List Of Seattle Kraken Broadcasters
Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer. J. T. Brown is the Kraken's primary television color analyst. In August 2022, the team hired Eddie Olczyk to be a television analyst alongside Forslund and Brown. Olczyk maintained his job at TNT as the lead color commentator and called the Kraken's games as his schedule allowed. Alison Lukan is a studio analyst for Root Sports Northwest who filled in for Brown for a few games during the 2021–22 season and did the same for Olczyk and fellow analyst Piper Shaw for the 2022–23 season onward. Nick Olczyk joined her as a TV, radio, and mobile app contributor for the 2022–23 season.
Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team's primary radio play-by-play announcer. He is the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in NHL history. Former NHL player and Vancouver Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson served as Fitzhugh's color analyst for the Kraken's first two seasons, before resigning in August 2023 to take a new broadcasting job in Canada. The Kraken then hired former Seattle Thunderbirds forward and Everett Silvertips commentator Al Kinisky to replace him. Mike Benton is the studio host for all radio broadcasts, serving pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage. In 2021, Fitzhugh tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the Kraken's first-ever regular season road trip; on radio broadcasts, John Forslund and veteran KJR broadcaster Ian Furness filled in on play-by-play duties. The telecast for the Kraken's February 17, 2022, game against the Winnipeg Jets had Fitzhugh on play-by-play and Brown on color commentary, comprising the first all-Black broadcast booth in NHL history.
Kraken games were televised regionally on Root Sports Northwest for the team's first three seasons. On April 25, 2024, the Kraken signed a deal with Tegna, owners of Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV and independent KONG, to air their games throughout their territory, with streaming handled by Prime Video. For radio, Kraken games are broadcast on KJR-FM 93.3 and KJR 950 AM, the flagship stations of the Kraken Audio Network. During a schedule conflict, some games may be heard on 96.5 KJAQ.
Television
![Alison Lukan reporting while an ice hockey player skates by](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Los_Angeles_Kings_at_Seattle_Kraken_-_November_19%2C_2022_-_Brandon_Tanev_and_Allison_Lukan_%2852519198214%29.jpg/220px-Los_Angeles_Kings_at_Seattle_Kraken_-_November_19%2C_2022_-_Brandon_Tanev_and_Allison_Lukan_%2852519198214%29.jpg)
In their first season, the Kraken averaged a 0.96 Nielsen rating for games broadcast on Root Sports Northwest. By comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights averaged a 1.87 rating in their first season for games broadcast locally on AT&T SportsNet.
From the beginning of their second season through mid-January 2023, the Kraken averaged a 0.68 rating, in the lowest third of the 23 United States NHL markets for which Nielsen ratings were available, despite a much better record than their first season at the same point. The team launched a new show, entitled What's Kraken?, on the over-the-air station KCPQ, to broaden fan support during the 2022–23 season. Seattle's high percentage of "broadband-only" homes, without cable or satellite TV service, and the unavailability of Root Sports Northwest on most over-the-top media services, contributed to the low ratings.
During their second and third seasons, the Kraken averaged a 0.7 rating for their October games on Root Sports Northwest. Shortly before the 2022–23 season, Comcast moved Root Sports Northwest to a higher-priced tier of service, due to the high cost and low demand for the channel.
Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice level reporter | Studio host |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023–24 | Root Sports Northwest | John Forslund | J. T. Brown (most games) Eddie Olczyk (select games) Nick Olczyk (select games) |
Piper Shaw (most games) Alison Lukan (select games) |
Ross Fletcher, Tom Glasgow |
2022–23 | |||||
2021–22 | John Forslund (most games) Everett Fitzhugh (select games) |
J. T. Brown Alison Lukan (Replaced Brown during a March game against the Washington Capitals) |
Radio
Year | Flagship Station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023–24 | KJR-FM | Everett Fitzhugh | Al Kinisky | Mike Benton |
2022–23 | Dave Tomlinson | |||
2021–22 | Everett Fitzhugh (most games) John Forslund (Games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19) Ian Furness (Games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19) |
As of 2024, the Kraken Audio Network also includes the following stations outside Seattle:
- KIX FM 93.3 Spokane
- KALE AM 960 / FM 106.1 Tri-Cities
- KAPS AM 660 / FM 102.1 Mount Vernon
- KONP AM 1450 / FM 101.7 Port Angeles
- KBDB FM 96.7 Forks
- KYYO FM 96.9 Olympia
- KGY (HD2 of KYYO) FM 95.3 Olympia
- KPUG AM 1170 Bellingham
- KGMI AM 790 Bellingham
- KBBO AM 1390 Yakima
- KMAS AM 1030 / FM 103.3 Shelton
- KPOJ AM 620 Portland
- KCRX FM 102.3 Astoria
- KTZN AM 550 Anchorage
- KTKU FM 105.1 Juneau
- KTKN AM 930 / FM 95.7 Ketchikan
- KSRM AM 920 Kenai
- KIFW AM 1230 Sitka
- KVOK AM 560 / FM 98.7 Kodiak Island
- KOFE AM 1240 St. Maries
- KKVU FM 102.9 Missoula
See also
References
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- ^ Morse, Dan (August 16, 2022). "Alison Lukan & Nick Olczyk to join Kraken broadcast team this season". Davy Jones' Locker Room. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ Douglas, William (August 7, 2020). "Kraken set to have first Black full-time NHL team play-by-play announcer". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
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- ^ "Al Kinisky Named Kraken Radio Color Analyst". National Hockey League. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Stone, Larry (October 15, 2021). "KJR's Ian Furness savors long-awaited opportunity during broadcast of Kraken's first victory". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Clark, Ryan S. (February 9, 2022). "How J.T. Brown and Everett Fitzhugh became the NHL's first all-Black broadcast duo". The Athletic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (April 25, 2024). "Kraken leaving ROOT Sports for new TV and streaming deals". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "The Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena Announce Regional Partnership with iHeartMedia Seattle". PR Newswire (Press release). March 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (March 3, 2021). "Sports Radio KJR named Kraken flagship station". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
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- ^ "Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 announce new media partnership". FOX 13 Seattle. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (January 24, 2023). "Exploring why Kraken's TV ratings haven't caught up to improved play". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (December 5, 2023). "To grow fan base, Kraken should ditch ROOT Sports and show TV games for free". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Seattle Kraken Increases Broadcast and Streaming Access Through Partnerships With TEGNA and Prime Video". National Hockey League. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Beg, Zaiem (June 27, 2024). "Piper Shaw to remain with Kraken broadcast". Davy Jones' Locker room. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Condor, Bob (September 26, 2021). "Stars of Spokane". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Kraken Affiliate List". iHeartRadio. April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2022.