SUNRISE, FL – Fox Sports Net and the Florida Marlins today announced Len Kasper as the new television play-by-play voice of the Florida Marlins. Beginning with the 2002 MLB season, Kasper will call a total of 150 regular-season Marlins games seen on Fox Sports Net and the Marlins broadcast network. Jeff Genthner, Fox Sports Net's Senior Vice President and General Manager, and P.J. Loyello, the Marlins' Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting, made the announcement.
"We have boxes of outstanding demo tapes covering the spectrum of 'up and coming' to 'seasoned' baseball announcers from across the country," said Genthner. "Len's call of major league baseball games was entertaining, insightful and informative. Paired with Tommy Hutton and new pre-game host Craig Minervini, Fox Sports Net's coverage of Florida Marlins games will be as fresh and entertaining as the game on the field this season."
"Without a doubt, Len shares the energy, enthusiam and passion that the new Florida Marlins ownership and management has for this ball club and for the South Florida community," noted Loyello.
Kasper provided play-by-play for select Milwaukee Brewers games televised by Fox Sports Net North during the 1999 – 2001 Major League Baseball seasons. A veteran of sports radio, Kasper most recently served as the morning sports anchor for Milwaukee's WTMJ, the flagship station of the Brewers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Bucks. He has hosted pre-game and halftime shows for the Packers Radio Network and co-hosted a league call-in show on the Brewers Radio Network.
"It has been a lifelong dream to be the play-by-play voice of a major league baseball team," said Kasper. "Calling games alongside Tommy Hutton in the Fox Sports Net broadcast booth for this young and exciting Marlins ball club is a tremendous opportunity and privilege for me."
A summa cum laude graduate of Marquette University, Kasper earned a degree in Public Relations. He joins veteran color analyst Tommy Hutton in the broadcast booth, who returns for his sixth season with the team.
Fox Sports Net Florida expects to release its 2002 Marlins television schedule in the next week.
Fox Sports Net Florida reaches more than 3.9 million households in Florida. Fox Sports Net Florida is managed by Rainbow Sports Networks, a division of Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. Fox Sports Net Florida's programming includes Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays; the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers; the University of Miami, and the University of South Florida, along with select NASCAR and PGA Tour coverage.
Fox Sports Net reaches more than 78 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. and Fox. Rainbow Sports Networks incorporates Rainbow's 50% ownership of Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports National Advertising, and the ownership and management of Fox Sports Net regional networks in five of the nation's largest markets: Chicago, Florida, Ohio, New England and San Francisco.