As the New York Mets welcome the Atlanta Braves to Citi Field for the first of four games, fans will be looking forward to much more than just the action on the field. The Mets’ television broadcasting trio of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling is in the midst of its 18th year together in the SportsNet New York (SNY) broadcast booth and is considered by many to be must-see television.
GKR, the monogram for the booth, has been reflecting on what it has been like working together and serving as the soundtrack of Mets baseball over the years. Following Friday night’s postgame show, SNY will premiere a documentary – Gary, Keith & Ron 18 – which details the formation and evolution of the broadcast booth over the years.
Throughout the documentary, there are interviews with each of the broadcasters filmed from various locations at the ballpark, along with a group session where they converse with one another about their work. Cohen, Hernandez and Darling are consistently ranked among the top broadcast booths in the sport by fans in various polls – and each of them are members of the New York Mets team Hall of Fame.
Over the offseason, Cohen was named as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award, given by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for excellence in broadcasting. This year’s award went to Pat Hughes, the radio play-by-play voice of the Chicago Cubs, but it is entirely plausible Cohen could be on his way to a win in the near future based on the respect he has garnered around the industry.
The respect for Cohen, along with his partners, is demonstrated through a series of interviews throughout the presentation from colleagues and fellow broadcasters – including Bob Costas, Kevin Burkhardt, Howie Rose and Steve Gelbs.
Throughout the hour-long presentation, fans will be treated to looks back at some of the most memorable moments in the booth. Cohen’s iconic calls, Hernandez’s hitting philosophies and Darling’s pitching acumen are all thoroughly on display. Entertaining moments, including “Media Guide Musings,” broadcasting from the upper deck of Shea Stadium and visits from special guests in the booth are also included in this retrospective.
On-air chemistry is an indispensable aspect to any stellar broadcast, and the three broadcasters expound upon what made them feel comfortable with one another. The documentary also emphasizes the unique broadcast style of the trio complete with anecdotes and reviews of footage over the years.
All of the broadcasters were influenced by the Mets’ first broadcast trio of Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner, which called games together for 17 seasons on radio and television. Now in their 18th season together, Gary, Keith and Ron have broken a record. They find it difficult to grasp the magnitude of their impact and how they will be remembered by generations of Mets fans as the soundtracks of summer.
It all starts with a look back at Murphy, Nelson and Kiner before focusing on how GKR ended up working together. After individually breaking down Cohen, Hernandez and Darling, the focus centers on the role of the field reporter – a role predominantly performed by Burkhardt and Gelbs. Everything concludes with an affirmation of just how revered GKR is by New York Mets fans and those in baseball at large.
There is a humility evident among the three broadcasters as they sit around a table and ruminate over how they are keeping a tradition alive started by the original Mets broadcasters. In the end, GKR continues to influence generations of media professionals and keep fans informed and entertained through the ebb and flow of the 162-game regular season.
The documentary premieres Friday night after the New York Mets postgame show on SNY, which airs immediately upon the conclusion of the team’s matchup against the Braves. Coverage of the game begins at 6:30 p.m. EST with Mets Pregame before the studio turns it over to Cohen, Hernandez and Darling at 7 p.m. sharp.
