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| On the Way Q & A |
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Q & A
TSB: Let's start with your education. You earned a Bachelor's
Degree from Vanderbilt University. Your Degree was in Political
Science, so how did you end up behind a microphone?
BG: I knew when I went to college that my dream job was to broadcast
baseball games, but I had never done it before and knew that it was a
very difficult profession to get into. I wanted to get a well-rounded
college education and a degree that would allow me to get a job
outside of baseball if things didn’t work out for me. I went to Vanderbilt
and walked on to the baseball team my freshman year, but was cut
after the fall scrimmage season. I then started writing for the student
newspaper, the erotically-named Vanderbilt Hustler, and was
eventually named sports editor. During my sophomore year, I talked to
the Vanderbilt ISP Network about broadcasting baseball games and
was hired as the No. 2 broadcaster for the Vanderbilt baseball
broadcasts, which proved to be a great learning experience for me
broadcasting SEC baseball games. I fell in love with broadcasting
baseball and have been doing it ever since. My degree is in poly-sci,
but I took a lot of classes in English and Communications, especially
after broadcasting the Vanderbilt games, and I gained valuable
experiences with the student newspaper, the campus TV station and
with Vandy baseball.
TSB: Your resume includes stops in Tennessee with the
Diamond Jaxx and Sounds. Talk about those experiences and
how they came about.
BG: I was living in Nashville and broadcasting Vanderbilt baseball
games as a student my junior year when I applied to work for the
Nashville Sounds. I was hired as a No. 2 broadcaster for home games
at the age of 20 and was the youngest broadcaster in the Pacific Coast
League. I worked with Chuck Valenches, the Voice of the Sounds, who
really taught me a lot about broadcasting and allowed me the freedom
to work games solo. He had a tremendous amount of patience with me
as I was learning the craft. I worked for the Sounds for three years
(2002-2004), broadcasting home games. I also traveled with the team
at my own expense to Memphis, Omaha and New Orleans on several
different occasions just to have the opportunity to get more experience
and more innings under my belt. In 2003, I also worked the final month
of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx’s season. Their broadcaster Matt
Park left to take advantage of a great opportunity to work for his alma
mater, Syracuse. I had applied to West Tenn before, so they had my
resume and demo and called me and asked me to fill in during the final
month of their season. It was my first opportunity to work as a lead
broadcaster. Before I had even graduated from Vanderbilt, I had
already worked major college and Triple-A baseball as a No. 2
broadcaster and served as the lead broadcaster for a Double-A team,
so I consider myself very fortunate.
TSB: You have also worked as a producer and remote
engineer. How important is it to be involved in as many aspects
of the business as possible?
BG: I would encourage every young broadcaster who wants to be on-
air to spent time learning the business behind the scenes. While I was
in Nashville, I also worked for a news/sports talk station, where I served
as the station’s jack-of-all-trades. Kind of a radio version of Jose
Oquendo. I was a producer, board op and engineered remote
broadcasts. Additionally, I worked my way into on-air roles at the
station as a reporter, update anchor, and weekend sports talk show
host. Without these experiences, I never would have been hired by the
Braves and the Loons. In Minor League Baseball, especially, it’s so
important to be well-rounded. Some minor league teams have very
small front office staffs, and in order for broadcasters to make
themselves attractive to potential employers, they must be versatile.
One thing that I have never done is hold a sales position, but many
teams look for sales experience first and foremost when hiring a
broadcaster. Almost all broadcasters below Triple-A are also in charge
of media relations, making communications skills and writing skills very
important. Additionally, most minor league broadcasters work solo and
serve as their own radio engineer. Minor league broadcasters must
know how to operate simple radio equipment. One thing that made me
more attractive than other candidates for the Loons job was that I had
experience in radio and was a part of the Braves Radio Network when it
began its first season with Clear Channel in Atlanta. We began a new
broadcast for the Braves in 2005 and I was a part of a similar setup
with the Loons, where in our first year, we were beginning from
scratch. The knowledge that I had gained at Clear Channel in their
first season as the Braves’ rights holder served me well in the Loons’
inaugural season.
TSB: You were the Executive Producer and Operations
Manager of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. How did that job
help expand your experience?
BG: As I mentioned above, the skills learned in how to set up a major
league broadcast – the formatics of a pregame and postgame show,
the setup of equipment, the structure of commercial breaks and the
relationship between the team and the clients – proved to be an
invaluable skill learned. I didn’t sell advertising time, but I learned a
tremendous amount of how to work with clients to meet their
expectations. Advertisers can be an absolute pain in the rear, but
without them no one has a job. I learned a lot about how to please
them without “selling out” to sponsors and cluttering the broadcast with
live sponsor reads. But more than anything, I spent two years
observing the broadcasters that I grew up listening to and working with
some of the best talents in the game. I saw how they prepared in great
detail for a ballgame and how they interacted with the players, coaches
and managers. I can honestly say, I learned more in those two years
than I did in my four years at Vanderbilt.
TSB: Talk about your current job with the Loons. It looks like
you have covered just about every level of the minor leagues.
BG: Yup, and if you look at my career chronologically you’d think I was
going backwards – Triple-A to Double-A to the big leagues to Single-A.
But this was a huge step for me, joining a brand-new organization and
becoming a lead broadcaster. I think I have one of the elite jobs in all
of minor league baseball. I work for a team that operates as a non-
profit and has made an overwhelming commitment to the community. I
work every day at a beautiful 38-million dollar ballpark that was
completely privately funded. I’m also the program director for a sports
radio station that the team recently purchased. I’m in charge of all of
the team’s communications efforts and media relations. And because
of our proximity to Detroit, I was able to take an off-season freelance
job as the studio host for the Detroit Lions Radio Network. It’s easy to
get caught up in the level of minor league baseball and say this job is
better than that job because it’s higher in classification, but there are
great organizations that draw well at Single-A or even independent ball
and there are lousy organizations with staggering attendance at Triple-
A. Last year, the Loons played in a ballpark that was named the new
ballpark of the year and outdrew 18 Double-A franchises and four
Triple-A teams. With the Loons, especially here in their infancy, there
is a tremendous amount of support for the team and the fan support
has been tremendous. I think in some jobs in the higher classifications
the fan support is not as strong because there other sports teams in
that market.
TSB: What advice would you give to young broadcasters
looking to break into minor league baseball?
BG: - Gain as much experience in the business as you can, even if it’s
not on-air work.
- If you can’t get anyone to hire you, go to a ballpark, sit in the stands
with a recorder, and build your demo.
- Meet as many people as you can – without being pushy – and
continue cultivating those relationships. You never know who will hire
you next.
- Get a good education and learn to write. The skills you learn in
writing are invaluable when you’re trying to formulate sentences
spontaneously on the air.
TSB: Favorite baseball broadcaster growing up?
BG: I grew up in Atlanta following the Braves and I loved the Braves’
team of broadcasters – Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Joe Simpson
and Don Sutton. So many fans became loyal followers of the Braves
because of their work on TBS, but I also listened a lot on radio. I didn’t
have a favorite amongst them, but they were the guys that I grew up
listening to. One of the neat things about the Braves broadcasts was
that there was no lead broadcaster; they all worked in an equal rotation
on TV and radio and as the lead broadcaster and as the analyst. And
all four of them have their own unique style and characteristics that
made them good at what they do. Pete is the most well-prepared
broadcaster I’ve ever met. Skip has a tremendous sarcastic wit that
makes even blowouts interesting. (He once said on the air of an
umpire, “Sometimes Joe West is guilty of a premature ejection.”) Joe is
equally good on play-by-play as he is on color and always gives an
honest, objective analysis. And Don is able to analyze the psyche of
pitchers better than almost anybody. I remember growing up and
listening to the Braves on the radio at Lake Lanier outside of Atlanta
on weekends, and during that time (early ‘90s), there was so much
excitement about the Braves because they had been so lousy for so
long and finally started winning.
TSB: Who has had the most influence on you professionally?
BG: I worked with those four guys plus Chip Caray, and I’d have to say
working with them on a day-to-day basis had a huge influence on me.
To work with the guys that taught me so much about baseball when I
was listening growing up was an invaluable experience. But there have
been so many people along the way who have impacted me. Pete
Weber, the Voice of the Nashville Predators, has always been
supportive of my career and provided me with advice. Paul Barbeau,
who’s our GM with the Loons, has taught me so much that I never knew
about minor league baseball. And my family has been great. My wife
knew that broadcasting baseball was my passion when we met, and
she has sacrificed a lot (including warm climates) to allow me to follow
my dreams. My parents taught me the love of baseball. My mom is a
die-hard Braves fan, and my dad taught me everything there is to know
about the ’61 Yankees.
If you are a minor league baseball broadcaster and
would like to be featured on thesoundofbaseball.com,
please drop us note at:
impemba@thesoundofbaseball.com
Q & A archives
TSB: Let's start with your education. You earned a Bachelor's
Degree from Vanderbilt University. Your Degree was in Political
Science, so how did you end up behind a microphone?
BG: I knew when I went to college that my dream job was to broadcast
baseball games, but I had never done it before and knew that it was a
very difficult profession to get into. I wanted to get a well-rounded
college education and a degree that would allow me to get a job
outside of baseball if things didn’t work out for me. I went to Vanderbilt
and walked on to the baseball team my freshman year, but was cut
after the fall scrimmage season. I then started writing for the student
newspaper, the erotically-named Vanderbilt Hustler, and was
eventually named sports editor. During my sophomore year, I talked to
the Vanderbilt ISP Network about broadcasting baseball games and
was hired as the No. 2 broadcaster for the Vanderbilt baseball
broadcasts, which proved to be a great learning experience for me
broadcasting SEC baseball games. I fell in love with broadcasting
baseball and have been doing it ever since. My degree is in poly-sci,
but I took a lot of classes in English and Communications, especially
after broadcasting the Vanderbilt games, and I gained valuable
experiences with the student newspaper, the campus TV station and
with Vandy baseball.
TSB: Your resume includes stops in Tennessee with the
Diamond Jaxx and Sounds. Talk about those experiences and
how they came about.
BG: I was living in Nashville and broadcasting Vanderbilt baseball
games as a student my junior year when I applied to work for the
Nashville Sounds. I was hired as a No. 2 broadcaster for home games
at the age of 20 and was the youngest broadcaster in the Pacific Coast
League. I worked with Chuck Valenches, the Voice of the Sounds, who
really taught me a lot about broadcasting and allowed me the freedom
to work games solo. He had a tremendous amount of patience with me
as I was learning the craft. I worked for the Sounds for three years
(2002-2004), broadcasting home games. I also traveled with the team
at my own expense to Memphis, Omaha and New Orleans on several
different occasions just to have the opportunity to get more experience
and more innings under my belt. In 2003, I also worked the final month
of the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx’s season. Their broadcaster Matt
Park left to take advantage of a great opportunity to work for his alma
mater, Syracuse. I had applied to West Tenn before, so they had my
resume and demo and called me and asked me to fill in during the final
month of their season. It was my first opportunity to work as a lead
broadcaster. Before I had even graduated from Vanderbilt, I had
already worked major college and Triple-A baseball as a No. 2
broadcaster and served as the lead broadcaster for a Double-A team,
so I consider myself very fortunate.
TSB: You have also worked as a producer and remote
engineer. How important is it to be involved in as many aspects
of the business as possible?
BG: I would encourage every young broadcaster who wants to be on-
air to spent time learning the business behind the scenes. While I was
in Nashville, I also worked for a news/sports talk station, where I served
as the station’s jack-of-all-trades. Kind of a radio version of Jose
Oquendo. I was a producer, board op and engineered remote
broadcasts. Additionally, I worked my way into on-air roles at the
station as a reporter, update anchor, and weekend sports talk show
host. Without these experiences, I never would have been hired by the
Braves and the Loons. In Minor League Baseball, especially, it’s so
important to be well-rounded. Some minor league teams have very
small front office staffs, and in order for broadcasters to make
themselves attractive to potential employers, they must be versatile.
One thing that I have never done is hold a sales position, but many
teams look for sales experience first and foremost when hiring a
broadcaster. Almost all broadcasters below Triple-A are also in charge
of media relations, making communications skills and writing skills very
important. Additionally, most minor league broadcasters work solo and
serve as their own radio engineer. Minor league broadcasters must
know how to operate simple radio equipment. One thing that made me
more attractive than other candidates for the Loons job was that I had
experience in radio and was a part of the Braves Radio Network when it
began its first season with Clear Channel in Atlanta. We began a new
broadcast for the Braves in 2005 and I was a part of a similar setup
with the Loons, where in our first year, we were beginning from
scratch. The knowledge that I had gained at Clear Channel in their
first season as the Braves’ rights holder served me well in the Loons’
inaugural season.
TSB: You were the Executive Producer and Operations
Manager of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. How did that job
help expand your experience?
BG: As I mentioned above, the skills learned in how to set up a major
league broadcast – the formatics of a pregame and postgame show,
the setup of equipment, the structure of commercial breaks and the
relationship between the team and the clients – proved to be an
invaluable skill learned. I didn’t sell advertising time, but I learned a
tremendous amount of how to work with clients to meet their
expectations. Advertisers can be an absolute pain in the rear, but
without them no one has a job. I learned a lot about how to please
them without “selling out” to sponsors and cluttering the broadcast with
live sponsor reads. But more than anything, I spent two years
observing the broadcasters that I grew up listening to and working with
some of the best talents in the game. I saw how they prepared in great
detail for a ballgame and how they interacted with the players, coaches
and managers. I can honestly say, I learned more in those two years
than I did in my four years at Vanderbilt.
TSB: Talk about your current job with the Loons. It looks like
you have covered just about every level of the minor leagues.
BG: Yup, and if you look at my career chronologically you’d think I was
going backwards – Triple-A to Double-A to the big leagues to Single-A.
But this was a huge step for me, joining a brand-new organization and
becoming a lead broadcaster. I think I have one of the elite jobs in all
of minor league baseball. I work for a team that operates as a non-
profit and has made an overwhelming commitment to the community. I
work every day at a beautiful 38-million dollar ballpark that was
completely privately funded. I’m also the program director for a sports
radio station that the team recently purchased. I’m in charge of all of
the team’s communications efforts and media relations. And because
of our proximity to Detroit, I was able to take an off-season freelance
job as the studio host for the Detroit Lions Radio Network. It’s easy to
get caught up in the level of minor league baseball and say this job is
better than that job because it’s higher in classification, but there are
great organizations that draw well at Single-A or even independent ball
and there are lousy organizations with staggering attendance at Triple-
A. Last year, the Loons played in a ballpark that was named the new
ballpark of the year and outdrew 18 Double-A franchises and four
Triple-A teams. With the Loons, especially here in their infancy, there
is a tremendous amount of support for the team and the fan support
has been tremendous. I think in some jobs in the higher classifications
the fan support is not as strong because there other sports teams in
that market.
TSB: What advice would you give to young broadcasters
looking to break into minor league baseball?
BG: - Gain as much experience in the business as you can, even if it’s
not on-air work.
- If you can’t get anyone to hire you, go to a ballpark, sit in the stands
with a recorder, and build your demo.
- Meet as many people as you can – without being pushy – and
continue cultivating those relationships. You never know who will hire
you next.
- Get a good education and learn to write. The skills you learn in
writing are invaluable when you’re trying to formulate sentences
spontaneously on the air.
TSB: Favorite baseball broadcaster growing up?
BG: I grew up in Atlanta following the Braves and I loved the Braves’
team of broadcasters – Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Joe Simpson
and Don Sutton. So many fans became loyal followers of the Braves
because of their work on TBS, but I also listened a lot on radio. I didn’t
have a favorite amongst them, but they were the guys that I grew up
listening to. One of the neat things about the Braves broadcasts was
that there was no lead broadcaster; they all worked in an equal rotation
on TV and radio and as the lead broadcaster and as the analyst. And
all four of them have their own unique style and characteristics that
made them good at what they do. Pete is the most well-prepared
broadcaster I’ve ever met. Skip has a tremendous sarcastic wit that
makes even blowouts interesting. (He once said on the air of an
umpire, “Sometimes Joe West is guilty of a premature ejection.”) Joe is
equally good on play-by-play as he is on color and always gives an
honest, objective analysis. And Don is able to analyze the psyche of
pitchers better than almost anybody. I remember growing up and
listening to the Braves on the radio at Lake Lanier outside of Atlanta
on weekends, and during that time (early ‘90s), there was so much
excitement about the Braves because they had been so lousy for so
long and finally started winning.
TSB: Who has had the most influence on you professionally?
BG: I worked with those four guys plus Chip Caray, and I’d have to say
working with them on a day-to-day basis had a huge influence on me.
To work with the guys that taught me so much about baseball when I
was listening growing up was an invaluable experience. But there have
been so many people along the way who have impacted me. Pete
Weber, the Voice of the Nashville Predators, has always been
supportive of my career and provided me with advice. Paul Barbeau,
who’s our GM with the Loons, has taught me so much that I never knew
about minor league baseball. And my family has been great. My wife
knew that broadcasting baseball was my passion when we met, and
she has sacrificed a lot (including warm climates) to allow me to follow
my dreams. My parents taught me the love of baseball. My mom is a
die-hard Braves fan, and my dad taught me everything there is to know
about the ’61 Yankees.
If you are a minor league baseball broadcaster and
would like to be featured on thesoundofbaseball.com,
please drop us note at:
impemba@thesoundofbaseball.com
Q & A archives
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