Blue Jays radio listeners threw a curveball over the weekend when an alarm-type beeping sound interrupted a remote broadcast of Toronto’s road game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was not immediately clear whether the unexplained audio – which could be clearly heard in the background for more than 10 minutes during Saturday’s game – came from the Toronto studio of rights-holder Sportsnet or an outside source.
Blue Jays radio broadcaster Ben Wagner, who turns off TV screens when the team is on the road, paused for 15 seconds when the beeping started before resuming his call.
The Cardinals’ broadcasters – who called the game from Busch Stadium on KMOX radio – did not experience any audio problems. St. Louis won the game 4–1.
Sportsnet has its own television crew on site at all Blue Jays games, but has elected to return to pandemic-style remote coverage of radio broadcasts for road games this season.
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Of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are the only clubs that do not have on-site radio broadcast crews at road games.
Interview requests and messages left with Sportsnet’s media relations staff on Sunday were not immediately returned.
COVID-19 concerns and travel restrictions meant remote broadcasting was a reality for many TV and radio crews when sports returned in the early days of the pandemic. The difference was usually noticeable but given the unusual circumstances viewers and listeners had to accept it.
Like most team broadcasters, the Blue Jays’ radio crew resumed regular travel last season. Wagner began the year with remote calls for road games before traveling again in the second half.
However, when Sportsnet announced its 2023 broadcast plans in February it confirmed that remote radio calls would return for road games.
The network gave no explanation for the decision. Requests to speak with Wagner and Sportsnet executives Rob Corte and Greg Sansone were declined.
Former Blue Jays radio voice Jerry Howarth, who called games in person – home and away – in the booth for more than three decades until his retirement in 2018, criticized the move.
He said it was “essential” to be on site when a team is on the road.
Howarth told The Canadian Press in February, “I’m very disappointed in the network for making this decision.”
Technical difficulties can occur on any broadcast, but staffing in person will have eliminated the possibility of audio problems stemming from remote coverage setups.
Wagner has called Blue Jays games since 2018.
Broadcasts are heard on 14 Sportsnet Radio network affiliates nationwide, including the flagship Fan590 all-sports station.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 2, 2023.
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