. (Courtesy DCRTV)
• Host Michael Grady is leaving the “Grady & Big Joe” show on ESPN’s The Fan. He remains as a reporter for YES Network. PD Jeff Rickard is now co-hosting mornings with Joe Staysniak, who stays on board. (Courtesy Indy Star)
• Morning show co-host Elliott Price has left Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto. Co-hosts Greg Brady and Huge Burrill remain on board. (Courtesy TorontoMike.com)
• Chris Garagiola is being promoted to the top spot in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ radio booth. He follows Tommy Thrall, who is joining the Cincinnati Reds. Garagiola has been the team’s No. 2 the past two summers.
• Congratulations to STAA member Conor Clingen, the new Broadcast/Media Relations Assistant for the Winston-Salem Dash.
• David Mayurnik has been named program director for Entercom’s CBS Sports Radio. Mayurnik will report to CBS Sports Radio Network and WFAN senior vice president Mark Chernoff. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Dan Kolko and Bo Porter will replace Johnny Holliday and Ray Knight on MASN’s Washington Nationals broadcasts. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• The A’s still will have a traditional radio home for their broadcasts in 2019, according to team President Dave Kaval, but will be emphasizing their streaming service first and foremost in the coming season. STAA member Donny Baarns is expected to continue to provide play-by-play of A’s spring games on athletics.com. (Courtesy SFGate.com)
• Dave Zaslowsky has been promoted to Manager/Executive Producer of the WGN Radio Sports Network. Zaslowsky has been the EP for Chicago White Sox broadcasts.
• Ex-Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero will be the color analyst on the six Vancouver Canadians TV broadcasts this summer. (Courtesy NationalPost.com)
• Congratulations to 2018 STAA All-American Blaine McCormick, the new voice of minor league baseball’s Boise Hawks. Blaine graduates from Arizona State this spring.
• After more than 40 seasons behind the microphone as the voice of the Mason County Royals, Danny Weddle has decided to call it a career. Weddle is the sports director at WFTM in Kentucky. (Courtesy Ledger Independent)
• The Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football have signed a radio deal with ESPN 700 in Salt Lake. The broadcast team has yet to be named.
• The long-running radio show Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly is coming to an end in Arkansas. The final edition of the show will air on February 28, 2019. (Courtesy KARK.com)
• Mighty 1090 San Diego VP/Programming Mike Shepard has been laid off by the Broadcast Company of the Americas. The cluster is involved in a battle with the owners of the Mexican station licenses it leases to cover the local market. (Courtesy AllAccess).
• Bruce Gilbert has signed a multi-year contract to remain SVP/Sports Operations for Cumulus/Westwood One. Congratulations Bruce!
• Congratulations to STAA member Jake Eisenberg, the new No. 2 broadcaster with the Richmond Flying Squirrels!
• The NSMA has voted Bill Hillgrove as the winner of the second annual Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award. Hillgrove has been calling play-by-play for Pitt football and men’s basketball for 45 and 51 seasons, respectively. (Courtesy Post-Gazette)
• The voice of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos for the franchise’s first seven seasons is moving up to the big leagues. The Reds have announced that Tommy Thrall will join the MLB club’s radio broadcast team this season. Congratulations Tommy! (Courtesy PNJ.com)
• Former TSN host and reporter Peter Watts has passed away at the age of 68. Watts joined TSN in its first year in 1984 and was a Jack of all trades. (courtesy TSN)
• Barry Rozner may be calling it quits after 10 years as a prominent weekend and fill-in personality at The Score in Chicago. Rozner told Mitch Rosen, operations director of The Score, that he does not expect to be back this baseball season. (Courtesy Robert Feder)
• WJFK has signed a long-term contract extension with all four “Sports Junkies.” John Auville, Eric Bickel, Jason Bishop, and John-Paul Flaim will remain on 106.7 The Fan weekdays from 5 AM to 10 AM. (Courtesy DCRTV)
• Urban Meyer is being given the choice to work either as a color commentator in the game booth or as a studio analyst at Fox. (Courtesy SportingNews.com)
• Congratulations to Michael Marcantonini, the new communications & broadcasting assistant with the Altoona Curve. Michael spent 2018 as a play-by-play voice and the media relations assistant with the York Revolution (independent, Atlantic League).
• The Indianapolis Colts have removed the interim tag from radio play-by-play broadcaster Matt Taylor. (Courtesy IndyStar.com)
• Bob Costas has ended his 40-year career with NBC. He will continue on the MLB Network. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Marty Brennaman, Cincinnati Reds radio play-by-play man/legend, has announced that 2019 will be his final season. (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
• Hats off to STAA member Zachary Bryan, the new news/sports and play-by-play broadcaster at K101 in Woodward, OK.
• Congratulations to STAA member Noah Cloonan, the new Broadcasting & Media Relations Assistant for minor league baseball’s Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
• WCCO-AM news talk host Mike Max has been named sports director at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. He replaces the recently retired Mark Rosen.
• Jared Jesulaitis is the new sports director and morning show co-host on 101.7 The Hammer in Lafayette, IN. He previously worked at another station within the local cluster. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• The Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football will have their games broadcast on 680 The Fan. A broadcaster has yet to be announced.
• Congrats to Mike Tussey, the new voice of Kentucky Enforcers basketball of the NABL.
• Mike “Doc” Emrick, Bob Ley, Peter King, and Tony Kornheiser have been voted into the NSMA Hall of Fame.
• Matt Shepard is the new TV voice of the Detroit Tigers. Congratulations, Matt! (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• Veteran Pittsburgh Pirates radio and TV analyst Steve Blass will retire after coming season. He will stay involved with the Pirates as an alumni ambassador. (Courtesy MLB.com)
• Afternoon host Nick Cattles has been promoted to Program Director at ESPN Radio 94.1 in Norfolk.
• January 15th is sports talk KSTP-AM Minneapolis ’s first day as “SKOR North” as it rebrands from 1500 ESPN. Local shows include Matthew Coller in afternoons, Phil Mackie and Judd Zuglad in PM Drive and Patrick Reusse evenings. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Marney Gellner will be the play-by-play announcer on Fox Sports North for three Twins spring training games. (Courtesy StarTribune.com)
• Hats off to Brandon Kamerman. He leaves WVUA in Tuscaloosa, AL for the sports director position at KVAL in Eugene, OR.
• Our prayers are with sports talk host Chris Duncan. Chris is taking a permanent leave from WXOS-FM, St. Louis to focus on his battle against brain cancer. The former Cardinals outfielder has been hosting middays with Anthony Stalter. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Fox16 Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter Ben Creighton will serve as the TV play-by-play voice of Little Rock Trojans Men’s Basketball this season on ESPN+. (Courtesy Fox16)
• Congratulations to STAA’s John Kocsis, the new Director of Broadcasting/Media Relations for minor league baseball’s Hagerstown Suns.
• The Walla Walla Sweets of the West Coast League have announced that veteran play-by-play broadcaster Roy Elia has been hired to be the baseball club’s lead broadcaster and media relations director. (Courtesy Walla Walla Sweets)
• Props to Jonathan Rawson, the new play-by-play voice for the Spearfish Sasquatch of the Expedition League.
• Pioneering sports broadcaster Doug LaMear, who became a Portland institution, died Monday in his sleep of natural causes. He was 93. (Courtesy OregonLive.com)
• Jason Minnix has been named radio voice of the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders. Games will air on ESPN San Antonio. Minnix co-hosts a show on the station.
• WBBL in Grand Rapids has flipped from sports to country. Out are hosts Eric Zane and Ben Glaze and PD Marcus Bradman. Bill Simonson moves to WJRW 1340 AM with plans to expand. (Courtesy MLive.com)
• An auction of about 2,000 items of sports memorabilia, photographs and other items from the estate of legendary Bills play-by-play man Van Miller is up for auction today, Tuesday January 8th. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• Colorado Rockies radio voice Jerry Schemmel has launched a new radio show. Amazing Americans features interviews with folks who have overcome enormous odds, performed truly heroic deeds, executed selfless acts of kindness, been great role models or have generally made life better for others . The show airs Sunday mornings at 8 on KOA Newsradio Denver. For more info about the show,www.amazingamericans.org
• Hats off to Armen Williams. He leaves The Fan in Denver to take over as PD at Sports Radio 610 KILT in Houston. Williams replaces Ryan McCredden who recently departed. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congratulations to Wayne Randazzo who has been promoted to a position on the Mets radio play-by-play team. However, he gets a one year deal and WCBS is expected to audition other announcers during the season. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congrats to Gabe Genovesi, the new voice of the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League.
• The New England Patriots and 98.5 The Sports Hub have extended their broadcast agreement.
• Ever wonder what assistance STAA members are receiving besides job leads? Watch this short virtual tour video of the STAA Members Site now to find out!
• Congratulations to STAA member Marc Ryan, the new APD/Midday host at ESPN Upstate in Greenville, SC. Marc has previously worked in Tampa and Atlanta. Congratulations Marc!
• The Detroit Tigers are working out terms with Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris to serve as TV analysts on FOX Sports Detroit for the 2019 season. (Courtesy WXYZ.com)
• Duke Keith (play-by-play) and Leonard Owens will call three UTEP men’s basketball home games on ESPN+ this season. Colin Deaver (play-by-play) and Izabela McCage will handle three UTEP women’s basketball home games on ESPN+. (Courtesy KTSM)
• Congrats to STAA’s Dave Smith, who is joining SB Nation Radio. The former NBC Sports Radio host will will host Thursday nights from 8 to 10 pm and weekends from 9 pm to 1 am Eastern.
• Greg Papa is in as voice of the 49ers, signaling an end to Ted Robinson’s 10-year run. Papa was let go by the Raiders prior to the start of this season. (Courtesy San Jose Mercury News)
• NBC Sports has launched a sports gambling radio show hosted by Michael Jenkins and Tim Murray. The show will air weekdays from 3-7 EDT. It will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Radio app, as well as a group of mostly smaller market national affiliates. (Courtesy Washington Post)
December 2018
• Learfield and IMG College have completed their merger. The new company is known as Learfield IMG College.
• After an 18-month battle with cancer, longtime WLTX-19 anchor and sports broadcaster Bob Shields has died, Shields was the Columbia, South Carolina TV station’s sports director for 30 years. (Courtesy The State).
• Montana State play-by-play voice and STAA member Jay Sanderson has resigned citing family health issues. We wish you the best, Jay!
• TV announcers have been chosen for the new Alliance of American Football. Play-by-play voices are Andrew Catalon, Spero Dedes and Ben Holden. Other broadcast team members include Gary Danielson, Melanie Collins, Trent Green, Tiki Barber, Jamie Erhdahl, Adam Archuleta and John Schriffen.
• The New York Yankees are in talks with Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group about partnering to bid for the team’s regional sports network YES. (Courtesy Markets Insider)
• Congratulations to STAA member Tim Slack, the new Sports Information Director/Associate Athletic Director and Play-by-Play Voice at Arizona Western College in Yuma.
• Phoenix sports talk show “Calling All Sports with Roc, Manuch, and Crespin” is being added to the SB Nation Radio lineup, weekdays from 4-7 pm EDT. The show will originate from the newest SB Nation Radio affiliate, 1060 AM KDUS in Phoenix. Also at SBNR, Jake Asman will host a nightly show from 7 to 8 EDT.
• Matt Shepard will fill-in for George Blaha on four upcoming Pistons telecasts. Blaha will be in California with the Michigan State football team. (Courtesy MLive.com)
• Jim Jackson, the Flyers’ long-time play-by-play voice who doubles as a Phillies broadcaster, will be honored as the winner of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Bill Campbell Award as part of its annual banquet Jan. 21. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret is expected to be back in the booth as scheduled on Saturday. Jeanneret was taken from the press box on a stretcher during the third period of Buffalo’s game against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 22. (Courtesy WIVB)
• Veteran Cincinnati sportscaster Ken Broo is retiring from WCPO-TV at year’s end. He will continue hosting his Sunday morning sports show on 700 WLW-AM. Congratulations on a fabulous TV career, Ken! (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
• Billy Crystal will join Clippers voice Ralph Lawler to call the Jan. 31 game against the Lakers. Lawler is retiring at the end of the season after 40 years with the team. Crystal is one of many notable names joining Lawler on broadcasts to pay tribute. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Pat Hughes has signed an extension with the Chicago Cubs. He is entering his 24th season on the radio broadcast.
• The Toucher and Rich morning show has signed an extension with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.
• Congratulations to STAA’s John Kocsis, the new Director of Media Relations & Broadcasting for the Hagerstown Suns. Kocsis replaces fellow STAA member Shawn Murnin who is leaving to pursue other opportunities.
• News AnchorReporter Rob Collins is moving to the same position within the sports department at FOX4 WDAF in Kansas City. Congratulations, Rob!
• Marshall Harris, a fill-in host at 94.1 WIP best known to area sports fans for the 10 years he spent at NBC Sports Philadelphia and Comcast SportsNet, is joining the CBS affiliate in Sacramento as sports director. (Courtesy Phlly.com)
• Stephanie Druley is being promoted in an ESPN production group shakeup. Druley will now run a combined studio and event production group alongside Norby Williamson. (Courtesy Sports Business Daily)
• SB Nation Radio has added over 25 new affiliates in the last month, including markets such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and Tulsa. The growth, in part, is due to NBC Sports Radio ceasing operations of its 24/7 lineup. (Courtesy Radio Online)
• With the Cubs heading out on their own to start a new network, the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox will return to NBC Sports Chicago next year. (Courtesy Chicago Sun Times)
• Baseball analyst David Ross has signed an extension with ESPN.
• Tim Neverett is joining the Dodgers’ broadcast team as Kevin Kennedy exits. Tim will fill in on TV for Joe Davis and on radio for Charley Steiner. Steiner will work a reduced schedule as part of a three year extension. Congratulations, Tim! (Courtesy OC Register)
• Long-time Charlotte Hornets broadcaster Stephanie Ready’s new job is a schedule of virtual reality telecasts of NBA games for Turner Sports. The Observer reported last week that Ready was leaving Fox Sports Southeast’s broadcast team. (Courtesy Charlotte Observer)
• The Monday Night Football TV team expects to return intact next season. (Courtesy The Athletic)
• Steven Spector has been promoted from APD to Program Director at 610 Sports in Kansas City. He follows John Hanson, who recently left for a similar position at WCCO in Minneapolis.
• Stadium is teaming up with The Montag Group to create Broadcast Stories. The series will tell the stories of how various sports broadcasters got to where they are today. (Sports Business Daily)
• Stephanie Ready, a part of the Hornets’ television team since the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004, is leaving for another broadcasting job. Her last game will be December 14th. (Courtesy Charlotte Observer)
• Congrats to Greg Gaston. He has been named radio voice for the Alliance of American Football’s Memphis Express. The team has signed a contract with iHeartMedia. (Courtesy Memphis Business Journal)
• Al Helfer, the Cincinnati Reds’ play-by-play broadcaster from 1935 to 1937, has won the 2019 Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting. Helfer, who died in 1975, will be recognized next summer in Cooperstown. (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
• ESPN Radio weekend hosts Steve Covino and Rich Davis will host one of two new late-night shows being added to the lineups of ESPN’s television networks in January. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Johnny Holliday, who took on the job of Nationals pre- and postgame host shortly after the team first came to town, says he is stepping away from his role on MASN as he cuts back his workload. Holliday is 81. He is the play-by-play voice at the U. of Maryland. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Radio voice Tim Neverett will not return to Red Sox broadcasts next season. He has decided to let his contract with WEEI expire as the station considers changing the broadcast to a talk show format.
• One of the world’s best soccer commentators is moving to the U.S. to join ESPN. Jon Champion will be ESPN’s new play-by-play voice for Major League Soccer beginning in 2019. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Congratulations to STAA member Ben Wilson, the new sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster at ESPN Columbia.
• Props to Elgin Rucker who is the new sports anchor/reporter at KCCN in Des Moines. He leaves WCJB 20 in Gainesville, FL.
• Sports anchor Mark Rosen has accelerated his plans to retire from WCCO-TV after roughly 50 years on the air. He’s moving the date up from after the Final Four in April to January 10th. (Courtesy Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
• The Orlando Magic will induct longtime play-by-play announcer David Steele into their Hall of Fame in February.
• Program Director John Hanson is leaving 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City for Entercom sister station News-Talk WCCO in Minneapolis. Good luck, John!
• Longtime KYWA Radio Philadelphia Sports Reporter Tom Maloney has passed away. He was 74. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Kevin Frandsen will be calling the 81 Phillies games that Larry Andersen is not doing next season. Last year the team used three former players to do those games. (Courtesy SportsTalkPhilly.com)
• ESPN has assigned Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit to the Alabama-Oklahoma College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl and Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge to the Clemson-Notre Dame semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Adam King is the new voice of Western Nebraska Pioneers Expedition League baseball. He follows STAA member Miles Klotz.
• Longtime WPXI-TV sportscaster Sam Nover, a mainstay in Pittsburgh media for decades, has died at age 77. (Courtesy Triblive.com)
• The Alliance of American Football has its second play-by-play broadcaster. Ms. Jamie Seh will be the radio voice of the Orlando Apollos. Seh is Sports Director at WKMG-TV News 6. STAA member Jeff Munn was recently named voice for the Arizona franchise. (Courtesy Orlando Business Journal)
• Cal Berkeley student Ryan Zimmerman is the new voice of Sanford Mainers baseball. Congratulations Ryan!
• NBC Sports Radio is ending much of its regular sports talk programming effective January 1st and pivoting to a strategy of feeding two weekday shows and two weekend shows with sports updates around the clock, seven days a week. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• The ACC Network finally has a launch date — Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019,
• Learfield and some of its Iowa affiliates will not air a radio ad supporting suspended Iowa play-by-play broadcaster Gary Dolphin. Loyal Hawkeye Fans, Inc. is sponsoring the pro-Dolphin ad that will run on several stations during his two-game suspension. (Courtesy Joplin Globe)
• New Hampshire Fisher Cats on-field emcee and road radio broadcaster Tyler Zickel has joined the front office in a full-time capacity as Director of Promotions & Entertainment. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
November 2018
• Extra excited for STAA member Brenna Greene. Brenna has been promoted to Sports Director after less than three months at KREM2 — the first ever female sports director in Spokane. An especially great gig for a Gonzaga grad and proud Zag. Way to go, Brenna!
• Former WQAD sports anchor Jim Albracht will handle play-by-play duties for the Iowa men’s basketball game Friday with Wisconsin. Gary Dolphin is on a two game suspension for criticizing the program in comments he thought were off-air.
• Congratulations to Syracuse student Jaron May, the new voice of the ABA’s Syracuse Stallions.
• Changes are coming to the Atlanta Braves broadcast team. Jeff Francoeur is becoming the lead TV analyst. Joe Simpson is moving mostly to radio. Simpson is “surprised” by the extent of the change. (Courtesy Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• Iowa Hawkeyes broadcaster Gary Dolphin has been suspended two games for criticisms he thought he was making off air. (Courtesy USA Today)
• We are fired up for STAA member Jeff Munn. Jeff has been named the radio voice of the Arizona Hotshots of the new Alliance of American Football. Games will air on 1060 AM. Munn will continue as voice of ASU women’s hoops.
• Props to Kaylee Heck, the new sports anchor/reporter at KFOX14 in El Paso, TX. Kaylee is a USC grad.
• South Alabama Jaguars voice JD Byars has been chosen to anchor the two-hour Sun Belt Conference championship pre-game show on ESPN3. He’ll also host a one hour post-game show.
• ABC will broadcast all three days of the 2019 NFL Draft. The first two days will be in prime time and have a distinct production, separate from the ESPN telecast. For the final day, ABC will simulcast the ESPN production, which will begin at noon. (Courtesy Albany Times Union)
• Congratulations to Trey Wilson, the new play-by-play broadcaster and Director of Communications for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He leaves a similar position with the Altoona Curve.
• Milwaukee has a new sports station, 97.3 The Game. The station includes four local shows, play-by-play from Westwood One and Milwaukee Admirals hockey. Tim Scott is the PD. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Controversial Dino Costa might soon be returning to KFNS in St. Louis. (Courtesy St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• After 40 years of broadcasting, Penn State women’s basketball voice Jerry Fisher will retire at the end of this season. (Courtesy Altoona Mirror)
• Fabulous news — For the first time this season, Trail Blazers radio voice Brian Wheeler takes the microphone as the team hosts the Clippers on Sunday (Nov. 25). Wheeler had been on medical leave, and for now will be limited to broadcasting only home games. STAA member Travis Demers, who had been filling-in for Wheeler so far this season, will handle Trail Blazers road games. (Courtesy NBA.com)
• Amazon bids for Disney’s 22 regional sports networks, including YES Network. Apollo Global Management, KKR, Blackstone, Sinclair Broadcast and Tegna are also making first-round bids for the regional networks. (Courtesy CNBC)
• The eighth season of NFL Network’s A Football Life continues Friday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. ET with a profile of former NFL wide receiver and 16-time Emmy award-winning broadcaster for NBC Sports Cris Collinsworth. (Courtesy Bengals.com)
• Kate Fagan, a writer and host at ESPN, is leaving the network at the end of the year. “To continue at ESPN I would have to be immersed in the day-to-day in sports,” Fagan said. “And I found myself more and more interested in other aspects of sports.” (Courtesy Washington Post).
• The Athletic has hired Armen Keteyian as part of its continued push into video. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Ex-Detroit Tigers voice Mario Impemba is up for Michigan sportscaster of year, presented by the National Sports Media Association. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• Josh Lewin is leaving New York Mets radio to join 97.3 The Fan in San Diego as Padres pre and post game host and fill-in play-by-play broadcaster. He is the voice of UCLA and former voice of the Chargers when they were in San Diego.(Courtesy New York Post)
• Longtime WDAE Tampa host Steve Duemig continues treatment for a brain tumor. He’ll step aside as the station names Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles PM Drive hosts effective Monday, November 26. The duo who exited three years ago in a programming reshuffle. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Veteran Montreal sportscaster Randy Tieman has died at age 64. (Courtesy Montreal Gazette)
• Congratulations to Ohio University student Luke Steiner, the new Play-by-Play/Multi-Media Specialist for the West Virginia Miners. The Miners play in the summer collegiate Prospect League.
• ESPN is continuing with remote college basketball broadcasts this year for more than 200 games. Crews will be based at broadcast centers in Bristol, Charlotte and Orlando. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• Fox Sports and Major League Baseball have come to terms on a renewal that will secure the Fox broadcast network as the home of the World Series through 2028. (Courtesy AdAge.com)
• Ernie Johnson will handle play-by-play for the Tiger Woods – Phil Mickelson match Nov. 23 in Las Vegas. (Courtesy Golf Week)
• NBC will use studio hosts Mike Tirico for play by play and Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison for analysis on its Thanksgiving night telecast of the Falcons game at New Orleans. They will replace the usual duo of Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels. (Courtesy Seymour Tribune)
• STAA’s Kyle Rush is broadcasting the University of Maine’s men’s basketball game this weekend at NC State. Learfield Sports found Kyle through STAA. Congratulations Kyle!
• Kirk Minihane is leaving the WEEI morning program for a show on Radio.com. WEEI’s morning show will now be called “Mut and Callahan,’’ after longtime host Gerry Callahan and Mike Mutnansky. (Courtesy Boston.com)
• Sports talk personality Orlando “Big O Alzugaray exits Entercom’s WQAM, Miami after a four-year stint hosting the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm program. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Former WIP Operations Manager Andy Bloom has left Entercom Minneapolis after seven months. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• This may be Marv Albert’s final season as one of the marquee voices on the NBA. Brewers broadcaster Brian Anderson is the top candidate to replace him. (Courtesy New York Post)
• The Yankees are moving forward with plans to buy back the YES Network, the regional sports network that was sold to 21st Century Fox Inc. four years ago. (Courtesy Bloomberg)
• Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy has tweeted that he is cancer free “for now and hopefully forever.”
• The Pac 12 Network has added Barry Tompkins to its broadcast team for men’s basketball. The roster also include Aaron Goldsmith and Rich Burk. Cindy Brunson and Kate Scott are among the broadcasters for women’s games.
• Recent Seton Hall grad Timothy Best has joined Northeast Sports Network as a play-by-play broadcaster for Hamilton College field hockey.
• Props to Scott Braswell. He is leaving NTV in Nebraska to be the new Sports Anchor/Reporter at KAKE in Wichita.
• Big congratulations to Dodgers’ voice Joe Davis and his wife Libby. They are first-time parents to son Blake.
• Florida Gators’ voice Mick Hubert has been elected to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations Mick!
• Ray Knight, a fixture on MASN’s pre- and postgame Washington Nationals coverage since 2007, will not return next season. The network did not pick up his 2019 contract option. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Bob Ramsey, who has been in the St. Louis sportscasting business for more than three decades, is shifting from KTRS (550 AM) to KFNS (590 AM). (Courtesy STLToday.com)
• Congratulations to Josh Maurer and Jay Burnham. Maurer is the new voice of men’s basketball at Boston College. Burnham replaces Maurer as men’s hoops voice at UMASS. Maurer will finish the current football season as voice of the Miinutemen.
• Hats off to Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan, the new play-by-play voice and color commentator for the G-League’s Stockton Kings. The pair hosts the “All Things Kings” podcast. Mason is the Sacramento Kings Radio Broadcast Manager and a former local radio & TV personality.
• Four years after having hired her away from Golf Channel, Holly Sonders will not be part of Fox Sports’ future golf telecasts. She continues to work select studio shows as well as college football broadcasts. (Courtesy GolfWeek.com)
• Former ESPN Dallas host Will Chambers has launched The Lounge With Will Chambers podcast. It’s a sports & lifestyle podcast covering everything from sports news to food & beverage, entertainment, politics and the lives of his guests. It’s on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Play.
• Congratulations to Josh Rowntree, the new voice of Pitt Panthers women’s basketball. Josh is an anchor/reporter at 93.7 The Fan.
• Excited for STAA member Kevin Gehl, the new voice of Northeastern U. women’s basketball.
October 2018
• Patrick Sharp, who won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, will join NBC Sports Chicago as a Blackhawks studio analyst. (Courtesy Second City Hockey)
• For the first time in Morehead State history, a woman will be behind the microphone as a full-time play-by-play announcer for the 2018-19 basketball season. Congrats to Emma Tiedemann! (Courtesy MSUEagles.com)
• Bert Blyleven’s steadily declining role as a Twins TV analyst will decrease again in 2019. Blyleven, who did 80 games in 2018, will do 50 games in 2019 and just 30 in 2020. (Courtesy Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
• The Ilitch family is considering forming a regional television network dedicated to coverage of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings. The network would not be launched until early in the next decade, after current Tigers-Red Wings contracts with Fox Sports Detroit expire. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• Yankees play-by-play man John Sterling will call Nets-Hawks on YES on Dec. 16. He was the Nets’ voice from 1975-80. Sterling also called the Washington Bullets’ games from 1980-81, then the Atlanta Hawks from 1981-89. (Courtesy Newsday)
• Marty Brennaman will return for another season calling Cincinnati Reds games. His wife made the announcement on Facebook.
• When Good Karma Brands takes ownership of country WKTI-FM and news/talk WTMJ-AM, Milwaukee on November 1, it will flip WKTI to sports talk as ESPN Milwaukee 94.5. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congratulations to Brendan Reidy, the new ESPN3 voice for Western Illinois University men’s basketball.
• The Drake Bulldogs have chosen WHO-TV sports reporter Michael Admire to call men’s basketball and produce reports for the athletic department’s website. He is leaving the TV station. (Courtesy Des Moines Register)
• Legendary San Francisco Giants broadcaster Hank Greenwald has died at age 83.
• Congratulations to STAA member Jill Gearin, the new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Class-A Visalia Rawhide. Jill is just the third female broadcaster in minor league baseball.
• Props to STAA member Marco LaNave, the new lead broadcaster for the Akron RubberDucks. He’s spent the past 3 seasons doing media for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Veteran voice Jim Clark will join LaNave on home games; LaNave will handle road games.
• Congrats to Zach Harig, the new sports anchor/reporter at FOX17 in Grand Rapids, MI. He worked the past four years as a producer and editor at BCSN in Toledo.
• BTN has announced its college hoops broadcasters for this season. Dave O’Brien is new to the team. He joins Kevin Kugler, Brian Anderson, Brandon Gaudin, Cory Provus and Mike Monaco, the lead women’s voice..
• The eight finalists for the 2019 Frick Award are: Connie Desmond, Pat Flanagan, Jack Graney, Harry Heilmann, Al Helfer, Waite Hoyt, Rosey Rowswell and Ty Tyson. (Courtesy BaseballHall.org
• A veteran of the air waves returns to Albuquerque as Jim Villanucci takes to the microphone today (October 22nd) as the drive-home host for ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The Team. Villanucci takes over the spot vacated by Bob Brown, who retired after ten years. (Courtesy 1017 ESPN)
• Andy Demetra and Kyle Draper have joined Adam Amin on the list of folks who fill fill-in for Neil Funk on Bulls TV this season. Demetra is the voice at Georgia Tech. Draper is a Celtics host and fill-in play-by-play guy.
• Veteran NBA insider Tom Haberstroh has joined NBC Sports Regional Networks as a National NBA Reporter. He will cover all the teams and storylines across the league, with a focus on the teams in the RSN markets. (Courtesy NBC Sports)
• Congratulations to Matt Krause, the new voice of North Carolina Tar Heels women’s basketball. He replaces Walter Storholt, who steps away after seven years to focus on his business career. Krause has been on the broadcast team at Elon U.
• Former U. of Mississippi hoops coach Andy Kennedy will serve as an analyst this season on ESPN and the SEC Network.
• Longtime Lehigh Valley IronPigs broadcaster Matt Provence is leaving minor league baseball. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.
• Andy Slater is the new afternoon sports talk host on 640 The Hurricane in West Palm Beach, FL. Slater most recently worked Miami’s WINZ.
• Bob Robertson is retiring from calling WSU sports. He served as the lead broadcaster for Washington State football from 1964-2011 — except for three years between 1969 and 1971 — before moving into an analyst role the past seven seasons. (Courtesy Sun Herald)
• Johnny Miller is expected to retire as NBC’s lead golf analyst. He will be replaced by fellow analyst Paul Azinger. (Courtesy Golf.com)
• The Oakland A’s have confirmed they are leaving their flagship station, 95.7 The Game. (Courtesy San Jose Mercury News)
• Tim McCarver’s days in the St. Louis Cardinals TV booth may be over. His contract has expired and he isn’t sure if he would return if asked to do so. (Courtesy St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• NBA analyst Hubie Brown has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN. Brown is 85.
• Minnesota Wild radio voice Bob Kurtz will miss three games as he undergoes a procedure for an irregular heartbeat. Kevin Falness is filling in. (Courtesy Grand Forks Herald)
• ESPN’s Adam Amin will be the first fill-in for Bulls TV announcer Neil Funk. Amin will have the call when Chicago visits Dallas on Oct. 22. Funk is reducing his workload by 20 games, which will be handled by a rotation of substitutes. (Courtesy Chicago Tribune)
• Joe D’Ambrosio will be calling college basketball this winter after all. The former UCON voice will be on the mike for University of Saint Joseph Connecticut games on WTIC-AM in Hartford.
• After a late-season falling out escalated to a physical altercation on Sept. 4, longtime Detroit Tigers TV broadcasters Rod Allen and Mario Impemba will not return next season. Matt Shepard is expected to be a top candidate to take over play-by-play. (Courtesy Detroit Free Press)
• The NBA G-League’s Capital City Go-Go have named Meghan McPeak their TV play-by-play voice. She is the former voice of Raptors 905.
• Former BYU voice Paul James has died at age 87. James broadcast Cougar’s athletics from 1965 to 2000. (Courtesy Deseret News)
• The longtime voice of Coshocton County (Ohio) sports on WTNS Radio has been silenced after a battle with cancer. Tom Thompson died Oct. 6 at his home at the age of 63. (Courtesy Coshocton Tribune)
• Hats off to Jordan Moore. The radio sideline analyst for USC men’s basketball for the past 4 seasons has been named the play-by-play announcer for Trojan men’s basketball. He replaces Chris Fisher, who left for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• Congratulations to STAA member Brian Rothenberger, the new voice of Quad City Storm hockey! Brian leaves BEK Sports in North Dakota.
• Fox Sports Radio has re-set its weekend lineup for football season. Bucky Brooks teams with Mark Willard Saturdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET. Kelvin Washington partners with Steve Hartman Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET. Washington will also join Ephraim Salaam on Sundays to host “Red Zone Radio” from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Joe D’Ambrosio is joining Hartford’s FOX61 and CW20. D’Ambrosio will contribute to coverage of UConn athletics and other local teams. (Courtesy FOX 61)
• Congrats to STAA member Isaac Lowenkron, the new voice of Cal State Bakersfield men’s basketball. Lowenkron has done radio play-by-play for the LA Clippers, UCLA football and men’s basketball, USC men’s basketball and NFL and college football games for Sports USA..
• Anson Carter will join MSG Networks’ New York Rangers broadcast team this season as a studio analyst, joining Steve Valiquette. (Courtesy Newsday)
• Matt Millen‘s battle with a rare condition will take keep him off the Big Ten Network for the foreseeable future. We hope for his speedy recovery. (Courtesy NBC Sports)
• Veteran Minnesota sportscaster Mark Rosen has announced he is retiring from WCCO, Channel 4 in 2019. (Courtesy Star Tribune)
• Pittsburgh Penguins TV voice Steve Mears has launched the “Future Voices of the Booth” program to encourage and mentor students working toward a career in sportscasting. (Courtesy NHL.com)
• A new broadcast partnership has been announced between the Washington Redskins and Entercom Washington, D.C. Entercom’s D.C. stations — which include 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM) — will provide coverage of the team across all platforms. (Courtesy TheFanDC.radio.com)
• Bryan Mudryk is the new TV voice of Canadiens games on TSN. He replaces John Bartlett, who moved to Sportsnet to call Maple Leafs games. (Courtesy Montreal Gazette)
• Ernie Johnson will not be part of TBS’s coverage of the American League playoffs after doctors discovered blood clots in both of his legs. He’s been advised not to fly. Don Orsillo replaces him. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Ray Knight was not on Nationals’ broadcasts for the final home stand of the season, nor for last weekend’s trip to Colorado. MASN did not announce a reason for his absence. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• The new morning show at Phill’s 97.5 The Fanatic features sports media personality Marc Farzetta and former Eagles star William “Tra” Thomas. The new midday show features Anthony Gargano and current host Jason Myrtetus. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Anthony Fusco is the new voice of the ECHL’s Brampton Beast.
• Congratulations to Pat Hughes, Ballpark Digest’s 2018 MLB Broadcaster of the Year. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Former ESPN host and columnist Jemele Hill is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer covering “the intersection of sports, race, politics, gender, and culture.” Courtesy USA Today)
• Sports Director Brendan McCaffrey is leaving The Score in Chicago for a producer position at SiriusXM NFL Radio. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
September 2018
• Hockey fans will be hearing a familiar voice on “Hockey Night in Canada” for one last season. Legendary play-by-play man Bob Cole will return to the broadcast booth to call 10 games in his 50th and final season on HNIC. (Courtesy Carley Observer)
• After 45 years, more than 1,000 fights and some of the most lucrative and disputed matches of all time, HBO is throwing in the towel on professional boxing.(Courtesy New York Times)
• Veteran Cal Bears voice Joe Starkey will broadcast his 500th Bears football game in 44 years this weekend. (Courtesy Daily Cal)
• Jerry Remy says he won’t retire from calling Red Sox games on NESN. However, he acknowledges he will have to cut down on his schedule as he again fights lung cancer. (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• Congratulations to STAA member Collin Schuck, the new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. Schuck spent last winter with the Lincoln Stars after three seasons with the Corpus Christi IceRays.
• John Kilgo, the voice of the Davidson Wildcats’ basketball team and a long-time fixture on the Charlotte sports media landscape, is calling it a career.
• Mike “Chico” Bormann is the new night time host at 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. He replaces Nick Wilson, who left in July for WFNZ Charlotte.
• Huge congratulations to Tim Heiman, the 2018 Minor League Baseball Broadcaster of the Year. Tim is the voice of the Class-AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies. (Courtesy Ballpark Digest)
• Chris Ballard is the new voice of the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers. Ballard is from St. John’s. He spent the past three seasons with the Brampton Beast. Longtime IceCaps and St. John’s Maple Leafs broadcaster Brian Rogers will be involved with the broadcast after recovering from minor health issues.
• Props to longtime Indy Fuel public address announcer Andrew Smith, the team’s new play-by-play voice.
• John Wagoner is the new sports anchor at WVII ABC 7 and WFVX Fox 22 in Bangor. Wagoner graduated from the University of South Carolina last May. (Courtesy Bangor Daily News)
• Former ESPN anchor Sara Walsh is back on the air with the NFL on Fox. She worked sidelines last weekend for Saints-Falcons. Walsh was among ESPN’s layoffs in May 2017. (Courtesy The Tennessean)
• Veteran Western Kentucky U. voice Randy Lee is taking a temporary leave of absence from Hilltopper football and men’s basketball. A timetable for Lee’s return has not been set, but all of WKU Athletics is hopeful for Lee’s speedy return. STAA member Jevin Redman is filling-in. Our prayers are with you, Randy! (Courtesy LEX18)
• Congratulations to Kristen Karbach of the Clearwater Threshers. Kristen is the Florida State League’s 2018 Broadcaster of the Year.
• Erika Wachter is the new host for New Jersey Devils telecasts on MSG. (Courtesy Albany Times Union)
• College football analyst Todd Blackledge has signed an extension with ESPN.
• Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer will provide commentary and analysis for Amazon Prime Video’s live streaming coverage of 11 Thursday Night Football games, beginning this week with Rams-Vikings. They are the first all-female NFL broadcasting team.
• Longtime Chicago Bulls TV voice Neil Funk is cutting back his schedule. He will skip 20 road games this season.
• WTAM Cleveland has added former Cleveland Indians pitcher and current Indians TV broadcaster Jensen Lewis to the afternoon daypart as co-host of the 6:00 pm sports show “Sports Feed 2.0” with Mike Trivisonno and Nick Camino. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Veteran sportscaster Allen Bestwick is calling Brown University football home games on TV this season.
• Portland Trail Blazers radio play-by-play announcer Brian Wheeler will begin the 2018-19 season on medical leave. STAA member Travis Demers will take Wheeler’s spot until the medical issues are resolved. (Courtesy Blazers Edge)
• Chris Fisher is the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for the OKC Thunder. Fisher moves from Los Angeles where he has been the radio voice for USC basketball for eight years and host for Trojan football broadcasts. He’s done TV PBP for FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network and Time Warner Cable.
• The Miami Heat has hired Ruth Riley Hunter, who once played for the WNBA’s Miami Sol, as its radio analyst and TV studio analyst. She replaces John Crotty, who moved to TV. (Courtesy Miami Herald)
• Washington University broadcaster and STAA member Jay Murry will attempt to complete an unusual doubleheader October 13-14. First, he will call the WashU home football game at 1:00 p.m. October 13. Then, he will embark on a solo 24-hour run/walk at 6:00 that night to raise awareness and research funds for the fight against Rett syndrome. To donate, please visit https://www.rettsyndrome.org/RettGetsRocked
• 97.5 The Fanatic is replacing morning show host Anthony Gargano with NBC Sports Philadelphia host and former 94.1 WIP talker Marc Farzetta. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Ralph Lawler will call Clippers broadcasts during his 40th and final NBA season alongside an alternating cast of seven analysts. Corey Maggette, Don MacLean, Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello, Ryan Hollins, Cheryl Miller and Bill Walton all will take turns. (Courtesy LA Times)
• Congratulations to Julian Mininsohn, the new sports anchor/reporter at KEZI 9 News in Eugene, OR. He leaves KKCO in Grand Junction, CO.
• Hats off to Tim Donnelly, who is joining the sports talk lineup at ESPN Blacksburg (VA). He leaves the operations manager position at ESPN Ithaca.
• Longtime Wilmington Blue Rocks voice Matt Janus is dropping broadcasting to concentrate on media relations. No. 2 Cory Nidoh has been promoted to the top spot.
• Veteran Peoria Chiefs broadcaster Nathan Baliva is adding community relations duties to the broadcasting and media relations he was already doing.
• Browns sideline reporter Nathan Zegura has been banned from the team’s radio broadcasts for eight games for yelling at an NFL official over a call in last week’s loss to the Saints. (Courtesy Cleveland.com)
• Congratulations to Michael Wisienski, the new Director of Broadcasting and Media/Sales for the NAHL’s Jamestown Rebels. Michael is a recent grad of MIllersville U.
• Listening to LA Kings games on the AM dial is no longer an option.The team says that audio from all games will be streamed on iHeartRadio, on the LA Kings Audio Network. It marks the end of traditional AM radio broadcasts and a sign of a changing modern media. (Courtesy LA Times)
• Congratulations to Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp voice Roger Hoover, the 2018 Southern League Radio Broadcaster of the Year.
• Dan Petry will work as a pre- and postgame analyst during Saturday’s and Sunday’s Tigers FSD telecasts from Comerica Park. Petry will fill in for Craig Monroe, who has a weekend engagement. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• The Mets’ radio booth could face a shakeup as they move to WCBS. Howie Rose is the No.1. The No. 2 position will likely come down to the incumbent, Josh Lewin, and the current host, Wayne Randazzo. Reporter Ed Coleman might retire. (Courtesy New York Post)
• On Tuesday afternoon September 18th, the Red Sox and Yankees will swap radio announcers during the fourth inning of their three-game series opener at Yankee Stadium. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Before he begins his fourth season with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Everett Fitzhugh will make his National Hockey League debut in the broadcasting booth for the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals Tuesday night September 18th. (Courtesy Cincinnati.com)
• Congratulations to Desmond Nugent, the new sports anchor/reporter at KAKE in Wichita. He leaves KOTV in Tulsa.
• Rockies voice Jerry Schemmel and his cycling partner Julie Lyons recently completed all four directions of the Colorado Crossing. They did South To North, North To South (both 308 miles), East To West and West To East (both 468 miles). They broke the two person relay record in each of the races. In the West To East route, they also broke the four person relay record! And there was purpose to the pain. These races were a fundraiser for a fantastic elementary reading program in the Denver area called Race To Read. Jerry and Julie are still a little over $5,000 short of their fundraising goal. Anyone wanting to donate can do so here.
• Starting in 2019, NY Mets baseball has a new home on AM radio. All regular season, spring training, post-season and Spanish-language broadcasts will be featured on Entercom’s 880 WCBS-AM. (Courtesy NorthJersey.com)
• Two weekend shows are moving to weeknights on Fox Sports Radio — “Straight Outta Vegas with RJ Bell” and “The Odd Couple With Chris Broussard and Rob Parker.” (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Chris Therien won’t return as the rinkside analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia this season. It’s unclear if the network will fill the role with another analyst, though it would be unusual to have an NHL broadcast without an inside-the-glass reporter. (Courtesy Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Richmond Flying Squirrels voice Sam Ravech is leaving for ESPN. He will be a play-by-play announcer for basketball, baseball and volleyball, among other college sports. Ravech shared radio duties with Jay Burnham for home games. (Courtesy Richmond.com)
• Buffalo’s WGRZ Channel 2 has promoted J.T. Messinger to sports anchor/reporter. Messinger has worked off-camera in the news and sports departments. (Courtesy Buffalo News)
• To celebrate Brad Sham reaching 40 years as voice of the Dalals Cowboys, the team has designated The Brad Sham Home Radio Booth at AT&T Stadium. Congratulations Brad! (Courtesy Dallas Morning News)
• Congratulations to STAA member Mark Citron, the new voice of Chicago Steel hockey. He replaces fellow STAA member Rob Sanderson, who is now with the Corpus Christi IceRays.
• Hats off to Isaac Berky, the new voice of Kalamazoo Kings hockey. He replaces Joe Roberts who left for the Utica Comets.
• Veteran Bangor-area broadcaster Jon Shields is the new radio voice of University of Maine hockey. Jeff Mannix will call the games on TV and Jim Churchill will work all three UMaine football TV broadcasts. (Courtesy Bangor Daily News
• NBA broadcasting free agency is in overdrive. Mike Fratello is out. Bruce Bowen is back. Chauncey Billups will call more games. Hubie Brown, who turns 85 this month, is about to sign a multi-year extension with ESPN. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Ralph Lawler is retiring as voice of the Clippers after the coming season.
• Congratulations to Jeff Mannix, the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for U. of Maine Black Bears hockey.
• Veteran host Henry Lake has announced on Twitter he is returning to KFAN 100.3 in Minneapolis. Lake hosted at the station for 10 years before working in Kansas City from 2013 until this past July. Lake hasn’t yet said what his role at KFAN will be.
• JT The Brick and Steve Gorman have left Fox Sports Radio. JT has been there 17 years. Dan Beyer and Ephraim Salaam hosted in Gorman’s slot. Jonas Knox and Brady Quinn filled in for JT on Monday. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• ESPN 100.9 in Midland, MI has promoted Brad Tunney to the station’s lead play-by-play broadcaster and hired Blake Froling as a new play-by-play broadcaster and content coordinator. Both are STAA members. (Courtesy Midland Daily News)
• Big props to Tanner Hoops, the new sports director at ESPN UP in Marquette, MI. Tanner will be hosting a daily sports talk show and doing a ton of play-by-play. He’s the fifth straight STAA member to hold the position.
• Congratulations to STAA member Justin Rocke, the 2018 Appalachian League Radio Broadcaster of the Year. Justin is the voice of the Greeneville Reds.
• On Oct. 1, Waco’s 94.1 FM (KWBT) will become CBS Sports Radio Central Texas, Rich Richardson and Lark Smith will host daily local morning shows. (Courtesy Wacotrib.com)
• Longtime Erie Seawolves voice Greg Gania handled broadcast duties for the Detroit Tigers radio network on Saturday (September 8th). He filled-in for Dan Dickerson who did TV that night. The move is part of the fallout from the Impemba-Allen suspensions. (Courtesy MLive.com)
• Congratulations to STAA member Blake Froling. He is joining ESPN 100.9 in Midland, MI. Among many things, he will be the No. 2 voice of Great Lakes Loons baseball and will call H.S. football and basketball.
• Matt Krause is the new radio voice of UNC Tar Heels women’s basketball. The Elon graduate has been the basketball video voice and football analyst/host at his alma mater. Congratulations, Matt!
• Pitt has parted ways with women’s basketball radio play-by-play broadcaster George Von Benko, their voice since 2012. Von Benko is a former voice of Duquesne men’s basketball.
• Joe Beningo was back on WFAN this morning (September 10th). He had been suspended since July following harassment allegations.
• Veteran sports talker Craig Shemon has been filling-in as needed on ESPN Radio. He’s also working on College Football Final on Saturday nights. Craig’s full-time gig is at 99.3 FM ESPN in Fort Myers.
• Little Rock 103.7 The Buzz PD Just Acri has been promoted to GM. Acri has been at the station since 2003.
• Saginaw Spirit hockey has renewed it’s deal with Sports WSGW 100.5. Joey Battaino continues as voice of the team.
• WEEI’s Kirk Minihane announces ‘indefinite leave’ from show, says he’s ‘still battling mental health issues.’ (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• Props to Taylor Rooks. She will be hosting am interview and talk show for Bleacher Report/Turner Sports. Premier date has yet to be announced.
• Hats off to STAA member Nick Lewis who is joining Regional Radio in Farmington, MO as a news and sports guy.
• Congrats to Jordan Kuhns, the new voice of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Jordan spent the past several seasons with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Dubuque has already hired his replacement.
• Longtime Williamson, West Virginia broadcaster Joe Kinzer is calling it a career after twenty years of calling games in the Tug Valley area. (Courtesy Williamson Daily News)
• Mike Hogewood, a familiar face to ACC fans for years, passed away on Wednesday. He was 65. Hogewood called ACC football and basketball on several networks, including Raycom Sports and Fox Sports Network South. (Courtesy News Observer)
• KWOF 92.5 The Wolf in Denver is dropping its country format on September 17th to become the radio home for the Avalanche and Nuggets. They will also air Altitude Sports Radio local programming currently heard on KKSE-AM. KKSE will then air Fox Sports Radio. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Pensacola Blue Wahoos voice Tommy Thrall will fill-in for Marty Brennaman when the Reds host San Diego this weekend.
• News Director Brady Bauman is leaving KMAN in Manhattan, KS to be news director and morning host at KSOK in Ark City, KS. He’ll also call play-by-play for ACHS sports.
• Braylon Edwards has been suspended by the Big Ten Network for criticizing Michigan players on Twitter during Saturday’s loss at Notre Dame. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Actress and social media personality Bonnie-Jill Laflin is joining the Murph & Mac morning show on KNBR San Francisco. Laflin is a San Francisco native and former cheerleader for Warriors and 49ers.
• Veteran PD Jay Taylor is leaving 97.1 The Fan in Columbus after 12 years at the station. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Congratulations to STAA member Donny Baarns. Donny made his Big League debut on Friday when he filled-in on an Oakland A’s broadcast.
• Veteran Saint John’s University of Minnesota voice and STAA member Mark Lewandowski has earned the 2018 Mike Augustin Award. It recognizes outstanding contributions to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athletic programs and their student-athletes. Congrats, Mark!
• Hats off to Nate White. The 2018 Syracuse grad is the new sports anchor/reporter at WHIZ-TV in Zanesville, OH.
• Congratulations to STAA’s 2018 Jim Nantz Award winner Katie Emmer. Katie is joining Fox Sports North.
• The 2018 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame class will include Jim Nantz, Bob Costas and Dick Vitale. They will be honored at a ceremony in Manhattan, NY on Dec. 11.
August 2018
• Pac-12 Networks announces additions to team of expert on-air talent, including former football standouts Ryan Leaf and Toby Gerhart.
• Football analyst Chris Doering has signed a contract extension with SEC Network.
• Veteran programmer Paul Ihander has been named PD at Sports Radio 1140 AM in Las Vegas. Previous stops include Phoenix and San Antonio.
• FS1’s Nick Wright is joining SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. “What’s Wright” will debut Tuesday September 4th and will air weekdays from 6 to 8 pm EDT. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Congratulations to STAA member Nick Marek, the new Director of Broadcasting/Media Relations for the Portland Winterhawks.
• Props to STAA member Alex von Keudell, the new Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for Macon Mayhem hockey.
• Hats off to STAA member Evan Giddings. Evan is the new Sports Director at AM 1100 The Flag in Fargo, ND.
• After a yearlong absence, ESPN Radio programming has returned to Pensacola. The new home is 94.5 FM. The station will be home to University of West Florida football. (Courtesy pnj.com)
• Maryland News Network and SFMSports.Net, Maryland’s only statewide radio networks with 31 radio station affiliates, have added Salisbury University Sea Gulls Football to its collegiate properties. The networks will produce and broadcast all regular and post-season games online and on-air. (Courtesy DCRTV.com)
• Bob Costas and NBC are in discussions to end the relationship. Costas wants to pursue a journalism show that would feature interviews and commentaries. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Tom Nichols received a one-day call-up to the big leagues. The longtime Dayton Dragons announcer joined the Cincinnati Reds radio broadcast last night (August 28) against Milwaukee. (Courtesy Dayton Daily News)
• Executive Producer Eric Camille has been promoted to Assistant PD at 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.
• Props to STAA’s Nick Marek, the new Broadcaster/Media Relations Manager for Portland Winterhawks hockey.
• Congrats to Eric Onyechefule, the new sports anchor/reporter at Fox 45/ABC 22 in Dayton, OH.
• 2018 Syracuse grad Jake Marsh is the new men’s basketball voice at Vermont U. Congratulations Jake!
• The Mets are closing in on a deal to air their games on 880 WCBS AM starting next season. If the deal goes through, CBS will have outbid 710-WOR, which has tried to retain the Mets. (Courtesy New York Post)
• The Cubs will pull away from their partnership with NBC Sports Chicago — as well as the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks — and start their own television venture in October 2019. (Courtesy 670 The Score)
• WSCR Chicago Operations Director Mitch Rosen will be inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in October. Rosen has been with The Score for 25 years.
• Wesley Outland will be doing play-by-play for college football and basketball this year for Fox Sports TV and radio.
• Trey Bender, Glenn Davis, Tyler Dennings, Drew Fellios, Jenn Hildreth, Mike Watts and Jonathan Yardley will call college soccer this year on ESPN.
• NCAA volleyball play-by-play on ESPN will be led by Dawn Davenport, Tyler Denning, Sam Gore, Tiffany Greene, Melissa Lee, Courtney Lyle, Paul Sunderland and Sam Ravech.
• Sid Rosenberg will host a Sunday morning sports show on New York’s WABC starting September 9th. (Courtesy RadioInk)
• Ex-Crimson Tide QB Jay Barker is hosting a new, regionally syndicated midday show on stations in the Southeast. The show is based at Tide 102.9-100.9 in Tuscaloosa. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• 101.3 WCPV in Burlington, VT is dropping ESPN Radio in favor of Fox Sports Radio. The station is rebranding as 101.3 The Game. Rich Haskell, Arnie Spanier and Brady Farkas are hosting a local PM Drive show.
• Props to Timmy Ice, the new play-by-play broadcaster for Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.
• Jemele Hill is out at ESPN. A buyout of her reported $2.5 million per year contract has been completed. (Courtesy New York Post)
• ESPN has reshuffled its morning show “Get Up!” removing Michelle Beadle and rewarding her with a contract extension and an expanded role on the network’s NBA coverage. (Courtesy Fox News)
• Milwaukee sports talker WOKY “The Big 920” is going local in the midday, replacing FOX Sports Radio’s Colin Cowherd with Milwaukee Bucks play-by-play man Ted Davis, WISN-TV sports director Dan Needles, and former WAUK “540 ESPN” personality Mitch “Thunder” Nelles. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Sportscaster Wayne Fuller was honored before Saturday night’s Batavia Muckdogs game. Last week, Fuller was inducted into the NYPL Hall of Fame. A plaque will be placed in the press box at Dwyer Stadium. (Courtesy The Batavian)
• Props to New Hampshire Fisher Cats baseball voice and STAA member Tyler Murray. Tyler is adding to his resume play-by-play for Dartmouth football and hockey on ESPN +.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Kevin Kues. Kevin is joining as a producer and co-host on a two shows — daily news and sports talk shows.
• Ryen Russillo is joining Bill Simmons’ The Ringer Podcast Network to host new weekly series “Dual Threat,” which will focus on both NFL and college football. Launching on Aug. 29, it will air throughout the football season. (Courtesy The Wrap)
• Alex Brink is replacing Jason Gesser as radio analyst on Washington State football broadcasts. Gesser held the position the past four seasons. (Courtesy Spokesman.com)
• Notre Dame has announced it’s new radio team for football. Paul Burmeister will call play-by-play. Ryan Harris is the analyst and Jack Nolan the field reporter. Earlier this year, Don Criqui and Allen Pinkett were let go after Notre Dame partnered with JMI Sports. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• It’s on to DI for STAA’s Mike Hammett. Mike is joining the University of Louisiana Monroe as play-by-play voice of women’s basketball and baseball. He will also host the football pregame and halftime shows and work in media relations. Fellow STAA member Nick White is ULM’s football/men’s hoops voice.
• Big pros to STAA’s Tanner Barth, the new sports anchor at WWAY in Wilmington, NC. He leaves KKCO 11 News in Grand Junction, CO. Way to go, Tanner!
• Former Indianapolis Colts voice Bob Lamey didn’t retire. He resigned and has admitted to using an ‘inappropriate word’. (Courtesy Indianapolis Start)
• Changes at ESPN LA 710. Jorge Sedano moves from mornings to PM Drive starting September 4th. He replaces Marcellus Wiley who left in June to join Fox Sports. Wiley’s co-host Travis Rogers moves to mornings alongside Keyshawn Johnson and LZ Grandson. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• The Pittsburgh radio duo “Quinn & Rose” – Jim Quinn and Rose Somma-Tennant – is returning to the air on ESPN Pittsburgh. They’ll host mornings 8 to 10 am starting September 24. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis will call select games for FOX Sports. He’s already part of the broadcast team at the Big Ten Network, which is owned by Fox. (Courtesy 247sports.com)
• Bruce Cech has stepped down as radio voice of University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey. Last Frontier Media Active decided not to carry Nanooks hockey games this coming season on its ESPN Radio Fairbanks station. (Courtesy Newsminer.com)
• High school football has signed off from the Casper, WY airwaves. KKTL-AM 1400, which has broadcast either Natrona County or Kelly Walsh football every week the past few seasons, will no longer be doing so. Station ownership cites a lack of broad support. (Courtesy Star-Tribune)
• Former SB Nation Radio hosts Scott Linn, Tim Murray, and Steve Solomon have reunited to begin a new show, “Linn, Murray, & Solly.” Their new podcast is heard at Patreon.com/LinnMurraySolly. (Courtesy DCRTV)
• FOX Sports and the Professional Bowlers Association have announced the lead broadcasting team for the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour, including the return of Rob Stone as play-by-play announcer. (Courtesy BowlingDigital.com)
• Mike Tirico is adding to his many duties at NBC by taking over as studio host for “Football Night In America.” Tirico, who also does play by play on Notre Dame games and a slew of other hosting assignments, replaces Dan Patrick. (Courtesy Tampa Bay Times)
• Women continue to earn play-by-play opportunities. The latest is Julia Allsbrook, the new Broadcast Assistant at Queens University of Charlotte. She is an ex-softball captain at Meredith College. Julia replaces STAA’s Brett Williams, the new women’s basketball voice at Western Kentucky.
• Milwaukee sports talk radio personality Bill Michaels was recently struck by lightning. Fortunately, he was back on the job later in the day. (Courtesy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Congratulations to Jason Dumas, the new sports anchor/reporter at KRON4 in San Francisco. He leaves the Sports Director position at WDVM in Hagerstown, MD.
• Indianapolis Colts play-by-play man Bob Lamey is retiring after 31 seasons. Matt Taylor, the Colts’ radio host and preseason sideline reporter, will fill the role in an interim basis. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• After being dumped as radio voice of the Raiders, Greg Papa will host 49ers pre and post on NBC Sports Bay Area. (Courtesy San Jose Mercury News)
• Gus Johnson will not fill-in on Milwaukee Bucks broadcasts this season. He’s been with the team part-time since 2015. Also, the team has hired Katie George as their TV sideline reporter and digital reporter. (Courtesy Bleacher Report)
• The OKC Thunder has renewed its radio deal with Cumulus. Matt Pinto remains as play-by-play voice.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Matt Infield, the new Sports and News MMJ at WSAW in Wausau, WI.
• 2017 STAA All-American Ben Murphy is leaving WCBD TV in Charleston for a sports anchor/reporter position at ABC/NBC in Jacksonville, FL. Ben is a 2017 grad of the U. of Florida. Way to go, Ben!
• David DeGuzman recently joined the sports staff at WFXR in Roanoke. He most recently worked at WHSV in Harrisonburg, VA. (Courtesy Roakone.com)
• Adrian Denny is the new voice of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Denny moves to the desert after a long career with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. Congratulations, Adrian!
• John Bartlett is the new TV voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He replaces Paul Romanuk on Sportsnet. Bartlett moves back from TSN in Montreal where he called English language games on radio and TV for the Habs since 2011. (Courtesy Toronto Sun)
• ESPN is in talks with Chris Berman about an expanded role for this NFL season. The possibility of Berman even hosting some Sunday night “SportsCenter”s has been broached. (Courtesy New York Post)
• 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh has tweaked its lineup. The only change involving someone coming or going is Chris Mack and Colin Dunlap replacing the departing Jim Colony in mornings. All the other changes involve folks already on staff. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Mark Shelley, the new Sports Reporter/Play-by-Play Broadcaster at ESPN Ithaca.
• Geoff Mosher, who had been co-hosting the 6 to 9 p.m. time slot on 97.5 The Fanatic alongside Devon Givens, has left the station. The Fanatic isn’t expected to immediately replace him. For now, Givens is hosting the 6 to 9 p.m. shift solo. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Congrats to Jerraud Powers, the new morning drive host at 730 The Ump in Huntsville, AL.
• Former Florida State quarterback and ESPN and Fox Sports 1 analyst Danny Kanell will call games this fall for CBS Sports Network alongside play-by-play man Jason Horowitz. (Courtesy AL.com)
• The St. Louis Blues have hired St. Louis native and former NHL player Joey Vitale as their radio analyst. (Courtesy STL Today)
• Bob Ley has requested and been granted a six month leave from ESPN. Ley says the “idea of stepping back to recharge” is totally his. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Congratulations to Andy Zilch, the new play-by-play and TV announcer for the San Diego Gulls. Zilch spent the past two seasons with the Utica Comets.
• Sam Hyman has left University of Vermont men’s basketball after two seasons to take over play-by-play at Wingate University. Vermont has already hired Sam’s replacement.
• There’s a new weekday program schedule for sports talker WTEM, Washington “The Team 980” as Radio One assumes control of the station it is acquiring from Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra. The morning team of Chris Cooley and Kevin Sheehan is out. Al Galdi takes over 6 to 10 am.. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Adidas and Twitter are partnering to live stream high school football games this fall.
• In the aftermath of critical comments about 2019 free-agent target Kawhi Leonard, Bruce Bowen won’t be renewed as the LA Clippers television game analyst next season. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Congrats to Samantha Rivera, the new sports anchor/reporter at WTVO/WQRF in Rockford, IL. She leaves WLUC in Marquette, MI.
• Former Florida Marlins voice Rich Waltz will fill-in on radio and TV for the San Francisco Giants for this weekend’s series against the Reds and for one game next week against the Mets.
• STAA’s Adam Young will have the radio call for the El Paso Chiahauhas (Class-AAA) Friday August 17 vs the Las Vegas 51s in El Paso. Adam is filling in for veteran Chiahauhas voice Tim Hagerty.
• KSTP radio is pulling the plug on longtime talk-show hosts Joe Soucheray and Patrick Reusse. Both are leaving the air in four weeks. The morning show “Mackey & Judd” and anchor John Heidt will be gone as well. (Courtesy Star-Tribune)
• Brent Johnson, the longtime U. of South Carolina Gamecock commentator on WNKT 107.5 The Game and morning show host on WTCB 106.7, is no longer with the stations. A company official said Johnson chose to leave after changes were set to be made at the stations, which are owned by Cumulus Media. (Courtesy The State)
• Dave Tepper is the new PD at Altitude AM 950 in Denver. He leaves a similar position at NRG Media in Omaha, NE. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• Former University of South Florida and NFL player Sam Barrington is the new radio analyst on his alma mater’s football broadcasts. He replaces Mark Robinson, who stepped down. Jim Louk remains on play-by-play.
• Sports Anchor/Reporter Josh Kurelac is leaving KRCG 13 in Columbia, MO for WJAC TV in Johnstown, PA.
• Darren Zaslau is the new sports anchor/reporter at WDTV 5 in Clarksburg, WV. Darren is a 2018 grad of Northwestern.
• Congratulations to Evan Hughes (St. Cloud) and Jared Cohen (Wisconsin), the 2018 Northwood League Broadcasters of the Year.
• STAA’s Dan Hasty is the new men’s basketball voice at NCAA DI Detroit Mercy and former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Davis. Way to go, Dan!
• Congratulations also go out to STAA member Jim Noble, the new football/basketball voice at Wofford.
• Ken Singleton postpones retirement, returning to Yankees’ TV booth in 2019. (Courtesy NJ.com)
• STAA’s Jim Noble is stepping down after more than seven years as a host on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He will be announcing the next step in his career soon.
• Scott Reister has been promoted to sports director at KCCI Des Moines following the recent departure of Andy Garman. (Courtesy Des Moines Register)
• Fox16 Little Rock Sports Director Wess Moore is joining 103.7 The Buzz, starting Monday, Aug. 13. Wess will co-host The Zone morning show with Justin Acri weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Courtesy Fox16)
• Scott Graham, studio host for Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL, will call Philadelphia Eagles preseason games on TV. (Courtesy 247Sports.com)
• Dave Wayman is replacing Warren Moon as the analyst on Seattle Seahawks radio.
• Ex-49ers player Dennis Brown is joining the team’s pre and post-game coverage on KNBR.
• Sports Anchor/Reporter Jamie Hale is leaving NewsChannel 7/Local 8 in Panama Beach, FL. She has accepted a similar position at ABC33/40 in Birmingham, AL. Congratulations, Jamie!
• Props to Dayton Dragons broadcaster Tom Nichols who called his 4,000th career professional baseball game on August 9th. (Courtesy Dayton Daily News)
• Kudos to STAA’s Rob Sanderson, the new voice of Corpus Christi IceRays hockey. Rob spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Steel.
• Condolences to the family of Greg Walker. The voice of Austin Peay State University basketball for the past 38 years died Tuesday. (Courtesy The Leaf Chronicle)
• Boston Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy has been diagnosed with cancer again, according to a statement released by NESN Tuesday. Remy, 65, has battled cancer on five different occasions. We’re pulling for you, Jerry! (Courtesy WHDH)
• Kudos to STAA’s Rob Sanderson, the new voice of Corpus Christi IceRays hockey. Rob spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Steel.
• Congratulations to STAA’s Brett Williams, the new women’s basketball voice at Western Kentucky University. He follows fellow STAA member Jevin Redman, who left after last season for a similar position with University of Evansville men’s basketball. (Courtesy BG Daily News)
• Big props to STAA’s Maura Sheridan, the new women’s basketball play-by-play voice at the University of Vermont.
• Congratulations to Patrick Johnson, the new sports director at 94.3 The Game in Greenville, NC. He replaces STAA member Josh Graham, who left for a sports talk job in Winston-Salem. Johnson is an ECU grad who previously worked for the company.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars will stream preseason games this year to reach a wider audience. The move shows the growing importance of digital platforms outside of traditional broadcast and cable companies. Brian Sexton will call the play-by-play. (Courtesy WJCT)
• Mike Giardi, a staple on NBC Sports Boston for nearly a decade as an anchor and reporter, is leaving the network. He has another job lined up, one believed to be in a similar role but of greater prominence. (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• Kurt Warner has been chosen to replace Boomer Esiason as analyst on Westwood One’s coverage of Monday Night Football. (Courtesy The Athletic)
• UC Davis football has long aired on Sports 1140 KHTK. Now basketball will too, thanks to an extension the school has signed with its multimedia rights holder Learfield. STAA’s Scott Marsh is the voice of the Aggies. (Courtesy Sacramento Bee)
• We are excited for STAA’s Luke Mauro, the new football and men’s basketball play-by-play voice at The Citadel. He leaves the Daytona Tortugas after two and-a-half seasons.
• Congrats to STAA’s Matt Pauley. He is making his national sports-talk debut tonight (August 6th) on SB Nation Radio, filling-in from 8 to 10 pm Eastern.
• KILT Houston afternoon drive co-host Ted Johnson is leaving for Boston to be near his children. The show will continue with Sean Pendergast and Rich Lord joined by a rotation of former players and analysts (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Vegas Stats and Information Network is providing sports gambling reporters to KNBR 68- in San Francisco. The VSIN Action Update will air weekdays in the 9 am and 5 pm hours. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• KTSM Sports Director and STAA member Andy Morgan will call play-by-play on five UTEP home football games that will be streamed on ESPN3 and ESPN+. (Courtesy KTSM)
• Providence Friars basketball is leaving 103.7 WEEI i for NewsTalk 99.7 and 630 WPRO. John Rooke and Joe Hassett remain as broadcasters.
• Joe Buck has signed a three-year, multimillion-dollar extension that will not only keep him as Fox’s lead voice on the NFL and golf, but also on baseball for at least as long as the network’s current deal runs. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Nick Wilson and Josh Parcell are the new midday show at The Fan in Charlotte, NC. Wilson leaves The Fan in Cleveland; Parcell is a former ESPN producer. They fill the slot previously occupied by Chris Kroeger, the new radio voice of the Charlotte Hornets. (Courtesy AllAccess)
• After being accused of sexual harassment, Marshall Faulk and Heath Evans are expected to part ways with NFL Network. Ike Taylor is already gone for the same reason. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Former Rams coach Jeff Fisher is set to return to the NFL — as a part-time broadcaster for Fox. (Courtesy St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• Ex-NFL lineman Orlando Franklin is joining Sprots Radio 104.3 The Fan in Denver. He will be offering insight and perspective Sunday mornings at 8 a.m.
• Jon Kliment has been chosen as the radio voice for the expansion Elmira franchise of the Federal Hockey League. Jon has spent the past four years as a broadcaster for SUNY Broome and Binghamton University hockey.
• Veteran sportscaster Roger Twibell will broadcast Arkansas State football home games this season on ESPN3/ESPN+. (Courtesy Fox16.com)
• Congratulations to STAA’s Mike Glennon, the new Sports Director for Media Logic Radio in Wray, CO.
• Veteran Westwood One Radio voice Kevin Kugler is adding NFL TV to his resume. He’ll broadcast games this fall for FOX Sports.
• Portland State has hired a new football/men’s basketball play-by-play voice. Congratulations to Matt Richerts, a veteran local broadcaster. At least two out-of-state candidates interviewed for the position.
• Molly Sullivan, who until last month was the Sixers sideline reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia, has landed with the Eagles. She will serve as a reporter and host for the Eagles’ own training camp coverage. Sullivan will cover the team on social media and PhiladelphiaEagles.com through the first two home preseason games. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Respected Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) radio & TV broadcaster Adrian Denny is leaving the organization after 14 seasons. He has yet to announce his next move.
• Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph have agreed to five-year extensions to call Toronto Maple Leafs games on radio. (Courtesy Toronto Sun)
• Western Kentucky University has hired a new women’s basketball voice. The formal announcement is pending. The position opened when STAA member Jevin Redman left after one season for the men’s job at the U. of Evansville.
• Beginning Monday, August 13,, ESPN Radio’s Stephen A. Smith Show will join Golic and Wingo, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and The Will Cain Show on ESPNEWS..
• Sacramento’s ESPN 1320 (Entercom) has signed a three-year deal to broadcast Sac State football and basketball.
July 2018
• Big congratulations to Josh Bogorad, the new radio/TV simulcast play-by-play voice for the Dallas Stars. Daryl ‘Razor’ Reaugh slides back into the analyst role. Bogorad joined the Stars organization five seasons ago as host of the Fox Sports Southwest Stars Live show. (Courtesy Fox Sports)
• Persistence earns STAA’s Lauren Rew a sports talk/Assistant PD gig at 1010XL in Jacksonville. Congratulations Lauren!
• Props to sports talk host Nick Wilson. After 7 years at 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, he is leaving for WFNZ in Charlotte.
• After 26 years with The Score in Chicago, Brian Hanley did his last regular morning show with Mike Mulligan on July 27th. Chicago Tribune sports columnist David Haugh has debuted on the new “Mully and Haugh” show. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Ken Cail is no longer the voice of the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs. He has been let go by the team and had no intention of stepping away. Public Relations Coordinator Parker Wheeler will broadcast Monarchs games. (Courtesy Union Leader)
• Clark Booth, a legendary sportscaster for Channel 5 in Boston, has died at age 79. He began in newspapers before moving to television news and occasionally radio until retirement from full-time work in 2000. (Courtesy Boston Herald)
• Tiffany Greene will be calling the shots as college football’s first black woman play-by-play announcer. This fall, Greene will share her talents with a roster of historically black colleges and universities. (Courtesy Blavity.com)
• Former Alabama QB John Parker Wilson will be color analyst on the Alabama football radio broadcast team this fall, with fellow former Crimson Tide player Rashad Johnson reporting from the sideline. (Courtesy Tuscaloosa News)
• Ex-ESPNer Britt McHenry is joining Fox News to provide commentary on the network’s new 24-hour digital streaming service, Fox Nation. (Courtesy The Wrap)
• KXII in Sherman, TX has promoted sports anchor-reporter Jeremy Thomas to morning anchor. (Courtesy TV Spy)
• Stadium, the first 24/7 multi-platform sports network, will televise 22 high school football games. This marks Stadium’s first season of televising high school football. (Courtesy Stadium)
• In addition to hiring Brent Musburger as their new radio voice, the Oakland Raiders will have a new flagship station. The games are moving from 95.7 The Game to Entercom news sister KCBS 740 (Courtesy Inside Radio)
• Hats off to recent Oklahoma State grad Sean Bennett. Sean has joined Cook Brothers Broadcasting in Evanston, WY as a play-by-play broadcaster and sports talk host.
• We are excited for STAA’s Carly Nevis, the new sports anchor/reporter at WDTV in Bridgeport, WV. Carly recently spent two years as a multimedia reporter/specialist for Columbia University in athletics.
• The reason Chuck Kaiton declined the Carolina Hurricanes contract offer is because he was asked to take an 80% pay cut. (Courtesy USA Today)
• ESPN’s Jalen Rose and Molly Qerim have announced they were recently married. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Former ESPNers Bram Weinstein and Britt McHenry are part of a new 30-minute show in Washington D.C. The program promises to “go beyond the headlines with candid opinions on a wide range of topics.” (Courtesy Ad Week)
• Kristine Leahy will try to rediscover the “lost art” of conversation in her new show on FS1 network this fall. Inspired by folks like Roy Firestone, Leahy’s show will feature in-depth “conversations” with athletes, celebrities and news-makers. (Courtesy Sporting News)
• Texas Tech has signed a 9 year contract extension with Ramar Communications in Lubbock. STAA’s Geoff Haxton is the voice of Red Raider men’s basketball and baseball.
• Former NBC-2 sportscaster Joe Girvan will call play-by-play of Fort Myers High School football on FOX Sports Radio in Southwest Florida. (Courtesy News-Press)
• Ex- New Orleans Saint Zach Strief has officially been named the team’s new radio play-by-play announcer. (Courtesy Nola.com)
• Former San Antonio Rampage voice Dan Weiss is joining the San Antonio Spurts as a TV pre and post game host. He replaces Andrew Monaco who left for the radio job at Texas A&M.
• Dan Hannigan, the play-by-play radio voice of University of Maine hockey for the past 23 years, is leaving to work at a French language immersion school. (Courtesy Bangor Daily News)
• Former UCLA coach Jim Mora is joining ESPN as a college football analyst, filling the role Chip Kelly held last season at the network before replacing Mora as coach of the Bruins. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Congrats to STAA’s Tyler Feldman, the new sports anchor/reporter at WITN in Greenville, NC.
• Former Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia broadcaster Ron Burke has taken a job as a weekend morning news anchor and reporter at WPBF, an ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, FL. (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Congratulations to Charlie Chitwood. The voice at Texas A&M University-Commerce has been named the Lone Star Conference Sportscaster of the Year. (Courtesy tylerpaper.com)
• It’s official: After 39 years, Chuck Kaiton is officially out as the Carolina Hurricanes’ radio voice. The Hurricanes plan to use a simulcast of the FS Carolinas television broadcast on their radio network this season. (Courtesy Charlotte News Observer)
• The Raiders have added Rich Gannon as an analyst on their preseason telecasts. He joins Beth Mowins and Matt Millen in the booth. (Courtesy sfgate.com)
• Bill Simmons has signed a contract extension with HBO. (Courtesy Hollywood Reporter)
• Veteran sportscaster Ron Gerrard has written a book, “A Game of Moments: Baseball Greats Remember Highlights of their Careers.” In it, Gerrard revisits interviews he conducted over the course of his 30 year career. (Courtesy news3lv.com)
• The Orlando Magic are moving their flagship to 96.9 The Game after 27 years at ESPN 580. Dennis Neumann is the play-by-play voice. Brandon Kravitz will host pre and post.
• At 610 Sports in Kansas City, Jay Binkley has taken over as Royals Insider for Josh Verner, who is moving to a midday slot with Ron Hughley. “Show and Vern” debuts at 10 a.m. Monday. (Courtesy Kansas City Star)
• WFAN sports radio host Joe Benigno is taking a leave of absence from the station, two days after he was named in a salacious sexual harassment lawsuit. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Ex-Missouri Tigers broadcaster Rod Kelly has passed away at 67. (Courtesy Columbia Missourian)
• Zach Strief has reportedly been offered the New Orleans Saints radio play-by-play job. He says he has called over 100 practice games in an effort to get himself into radio shape. (Courtesy Nola.com)
• Lincoln Kennedy says he’ll join Brent Musburger in the Raiders’ radio booth. (Courtesy Las Vegas Review Journal)
• New England Patriots radio voices Bob Socci and Scott Zolak will call the team’s preseason games on TV. Dan Roche and Matt Chatham, who were part of Ch. 4’s broadcast team the last few preseasons, will handle the radio call on The Sports Hub during the preseason. (Courtesy Boston Globe)
• ESPN’s Monday Night Football team is set. Joe Tessitore will handle play-by-play, Jason Witten color, Booger McFarland is the field analyst and Lisa Salters the sideline reporter.
• Linda Cohn has signed an extension with ESPN. The new deal increases her role on the network’s hockey coverage.
• ESPN Bears Reporter/ESPN Radio host Jeff Dickerson is stepping away to care for his ailing wife and 7-year-old son. (Courtesy Awful Announcing)
• It appears Carolina Hurricanes radio voice Chuck Kation will be replaced next season by a TV simulcast. (Courtesy NewsObserver.com)
• When Jacob Tobey starts work at Tulsa’s KJRH-2 on Aug. 1, he’ll have the distinction of being the youngest person ever to hold a full-time sports position with a Tulsa television station. Tobey graduated from Suffolk University in May. (Courtesy Tulsa World)
• ESPN play-by-play voice Beth Mowins, analyst Brian Griese and sideline reporter Laura Rutledge will call the Jets-Lions game from Ford Field to kick off ESPN’s season-opening Monday Night Football doubleheader on Sept. 10. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Analyst Tom Flores is also out in the Raiders radio booth shakeup. It had already been announced that Brent Musburger is replacing Greg Papa. (Courtesy Chicoer.com)
• Beginning August 13 at WEEI Boston, the “OMF” Show featuring Glenn Ordway, Lou Merloni, and Christian Fauria takes over PM Drive with Dale Arnold and Rich Keefe moving to middays. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• The Arizona Coyotes have signed their broadcast teams to multi-year contracts. That includes Bob Heethuis and Paul Bissonnette on radio and Matt McConnell and Tyson Nash on TV. (Courtesy ArizonaSports.com)
• The Sports Hub and NBC Sports Boston will team up to launch a simulcast of The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand Midday Show beginning Monday, July 23rd. (Courtesy The Sports Hub)
• Mike Crispino will become the new voice of UConn football and men’s basketball. (Courtesy Hartford Courant)
• ESPN has chosen Sean McDonough to call Saturday night games with Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. He replaces Joe Tessitore, who takes over McDonough’s former role on MNF. It’s part of the new college football broadcast teams announced by ESPN. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Andy Kemper has retired as the Portland Winterhawks’ color commentator after 15 years behind the microphone. (Courtesy PamplinMedia.com)
• ESPN has reached multiyear contract extensions with SEC Nation host Laura Rutledge and Thinking Out Loud’s Marcus Spears. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Brent Musburger agrees to 3-year deal to be Raiders’ radio voice, starting this season. Greg Papa has been the team’s longtime voice. (Courtesy Las Vegas Review Journal)
• Congratulations to former University of Hawaii running back Kainoa Carlson, the new sports anchor/reporter at Hawaii News Now.
• Congrats also go out to Alex Walker, who is joining WKYT in Lexington as a sports anchor/reporter. He moves from WITN-TV in Greenville, NC.
• Boomer Esiason has decided not to return as an analyst for Westwood One radio’s national “Monday Night Football” package, ending an 18-year run. Kurt Warner is presumed to be the top candidate to replace him. (Courtesy Newsday)
• Clay Travis has signed a contract extension with Fox Sports Radio.
• Brian Noe is joining Rip City Radio in Portland, OR. The Fox Sports Radio weekend host will work Noon to 3 pm in Portland.
• Michael Kay and Don La Greca have signed five year extensions with ESPN New York 98.7. They will continue to work alongside Peter Rosenberg, afternoons from 3 to 7 pm. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Paul Finebaum has earned a multiyear extension. He’ll continue hosting his show on ESPN Radio and the SEC Network and serving as an analyst on SEC Nation. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Ex-Syracuse and NFL player Adam Terry is the new color analyst for Syracuse football radio broadcasts. Terry will work with “Voice of the Orange” Matt Park and longtime host and sideline reporter Brian Higgins. (Courtesy localsyr.com)
• Marc Moser is moving from radio to TV for the Colorado Avalanche. The new radio voice is Conor McGahey. McGahey has called games for the Colorado Rapids, University of Denver Pioneers hockey and the Colorado Mammoth. He spent last season doing pre and post for Las Vegas. (Courtesy Denver Post)
• Fox Sports is talking to Jeff Fisher about serving as one of its NFL game analysts this season. (Courtesy Sporting News)
• Jim Brandstatter’s run of 31 years as Detroit Lions radio analyst came to an abrupt end on Tuesday when WJR-AM notified him of his termination with three years remaining on his contract. Lomas Brown replaces him. (Courtesy Detroit News)
• Ex-NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky has agreed to be a football analyst with ESPN. (Courtesy NY Post)
• San Diego native Daniel Jeremiah is replacing Dan Fouts as a color analyst on LA Chargers pre-season telecasts this fall. (Courtesy San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Iconic play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove will return to the Pitt football radio booth for his 45th season where he will be reunited with color analyst and former Panthers quarterback Pat Bostick. (Courtesy Triblive)
• Congrats to Joe Roberts, the new voice of Utica Comets hockey of the AHL. Joe leaves a similar position with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings.
• Sports Anchor Taylor Tennebaum is joining WTHR TV in Indianapolis. She leaves WHNT in Huntsville, AL. Her career path: Dothan – Huntsville – Indianapolis. (Courtesy Indy Star)
• Georgia State University athletics are moving to 92.9 The Game (Entercom) in Atlanta. Dave Cohen remains the play-by-play voice.
• Reported finalists for the New Orleans Saints radio job are ex-Saints player Zach Strief, ex-WWL-TV anchor Mike Hoss and Pelicans play-by-play men Sean Kelley and Joel Meyers. (Courtesy nola.com)
• 25 year oldMike Watts is the new TV voice of Cincinnati Bengals preseason football. Wayne “Box” Miller joins the radio team as the pregame and postgame host. He replaces Alan Cutler. All other Bengals broadcast roles remain the same. (Courtesy WHIO)
• Alabama Crimson Tide football radio analyst Phil Savage is leaving to be the GM for the Phoenix franchise in the Alliance of American Football. Savage has been on the ‘Bama crew since 2009.
• Longtime SB Nation Radio PD Craig Larson is adding Chief Operating Officer to his resume at the network.
• Congrats to Michael Gilbert, the new sports anchor/reporter at WEHT/WTVW in Henderson, KY. The Marquette U. grad leaves the Sports Director position at WBKB in Alpena, MI.
• The Milwaukee Admirals will broadcast their games on The Big 920 and the iHeartRadio app beginning with the 2018-’19 season. Aaron Sims remains the play-by-play voice. (Courtesy The Big 920)
• Mel Olson, the legendary voice of the Moses Lake (WA) High School Chiefs, died Tuesday afternoon after he was struck on his bicycle by a pick-up truck in Moses Lake. He was 89-years-old. Olson had been the play-by-play announcer for Chiefs football, basketball, and wrestling teams for more than 50 years. (Courtesy KXLY)
• Negotiations between Paul Finebaum and ESPN have heated up, but a powerful new team is bidding for the possible free agent’s services: Fox Sports. and its affiliated Big Ten Network. (Courtesy Sporting News)
• Publicist Ron Berkowitz — whose clients include Alex Rodriguez — is stepping into the spotlight on Friday July 6th to fill in as guest co-host of CBS Sports Radio/CBS Sports Network TV show “Tiki and Tierney.” (Courtesy pagesix.com)
• The Rochester Honkers have a new play-by-play radio announcer. Brett Morton replaces Michael Keeley, who resigned to join the ECHL’s Broadcasting/Media position with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. (Courtesy Post Bulletin)
• Brian Hanley, a 26-year veteran of WSCR 670-AM, is not being renewed as morning co-host of the Entercom sports/talk station, He is expected to work through the end of the month, then shift to a new role as weekend and fill-in host. (Courtesy RobertFeder.com)
• Detroit sports talker Mike Valenti has signed a long-term deal with 97.1 The Ticket to continue as host of the 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm program. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• He does it all: Adam Amin will call the July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN2. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Congrats to Dorian Craft, the new Sports Anchor/Reporter at THV11 in Little Rock. Dorian most recently filled a similar position at WLEX in Lexington, KY.
• Kudos to Jacob Tobey who is joining KJRH2 in Tulsa as a sports anchor/reporter. Jacob graduated in May from Suffolk University in Boston. He has worked with CLNS Media as a Celtics reporter/video editor and produced packages and reported live on NECN.
• Caleb Noe is on the move. Caleb is leaving WLFI in West Lafayette, IN for a sports anchor/reporter position at WVLT in Knoxville, TN.
• Des Moines sportscaster and Drake University basketball voice Larry Cotlar died Saturday after floodwaters swept him into a creek. Cotlar as the 2007 Iowa Sportscaster of the Year. He is survived by his wife, Deb Brewer-Cotlar, and two sons. (Courtesy KCCI)
• The Dallas Stars have announced that Craid Ludwig, former Stars alternate captain, will not be returning to his position of color analyst for Stars broadcasts. (Courtesy NBCdfw.com)
• Fox’s Aly Wagner and Telemundo’s Viviana Vila made history by being the first female broadcasters to call a men’s World Cup game. (Courtesy Toronto Star)
• Steve Covino and Rich Davis have left SiriusXM for ESPN Radio. Their show debuted on ESPN June 30th, It airs weekends from noon to 4 pm Eastern.
June 2018
• Taryn Hatcher has joined NBC Sports Philadelphia as a multi-platform host and reporter covering the Eagles, Flyers, Sixers and Phillies. (Courtesy NBCSports.com)
• The Read Optional’s Trey Wallace is joining Fox Sports Knoxville as a midday host. (Courtesy SportsRadioKnoxville)
• PM Drive Host Jeff Aaron has left AM 1380 Fox Sports Radio KRKO in Everett, WA. He’s been at the station for 16 years.
• East Tennessee State U. has signed a multimedia rights agreement with Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment. The 10-year deal grants Van Wagner exclusive rights to represent ETSU as the rights holder for the program’s sponsorship and media sales, as well as on- and off-campus marketing promotions for the Buccaneers’ brand. In return, the agreement is anticipated to net ETSU approximately $15 million in revenue and cost-savings over the life of the contract.
• Walt Disney is closer to buying 21st Century Fox’s coveted entertainment and distribution businesses. The Department of Justice said that the $71.3 billion acquisition could go ahead if Disney, which owns ESPN, sold off all of 21st Century Fox’s regional sports networks. (Courtesy The Times)
• Colin Cowherd is closing in on a new four-year deal with Fox Sports and iHeartRadio. His last deal was for $6 million per year. The total of the new deal is likely more. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Dan Le Batard and Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, hosts of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz have signed multiyear agreements to remain with ESPN.
• Congratulations to Matthew Schwartz, the new weekend sports anchor/reporter at KAIT in Jonesboro, AR. He relocates from WVVA in Bluefield, VA.
• Don Fischer, who has been the radio voice for Indiana University athletics for more than 45 years, , received a prestigious honor this week. Fischer is the first recipient of the Woody Durham College Voice Award. It is presented by the NSMA, the University of North Carolina and Learfield Sports. (Courtesy IUHoosiers.com)
• Former color analyst for the Houston Astros, Bruce Gietzen, and Lady Bear Hall of Famer Maggie Davis-Stinnett are the new voices of Baylor women’s basketball. They follow Rick May and Lori Fogleman, who have retired. (Courtesy Baylor U.)
• Former Opelika (AL) H.S. football coach Spence McCracken is the new color analyst on the team’s radio broadcasts. His son Mac McCracken will be the sideline announcer. Van Riggs handles play-by-play. (Courtesy oanow.com)
• The late Woody Durham, the longtime voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels, was honored Monday night (June 25th) at the 59th National Sports Media Association’s banquet by being inducted into its hall of fame. (Courtesy Journalnow.com)
• Kevin Harlan was honored last night (June 25th) by the National Sports Media Association as its “2017 National Sportscaster of the Year.” The award was presented at the 59th NSMA Awards Banquet in Winston-Salem, NC.
• Veteran sports radio executive Eric Spitz is leaving CBS Sports Radio and joining SiriusXM as VP of Sports Programming. (Courtesy RadioInk)
• After nearly a decade of sports reporting in Indianapolis, WTHR sports anchor Jason Spells is leaving for a job in Dallas. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• Taryn Hatcher is leaving Hawaii News Now after three years as a sports anchor and reporter. She will announce her plans when they are finalized later this week (Courtesy Star-Advertiser)
• Nashville Sounds voice Jeff Hem will be part of the radio broadcast crew for the Triple-A All-Star Game, July 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Hem will work alongside Ryan Mitchell and Scott Leo, the regular broadcast crew for the host franchise. (Courtesy Nashville Post)
• Former “SEC on CBS” sideline reporter Allie LaForce has agreed to a multi-year contract with Turner Sports, where she will cover both the NBA and college basketball. (Courtesy Al.com)
• Nick Hardwick is dropping his radio gig with the Los Angeles Chargers so he can have more family time in San Diego with his wife and two sons. (Courtesy San Diego Union Tribune)
• Jack Edwards and NESN have agreed to a new contract for Edwards to remain as voice of the Boston Bruins. (Courtesy Boston.com)
• Congrats to Damon Turbitt, the new Sports Anchor/Reporter at ABC27 in Harrisburg, PA.
• The Sports Hub in Boston has promoted Christian Arcand from part-timer to co-host and Sports Hub Headlines anchor weeknights on the Adam Jones Show.
• John Ward, the University of Tennessee’s beloved “Voice of the Vols” for 34 seasons in basketball and 31 seasons in football, died Wednesday after battling a lengthy illness. He was 88.
• Congratulations to Michael Keeley. The three-year radio and HockeyTV voice of the NAHL’s Austin Bruins has accepted the Broadcasting/Media position with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. Michael earned Honorable Mention in STAA’s 2013 All-America rankings. He was talented then and has continued honing his craft. A great choice!
• Veteran San Francisco sportscaster Gary Radnich is retiring from KRON-TV. He will continue co-hosting his sports talk show with Larry Krueger on KNBR. (Courtesy San Francisco Chronicle)
• Molly Sullivan, who has been the Sixers sideline reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia since 2012, is out. She says the network told her they are “moving in a “new direction.” (Courtesy Philly.com)
• Ed Olczyk has joined ESPN 1000 Chicago and the Kap & Co. weekday show. Olczyk will co-host twice a week, generally on Mondays and Fridays, alongside David Kaplan from 9 a.m. – noon CT.
• Sean Salisbury, who has hosted local and national shows for Gow Media the last five years, will move next month to iHeart Media’s KBME (790 AM) as host of the station’s afternoon drive time show. Salisbury replaces Jayson Braddock and Sean Jones, whose show has been canceled. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Kelly Chase, who spent nearly two decades as the St. Louis Blues radio analyst, is leaving the broadcast booth to take over business and community development for the club. He’ll also be working in private real estate. (Courtesy KMOV)
• Jermaine Ferrell is transferring inside Nexstar Media from WFXR Roanoke to WRIC in Richmond to become their Weekend Sports Anchor/Weekday Sports Reporter. (Courtesy Virginia First)
• Congratulations to Shawn Bednard, the new Director of Media Relations, and Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Fayetteville Marksmen hockey club of the SPHL. Bednard is a 2018 graduate of Central Michigan University.
• Don Criqui and Allen Pinkett are out as Notre Dame football changes its radio voices. ND’s new multimedia partner, JMI Sports, apparently wants the team’s broadcasters to live locally. Criqui and Pinkett do not. (Courtesy ND Insider)
• Former Honolulu sportscaster John Noland has died from injuries he sustained when he was allegedly assaulted last weekend. A suspect is in custody. (Courtesy Star Advertiser)
• Thunder broadcaster Brian Davis, who used ‘cotton-picking’ in his call of a play by Russell Westbrook, will not have his contract renewed. A team statement does not give a reason for the decision. (Courtesy USA Today)
• Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner says he’s cancer-free, after having a kidney tumor removed. He is set to return to calling Padres games on June 19. Leitner’s tumor turned out to be benign.
• Longtime Astros voice Bill Brown, who retired in 2016 after 30 years with the club, will fill in for Astros radio color analyst Steve Sparks during the team’s three-game series against the Rays that begins tonight (Monday, June 18th). (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Erica Weston, who was a sports reporter and anchor at the ABC network affiliate in Tucson, Ariz., is joining Fox Sports Midwest. She will be in a limited role at first as an anchor and reporter for the Cardinals and Blues as she becomes acclimated. (Courtesy STLToday)
• Mike Tirico will host NBC’s coverage of the 103rd Indianapolis 500. After finalizing an exclusive deal with IndyCar in March, NBC will be broadcasting the event after the 500’s 50-plus year relationship with ABC came to a close. (Courtesy Indianapolis Star)
• ESPN’s Steve Levy will call TV play-by-play of Denver Broncos preseason football on 9News. Ex-Broncos QB Brian Griese will do color. (Courtesy 9News)
• The Yankees are considering buying back the YES Network if Fox puts it up for sale. (Courtesy Bloomberg.com)
• Beloved Philly sportscaster “Big Al” Meltzer has passed away He was 89 years old. Meltzer was a fixture in Philly sports, remembered for his engaging presence, enthusiasm, sports knowledge and easily recognizable voice. (Courtesy NBC Philadelphia)
• Honolulu police have initiated an attempted murder investigation after longtime sports broadcaster John Noland was found unresponsive with a head injury on Saturday. He is on life support. Our prayers are with John and his family. (Courtesy StarAdvertiser.com)
• Fox Sports Wisconsin sideline reporter Sophia Minnaert has joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization and will continue her work on Fox Sports Brewers broadcasts. (Courtesy Milwaukee Business Journal)
• Following a 37-year career covering Opelika High School athletics, D. Mark Mitchell is no longer “The Voice of the Dawgs.” Mitchell says the abrupt end to his career was unwarranted and unjustified. (Courtesy Opelik aObserver)
• Michael Kay and YES Network are putting the finishing touches on a three-year contract with a network option for two more. The deal calls for a salary of more than a million dollars per season. (Courtesy New York Post)
• ESPN is closing in on a new deal with its biggest pending free agent: Dan Le Batard. Le Batard’s current deal is slated to expire early this summer. (Courtesy Sporting News)
• Sports 1280 New Orleans midday hosts Jeff Duncan and Larry Holder are switching from broadcast to podcast on July 23rd. (Courtesy Nola.com)
• Nick Hart has been named as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s new play-by-play broadcaster, stepping into the role vacated by STAA member Mike O’Brien, who left the organization last week to pursue other career opportunities in Boston. (Courtesy Times Leader)
• Sports broadcaster Roger Millions has launched a bid for Alberta UCP nomination. (Courtesy Global News)
• Andrew Monaco has been named Texas A&M’s play-by-play announcer for football and men’s basketball.
• Portland Trail Blazers play-by-play man Kevin Calabro has won a Northwest Emmy for sports play-by-play. (Courtesy BlazersEdge.com)
• Tommy Hutton, a longtime Marlins analyst at Fox Sports Florida, will return for select pre- and postgame analysis, beginning on Monday during the Giants-Marlins telecast. (Courtesy MLB.com)
• Former Peoria Rivermen broadcaster, the late Norm Ulrich, has earned induction into the team’s Hall of Fame. Ulrich broadcast more than 1,400 games for the team. He passed away in October at age 78. (Courtesy prstar.com)
• Sportsnet’s Roger Millions has announced his retirement following a 39-year career in sportscasting. Millions joined Sportsnet in 2002 and called and covered regional Calgary Flames games for over 15 years. (Courtesy Sportsnet.ca)
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette and new multimedia rights holder Learfield have decided to retain Townsquare Media as the school’s radio partner. Jay Walker will continue as voice of the Cajuns. (Courtesy The Advertiser)
• ESPN Boise has flipped to a rock format. STAA members Alex Gold and Joey Jenkins hosted a show on the station.
• Skip and Shannon: Undisputed moderator Joy Taylor is leaving to serve as news anchor for The Herd With Colin Cowherd. Jenny Taft will replace her as the moderator on Undisputed. (Courtesy The Intelligencer)
• Barry Warner’s hour-long morning show on KFNC-HD 2 (97.5-2 FM)/K231CN (94.1 FM) has been canceled as part of a lineup shuffle at the two Gow Media stations that will include Charlie Pallilo’s move to KFNC. (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)
• Mike Watts will broadcast Cincinnati Bengals preseason games on TV. Watts has experience with ESPN, SEC Network, Major League Soccer, CONCACAF and various colleges and conferences. Wayne Box Miller joins the radio team as pregame and postgame host. (Courtesy CincyJungle.com)
• A well-known voice in Vancouver, John Ashbridge, has died at age 71. The longtime broadcaster became synonymous with hockey over the years, lending his voice to the Vancouver Giants as well as the Canucks. (Courtesy Global News)
• Kristina Pink lands Thursday night gig at Fox Sports. Erin Andrews is expected to join Pink on the sidelines. (Courtesy New York Post)
• Former right tackle Zach Strief as emerged as a “strong and viable candidate” to succeed Jim Henderson as radio voice of the New Orleans Saints. (Courtesy Times Picayune)
• STAA’s Jay Sanderson has signed an extension to remain with the Montana State Bobcats through the 2020-21 athletic season. Jay is the reigning Montana Sportscaster of the Year, as named by the National Sports Media Association. Congratulations, Maverick!
• Philly’s 97.5 The Fanatic unveils its summer lineup featuring new programs in the early morning and evening. The 5:00 am to 6:00 am “The Fanatic At 5 with Eytan Shander and Jamie Lynch” leads into Anthony Gargano. At 6 pm, Devon Givens and Geoff Mosher will co-host until hockey and basketball returns. Joe Tordy hosts 9 pm to midnight. (Courtesy Talkers.com)
• Veteran hockey broadcaster Bob Cole is open to a return to the booth. Sportsnet president Scott Moore says he’d like to have Cole back to call a few games. Cole turns 85 this month. (Courtesy National Post)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins broadcaster and STAA member Mike O’Brien is leaving the team to pursue other career opportunities in the Boston area. (Courtesy Times-Leader)
• Longtime local sportscaster Chick Hernandez will leave NBC Sports Washington at the end of the week after a 17-year run. His contract was not renewed. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Joy Taylor is poised to succeed Kristine Leahy on ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd.’ (Courtesy Sporting News)
• After 2,016 straight games, Nationals broadcaster Dave Jageler ended his iron-man streak last Thursday to attend his son’s high school graduation. Harrisburg Senators voice Terry Byrom filled in. Congrats to both Dave and Terry! (Courtesy Washington Post)
• ESPN has reached a multi-year extension with NBA game analyst Doris Burke. (Courtesy ESPN)
• Jim Leahey, Hawaii’s most recognizable radio and television sports broadcaster for the past 60 years, is retiring. His son is ESPN broadcaster Kanoa Leahey. (Courtesy Star Advertiser)
• A beloved voice of the Voice of the Foothills — Dan Songer of Auburn, CA’s KAHI radio station — has died at age of 83.
• Congrats to STAA’s Jonathan Deutsch, the new sports anchor/reporter at NBC25/FOX 66 in Flint, MI. He leaves WIBW Topeka.
• Brendan Mackey the new sports anchor/reporter position at KOTA and KEVN in Rapid City, SD. Congratulations, Brendan.
• Charlotte native Chris Kroeger is the new radio play-by-play voice of the Hornets. Kroeger is a veteran of local sports talk radio in the Queen City. (Courtesy WCNC)
• For Capitals fans of a certain age, Monday’s radio broadcast of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals will feature a nostalgic blast from the past. Ron Weber, who called the first 1,936 games in franchise history, will participate during the pregame and through the first intermission. (Courtesy Washington Post)
• Jamie Erdhal is replacing Allie LaForce as SEC on CBS reporter. LaForce could not come to a new deal and LaForce is leaving CBS Sports. (Courtesy Richard Deitch)
• Longtime Charlotte sports anchor Chuck Howard is out at Fox 46. (Courtesy Charlotte Observer)
• The San Francisco Giants and KNBR 680 have become first in MLB to offer free, in-market live streaming of radio broadcasts. (Courtesy KNBR.com)