O's radio finally on the road -- for the last 2 road trips

[dtk9119]

I am absolutely shocked. I'm sure if they weren't still in a "playoff race" they'd keep them shuttered in the warehouse. Let's see if this helps especially PBPers like Melanie Newman improve their calls. I appreciate how a non-owned by the club journo like Connolly calls them out for their ridiculous COVID excuses just to be cheap when EVERY other club has been sending all of their crews on the road for MONTHS if not the whole season.

https://theathletic.com/3581628/2022/09/09/baltimore-orioles-bullpen-radio/

 

It took more than five months, but the Orioles Radio Network will broadcast from the road for the remaining two trips and 12 away games this season: Washington and Toronto next week and Boston and New York at the end of the month, a club spokesperson confirmed.

The Orioles began this season with neither their TV nor their radio broadcast teams traveling. They were the only MLB organization to have both crews grounded to start the season after that became standard procedure during the pandemic in 2020. Some organizations traveled their broadcast crews in 2021, but the Orioles did not. They also did not approve travel for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s Washington Nationals TV broadcast team in 2021 or at the start of 2022.

MASN created a studio in the warehouse at Camden Yards this year, and the regional sports network, which is majority owned by the Orioles, planned to have most production aspects handled in-house in Baltimore while receiving the video feed from contracted camera crews at the various stadiums the Orioles visited.

After 10 rather disastrous road productions — with the video from California and Florida not syncing with the broadcast talent announcing the games from an empty Camden Yards, causing feedback and other sound issues — MASN reversed course and sent its TV talent on the road beginning April 26 in New York. MASN’s Nationals TV broadcasters also were allowed to travel.

The Orioles Radio Network, however, remained grounded in Baltimore for most of the season, handicapping the play-by-play announcers and engineer, who were at the mercy of video feeds to relay the road action to listeners.

Orioles Radio traveled just twice this season: for a four-game series in Kansas City in June to eliminate any conflict with the Paul McCartney concert at Camden Yards that week and on Aug. 21 in nearby Williamsport, Pa.

It seemed possible the Orioles would also add the two-game series in Washington, D.C., since it is an easy, inexpensive drive, but Baltimore has authorized travel for the rest of this month as the surprising Orioles push for a postseason berth.

The club declined to comment on the timing of the decision or the reasoning behind it. However, the sense is the Orioles felt the production issues severely hampered the televised product, but the absence of the radio crew was not as obvious to listeners as it was to viewers and the product remained of high quality despite not having play-by-play announcers on-site.

My take: It’s better late than never. But it’s really late. This is a decision that should have been made in tandem with the MASN change of heart in April. Broadcasting a baseball game, whether it’s televised or on the radio, is an exceptionally difficult task. And there’s no good reason to make it harder for the producers, directors, engineers and talent involved. Especially when a team is as compelling as this one.

To me, this has been about money all season, and the product has suffered.

My hope is we’ll look back on this chapter as an experiment that went awry. And that next year full travel will be approved by late March for both groups. The fans, and the broadcasters, deserve that.

[webbrick2010]

And folks think this organization with present ownership has a chance to build a championship team <LOL>

[accinfo]

16 minutes ago, webbrick2010 said:

And folks think this organization with present ownership has a chance to build a championship team <LOL>

Thanks Webbrick, we really appreciate you bringing us back into reality.

[AnythingO's]

Has or Hasn't John A been in charge of MASN since before PA steeped aside or not? Honest question.