Ken Kal

Last updated
Ken Kal
Born
Kenneth Kalczynski

(1957-09-29) September 29, 1957 (age 62)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Sports commentary career
Team(s) Detroit Red Wings (1995–present)
Genre(s) Play-by-play
Sports National Hockey League

Kenneth Kalczynski (born September 29, 1957), [1] known professionally as Ken Kal, is an American sports announcer and reporter for WXYT AM 1270 in Detroit, as well as the radio play-by-play commentator for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. He enters his 24th season with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018–19 NHL season. Kal's first season was with WJR and he now can be heard giving the play-by-play for every Wings game on 97.1 FM "The Ticket" along with Paul Woods.

Americans Citizens, or natives, of the United States of America

Americans are nationals and citizens of the United States of America. Although nationals and citizens make up the majority of Americans, some dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents may also claim American nationality. The United States is home to people of many different ethnic origins. As a result, American culture and law does not equate nationality with race or ethnicity, but with citizenship and permanent allegiance.

WXYT (AM) CBS Sports Radio station in Detroit

WXYT is a commercial radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan broadcasting a sports talk format. The station serves the Detroit-Windsor market and the Southeastern Michigan and Southwestern Ontario areas. Its transmitter is in Monroe County at Ash Township and operations and studios are at Entercom's facilities in Southfield, Michigan. WXYT is a 50,000–watt, Class B station broadcasting on a regional frequency. It is not a clear-channel station because of its frequency and highly directional antenna.

Detroit Largest city in Michigan

Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest American city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2017 estimated population of 673,104, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music and as a repository for art, architecture and design.

Contents

Realizing the dream

Kalczynski would watch his father get laid-off continuously as a tool and die maker and did not want to follow in those footsteps. At Wayne State University he auditioned for an on-air position with WAYN, the closed-circuit radio station on campus. He struggled early on; however, it sparked his interest in broadcasting and at WAYN he went by "Ken Kal" on the air. He interned at WNIC radio in 1979, then graduated from Wayne State.

Wayne State University American university in Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University (WSU) is an American public research university located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the third largest university in Michigan. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering nearly 350 programs to more than 27,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Wayne State University, along with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, comprise the University Research Corridor of Michigan.

WNIC

WNIC is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Dearborn, Michigan and serving the Metro Detroit media market. Owned by iHeartMedia, WNIC broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format. Each year, between mid-November and December 25, WNIC switches its format to all-Christmas music.

He was hired by WAAM radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan to be a board operator for University of Michigan football games. In January 1980, he became a weekend radio personality for the station. In 1984, the radio station acquired he rights to UM Hockey. Kal was hired to be the play-by-play announcer. Kal had a difficult time keeping up with the fast-paced action of the game, but continued to improve. [2]

WAAM

WAAM is a radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan that broadcasts on AM 1600, known as "WAAM TALK 1600" and "WAAM RADIO". The station is owned by Coolarity A2, LLC.

Ann Arbor, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census recorded its population to be 113,934.

University of Michigan Public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

The University of Michigan, often simply referred to as Michigan, is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The university is Michigan's oldest; it was founded in 1817 in Detroit, as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, 20 years before the territory became a state. The school was moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres (16 ha) of what is now known as Central Campus. Since its establishment in Ann Arbor, the university campus has expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 34 million gross square feet spread out over a Central Campus and North Campus, two regional campuses in Flint and Dearborn, and a Center in Detroit. The university is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.

Kalczynski held that position for the next 11 years on both WAAM and WTKA.

WTKA

WTKA is a radio station located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that broadcasts on 1050 AM. Day power is 10 kW, night power is 500 W. The station covers most of southeast Michigan.

Reaching the NHL

In 1995, Kal switched over to the NHL, replacing the legendary Bruce Martyn, who retired after 31 years as the play-by-play voice for the Detroit Red Wings. In the booth he joined former NHLer Paul Woods, who had previously worked with Martyn. In his second year, he called the Red Wings' first Stanley Cup victory in 42 years. He has called three more Cup wins and the milestone goals of several hall of fame ice hockey players.

Bruce Martyn is a former American sportscaster, logging over 45 years behind the mike. Martyn was the radio voice of the Detroit Red Wings from 1964–1995.

Detroit Red Wings Hockey team of the National Hockey League

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. Founded in 1926, the team was known as the Detroit Cougars until 1930. For the 1930–31 and 1931–32 seasons the team was called the Detroit Falcons, and in 1932 changed their name to the Red Wings.

Stanley Cup championship trophy awarded annually in the National Hockey League

The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff winner. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers it to be one of the "most important championships available to the sport". The trophy was commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada who donated it as an award to Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. The entire Stanley family supported the sport, the sons and daughters all playing and promoting the game. The first Cup was awarded in 1893 to Montreal Hockey Club, and winners from 1893 to 1914 were determined by challenge games and league play. Professional teams first became eligible to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1906. In 1915, professional ice hockey organizations National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) reached a gentlemen's agreement in which their respective champions would face each other annually for the Stanley Cup. It was established as the de facto championship trophy of the NHL in 1926 and then the de jure NHL championship prize in 1947.

In addition to his broadcast duties, Kal represents the Red Wings in the community, often visiting schools or business groups, hosting team events and playing for the Wings charity softball team. Kal is a contributing writer to the team's official magazine, "Inside Hockeytown". Rounding out his administrative duties, Ken also works with the broadcast department to expand the Red Wings radio network and maintain affiliate relations. [3]

Softball Team ball sport

Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a field that has base lengths of 60 feet, a pitcher's mound that ranges from 35–43 feet away from home plate, and a homerun fence that is 220 feet away from home plate. It was invented in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as an indoor game. The game moves at a faster pace than traditional baseball. There is less time for the base runner to get to first while the opponent fields the ball; yet, the fielder has less time to field the ball while the opponent is running down to first base. The name softball was given to the game in 1926, because the ball used to be soft, however in modern day usage, the balls are hard.

Other broadcasting work

In addition to the Red Wings, Kal occasionally fills in on play-by-play for WXYT broadcasts of Detroit Tigers baseball when regular Tigers announcer Dan Dickerson is unavailable. Kal's first Tigers broadcast came in 2013, when Dickerson was absent to enroll his daughter in college; it was the first baseball game Kal had announced in his career. [4] [5]

Personal life

Kalczynski is a two-time past president of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association as well as a longtime active member of the DSBA. He received the DSBA’s Ty Tyson Award for broadcast excellence in 2007. Kal is a board member for the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Ken was raised in then largely Polish, Warrendale neighborhood of Detroit, MI.He was married in 2003 and currently resides in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ U.S. Public Records Index Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. ↑ Neal Rubin (2007). "Red Wings broadcaster refuses to let his dream die". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  3. ↑ Detroit Red Wings (2007). "Paul Woods & Ken Kal WXYT Analyst & WXYT Play-by-Play". DetroitRedWings.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  4. ↑ Beaton, Al (2013-08-15). "Red Wings play-by-play man Ken Kal to step in for Dan Dickerson". Blessyouboys.com.
  5. ↑ Gage, Tom (2013-08-15). "Hockey announcer Ken Kal eager for Tigers play-by-play debut". The Detroit News.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Detroit Sports Broadcasters (2007). "DSBA Member Roster: Ken Kal". DetroitSportsBroadcasters.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
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