Rocket City Trash Pandas To Air On WUMP/Huntsville, AL, Josh Caray To Call Play-By-Play

Coming In 2020

Minor league baseball's ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS aren't scheduled to arrive in the HUNTSVILLE, AL suburb of MADISON until next SPRING, but the SOUTHERN LEAGUE franchise (playing its last season as the MOBILE BAY BEARS in 2019) has nailed down its radio deal and announcer for next season, inking a three-year deal with CUMULUS Sports WUMP-A-W280BA (730 THE UMP)/HUNTSVILLE and naming JOSH CARAY as play-by-play announcer. 

CARAY, currently the voice of the HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES and the former radio voice of ROME BRAVES baseball and STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY athletics, is the son of the late ATLANTA BRAVES broadcaster SKIP CARAY, grandson of the late Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster HARRY CARAY, and half-brother of present BRAVES television voice CHIP CARAY.

“This is a special day for our organization,” said TRASH PANDAS CEO/Managing Partner RALPH NELSON. "To have JOSH CARAY as our voice is yet another huge win for the amazing TRASH PANDAS fan base -- they’re going to be blown away by his big-league style. Regarding our larger partnership… there are so many great stations in this region, and we intend to continue working with all of them. We chose CUMULUS because of its extensive reach across a variety of market segments. CUMULUS offered us an unprecedented opportunity to share the TRASH PANDAS experience with the most fans possible.”

“Baseball play-by-play is obviously in my blood,” said CARAY. “But calling games for a new franchise of this caliber is every announcer’s dream. Everywhere I go in Minor League Baseball, people are talking about the TRASH PANDAS and the excitement that our new team is generating throughout the country. To all the fans in MADISON, HUNTSVILLE and beyond -- you can be sure you’ll get my very best, every inning of every game.”

“We are thrilled with this partnership,” said CUMULUS VP/Market Manager JOHN LEWIS. “The TRASH PANDAS are already a world-class baseball franchise, and we have the resources to help them fully engage their extensive fan base. We’re also excited about the cross-promotional opportunities, so TRASH PANDAS fans can discover what so many already know -- that CUMULUS offers top-notch programming with great personalities, across a variety of platforms.”

In addition, CUMULUS Top 40 WZYP morning host MOJO will serve as in-game emcee; MOJO's producer RICKY FERNANDEZ will handle in-game music and audio; and News-Talk WVNN-A-F APD and "DALE JACKSON SHOW" Exec. Producer ANTONIO MACBEATH will be the public address announcer.

The TRASH PANDAS, named after the colloquial name for raccoons, are the Double A affiliate of the LOS ANGELES ANGELS.  HUNTSVILLE's previous team, the HUNTSVILLE STARS, became the BILOXI SHUCKERS in 2015; a new ballpark is under construction in MADISON to host the TRASH PANDAS next season.

« see more Net News