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Sportsnet 650 Reveals New Morning Show

Jason Barrett

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Sportsnet 650 doesn’t officially launch for two more months, but the summer months are equally as important. After all, this is when the station can talk to candidates, make programming hires and fine tune their presentation to make sure their September 4th debut goes off without a hitch.

When the station premieres in roughly 60 days, it will do so with a strong local morning show. It was confirmed today that James Cybulski, Steve Darling and Mira Laurence will team up in morning drive, forming Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup with Cybulski, Darling and Laurence. The trio will host weekdays 6a-10a PT.

“James, Steve and Mira are a dynamic trio with a tremendous amount of experience and sports knowledge that will be invaluable to Sportsnet 650, the morning show and, most importantly, sports fans in Vancouver,” said Craig MacEwen, Program Director, Sportsnet 650. “These three talents are not only excellent at what they do, but they are also exemplary members of the community, giving back through various charitable efforts. We are thrilled to have them on the Sportsnet 650 team.”

Cybulski is an award-winning broadcaster with over 25 years of on-air experience. He was Bureau Chief of The Score from 2000-2004, and worked on Sportsnet Pacific from 2013-2016. He had recently been working for NEWS 1130. His resume also includes serving as a sportscaster and reporter for SportsCentre on TSN and hosting a radio program for TSN 1050. In fact, Cybulski was the first drive-time host hired by 1050 when the station launched in April 2011.

Darling meanwhile has been a British Columbia resident nearly his entire life. His resume includes stints as a news anchor and sports reporter with NEWS 1130, BCTV and Global BC Morning News. His popularity soared as host of Global News Morning. After 15 years on the show, he left last year after being pushed out of his anchor’s chair. His exit was viewed unfavorably by viewers, leading them to launch a Facebook group titled “Steve Darling Deserved Better Treatment”. The page still has nearly 19,000 followers.

Over a decade worth of experience covering Vancouver sports is what Laurence brings to the table. She spent 10 years as head of the sports department for CTV Vancouver Island before choosing to leave the broadcasting business. Since then she has worked for the Partnership Development Officer for Vikes Athletics and Recreation at the University of Victoria and as the Executive Director of HeadWay, the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre.

Sportsnet 650 will make announcements about the remainder of their lineup at a later time. The station has already gained the radio rights to the Vancouver Canucks and according to The Province, Satiar Shah is expected to be involved with the brand in some capacity.

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Dan Patrick to Appear in December Episode of The Simpsons

“I’ve had a couple of sessions, and I only had like four lines, five lines.”

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A photo of Dan Patrick and The Simpsons logo
(Photo: FOX Sports Radio, 20th Century Fox)

For a sports radio host, Dan Patrick has quite an impressive list of IMDb credits. He will add a new one next month, when he appears on The Simpsons.

During The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday, the legendary sportscaster mentioned that several of the voices for the show are reaching senior citizen status, putting future seasons in question. Patrick joked that the show’s guest booker, Todd Fritz, could be a natural replacement for Julie Kavner as the voice of Marge Simpson.

After joking that Fritz would want to change the script too often, Patrick revealed he would appear in an upcoming episode, and changing the script wouldn’t be an easy proposition.

“I’m on an episode that — I think — comes out on Christmas Eve (of) The Simpsons” Patrick admitted. “I’ve had a couple of sessions, and I only had like four lines, five lines. They wanna hear what they wanna hear.”

Patrick continued by noting that when he worked at ESPN, former co-worker Kenny Mayne was notorious for wanting to change the scripts of commercials during the “This is SportsCenter” campaigns.

“Kenny would always go ‘Hey, how about this?’ or ‘What about this?’, and I’d say ‘Let’s just stick to the script. They really have a good track record here.'”

He added that the voiceover artists on the program have deserved the millions they’ve made during the show’s long-running tenure.

“They’re extremely talented. They do a variety of voices there…that show has been on for how many decades? (It’s) still funny (and) relevant,” Patrick said.

On his IMDb page, Dan Patrick has 36 acting credits to his name, with the majority coming from projects with Adam Sandler.

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Matt Jones: ‘I’m Not Ashamed to Have Epilepsy’

“It’s a medical condition, and there is nothing I can do about it. I take medication, and that helps, and I wanted to show people that you can have a condition like that and still succeed…”

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Matt Jones
Courtesy: Simon & Schuster

In a Netflix documentary series released in September, Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones is seen having an epileptic seizure. He has shared why he allowed the video to be shown.

In an interview with Lexington TV station WKYT, Jones says he wants others with epilepsy to know they’re not alone.

“I think the world is a better place when people realize they are not the only ones feeling whatever it is they are feeling,” Jones said.

He shared that talking about the effects the condition has on him breaks down the stigma.

“You know I’m not ashamed to have epilepsy; it’s a medical condition, and there is nothing I can do about it. I take medication, and that helps, and I wanted to show people that you can have a condition like that and still succeed and still go through life, and you should not be ashamed of it,” he said.

The Kentucky Sports Radio host said his first seizure happened when he was 22, which is rare because most people with epilepsy suffer it at an earlier age. He said the seizure he suffered while filming the Netflix series Wrestlers — which features a behind-the-scenes look at Ohio Valley Wrestling and attempts to save the promotion in which Jones is a partner — was one of the worst he’s ever experienced.

Matt Jones told the TV station his only hesitation in showing the footage was he didn’t want his mother to see it.

“The director talked to me about airing it. He basically said are you okay with airing it? My initial inclination was no, not because of me, but because of my mother, and I didn’t want her to have to see it. She had never seen me have one,” Jones concluded.

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. 1 in 26 people in the United States suffer from the condition.

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Ben Wagner Out As Blue Jays Radio Voice After Sportsnet Contract Not Renewed

“Thank you, Ben, for sharing your voice and expertise with listeners across Canada.”

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Ben Wagner
Courtesy: Ben Wagner on Instagram

Toronto Blue Jays radio play-by-play announcer Ben Wagner will not be on the team’s broadcasts next season, Sportsnet announced on Wednesday morning.

The company posted a statement on X that divulged that it decided not to renew his contract for the next season. The new radio broadcast booth for the team will be announced prior to the start of the 2024 Blue Jays season.

“Thank you, Ben, for sharing your voice and expertise with listeners across Canada,” the statement read. “We wish you the very best.”

Wagner had served as the radio voice of the team for the last six seasons and called road games remotely for the last several years following the COVID-19 pandemic. He was briefly taken off the radio broadcasts when Sportsnet decided to simulcast its television broadcast on radio; however, that move was expeditiously reversed.

During this past season, Wagner worked alongside color commentator Chris Leroux and had the opportunity to travel to call the team’s Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, which ended in a 2-0 loss. The Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels were the only two MLB teams not to send their broadcasters on the road during the 2023 MLB regular season.

Upon graduating from Indiana State University with a degree in radio and television, Ben Wagner worked as the director of media and public relations for the Lakewood BlueClaws, a Class-A Minor League Baseball team for which he also served as its play-by-play announcer.

Three years later, he called games for the Buffalo Bisons in Triple-A for the next 11 seasons before replacing Jerry Howarth as the radio play-by-play voice of the Blue Jays.

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