Courtesy Nats Insider

(January 4, 2011) Some of you have been asking about the state of the Nationals' broadcasts, both on TV and radio. There's no news to report on either front yet, but I think we'll know something in the relatively near future. The club is still searching for a new color commentator on MASN to replace the fired Rob Dibble. My understanding of the situation is this: Much depends on what Ray Knight wants to do. If he wants to join Bob Carpenter in the booth on a daily basis (and thus begin a full travel schedule) there's a good chance he'll get the job. If Knight prefers not to be on the road so much, he'll be back with Johnny Holliday on the pre- and post-game shows, and the Nats will hire a new analyst from the outside. They've received no shortage of inquiries from interested parties.

As for the radio side of things, the club has yet to sign a contract with a network for the upcoming season. The issue: The team wants its games on FM (as well as AM). The Nationals have had a good relationship with Bonneville since the franchise arrived in town, and both sides want to continue the relationship. Bonneville (which owns 1500 AM and 820 AM) does own three FM stations in town (103.5 FM, 107.7 FM and 103.9 FM). Those all broadcast WTOP News, with the 107.7 and 103.9 stations helping cover some suburban areas the mothership can't reach. Bonneville isn't about to preempt the No. 1 station in town for three hours every night during baseball season, lest they anger thousands of drivers who want their traffic and weather every 10 minutes.

The best FM fit in town is the relatively new "106.7 The Fan" sports talk station, which is owned by CBS. CBS owns only one AM station in Washington: 1580 AM, which transmits only 270 watts at night. Thus, the holdup on all of this getting done. Though rest assured Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are expected to return, no matter where the games are broadcast.

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