Days after Joe Bowen was told he would not be travelling with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, that he would have to call road games off a screen in a Toronto studio, a change of heart changed his plans: “After some great conversations today with all parties we are back on the road baby!”
The veteran play-by-play voice delivered the news to his Twitter followers on Monday — he included the hashtags “#TrainsPlanes&Automobiles” and “#LetsGetThisSeasonStarted,” for good measure — after news of his would-be grounding had gained traction on social media.
When training camp began earlier this month, the Leafs told their radio partners they were changing team policy this year, and would not allow broadcasters to travel on charter flights. Bowen and Jim Ralph, his long-time colour analyst, are paid by TSN 1050 and Sportsnet 590 The Fan, who share the Leafs radio rights.
On Friday, Bowen was told he would not be flown to road games, and that he would have to call games off a television feed. That decision was still in place as of early Monday afternoon. It was not immediately clear what caused the change of heart — the decision was made by the stations, because the Leafs still have the ban in place — though the online reaction likely played a role.
Credit to The Toronto Sun who originally published this article.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
