The full complexion of the 2022 Orioles roster remains unknown, but the Orioles’ broadcasting team for this year has come into focus.
And two of the organization’s higher-profile free-agent broadcasters have signed multiyear deals.
According to multiple sources, the Orioles are bringing back their full complement of television and radio talent from 2021, but some roles have been tweaked.
Advertisement
Specifically, 32-year-old Kevin Brown signed a multiyear deal this winter and will be MASN’s lead play-by-play broadcaster in 2022, teaming with former Orioles Jim Palmer, Ben McDonald and, on occasion, Dave Johnson.
Previously, Brown split time in-season between Orioles radio and TV. In 2022, he is expected to do only telecasts for MASN, broadcasting 130 or so games (based on a full season). The rest will be split among Scott Garceau, Geoff Arnold and Melanie Newman, according to sources. Brown also will continue his relationship with ESPN, for which he calls various sports.
A Baltimore broadcasting mainstay, Garceau, 70, has been the club’s primary television play-by-play announcer since taking over in 2020 for Gary Thorne, who spent much of that season in a contract dispute with the club.
Along with a few games on MASN, Garceau will call several games for the club’s radio network, which changed its flagship this winter from 105.7 The Fan to 98 Rock and WBAL NewsRadio AM/FM. Garceau has never done radio play-by-play for the Orioles, but he has extensive experience calling games on the radio for the Baltimore Ravens and the University of Maryland.
Newman, 30, who was on an expiring contract, also signed a multiyear deal this winter. The first woman to regularly broadcast games for the Orioles’ radio network in 2020, she again will be in a hybrid role this year, handling play-by-play on radio and working as a MASN pregame and postgame host and sideline reporter.
Newman also will continue to trailblaze as the first woman to handle play-by-play television duties for MASN during a few select games this season while she fills in for Brown. In 2021, Newman made history as the lead play-by-play announcer (along with color commentator Jessica Mendoza) for an ESPN-televised MLB contest in September and as part of an all-female on-air team for an MLB Game of the Week on YouTube in July.
Advertisement
Color commentating on MASN will be split nearly evenly between former Orioles pitchers Palmer and McDonald. Johnson, another former Orioles hurler, will serve as a color commentator for a few games this year as a fill-in for Palmer and McDonald. There are expected to be no radio color commentators again this season.
Arnold, 34, will continue his role as lead radio play-by-play broadcaster and also will fill in for Brown on MASN occasionally.
Brett Hollander, 37, will switch between radio play-by-play and pregame and postgame/sideline duties for MASN. Rob Long will act as the primary host for pregame and postgame shows.
Orioles reporters Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski will continue writing for MASNsports.com, and both are expected to make occasional appearances on MASN.
The Orioles have not committed to whether radio and television broadcasts on the road will be done remotely again this year, as they have been since 2020 because of the pandemic. But multiple sources say it appears to be leaning that way, especially for MASN broadcasts. That would imply the same for Washington Nationals broadcasts that are also aired on MASN.
The challenge of producing and broadcasting road games from Camden Yards (or Nationals Park) while using other teams’ television feeds is significant, but not sending announcers and other broadcasting personnel on the road reduces costs and potential pandemic-related risks.
The Orioles planned to air some spring training games on the radio (with personnel sent to Sarasota, Fla.) and on MASN (with the announcing done remotely from Baltimore), but all of that is on hold while MLB and its players’ union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, sources said. Part of the spring training game schedule already has been canceled by MLB because of the ongoing negotiations.
Advertisement
The Orioles have not yet released their broadcasting lineup or any specifics involving the airing of games from Sarasota.
(Photo of Melanie Newman courtesy of Joy R. Absalon)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kmpsanFnZnxzfJFrZmlqX2eEcL%2FOrqmcnaNivLO1zqWcrGWWnruiuMiznGaaoqSupa%2FArKtmrJWWum7DyK2fZqOVq7avecGrprCmXZbAbrzRoqSaqqliwbd5z6WYsmWSrnqxuMCyZKybn6nBbrPAq5qemaVivK950ZqboqddorKtrc2inGamlay6orqMq5ytraKjtq%2Bzjg%3D%3D