The goal of Sports Broadcast Journal (originally Sports Announcers Report Card) is to serve a mix of announcers, executives, producers and other interested followers of sports broadcasting, podcasting, webcasting and the growing world of digital media. There is a focus on game coverage, particularly play-by-play and other popular and creative sports programming.
- Candid posts, articles, interviews and notes cover the gamut; broadcast patterns and trends, announcers’ performances, quality of broadcast coverage and occasional recognition of fresh talent.
- The website will also pay tribute to the colorful history of broadcast sports and will memorialize the pioneers who paved early trails, created styles and developed the broadcast language prevalent today.
- There will be pieces on announcers who stamped indelible personas nationally or in their communities through unique broadcasts.
- Tips for budding announcers from established and popular announcers.
- Thoughtful reader comments will be included and appreciated.
About the Publisher
The publisher of the site is David J. Halberstam, a 40-year industry veteran who himself served as play-by-play announcer for St. John’s University basketball in New York and as radio play-by-play voice of the Miami Heat in South Florida. He is also a respected sports broadcast historian, often quoted by the daily media. A self-described broadcast hybrid, Halberstam has held lofty positions in sales and management including Director of Sales for the Miami Heat and Executive VP, General Manager of Westwood One Sports.
His first book, Sports on New York Radio: A Play-by-Play History, was published in 1999 (McGraw Hill) and reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Crain’s New York, New York Daily News and noted by the New York Times. It is frequently referenced by authors, newspapers and radio talk show hosts. Halby is a true student of sports broadcasting who appreciates talented announcers and has dedicated many years to studying what made their fingerprints and legacies special.
Through the years, he’s written articles about sportscasting, sales, and sports history for publications like USA Today, LA Times, Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report, New York Daily News, Awful Announcing, Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated.com and SportsBusiness Journal.
For the past nine years, Halberstam has been the principal of Halby Group, which has consulted Major League Baseball, ESPN and DirecTV, among other entities.