Byline: Judd Zulgad; Staff Writer
Alan Horton has done commentary on field hockey matches in Syracuse. He has provided ski reports for a station in Vermont. He has spent the overnight shift working as a host at Fox Sports Radio. And then there were the countless games Horton called as a fill-in announcer.
All of it was done with one intention: to ascend the often tough-to-crack play-by-play ladder. Horton took a major step this week when the Timberwolves gave him a multiyear contract be their radio voice on BOB 106 FM after Horton spent a single summer as the radio announcer for the WNBA's Seattle Storm.
'I certainly didn't think it would happen this quickly,' said Horton, also executive producer of the Sonics Radio Network. 'Seattle was a great situation for me, and the organization treated me great. But I'm excited for this and can't wait to get out there.'
Horton, 37, landed in Seattle after spending 10 years in Southern California. A native of Massachusetts - he grew up as a fan of the Larry Bird and Kevin McHale Boston Celtics - his play-by-play duties included everything from filling in on San Diego Padres broadcasts to doing San Diego State football, men's and women's basketball and baseball and high school football. Horton will work his first game a week from Saturday when the Wolves play host to Milwaukee in a preseason contest. Horton and his wife, Amy, spent time this week packing up belongings at their Seattle-area home. The couple and their eighth-month old son, Andre, will get in a car today and make the trip to Minnesota.
The Wolves' decision to hire Horton came after the team offered the job to Edina native Rick Kamla and also pursued sports-talk host Matt Thomas of KSTP (1500 AM). Kamla decided to remain at NBA TV, and Thomas' contract did not allow him to leave the station.
But Ted Johnson, Wolves senior vice president of marketing and communications, said the franchise is pleased to get Horton. Johnson also is confident Horton will be around for several seasons; that was not the case with Brian Sieman, who spent one year calling the Wolves on radio before taking a job with the Los Angeles Clippers.
'We feel confident we have found the voice of the Timberwolves for many years to come,' Johnson said. 'We were very interested in finding a broadcaster who would grow with the team.'
, Fine-tuning
- TBS' coverage of baseball's division series didn't attract a lot of interest in the Twin Cities. This market averaged a 2.3 rating, ranking 44th out of the 56 metered markets. Overall, TBS had a 3.8 rating and averaged more than 5.7 million viewers, a 26 percent increase over what Fox, ESPN and ESPN2 did last year.
- The Wild's victory over Columbus last Saturday on KSTC (Ch. 45) had a 3.8 rating and 8 share, making it the top-rated sporting event in Minneapolis-St. Paul that evening. FSN registered a strong 2.6 rating and 5 share for its first Wild telecast Wednesday. The Wild's game on Saturday at Phoenix won't be televised locally but can be seen through the NHL Center Ice Package. The same will hold for the team's Oct. 20 game at St. Louis.
- Ron Johnson, who was recently let go by FSN North, will be a reporter for the Big Ten Network's coverage of Midnight Madness this Friday. Johnson will be at the University of Illinois covering the Illini men's basketball team.
- ESPN will replace USA Network in televising the first two rounds of the Masters starting next year. Mike Tirico will serve as host. The final two rounds will continue to air on CBS.
- The NHL Network will be launched in the United States beginning this month. Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network are all on board, although Dish will initially carry the network in high definition only. Comcast will offer it in standard definition as part of its Sports Entertainment Package. Charter and Mediacom are both in discussions to carry the NHL Network, which will air 50 regular-season games.
- KFXN (690 AM) plans to add Dan Patrick's new radio show to its lineup in the coming days. It will air from 8 to 11 a.m.
