A new broadcast beginning

For the first time, you can watch a Shorebirds' game on television.

Local fans who were used to turning on their TVs and catching an Orioles or Nationals game now have another choice. Last week the Shorebirds announced that fifteen of their remaining 21 home games this season would be broadcast on the Delmarva Sports Network (DSN), which is available over-the-air (Channel 16.2) on digitally capable TVs and simulcast on several local cable systems. (As I found to my chagrin, though, the internet broadcast from DSN is unavailable for those of us out of cable’s range - most likely because MiLB has their collective heads up their rectum and hands out for money.)

It’s a logical culmination of what I’ve seen over the past several years as the game has become more synchronized with multimedia. For the past few seasons, the Shorebirds have done a nightly Shore Report highlight reel of their home games as well as selected road games, using their broadcast as the soundtrack. To me, the DSN contract is a trial run to see how these games perform ratings-wise, although it deviates a little bit from DSN’s primary focus on local high school sports.

However, the Shorebirds’ schedule does mesh well with the needs of DSN. As noted, they focus on high school sports and other sports-related programming such as Outdoors Delmarva, but a Shorebirds game gives them fresh content at a time when the high school sports world is dark. In this area, high school baseball, softball, and lacrosse ends around the first of June and football and volleyball kick off toward the end of August, leaving a hole that DSN has been filling with reruns of games that occurred during the school year. Now they have 2-3 hours of fresh content several nights a week when the Shorebirds are home, and can include other packages as their release tells it: “comprehensive game coverage, exclusive interviews, and in-depth analysis, providing viewers with a front-row seat to the action-packed games and the chance to connect with their favorite players.”

Having said that, one venue the Shorebirds disappeared from in the last couple years is local radio. For several years, one AM station served as the Shorebirds Radio Network, but after the pandemic that radio voice went away. Since the broadcaster that owns DSN also owns a host of radio stations, it would be nice if that option was returned for both home and away games, even if they were to secure a low-power FM frequency for that purpose. (The Shorebirds could also reconnect with the AM station, which has retained its all-sports format, with a new deal.)

The prospect for success with this venture is pretty good, given the renewed local interest in the Orioles with their recent upturn in the standings. With the homegrown aspect of Baltimore’s recent baseball resurgence, there’s a good possibility of promoting the chance to see the next Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, or Grayson Rodriguez, all of whom haven’t put Delmarva too far in their rear-view mirrors. That’s the hook for the telecast, and we’ll see whether they bring it back for 2025.

In the meantime, though, you can Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now. You can also like and restack this piece so others can enjoy it.