No matter who in the broadcasting world you ask, you will not find much sympathy for the Los Angeles Angels. The team shocked fans and the media industry last week when it announced that its radio broadcast crew would not travel with the team to away games.
On Friday morning, CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amendolara took team owner Artie Moreno to task. He called the move shortsighted and cheap.
The Angels have some of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars on their roster. The novelty of one of the league’s best hitters also being one of the league’s best pitchers should be properly documented according to Amendolara.
“Do you think it’s valuable to be experiencing the Shohei Ohtani thing for half the season?” he asked.
He also pointed out the absurdity of Moreno claiming that he cannot justify the cost of sending broadcasters on the road. Damon Amendolara said it would cost around $200,000 for the broadcasters to travel with the team. Saying that it is cost prohibitive when the team has multiple players that make more than that per game doesn’t make sense.
“Do you realize Anthony Rendon will make $38 million this season? Meaning if he played 162 games, which we know he won’t, he makes $234,000 a game. For less than the price of one game with Anthony Rendon, you could send your broadcast team on the road. Mike Trout’s making 35 million bucks this year. For less than you spend on Mike Trout for one game, you could send your radio team on the road for half the season.”
In announcing the decision, Moreno said that the price could not be justified because there is no significant difference in the fan experience whether the radio broadcast is done in person or remotely.
“Could you imagine making that decision? Could you imagine?” Amendolara said. “It’s outrageous. It’s outrageous. Artie Moreno is shortchanging that fan base.”
In 2023, only the Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays will still use remote broadcasts to cover road games on the radio.
