Since 2013, radio coverage of the Cleveland Browns professional football team has originated from flagship stations WKNR (850 AM ), WKRK-FM (92.3 FM ) and WNCX (98.5FM). Jim Donovan has served as the team's play-by-play announcer since it resumed play in 1999. Color commentator Nathan Zegura and sideline analyst/reporter Je'Rod Cherry round out the radio team. [1] Spanish language broadcasts are heard on WNZN 89.1 FM with announcers Rafa Hernández-Brito and Octavio Sequera.
WEWS (channel 5) is the preseason TV home of the Browns, with veteran national announcer Chris Rose (play by play), 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas (color commentary) and sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala comprising the broadcast team. [2]
The following is a list of sportscasters who have covered the Browns over the radio throughout the team's history (including its first four seasons as a member of the All-American Football Conference and original incarnation in the NFL from 1950 to 1995), split by play-by-play and commentary. The team began using radio sideline reporters upon its return to the NFL in 1999. Gold shading indicates championship season. [3]
Year | Radio | Play-by-play | Commentary | Sideline |
---|---|---|---|---|
1946 | WGAR [lower-alpha 1] | Bob Neal | Stan Gee [3] | |
1947 | WGAR | Bob Neal | Bill Mayer [4] [5] | |
1948 | WGAR [6] | Bob Neal | Bill Mayer | |
1949 | WGAR [7] | Bob Neal | Bill Mayer | |
1950 | WERE [lower-alpha 2] | Bob Neal [8] | ||
1951 | WERE | Bob Neal | ||
1952 | WTAM [9] [lower-alpha 3] | Ken Coleman [10] | ||
1953 | WTAM | Ken Coleman | ||
1954 | WGAR | Bill McColgan [11] | Bill Mayer | |
1955 | WGAR | Bill McColgan [3] | Jim Graner [12] | |
1956 | WGAR | Bill McColgan | Jim Graner | |
1957 | WGAR | Bill McColgan | Jim Graner | |
1958 | WGAR | Bill McColgan | Jim Graner | |
1959 | WGAR | Bill McColgan | Jim Graner | |
1960 | WGAR | Bill McColgan | Jim Graner | |
1961 | WGAR | Gib Shanley [13] | ||
1962 | WERE [14] | Gib Shanley | ||
1963 | WERE | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner [3] | |
1964 | WERE | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1965 | WERE | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1966 | WERE | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1967 | WERE | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1968 | WHK [15] | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1969 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1970 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1971 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1972 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1973 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1974 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Graner | |
1975 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller [16] | |
1976 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1977 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1978 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1979 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1980 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1981 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1982 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1983 | WHK | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1984 | WHK [17] | Gib Shanley | Jim Mueller | |
1985 |
| Doug Dieken [18] | ||
1986 |
|
| Doug Dieken | |
1987 |
| Nev Chandler [19] | Doug Dieken | |
1988 |
| Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | |
1989 |
| Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | |
1990 | Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | ||
1991 | Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | ||
1992 |
| Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | |
1993 |
| Nev Chandler | Doug Dieken | |
1994 |
| Casey Coleman [22] | Doug Dieken | |
1995 |
| Casey Coleman | Doug Dieken | |
1996 | n/a; franchise inactive [23] | |||
1997 | ||||
1998 | ||||
1999 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2000 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2001 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2002 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2003 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2004 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2005 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Casey Coleman |
2006 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken |
|
2007 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Andre Knott [26] |
2008 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Andre Knott |
2009 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Andre Knott |
2010 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Jamir Howerton [27] |
2011 |
|
| Doug Dieken | Jamir Howerton |
2012 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Jamir Howerton |
2013 | Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Jamir Howerton | |
2014 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2015 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2016 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2017 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2018 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken |
|
2019 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2020 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken | Nathan Zegura |
2021 |
| Jim Donovan | Doug Dieken [30] | Nathan Zegura |
2022 |
| Jim Donovan | Nathan Zegura [1] | Je'Rod Cherry [31] |
2023 |
|
| Nathan Zegura | Je'Rod Cherry |
Year | Radio | Play-by-play | Commentary |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Rafa Hernández-Brito | Octavio Sequera |
Year | Affiliate | Play-by-play | Commentary | Sideline |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | WKYC | Michael Reghi [35] | Bob Golic | |
2000 | WKYC | Don Criqui [35] | Todd Blackledge | |
2001 | WKYC | Don Criqui | Todd Blackledge | |
2002 | WKYC | Don Criqui | Todd Blackledge | |
2003 | WKYC | Don Criqui | Todd Blackledge | |
2004 | WKYC | Don Criqui | Todd Blackledge | |
2005 | WOIO [36] | Sam Rosen |
| Sharon Reed |
2006 | WKYC [lower-alpha 10] | Sam Rosen [38] |
| |
2007 | WKYC [39] | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski [40] |
2008 | WKYC | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2009 | WKYC | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2010 | WKYC | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2011 | WKYC | Andrew Catalon [lower-alpha 11] | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2012 | WKYC | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2013 | WKYC | Jim Donovan | Bernie Kosar | Dave Chudowski |
2014 | WKYC [42] | Jim Donovan | Solomon Wilcots | Dave Chudowski |
2015 | WEWS [43] | Mike Patrick [44] | Solomon Wilcots | Andy Baskin |
2016 | WEWS | Mike Patrick | Solomon Wilcots | Andy Baskin |
2017 | WEWS | Mike Patrick | Solomon Wilcots | Andy Baskin |
2018 | WEWS [45] | Jay Crawford | Tim Couch | Jon Doss |
2019 | WEWS | Jay Crawford | Tim Couch | Jon Doss |
2020 | n/a; preseason cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
2021 | WEWS | Tom McCarthy | Joe Thomas | Nathan Zegura |
2022 | WEWS [2] | Chris Rose | Joe Thomas | Aditi Kinkhabwala |
2023 | WEWS | Chris Rose | Joe Thomas | Aditi Kinkhabwala |
WEWS-TV is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception in 1946, making it one of three stations that have been built and signed on by Scripps. WEWS-TV's studios are located on Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland, and its transmitter is located in suburban Parma.
WOIO is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and Lorain-licensed CW affiliate WUAB, the latter station transmitting over WOIO's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement. WOIO, WUAB and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WOIO and WUAB sharing transmitter facilities at the West Creek Reservation in Parma.
WUAB is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and Shaker Heights–licensed CBS affiliate WOIO, the latter station whose full-power spectrum WUAB transmits over via a channel sharing agreement. WUAB, WOIO and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WUAB and WOIO sharing transmitter facilities at the West Creek Reservation in Parma.
WVIZ is a PBS member television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Ideastream Public Media alongside classical music station WCLV and co-managed with Kent State University–owned WKSU, the NPR member for both Cleveland and Akron. The three stations share studio facilities at the Idea Center on Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland; WVIZ's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.
WHK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "AM 1420 The Answer". Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region as an affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. WHK's studios are currently located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site resides in neighboring Seven Hills.
WVPX-TV is a television station licensed to Akron, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of Ion Television. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, it is jointly operated with Canton-licensed Bounce TV affiliate WDLI-TV, which transmits using WVPX-TV's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement.
WKBF-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 61 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, from January 1968 to April 1975. Owned and operated by Kaiser Broadcasting as one of an eventual group of six stations, it was the first ultra high frequency (UHF) independent station to serve northeast Ohio and the last outlet constructed by the Kaiser chain during the 1960s to begin operations. Despite airing several high-profile local programs, Kaiser's efforts to establish itself in Cleveland never took root because of the establishment of a second independent outlet, WUAB, later that same year, as well as general stagnation in the Cleveland market. In April 1975, Kaiser shut WKBF-TV down and sold its programming inventory to WUAB in exchange for a minority stake in that station.
WTAM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, and is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range. WTAM is also Northeast Ohio's primary entry point station in the Emergency Alert System.
WKNR – branded as 850 ESPN Cleveland – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flagship station for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network; the Cleveland affiliate for the Ohio State Sports Network, and the radio home of Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi. The WKNR studios are currently located in the East Bank of The Flats in Downtown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKNR is available online.
WCLV is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a combined fine art/classical music and jazz format. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the home station for the Cleveland Orchestra and an affiliate of the BBC World Service.
WKSU is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Kent, Ohio, featuring a public radio format. Owned by Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media, WKSU's primary signal encompasses the Akron metro area, Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio as the regional affiliate for National Public Radio (NPR), American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange and the BBC World Service. The station's reach is extended into the Canton, Mansfield, Lorain, Ashtabula, Sandusky, New Philadelphia and Wooster areas via a network of five full-power repeaters, two low-power translators, and one on-channel booster.
WCCD is a commercial daytime-only radio station licensed to Parma, Ohio, that is temporally silent but operates as an internet-only station with a religious format known as "Radio 1000". Owned by New Spirit Revival Center Ministries, Inc., co-founded by the Rev. Darrell C. Scott, WCCD serves Greater Cleveland and parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio. The station's studios are located at The New Spirit Revival Church in the Cleveland suburb of Cleveland Heights. WCCD's silent status is due to the station transmitter, which resided in North Royalton, being redeveloped by the land owner.
WHKW is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and is known as "AM 1220 The Word" featuring a Christian format. Owned by Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region. WHKW's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site is in neighboring Broadview Heights.
James Francis Donovan III is an American radio and television personality who serves as sports director and news anchor for WKYC channel 3 (NBC) in Cleveland, Ohio, and has been the radio voice of the Cleveland Browns Radio Network since 1999.
James R. Graner was the weeknight sports anchor for Cleveland NBC affiliate KYW-TV beginning in 1957. He also served as color commentator for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network, most notably alongside Cleveland sportscaster Gib Shanley.
The University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 24 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Browns, a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL). Jim Donovan has been the lead announcer since the team's return in 1999, but following the 2023 season opener, he went on medical leave to undergo treatment for leukemia, and Chris Rose is serving as interim play-by-play announcer in his absence. Nathan Zegura serves as commentator and Je'Rod Cherry is the sideline analyst/reporter.
WAKR (1590 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Akron, Ohio, and known as "Soft Hits 93.5 FM". Locally owned and operated by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily services the Akron metropolitan area, including both Summit County and Portage County.
James F. Mueller was an American sportscaster. He was a radio announcer for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1975 to 1995, and was a sports anchor on Cleveland TV newscasts through most of the 1970s and 1980s.