No Radio Broadcasts For Blue Jays Fans

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There’s something special about hearing the call of a baseball game on the radio. For anyone that’s experienced baseball pictures being painted by their favorite announcer they know exactly how special it is. Games being called on radio sound nothing like how they are called on TV. Toronto Blue Jays fans will be deprived of radio calls this season.

Sportsnet, which carries the games, blames the radio elimination on COVID. “In an effort to minimize travel and closely adhere to team, league, and government protocols related to the pandemic, Sportsnet will be streamlining production for the 2021 season by simulcasting TV broadcasts on Sportsnet 590 The FAN and across the Sportsnet Radio Network.”

Baseball fans in Toronto that listen on the radio can expect a lot of dead air during games as TV announcers tend to let pictures tell more of the story for them. Here’s what New York Mets announcer Howie Rose thought of what happened in Toronto:

 

 

5 COMMENTS

  1. Unfortunately, radio coverage of baseball play-by-play is just not a major item now to most teams. The amount of money that teams receive from regional TV sports networks for the TV rights, is exponentially greater now than the radio rights. Add the fact that the vast majority of games are now on TV, unlike back in the day of great play-by-play announcers on radio and when radio was often the only option on which to follow a game. Now, we even have to contend with coverage on people’s phones, too.

  2. Because of COVID!….BULLSHIT! This is strictly a money-saving move by Rogers Communications, OWNERS of the Toronto Blue Jays, and of the FAN 590. When I worked at the FAN (when it was CJCL 1430 AM) back in the early ’80s, the late Tom Cheek and Jerry Howard ruled the sports airwaves in Toronto as the play-by-play team of the Jays. We used to promote for fans to watch the game on TV if you want but LISTEN to the game on RADIO for the “LIVE” play-by-play by two of the best in the business. This decision will come back to bite Rogers in the butt! As I said, this move has NOTHING to do with COVID 19. The radio play-by-play was done last year via the TV feed during COVID 19 and there is NO reason why they could not do it again this year.

  3. COVID is a shallow and poor excuse. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of field service technicians, sales engineers, and other essential employees traveling and staying in hotels throughout the pandemic. Cost shouldn’t be a factor. MLB benefits from some of the finest corporate welfare of the modern age in the form of funding for stadiums, infrastructure maintenance, support from public services, etc. Even the fans are seen as little more than sheep to be fleeced out of every dime. If small businesses and organizations are expected to survive pandemic restrictions, a baseball team can retain radio play-by-play facilities.

  4. I am with Howie Rose.
    In 2020 this is totally acceptable where we had shut down many things. Now we are in a world where we are slowly opening things up. If my company was in that area I would even volunteer to be there at the game and call it. I’m sure some of my staff would do the same thing. We love sports. And we know people do too. I totally understand The need to minimize. However by doing this in a world where we are starting to open up makes no sense. Let’s get out there and be normal again, it may not be Yesterdays normal but it is today’s new normal that does not mean that we cancel the games. Just be mindful and respectful you can still minimize and still call the game.

  5. The TV announcers need to adapt to the fact that they are also on the radio. Which means treating the TV broadcast like a radio broadcast. That should be totally understood by the TV broadcasters.

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