I love the feel of the hometown sports play by play call. It doesn’t matter the sport. When the biggest moments happen with the teams you love, the sound of a hometown call is a symphony unlike any other. However, when the playoffs arrive, opportunities on television for that hometown call cease to exist. ESPN’s Mike Breen, who also calls New York Knicks telecasts on MSG Network, has been the most vocal critic, despite serving as the national voice of the NBA Finals.
“I just think the fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while,” said Breen on a recent telecast of Knicks basketball.
That got me thinking: where can fans get a hometown call of all the postseason action, no matter the sport? It wasn’t hard to find an answer, as your local sports radio station always provides it. Maybe it’s just me, but this issue already has a solution—and a million-dollar idea behind it.
Needless to say, technology continues to evolve in an effort to make the user experience as personalized as possible. That’s why so many companies now lean on AI to deliver what you want to see and how you want to see it, based on your preferences.
This trend is also impacting sports radio stations that broadcast play-by-play. Earlier this year, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets became the latest teams to introduce real-time, in-venue radio broadcasts for fans who want to hear the hometown call while sitting in the stands.
The broadcasts were delivered to those in attendance through the MLB Ballpark app at no cost to fans.
For the Rays, the move to real-time broadcasts stemmed from my former station relocating to a new facility. In our previous building—where the station operated for many years before I arrived—we had full control over the delay mechanism for the broadcast. That control allowed fans attending games with AM/FM radios and headphones to hear a high-quality broadcast in real time.
Once we moved, several things changed, including our ability to fully manipulate delays across all broadcasts. As a result, fans in attendance could no longer listen in real time the way they once had.
Needless to say, I received plenty of emails from frustrated Rays fans about the issue. Unfortunately, the move created a problem. A problem that the Rays, along with several other clubs, have worked since to solve with companies like ProWire and SportsBug.
Now, leagues themselves are creating a different challenge through new television deals. Local calls will no longer air on television for the NBA, which is why Breen has been so outspoken.
This is where sports radio stations need to take action.
First and foremost, if a station has the local call, it needs to market it. Promos, live liners, and social media mentions should only be the beginning. Every sports radio outlet should also use its sister stations to drive listeners to the local call for every game of every series. This kind of cross-promotion is a simple way to involve multiple brands in the excitement of postseason sports.
The second step involves working closely with partners and the team itself. The postseason is when an entire city rallies behind its team. Every partner brings its own audience. If the organization values its hometown call, it will eagerly promote where and how to listen. If these efforts haven’t started yet, there’s no time to waste.
The third step is where sports radio and technology must meet. For generations, stations have told listeners to turn the TV down and the radio up. Having access to the hometown call at all times remains a massive advantage that television partners can’t replicate.
That’s why sports radio brands must now find every possible way to create a seamless at-home experience—watching the game on TV while listening to the radio call.
If franchises can solve this issue inside their own venues, there’s clearly an appetite to replicate that experience at home. Over the last decade, leagues have become more flexible with geofencing for streamed play-by-play. At the same time, access to audio has expanded through apps, gaming systems, and smart speakers.
Yes, sports fans deserve a bone thrown their way from time to time. Especially now, as watching games becomes more complicated and expensive. If teams are paying these broadcasters throughout the postseason, they should also market them through local sports radio partnerships, finding more ways to connect fans to championship moments.
Mike Breen is right, and sports radio must rally for the response. If technology allows franchises to figure out a solution to a problem, why can’t sports radio do the same?
In the end, the one thing that shouldn’t be out of reach is the voice fans trust most. The hometown call isn’t just an alternative—it’s an emotional connection, a familiar soundtrack to moments that matter. And while television continues to evolve and nationalize the biggest stages, stripping away that hometown feel, sports radio has an opportunity to double down on what makes it essential.
Because this isn’t about choosing radio over TV. It’s about giving fans the option to experience the biggest moments their way—radio doing exactly what networks are already trying to do.
If the technology exists—and it does—and the partnerships are in place, then the demand is undeniable. The next step is simple: meet the audience where they are and deliver the call they care about most.
After all, when the biggest moments happen, fans shouldn’t have to search for the sound of home—it should be right there waiting for them.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
