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San Francisco Giants
Baseball On The Radio

Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons and Bill Thompson

Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons and Bill Thompson

Al Michaels (Circa 1975)
Al Michaels

The Giants arrived in San Francisco from Manhattan in 1958, with the fabled Russ Hodges in tow as their primary play-by-play man. With the club’s radio broadcasts signed to a long-term contract with KSFO and the Golden West Radio Network, Hodges was teamed with KSFO’s sports director, Lon Simmons.

As a double-play radio combo for a dozen years, Hodges and Simmons were with few peers in the history of the game, equaled only by the legendary Mel Allen and Red Barber, who paired up on Yankees radiocasts from 1957 through 1964. (Hodges and Allen were the Yankees radio team from 1946 through 1948.)

Hodges, ill with cancer, left the Giants broadcast booth following the 1970 season, while Simmons — grieving after the death of his wife — departed after the 1973 season, replaced by Al Michaels and Art Eckman. Simmons returned in 1976 to partner with Michaels, who subsequently departed for fulltime employment with ABC Sports.

Already having built a solid national reputation, Michaels soared to prominence with his call of the shocking “Miracle On Ice” victory by the United States in ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Jon Miller in the Giants radio booth (2007)
Jon Miller

Michaels’ departure created an opening for Joe Angel, who partnered with Simmons during the 1977 and 1978 seasons, the Giants’ final two years on KSFO. Angel, who was KSFO’s sports director at the time, would return to the team’s radio booth 25 years later as Jon Miller’s sidekick.

KSFO remained as the Giants radio flagship station through the 1978 season when the contract with the station expired. One rumored reason for the switch was resentment against KSFO owner Gene Autry, who, as owner of the California Angels, had voted against the Giants sale to Canada’s Labatt Brewing, which would have resulted in the team’s move to Toronto. (A more likely scenario is that powerhouse KNBR, owned by NBC, won the broadcast rights beginning in 1979 by offering significantly more money — reportedly up to $500,000 per season.)

Choosing to hire its own broadcast team rather than keeping the popular Simmons, KNBR selected Lindsey Nelson and Hank Greenwald as its play-by-play men. In 1997, the Giants hired Jon Miller as lead voice on radio. A Hayward High School and College of San Mateo product, Miller had first broadcast baseball professionally in 1974 as the 22-year-old sidekick to Monte Moore on Oakland A’s radio.

The Giants’ radio history during the team’s first half-century in San Francisco is a model of simplicity: from 1958 through 1978, KSFO (560 AM) served as the team’s flagship station; in 1979, the team’s broadcasts moved to 50,000-watt KNBR (680 AM). A complete listing of the Giants’ flagship stations and broadcasters follows:

YEAR(S)

FLAGSHIP STATION

ANNOUNCERS

1958-1962 KSFO (560 AM) Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, Bill King
1963-1964 KSFO (560 AM) Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons
1965-1968 KSFO (560 AM) Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, Bill Thompson
1969 KSFO (560 AM) Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, Bill Thompson, Bill Rigney*
1970-1971 KSFO (560 AM) Lon Simmons, Bill Thompson, Russ Hodges**
1972-1973 KSFO (560 AM) Lon Simmons, Bill Thompson
1974-1975 KSFO (560 AM) Al Michaels, Art Eckman
1976 KSFO (560 AM) Al Michaels, Lon Simmons
1977-1978 KSFO (560 AM) Lon Simmons, Joe Angel
1979-1980 KNBR (680 AM) Lindsey Nelson, Hank Greenwald
1981 KNBR (680 AM) Lindsey Nelson, Hank Greenwald, Dave Glass
1982-1985 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Dave Glass
1986 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Phil Stone
1987-1988 KNBR (680 AM) Ron Fairly, Wayne Hagin
1989-1991 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Ron Fairly
1992 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Ron Fairly, Duane Kuiper, Joe Morgan
1993 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Ted Robinson, Barry Tompkins
1994-1995 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Ted Robinson, Mike Krukow
1996 KNBR (680 AM) Hank Greenwald, Ted Robinson, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow
1997-2001 KNBR (680 AM) Jon Miller, Ted Robinson, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow
2002 KNBR (680 AM) Jon Miller, Joe Angel, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Tim McCarver***
2003 KNBR (680 AM) Jon Miller, Joe Angel, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Bruce Macgowan, Roxy Bernstein, Dave Flemming, Dave Raymond†
2004-2005 KNBR (680 AM) Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper, Greg Papa††
2006- KNBR (680 AM) Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Greg Papa††

* — Rigney, the Giants manager from 1956 through 1960, had been the first manager of the California (née Los Angeles) Angels from 1961 until his firing in May 1969. He subsequently joined the Giants’ radio crew at the conclusion of the 1969 season. Both the Angels and KSFO, it should be noted, were owned at the time by Gene Autry and Robert O. Reynolds.

** — Hodges retired from fulltime broadcasting following the 1970 season and was scheduled to work on the air occasionally during the 1971 campaign, while also working in the Giants’ public relations department. He died suddenly of a heart attack on April 19, 1971.

*** — Hired as a fill-in “guest star” on Giants telecasts, McCarver also appeared occasionally on radio broadcasts during the 2002 season.

† — Macgowan, Bernstein, Flemming (radio voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox) and Raymond (radio voice of the Iowa Cubs) were used as fill-in broadcasters when Miller, Kuiper and Krukow had television commitments. Flemming was hired as #2 man in the Giants radio booth for the 2004 season.

†† — Papa generally served as lead announcer on Sunday broadcasts in the absence of Miller, who worked ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts. Kuiper and Krukow, the team’s primary television play-by-play announcer and analyst, respectively, also occasionally filled in on weekend broadcasts as back-up to Papa and/or Flemming.

PHOTO SOURCE: San Francisco Giants archives.

On The Air Sign (Image)

The San Francisco Giants On The Air

1962

 KSFO Presents “The Giants Win The Pennant” (1962; 40 minutes) Audio Presentation

A retrospective of the Giants’ pennant-winning 1962 campaign, as presented by their flagship station, KSFO, featuring the voices of Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons — plus an occasional entry by the third man in the booth, Bill King.

1969

 Giants vs. Dodgers on KSFO (Sept. 27, 1969) Audio PresentationEdited broadcast

The 1969 campaign is winding down, and there’s a packed house in the Chavez Ravine broadcast booth, with Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons, Bill Thompson and Bill Rigney taking turns at the mike.

1970

 Giants vs. Cubs on KSFO (June 5, 1970) Audio Presentation

A complete broadcast from Wrigley Field on KSFO and the Golden West Radio Network, with Russ Hodges, Lon Simmons and Bill Thompson calling the play-by-play.

1971

Giants on KSFO: The Year Of The Fox (1971; 12 minutes)

To commemorate the Giants’ National League Western Division championship season, the team’s flagship station issued this souvenir disc. Produced by Stu Smith and Bob Texiera, the recording features the Giants play-by-play men, Lon Simmons and Bill Thompson, and an ad-libbed tribute to the season by KSFO morning man Jim Lange.

Audio Presentation — Exhibit includes text and audio.
Audio Presentation — Audio presentation only.
 — Fair to poor audio quality.
Edited broadcast — Edited or partial broadcast.

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Ed O'Donnell
Ed O'Donnell
13 April 2019 9:50 AM

Are all old Giants broadcasts preserved? I’m looking for a particular game from 1970.

Alicia
Alicia
19 March 2020 1:33 PM

My husband is having a hard time with the whole COVID-19 no sports thing. I’m working on a birthday surprise for him and want a full game radio broadcast from the past. Where can I find a great one online? He’s turning 46 so something from mid 1980s or later. Please help!

Bruce shepherd
Bruce shepherd
16 October 2021 11:57 PM

I am looking for the broadcast of the retirement ceremony for Willie McCovey in 1980. I believe it preceded the first pitch on September 21. Can anyone direct me how to find and access that broadcast?

Mark Schmale
Mark Schmale
22 April 2023 7:15 PM

My uncle was the producer of the giants games on KSFO. His name was Richard Schmale. Supposedly my birth was announced during the game on july 4th in 1977 against the dodgers. Is there audio for that game available to confirm?

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