The following is a list of Detroit Tigers broadcasters, past and present:
The current flagship radio station for the Tigers is WXYT-FM, at 97.1 FM. [1] Dan Dickerson calls play-by-play. [2] Bobby Scales and Cameron Maybin serve as the primary analysts for road games as of the 2023 season. [3] The games are available online as well via Audacy. If a scheduling conflict occurs, WWJ is a substitute for its sister station.
WJR was the Tigers' radio flagship from 1964 to 2000. Other former Tigers flagships include WXYT (currently known as "The Bet Detroit") and WKMH (currently known as WDTW).
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary | Color Commentary | Color Commentary |
2023 | WXYT-FM | Dan Dickerson | Jim Price | Bobby Scales | Cameron Maybin |
2022 | |||||
2021 | |||||
2020 | |||||
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary |
2019 | WXYT-FM | Dan Dickerson | Jim Price |
2018 | |||
2017 | |||
2016 | |||
2015 | |||
2014 | |||
2013 | |||
2012 | |||
2011 | |||
2010 |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary |
2009 | WXYT-FM | Dan Dickerson | Jim Price |
2008 | |||
2007 | WXYT | ||
2006 | |||
2005 | |||
2004 | |||
2003 | |||
2002 | Ernie Harwell Dan Dickerson | Jim Price | |
2001 | |||
2000 | WJR |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1999 | WJR | Ernie Harwell | Jim Price |
1998 | Frank Beckmann | Lary Sorensen (April–June) Jim Price (June–September) | |
1997 | Lary Sorensen | ||
1996 | |||
1995 | |||
1994 | Rick Rizzs | Bob Rathbun | |
1993 | Rick Rizzs Ernie Harwell | ||
1992 | Rick Rizzs | ||
1991 | Ernie Harwell | Paul Carey | |
1990 |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1989 | WJR | Ernie Harwell | Paul Carey |
1988 | |||
1987 | |||
1986 | |||
1985 | |||
1984 | |||
1983 | |||
1982 | |||
1981 | |||
1980 |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1979 | WJR | Ernie Harwell | Paul Carey |
1978 | |||
1977 | |||
1976 | |||
1975 | |||
1974 | |||
1973 | |||
1972 | Ray Lane | ||
1971 | |||
1970 |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1969 | WJR | Ernie Harwell | Ray Lane |
1968 | |||
1967 | |||
1966 | Gene Osborn | ||
1965 | |||
1964 | Bob Scheffing | ||
1963 | WKMH | George Kell | Ernie Harwell |
1962 | |||
1961 | |||
1960 |
Year | Flagship stations | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1959 | WKMH | Van Patrick | George Kell |
1958 | Mel Ott | ||
1957 | |||
1956 | |||
1955 | Dizzy Trout | ||
1954 | |||
1953 | |||
1952 | |||
1951 | WXYZ | Ty Tyson | Paul Williams |
1950 | Harry Heilmann |
The television rights are currently held by Bally Sports Detroit (formerly Fox Sports Detroit). Jason Benetti serves as the primary play-by-play announcer beginning in 2024, [7] while Craig Monroe is color commentator.
Pre-game and post-game show hosts and reporters include John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Justin White, Cameron Maybin, and Johnny Kane, while Dan Petry provides studio analysis.
The Tigers have spent most of their broadcast televised history across two of Detroit's heritage "Big Three" network stations, WJBK (Channel 2, Fox; formerly with CBS from 1948 to 1994) and WDIV (Channel 4, NBC; originally WWJ-TV from 1947 to 1978), as well as two of the market's former legacy independent stations, WMYD (Channel 20, formerly WXON-TV and WDWB) and WKBD (Channel 50). Channel 4 was the original Tiger television outlet, carrying games from 1947 to 1952, and again for a twenty-season run from 1975 to 1994. Channel 4, at least during a time when NBC's ratings were sagging during the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, was one of a handful of the network's affiliates that was either a primary outlet or an affiliate of the local/regional baseball team.
Significant in the Tiger broadcasting network were television stations owned by Tigers' owner John Fetzer, including WKZO-TV (now WWMT) in Kalamazoo, WLNS in Lansing, WJRT in Flint, WWTV and WWUP-TV in northern Michigan, and even some television stations in Nebraska, namely KOLN-TV in Lincoln and its satellite in Grand Island, Nebraska.
WJBK took over the Tigers telecasts starting with the 1953 season, and carried games until the end of the 1974 season; since 2007, the station simulcasts the team's home opener each season from Fox Sports Detroit. WKBD, for many years known as Detroit's leading independent TV station, as well as the longtime over-the-air TV home of the Red Wings and Pistons, televised Tigers games starting in 1995 (when it was an UPN owned-and-operated station) until 2003. WMYD televised selected Tigers games only for the 2006 season, and as WXON-TV and the local affiliate of the ONTV subscription TV service, Channel 20 also showed the team's games from 1981 to 1983.
Pro-Am Sports System (PASS), originally started in 1982, became the regional cable outlet for the Tigers starting in 1984, after the network was purchased by then-Tigers team owner Tom Monaghan. Monaghan sold PASS to Post-Newsweek Stations (now Graham Media Group) in 1992, after he sold the Tigers to local pizza magnate and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch. PASS, thereafter, re-located its operations to the WDIV studio/office facility in Downtown Detroit. PASS shut down operations in 1997, after the Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons all elected to sign-with and helped launch Fox Sports Detroit.
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary | Pre-Game Host |
2023 | Bally Sports Detroit | Matt Shepard | Craig Monroe, Kirk Gibson, Austin Jackson, Dan Petry, Cameron Maybin, Todd Jones | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Johnny Kane, Natalie Kerwin, Dannie Rogers, Dan Petry, Cameron Maybin, Todd Jones |
2022 | Bally Sports Detroit | Matt Shepard | Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Austin Jackson, Craig Monroe, Dan Petry | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Brooke Fletcher, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane, Dan Petry |
2021 | Bally Sports Detroit | Matt Shepard | Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane, Kristen Keith |
2020 | Fox Sports Detroit | Matt Shepard | Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane, Kristen Keith |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary | Pre-Game Host |
2019 | Fox Sports Detroit | Matt Shepard | Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane, Kristen Keith |
2018 | Mario Impemba Matt Shepard | Rod Allen (select games), Kirk Gibson (select games) | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Justin White, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane, Kristen Keith | |
2017 | Mario Impemba | |||
2016 | Rod Allen (select games), Kirk Gibson (select games), Jack Morris (select games) | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Justin White, Craig Monroe, Johnny Kane | ||
2015 | John Keating, Mickey York, Trevor Thompson, Justin White, Craig Monroe | |||
2014 | Rod Allen | |||
2013 | John Keating, Mickey York, Ryan Field, Trevor Thompson, Justin White, Craig Monroe | |||
2012 | John Keating, Mickey York, Ryan Field, Trevor Thompson, Craig Monroe | |||
2011 | John Keating, Mickey York, Ryan Field, Trevor Thompson | |||
2010 |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary | Pre-Game Host |
2009 | Fox Sports Detroit | Mario Impemba | Rod Allen | John Keating, Mickey York, Ryan Field, Trevor Thompson |
2008 | ||||
2007 | Fox Sports Detroit WJBK | John Keating None | ||
2006 | Fox Sports Detroit WMYD | |||
2005 | Fox Sports Detroit | John Keating | ||
2004 | ||||
2003 | Fox Sports Detroit WKBD-TV | Mario Impemba Frank Beckmann | Rod Allen Jack Morris | John Keating Ray Lane |
2002 | Kirk Gibson Lance Parrish | |||
2001 | Josh Lewin Frank Beckmann | Kirk Gibson Al Kaline | ||
2000 | Kirk Gibson, Tom Paciorek Al Kaline |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary | Pre-Game Host |
1999 | Fox Sports Detroit WKBD-TV | Josh Lewin Frank Beckmann | Kirk Gibson Al Kaline | John Keating Ray Lane |
1998 | Josh Lewin Ernie Harwell | |||
1997 | Ernie Harwell | Jim Price and Fred McLeod Al Kaline and Jim Price | ||
1996 | PASS Sports WKBD-TV | Ernie Harwell George Kell | Jim Price and Fred McLeod Al Kaline | |
1995 | ||||
1994 | PASS Sports WDIV-TV | Jim Price and Jim Northrup Al Kaline | John Keating Van Earl Wright | |
1993 | Jim Price George Kell | Jim Northrup Al Kaline | John Keating Bernie Smilovitz | |
1992 | Larry Osterman George Kell | Pat Caputo Bernie Smilovitz | ||
1991 | ||||
1990 |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary |
1989 | PASS Sports WDIV-TV | Larry Osterman George Kell | Jim Northrup Al Kaline |
1988 | |||
1987 | |||
1986 | |||
1985 | Bill Freehan and Jim Northrup Al Kaline | ||
1984 | Bill Freehan Al Kaline | ||
1983 | ONTV WDIV-TV | Larry Adderley George Kell | Norm Cash and Hank Aguirre Al Kaline |
1982 | |||
1981 | |||
1980 | WDIV-TV | George Kell | Al Kaline |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1979 | WDIV-TV | George Kell | Al Kaline and Mike Barry |
1978 | WWJ-TV | Al Kaline, Joe Pellegrino and Mike Barry | |
1977 | Larry Osterman, Al Kaline and Joe Pellegrino | ||
1976 | Larry Osterman, Don Kremer and Al Kaline | ||
1975 | Larry Osterman and Don Kremer | ||
1974 | WJBK | Larry Osterman | |
1973 | |||
1972 | |||
1971 | |||
1970 |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1969 | WJBK | George Kell | Larry Osterman |
1968 | |||
1967 | |||
1966 | Ray Lane | ||
1965 | |||
1964 | Ernie Harwell | Bob Scheffing | |
1963 | George Kell | Ernie Harwell | |
1962 | |||
1961 | |||
1960 |
Year | Network | Play-by-Play | Color Commentary/Secondary Play-by-Play |
1959 | WJBK | Van Patrick | George Kell |
1958 | Mel Ott | ||
1957 | |||
1956 | |||
1955 | Dizzy Trout | ||
1954 | |||
1953 | WWJ-TV | ||
1952 | |||
1951 | Harry Heilmann | Ty Tyson | |
1950 |
William Earnest Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 seasons, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time.
WDIV-TV is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. WDIV-TV maintains studio facilities on West Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, making it the only major television station in the market with offices and studios within the Detroit city limits. Detroit's other television stations are all based in the suburb of Southfield; WDIV's transmitter is, however, located on Greenfield Road in Southfield.
WJBK is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on West 9 Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield.
WKBD-TV is an independent television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS owned-and-operated station WWJ-TV. Both stations share studios on Eleven Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, where WKBD-TV's transmitter is also located.
WTVS is a PBS member television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, owned by the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. Its main studios are located at the Riley Broadcast Center and HD Studios on Clover Court in Wixom, with an additional studio at the Maccabees Building in Midtown Detroit. The station's transmitter is located at 8 Mile and Meyers Road in Oak Park. WTVS partners with the Stanley and Judith Frankel Family Foundation in the management of classical and jazz music station WRCJ-FM (90.9).
WMYD is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV. Both stations share studios at Broadcast House on 10 Mile Road in Southfield, while WMYD's transmitter is located on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park.
WNEM-TV is a television station licensed to Bay City, Michigan, United States, serving northeastern Michigan as a dual affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on North Franklin Street in downtown Saginaw, with a second newsroom in downtown Flint. Its transmitter is located on Becker Road in Robin Glen-Indiantown, in Buena Vista Township, east of Saginaw.
John Keating is a Bally Sports Detroit host and reporter. He was born in Madison Heights, Michigan. He attended Grand Valley State University.
WADL is a television station licensed to Mount Clemens, Michigan, United States, serving the Detroit area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. Locally owned by the Adell Broadcasting Corporation, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Adell Drive in Clinton Township.
WXYT-FM is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, serving Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located in the nearby suburb of Southfield.
WXYT is a commercial radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan, featuring a betting-oriented sports format known as "The Bet Detroit". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. Studios for WXYT are located in Southfield, while the station transmitter resides in Ash Township. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WXYT is licensed for HD Radio broadcasting, is relayed over the third digital subchannel of WXYT-FM and is available online via Audacy.
Bally Sports Detroit (BSD) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group that operates as a Bally Sports affiliate. It provides coverage of local sports teams in the state of Michigan, primarily focusing on those in Metro Detroit. The network airs exclusive broadcasts of games involving the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings; repeats of Detroit Lions preseason games; and some state college and high school sports.
Daniel Hill Dickerson is an American sportscaster, best known for his current position as the lead radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network.
Tony Ortiz is a sportscaster and sports talk show host for CBS Radio owned sister stations WXYT-FM, WXYT-AM and WWJ in Detroit, MI.
As the world's traditional automotive center, Detroit, Michigan, is an important source for business news. The Detroit media are active in the community through such efforts as the Detroit Free Press high school journalism program and the Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit. Wayne State University offers a widely respected journalism program.
The Detroit Tigers Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 49 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Detroit Tigers, a professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB). Detroit's WXYT-FM (97.1 FM) serves as the network's flagship. The network also includes 46 affiliates in the U.S. states of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana: 25 AM stations, 15 of which supplement their signals with one or more low-power FM translators; 21 full-power FM stations; and one HD Radio digital subchannel which supplements its signal with a low-power FM translator. The network airs select spring Grapefruit League games, along with all 162 regular season games and all postseason games. Dan Dickerson does play-by-play for the broadcasts with color commentary provided by Bobby Scales or Cameron Maybin, while Daniella Bruce and Jeff Riger serve as the pre-game and post-game studio hosts. In addition to traditional over-the-air AM and FM broadcasts, network programming airs on SiriusXM satellite radio; and streams online via SiriusXM Internet Radio, TuneIn Premium, and MLB.com Gameday Audio.
The Michigan Wolverines Sports Network is an American radio network consisting of 46 radio stations which carry coverage of Michigan Wolverines football and men's basketball. WXYT-FM and WWJ, both in Metro Detroit, serve as the network's flagship stations. The network also includes 44 affiliates in the U.S. states of Michigan and Ohio: 27 AM stations, four of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; and 17 full-power FM stations. Games are also available on Sirius XM satellite radio and online via TuneIn.