Royals’ newest broadcaster ready to get started
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
T he newest Royals radio broadcaster — Steve Stewart — probably would still be announcing Cincinnati Reds games if it weren’t for what he described as the perfect storm.
Stewart became the odd man out in the Reds’ radio booth after the 2006 season when new Reds ownership decided to make over its radio team with nationally-known Fox broadcaster Thom Brennaman and former Reds pitcher Jeff Brantley.
That allowed Thom Brennaman to join his Hall of Fame father, Marty Brennaman, on the Reds’ radio team.
“I tell people it took a Fox guy and an ESPN guy (Brantley) to bump me out,” Stewart said. “That’s my claim to fame.”
Stewart joined the Royals this week and will work approximately 40 or so games in the radio booth when Denny Matthews is taking time off or when Bob Davis has commitments to Kansas broadcasts. Ryan Lefebvre, who switched over to do Royals television, will still do about 20 radio broadcasts.
“I have nothing but good things to say about the Reds and the people I worked with there,” Stewart said. “Anytime you lose a major-league broadcast job, it hurts, because they’re so rare. But here I am, feeling very fortunate to get back into the major-league booth with the Royals.”
Stewart had the tough job of replacing the legendary Joe Nuxhall in Cincinnati on a part-time basis in 2004. He took over for Nuxhall full time in 2005.
Stewart, who grew up in St. Louis, said he has never been to a game at Kauffman Stadium.
“I’ve been to Kansas City often because I have family there,” he said. “I’ve driven by it dozens of times, and I can’t wait to get inside there. It’s such a great park.”
The Royals are relieved the search is over for another radio broadcaster.
“Well, we’re relieved we found someone this talented,” said Royals vice president of communications Mike Swanson, “not just in play-by-play, but in interviewing. We’re going to get full use of his talents.”
Stewart also will host a 30-minute pregame show on KCSP (610 AM) as well as most of the postgame show.
Webcasts?
The Royals and new radio-rights holder Entercom plan on doing 20 spring-training games, and the Royals may be entertaining the idea of creating a webcast on the team’s Web site for the other nine games.
The webcast wouldn’t necessarily be a balls-and-strikes, play-by-play broadcast but more of an around-the-ballpark experience while the game is going on — complete with updates on what just happened in the game and with interviews of baseball people in the park.
Small world
New KCSP (610 AM) morning host Roger Twibell’s partner is Jeff McCarragher, who worked recently at Topeka television station KTKA with Nick Griffith, who is about to begin work at Channel 9.
To reach Jeffrey Flanagan call 816-234-4492 and leave a message or send e-mail to jflanagan@kcstar.com
