When this time of year rolls around, sports fans have a continuous smile on their faces. The MLB playoffs are underway. The NFL and college football are now in full swing. The NHL is beginning its chase for the Stanley Cup, and the NBA is right around the corner. It’s sports utopia, where every day brings a new storyline and the radio voices calling play-by-play serve as our storytellers.
For me, baseball is always best on the radio. There’s something special about the hometown call, with broadcasters having the freedom to speak their truth about the local team, for better or worse. But with radio, access is limited. The hometown call can be heard in full, but it can rarely be seen in the same manner. Yet, scrolling through social media, the highlight reels of epic calls routinely generate massive engagement and impressions. The audience clearly has an appetite for seeing the people behind those voices. So, why doesn’t radio play by play go all in?
I raise this idea because of a trend we’ve seen develop in recent years.
Authentic And Raw
Local and national radio play-by-play broadcasts are placing their calls on social media more than ever before. The camera is increasingly finding its way into the broadcast booth. When it does, fans get to see something television can’t always provide: the authentic, immediate reaction of the people calling the game.
Recently, ESPN Radio captured the distraught reaction of Tim Kurkjian as Austin Wells was thrown out by four steps in Game 1 of the ALDS. Who could forget the look on USC radio analyst Shaun Cody’s face when play-by-play voice Pete Arbogast said Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was at fault for a hit to his helmet? Anytime you can see Kevin Harlan react to a touchdown call, it’s simply magic.
Those moments work because they’re authentic. They’re not produced for television and not scripted for social media. They’re simply broadcasters reacting to the biggest moments of a game.
So, why limit that content to a 30-second clip after the fact?
For generations, radio teams have been the glue that keeps the local voice on every game broadcast. While television rights determine which network gets what game or series, the local call remains an important part of how fans consume sports. At the same time, radio companies are constantly looking for ways to build their digital audiences and create new revenue opportunities.
This is where the radio booth could become something more. If you’re already going to the trouble of placing cameras in the booth, why not provide a live video stream of the radio broadcast?
We’ve already seen the second-screen experience work across sports media. Barstool Sports has its gambling cave. YouTube creators host watch-along broadcasts. ESPN and other networks have developed alternate broadcasts that give viewers another way to experience a game.
Why shouldn’t radio play-by-play have its own version? Some colleges have already taken the leap. Florida State have a title sponsor for their video stream with a clean presentation and a live chat feature. You can yell Roll Tide every Saturday with Alabama’s live video stream on Facebook. Both of which have high engagement, view counts, and therefore revenue to be earned.
I’m not suggesting radio needs to become television. Quite the opposite. The appeal would be watching radio be radio.
A Peek Behind The Curtain
Give fans a camera pointed at the broadcasters. Let them see the reaction when a home run clears the wall, a quarterback throws a game-winning touchdown or a controversial call changes the outcome of a game. Don’t overproduce it. Don’t turn it into another television broadcast. Let the personalities and the emotion of the booth carry the experience.
Yes. Of course there are legal and contractual considerations involving teams, leagues and media rights. Those issues would have to be addressed. But isn’t the potential upside worth exploring? If your guide is bigger reach, revenue, and audience, why wait?
Imagine if ESPN or ESPN Radio also offered a live video stream of the broadcast booth through YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Tim Kurkjian live and in living color throwing his glasses after a bonehead base running mistake in real time.
Imagine the local call of a Monday Night Football game. I can listen to the game through the Westwood One app or find it on a local affiliate. But why not give fans the opportunity to watch Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner in the broadcast booth while they call the game?
The technology, audience, and cameras are already there. And there’s a business opportunity sitting in the middle of it.
A live booth stream could create additional digital inventory for radio companies, teams, and leagues. It could provide new sponsorship opportunities and would generate more social content. It could give broadcasters another way to build their personalities and potentially bring new listeners to the traditional radio product when they can’t be by the phone.
Most importantly, it creates another reason for fans to interact with a broadcast they already enjoy. That’s not replacing radio. It’s extending the product.
Radio has spent years talking about the need to evolve with its audience. This is a relatively simple way to do it. If we’re already putting cameras in the booth, let’s go the added mile and turn those cameras on for the entire game.
Don’t turn the radio booth into television. Let people watch radio being radio.
The future of sports media isn’t about choosing between radio, television, streaming or social media. It’s about finding ways for all of them to work together. The radio booth has always been one of the most authentic places in sports media. If radio broadcasters are willing to go the extra mile to put cameras in the booth, they should go the added mile and stream those booths live.
Give the audience the opportunity to experience the entire broadcast, not just the moments that happen to go viral. It’s time to let fans see the people behind the voices — from the opening pitch, kickoff or tip until the final call.
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