Los Angeles Dodgers - Radio and Television

Radio and Television

Vin Scully has called Dodgers games since 1950. His longtime partners were Jerry Doggett (1956–1987) and Ross Porter (1977–2004). In 1976, he was selected by Dodgers fans as the Most Memorable Personality (on the field or off) in the team's history. He is also a recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters (inducted in 1982). He currently is in his 63rd year with the team. Unlike the modern style in which multiple sportscasters have an on-air conversation (usually with one functioning as play-by-play announcer and the other(s) as color commentator), Scully, Doggett and Porter generally called games solo, trading with each other inning-by-inning. In the 1980s and 1990s, Scully would call the entire radio broadcast except for the 3rd and 7th inning; allowing the other Dodger commentators to broadcast an inning.

When Doggett retired after the 1987 season, he was replaced by Hall-of-Fame Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, who previously broadcast games for the California Angels. Drysdale died in his hotel room following a heart attack before a game in 1993, resulting in a very difficult broadcast for Scully and Porter, who were told of the death but could not mention it on-air until Drysdale's family had been notified and the official announcement of the death made. He was replaced by former Dodgers outfielder Rick Monday. Porter's tenure was terminated somewhat controversially after the 2004 season, after which the current format of play-by-play announcers and color commentators was installed, led by newcomer Charley Steiner and Monday. Scully, however, continues to announce solo.

As of the 2012 season, Scully calls roughly 100 games per season (all home games and road games in California and Arizona) for both flagship radio station KLAC and television outlets KCAL-TV and Prime Ticket. Scully is simulcast for the first three innings of each of his appearances, then announces only for the TV audience. If Scully is calling the game, Charley Steiner takes over play-by-play on radio beginning with the fourth inning, with Rick Monday as color commentator. If Scully is not calling the game, Eric Collins and Steve Lyons call the entire game on television while Steiner and Monday do the same on radio.

In the event the Dodgers are in post-season play, Scully calls the first three and last three innings of the radio broadcast alone; with Charley Steiner and Rick Monday handling the middle innings.

The Dodgers also broadcast on radio in Spanish, and the play-by-play is handled by another Ford C. Frick Award winner, Jaime Jarrín. Jarrin has been with the Dodgers since 1959. The color analyst for some games is former Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, for whom Jarrin once translated post-game interviews. The Spanish-language flagship is KTNQ.

Live traffic reports pertaining to Dodger Stadium were broadcast from the Dodgers Transportation Center inside the ballpark when the Dodgers were on KABC. KABC radio's Captain Jorge Jarrin (son of Dodger broadcaster Jaime Jarrín) and Doug Dunlap handled those duties during the pre-game and post-game shows as well as during Dodger Talk following the game.

In 2006, the Dodgers introduced an on demand channel on Time Warner Cable called "Dodgers on Demand", hosted by Tony Kinkela.

Currently, Steiner has been converted to radio-only with Rick Monday. Jerry Reuss was removed from his broadcast position, though he is still with the club to serve in other aspects. Steve Lyons will be retained as a color-commentator, and the Dodgers recently hired ESPN broadcaster Eric Collins as a play-by-play announcer to replace Steiner on road games for television.

Dodgers games are also aired on former flagship KTTV Channel 11 as part of the Major League Baseball on Fox package, as well as on ESPN and TBS. KTTV was the flagship station of the Dodgers during the team's first 36 seasons in Los Angeles. KTLA would broadcast Dodger games from 1993 to 2001 and KCOP from 2002 to 2005.