You’re stuck in traffic on I-71, the sun is dipping just below the skyline, and that first crack of the bat echoes through your car speakers. It’s different than TV. There’s a specific, scratchy magic to hearing Reds baseball on radio that a high-def broadcast just can’t replicate. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's the fact that you have to use your brain to paint the picture of Elly De La Cruz sliding into third. Honestly, for a lot of us in the tri-state area, the transistor radio or the car tuner is the only way the game feels "real."
The Cincinnati Reds aren't just any team; they’re the first professional franchise, and their relationship with the airwaves is arguably the deepest in the sport. Since the days of the "Old Ol’ Redhead" Red Barber to the legendary Marty Brennaman, the voice in the ear has been the heartbeat of the city.
The WLW Connection: Why 700 AM Matters
If you grow up in Cincinnati, or anywhere within the massive signal reach of WLW, you know the "Big One." It’s 50,000 watts of clear channel power. Back in the day, you could hear Reds games on the radio as far away as the Caribbean on a clear night. It’s a beast.
Tommy Thrall and Jeff Brantley are the guys carrying the torch now. It's a tough gig. You’re following decades of Hall of Fame talent. Thrall has this incredibly precise, modern delivery that keeps the pace moving, while "The Cowboy" Jeff Brantley provides the soul. Brantley is great because he doesn't just call the game—he reacts to it like a guy sitting on a porch with a cold drink. If a pitcher misses his spot, Brantley lets you know. If the humidity is making the ball hang, he's on it. It’s authentic. It’s messy sometimes. It’s baseball.
The technical side of Reds baseball on radio is actually pretty fascinating when you look at how the Reds Radio Network is stitched together. It’s one of the largest in the country. We’re talking over 100 affiliate stations across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and even parts of Tennessee. When people complain about "blackout restrictions" on streaming apps or cable, the radio remains the great equalizer. It’s free. It’s always there.
How to Actually Listen Without a Transistor
Let’s be real: not everyone has a physical radio anymore. If you’re trying to catch the game in 2026, you’ve got options, but they come with caveats.
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The primary way people stream the audio now is through the MLB app. For a few bucks a month, you get the home and away feeds. No blackouts. That’s the "pro tip" for fans who moved away to Florida or Chicago but still need that fix of Cincinnati summer.
Then there’s iHeartRadio. Now, this gets tricky. Because of broadcasting rights, you can’t always just hit "play" on the 700 WLW stream on your phone and hear the game. Usually, if you’re outside the geo-fenced area, the stream flips to generic talk or national programming the second the first pitch is thrown. It’s frustrating. It’s basically a legal tug-of-war between local affiliates and Major League Baseball’s digital rights. If you’re in the car, though, the analog signal is king.
Why the "Radio Delay" Drives Everyone Crazy
Have you ever tried to watch the game on TV with the sound muted while listening to the radio? It’s a disaster.
The digital lag is the enemy of the modern fan. The TV broadcast is usually 10 to 30 seconds behind the actual live action. The radio—especially if you’re listening to an over-the-air AM signal—is nearly instantaneous. You’ll hear the home run on the radio, celebrate, and then wait twenty seconds to see it happen on your screen.
Some fans use "syncing" apps or expensive receivers to delay the radio audio to match the TV. It’s a lot of work. But for those who grew up listening to Marty and Joe, the TV announcers often feel too corporate, too distant. They don't know the farm system like the local radio guys do. They don't know that a specific relief pitcher always struggles when it's raining in April.
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The Art of the Radio Call
Broadcasting baseball is different than any other sport. In football, it’s all bang-bang action. In basketball, it’s constant movement. But baseball? Baseball is 90% waiting.
That 90% is where the magic of Reds baseball on radio lives. It’s the stories. It’s Jeff Brantley talking about what kind of steak he had for dinner or Tommy Thrall breaking down a obscure stat about stolen base percentages on grass versus turf.
- The Narrative: Radio announcers are basically novelists. They have to describe the sky, the dirt, the way a player is standing in the dugout.
- The Crowd: On a good radio broadcast, the crowd noise is a character. A low roar means a rally is brewing. A sharp gasp means a foul ball almost took out the ball girl.
- The Silence: A good broadcaster knows when to shut up. Sometimes, the sound of the stadium is enough.
Common Misconceptions About the Reds Radio Network
People think radio is dying. They’re wrong.
Actually, radio listenership for baseball has stayed surprisingly steady compared to the cratering of traditional cable TV ratings. Why? Because you can take the radio to the lake. You can have it on in the garage while you’re changing your oil. You can listen while you’re mowing the lawn. It’s the ultimate "background" companion that doesn't require your eyes to be glued to a screen.
Another misconception is that the Spanish language broadcast is an afterthought. The Reds have put significant effort into their "Las Mayores" presence. Baseball is a global game, and the Latin American influence on the Reds roster—from the historic Big Red Machine era to today—means the Spanish radio call is just as vital to the community as the English one.
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The Technical Evolution of the Broadcast
Back in the 1930s, the Reds were pioneers. Powel Crosley Jr., who owned the team and WLW, saw the radio as a way to sell more radios (which he also manufactured). It was a vertical integration masterpiece. He even installed the first lights in a Major League stadium just so people could listen to games at night when they were home from work.
Today, the gear is smaller, but the stakes are higher. The broadcasters travel on the team plane, but they operate in a tiny booth high above the field. They’re using sophisticated boards to mix their voices with the "nat sound" (natural sound) of the stadium. If you hear the "pop" of a glove particularly clearly, that’s because there’s a directional microphone pointed exactly at home plate, mixed specifically for the radio feed.
Practical Tips for the Best Listening Experience
If you want to get serious about following the Reds this season, don't just rely on your phone's shitty speaker.
- Invest in a high-quality AM/FM portable radio. Brands like Sangean or C.Crane make "super radios" specifically designed to pull in distant AM signals. If you’re in the outer suburbs, this is a game-changer.
- Use a single earbud. If you’re at the stadium (Great American Ball Park), take a radio with you. Listening to the broadcast while watching the live action is the "expert mode" of fandom. Just use one earbud so you can still hear the crack of the bat in person.
- Check the affiliate map. If you’re road-tripping through Ohio, keep a list of the affiliate stations. When 700 WLW gets fuzzy near Columbus or Dayton, you can usually flip to a local station like 1410 WING or 1230 WIZE to keep the game going.
- The MLB At Bat Subscription. It’s honestly the best value in sports. About $30 a year gives you every single radio broadcast for every team, including the Reds, with no blackout restrictions. It works on CarPlay and Android Auto too.
What’s Next for Reds Radio?
We’re seeing a shift toward more interactive broadcasts. There’s more social media integration, and you’ll hear the announcers answering questions from fans on X (formerly Twitter) during the slow innings.
But at its core, the broadcast won't change. It shouldn't. It’s a connection to the past. When you hear the "This is the Reds Radio Network" bumper, you’re hearing the same sound your grandpa heard. In a world where everything is changing, there’s something deeply comforting about that.
The next time the Reds have a day game, skip the TV. Go out to the porch, turn on the radio, and let the game come to you through the speakers. You might find you actually "see" the game better that way.
To stay current with the latest Reds news or to find the specific frequency for your town, your best move is to bookmark the official Reds Radio Network affiliate page on the MLB website. It’s updated every season because stations flip formats all the time. Also, keep an eye on the WLW lineup; sometimes pre-game coverage starts as early as an hour before first pitch, which is where you get the real deep-dive interviews with the coaching staff that never make it to the national highlights.