Paul Keels is the current play-by-play announcer for Ohio State University's football and men's basketball teams for WBNS Radio and the Ohio State Sports Network. [1]
A native of Cincinnati, Keels began his broadcasting career in his hometown as a news anchor/reporter for WLW Radio in 1979. The following year, he moved to Detroit to work for WJR Radio to call games for the NBA Detroit Pistons (1980–1981), and then to WWJ Radio to call football and basketball for the University of Michigan from 1981–1987. [2]
Following a year at UPI Radio Network in Washington DC, Keels returned to Cincinnati in 1988 to become the voice of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and host a sports talk show on WCKY-AM. From 1992–1995, he hosted a morning news show on WHIO Radio in Dayton. In 1994, he again became play-by-play voice for the University of Cincinnati. In 1996, he started to do play-by-play duties for the Bengals. Following the 1996 football season, WLW's parent company, Jacor Communications, lost the rights to the Bengals, and Keels continued broadcasting football and basketball for the University of Cincinnati. He joined WBNS radio and the Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network in 1998. [3]
Keels also worked for the Cincinnati Bengals as a preseason announcer on WKRC-TV from 2000–2010, and worked on the Cincinnati Reds television broadcasts for Fox Sports Ohio in 2010. He is also the author of Tales from the Buckeye Championship Season, which recounts the Buckeyes' 2002 National Championship run. [4]
On November 5, 2023, Keels substituted as a radio play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Browns. [5]
Keels graduated from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, and studied communications at Xavier University.
WCMH-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Olentangy River Road near the Ohio State University campus, and its transmitter is located on Twin Rivers Drive, west of downtown Columbus.
WBNS-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside the company's sole radio properties, WBNS and WBNS-FM (97.1). The stations share studios on Twin Rivers Drive west of Downtown Columbus, where WBNS-TV's transmitter is also located.
WLWT is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Young Street, and its transmitter is located on Chickasaw Street, both in the Mount Auburn neighborhood of Cincinnati.
Thomas Wade Brennaman is an American television sportscaster. He is the son of former Cincinnati Reds radio sportscaster Marty Brennaman. He served as the television voice of the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2006, and as the voice of the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2020. His career with the Reds and Fox Sports ended abruptly when he was caught on a hot mic making a homophobic statement during a game broadcast. His on-air apology, in which he interrupted himself to call "a drive into deep left field by Castellanos", became an internet meme. Since leaving the Reds, he has served as a commentator for the Roberto Clemente League and for Chatterbox Sports.
Steve Physioc is a retired American sportscaster who has called play-by-play for various baseball, basketball, and football teams. He retired while working with the Kansas City Royals, whom he had worked with since February 2012.
Charles Christopher Spielman is an American former professional football player who is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes, twice earning All-American honors. He played professional football for the Detroit Lions in the NFL, where he was a three-time All-Pro. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, and coached for the Arena Football League (AFL)'s Columbus Destroyers. He was a broadcaster for Fox Sports and ESPN from 1999 to 2020.
Michael Joseph Reghi is an American television play-by-play announcer and radio sports talk show host. He was the television play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2004, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association from 1993 to 2006. As of 2022, he is the play-by-play television announcer for Akron Zips men's basketball home games carried by ESPN+ and ESPN3. He also calls play-by-play for MAC football on those same networks along with select other games.
Robert Theodore Trumpy Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1968 through 1977. He was a two-time NFL Pro Bowler and a two-time AFL All-Star. Following his playing career, Trumpy spent many years as a broadcast color analyst, calling four Super Bowls. He was given the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Steve Stewart is an American sportscaster, currently serving as a pregame host and play-by-play announcer on the Kansas City Royals Radio Network. The 2011 season was his fourth with the Royals, his 12th in the Major Leagues and his 20th broadcasting baseball. Stewart spent four years as a Cincinnati Reds broadcaster (2004–2007), the first 3 on WLW Radio and in 2007 on TV as a pre-game host and fill-in play-by-play announcer for FSN Ohio. From 2000-2003, he filled in on Baltimore Orioles broadcasts on WBAL, where he was a sports anchor on both WBAL Radio and TV. In 2002, he called several St. Louis Cardinals games on KMOX. He's broadcast basketball games for several colleges, including the Universities of Richmond, Maryland, Cincinnati and Xavier.
WSAI is a Cincinnati, Ohio commercial radio station. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, its studios, as well as those of iHeartMedia's other Cincinnati stations, are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township, and its transmitter site is in Mount Healthy.
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.
Dave Lapham is a former professional football offensive lineman for the National Football League (NFL)'s Cincinnati Bengals from 1974 to 1983 and the United States Football League (USFL)'s New Jersey Generals (1984–1985). During his career, he played all five line positions and was a key player on the 1981 Bengals squad that won the AFC championship, but ultimately lost Super Bowl XVI to the San Francisco 49ers. He has served as the Bengals radio color commentator for over 30 seasons, is also a local Bengals TV analyst and radio host, and is a Big 12 football analyst for Fox Sports Network.
The Ohio News Network (ONN) – also referred to off-air as ONN Radio – is a radio news service in the U.S. state of Ohio. Based at Columbus, Ohio radio station WBNS-FM and owned by Dispatch Broadcast Group, It provides statewide newscasts and sportscasts for more than 90 affiliate stations throughout the day, in addition to some seasonal long-form programming.
Gary Burbank is an American radio personality. He was heard daily on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, from June 15, 1981, until December 21, 2007, and nationally as the voice of his fictional character, Earl Pitts, in nationally syndicated commentaries until 2021.
Brad Johansen was the evening news anchor and reporter for WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio from 2020-2023.
The Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network is an American radio network consisting of 36 radio stations which carry coverage of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League.
The Cavaliers AudioVerse is an American radio network composed of 19 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cleveland sister stations WTAM and WMMS serve as the network's two flagships; WTAM also relays its signal over a low-power FM translator. The network also includes seventeen affiliates in the U.S. state of Ohio: twelve AM stations, nine of which supplement their signals with low-power FM translators and one with an HD Radio subchannel; and six full-power FM stations.
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 went on medical leave to undergo treatment for leukemia following the 2023 season opener; various broadcasters, including Chris Rose, Andrew Siciliano and Paul Keels have served as interim play-by-play announcers in his absence. Nathan Zegura serves as commentator and Je'Rod Cherry is the sideline analyst/reporter.
The Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield is an American radio network consisting of 62 radio stations which carry coverage of Ohio State Buckeyes football and men's basketball. Co-owned WBNS and WBNS-FM, both licensed to Columbus, Ohio, serve as the network's 2 flagship stations. The network also includes 60 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio and West Virginia: 33 AM stations, 22 of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; 26 full-power FM stations; and one HD Radio digital subchannel which supplements its signal with a low-power FM translator. Paul Keels has served as play-by-play announcer for both football and men's basketball since 1998; former Ohio State offensive guard Jim Lachey currently serves as color analyst for football; and former Ohio State point guard Ron Stokes currently serves as color analyst for men's basketball.
The Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network is an American radio network consisting of 37 radio stations which carry coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals, a professional football team in the NFL. Three Cincinnati radio stations—WCKY (1530 AM), WEBN (102.7 FM), and WLW (700 AM)—serve as the network's flagship stations; WLW also simulcasts over a low-power FM translator. The network also includes 39 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia: 27 AM stations, 18 of which extend their signals with one or more low-power FM translators; and 12 full-power FM stations. Dan Hoard is the current play-by-play announcer, while Dave Lapham serves as color commentator. In addition to traditional over-the-air AM and FM broadcasts, the Bengals are available on SiriusXM satellite radio, and online with NFL Audio Pass.