O's see new, familiar faces in '20 booth
SARASOTA, Fla. -- On Wednesday, the Orioles announced they had significantly reshuffled their broadcast team for 2020, reassigning longtime broadcasters and infusing the booth with several new voices.
Geoff Arnold, Melanie Newman and Scott Garceau are three new voices to the broadcast team in 2020.
Arnold received his promotion after spending the past five years as the director of broadcasting and public relations, and the lead radio broadcaster for Baltimore¡¯s Class A Advanced Frederick Keys.
The 32-year-old previously called games for the Rangers¡¯ Double-A affiliate RoughRiders and the Royals¡¯ Class A Advanced Blue Rocks.
¡°I think I kind of did all the things I needed to do to prepare myself for an opportunity like this,¡± Arnold said. ¡°And now that I have it with an organization I¡¯ve really grown to like ¡ I think that just makes it the icing on the cake, and so I¡¯m super excited for it.¡±
Garceau is a veteran broadcaster entering his 40th year of Baltimore sports coverage. The host of 105.7 The Fan¡¯s Scott & Jeremy Show was a play-by-play announcer and pregame host for the O¡¯s for 13 years, a run that included the 1983 World Series championship season. Newman joins the O¡¯s after serving as the lead broadcaster on baseball¡¯s first all-female broadcast team for the Class A Advanced Salem (Red Sox).
In addition to games, broadcast content will focus on fan engagement, player lifestyles and interests, behind-the-scenes peeks and more. In addition to content shared on Orioles.com, MASN.com and @Orioles on social media, the talent team will also utilize its personal social media platforms to share content and engage with fans.
¡°We are continually looking for innovative ways to engage with fans, expand our audience and enhance our content,¡± said Greg Bader, senior vice president of administration and experience, in a press release. ¡°Through this new, multi-platform approach, our talent team will be empowered to deliver news, insights, analysis and creative storytelling directly to our fans, regardless of medium.¡±
Other notable assignments
? Longtime play-by-play man Jim Hunter, the lead radio voice for the O¡¯s in 2019, and pre-and-post-game host Tom Davis are transitioning to new roles as on-air personalities.
? Jim Palmer will return to the TV booth for his 28th season. He took medical leave at the end of last season to treat myelitis.
? MASNsports.com¡¯s Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski will continue to bring their unique perspectives to fans as regular contributors on MASN and the Orioles Radio Network. Paul Mancano will continue to host MASN All Access, the network¡¯s digital show.
? Kevin Brown, who joined the Orioles Radio Network in 2019, will also appear on MASN telecasts for select games.
? Veteran broadcaster Gary Thorne returns for his 14th season; returning analysts will include Mike Bordick, Ben McDonald, Brian Roberts, Rick Dempsey, Gregg Olson and Dave Johnson.