List of Little League World Series Championship Game broadcasters

Note that this list focuses on the television network(s) and announcers who have broadcast the Little League World Series' World Championship Game.

1950s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
1953[1]	CBS	Jim McKay

1960s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
1960[2]	ABC
1963[3]	ABC	Chris Schenkel
1964	ABC	Jim McKay	Bill Veeck and Sonny Fox
1965	ABC	Jim McKay	Jackie Robinson and Sonny Fox
1966[4]	ABC	Jim McKay	Sonny Fox	Keith Jackson
1967	ABC	Jim McKay	Ted Williams[5]	Howard Cosell
1968	ABC	Keith Jackson	Jimmy Piersall	Jim McKay
1969	ABC	Jim McKay	Mickey Mantle	Vin Scully

1970s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
1970	ABC	Jim McKay	Mickey Mantle	Jack Twyman
1971	ABC	Jim McKay	Mickey Mantle	Jack Buck
1972	ABC	Bud Palmer	Mickey Mantle	Keith Jackson
1973	ABC	Keith Jackson	Bob Gibson	Frank Gifford
1974	ABC	Jim McKay	Carlton Fisk	Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell
1975	ABC	Keith Jackson	Bob Uecker	Al Michaels
1976	ABC	Keith Jackson	Bob Gibson	Ross Porter
1977	ABC	Al Michaels	Don Sutton	Reggie Jackson
1978	ABC	Al Michaels	Brooks Robinson	Keith Jackson
1979	ABC	Mel Allen	Red Barber	Curt Gowdy and Keith Jackson

1980s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
1980	ABC	Al Michaels	Don Drysdale and Willie Stargell	Howard Cosell
1981	ABC	Jim McKay	Davey Lopes	Bill Russell
1982	ABC	Jim McKay	Steve Stone	Frank Gifford
1983	ABC	Keith Jackson	Earl Weaver	Al Michaels
1984	ABC	Curt Gowdy	Jim Palmer and Earl Weaver	O. J. Simpson
1985[6]	ABC	Jim McKay	Jim Palmer	Curt Gowdy
1986	ABC	Al Trautwig	Johnny Bench	Lynn Swann
1987	ABC	Al Trautwig	Jim Palmer	Cheryl Miller and Becky Dixon
1988	ABC	Al Trautwig	Jim Palmer	Reggie Jackson and Lynn Swann
1989	ABC	Al Trautwig	Jim Palmer	Mike Adamle

Notes

• At first, only the World Championship Game was televised under the Wide World of Sports^[7] anthology umbrella on ABC. Since the late 1980s, when the tournament was reorganized, both the U.S. and international championships, the "semifinals," have been shown.
  • ESPN first began covering the games in 1982. With the expansion of ESPN's brand and its family of networks, the total number of games has significantly increased. In 2000, a total of 12 games were televised by ESPN. In addition, the popularity of the game increased the total number of teams from 8 to 16 and ESPN covered all eight U.S. regional championships in 2001 (something they still do today). This was as a result of a second stadium, Volunteer Stadium, which allowed games to take place simultaneously. Also that year, ABC began televising the U.S. Championship Game. That year, ESPN aired a total of 25 games. In 2003, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 carried a total of 35 games including regional championships.^[8][9] All games aired on any ESPN network are also available via Internet streaming on ESPN3.
• 1985 - ABC carries the Little League World Series championship game live for the first time on Wide World of Sports. For the first time in baseball history, the home plate umpire wears a miniature camera on his mask.

1990s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
1990	ABC	Al Trautwig	Jim Palmer	Mike Adamle
1991	ABC	Brent Musburger	Jim Palmer	Julie Moran
1992	ABC	Brent Musburger	Jim Palmer	Julie Moran
1993	ABC	John Saunders	Jim Palmer	Maria Sansone
1994	ABC	John Saunders	Jim Palmer	Maria Sansone
1995	ABC	Terry Gannon	Jimmy Key	Maria Sansone
1996	ABC	Terry Gannon	Kirby Puckett	Dan Patrick
1997[10]	ABC	Brent Musburger	Jim Palmer	Jimmy Roberts
1998	ABC	Brent Musburger	Jim Palmer	Jack Arute
1999	ABC	Terry Gannon	Harold Reynolds	Dave Ryan

Notes

• 1994 - A three-hour rain delay forced Wide World of Sports to go off the air on many ABC affiliates before the game could be completed. The West Coast however, got to see the remainder of the game live from Williamsport, Pa.
• 1997 - For the first time, U.S. Regional championship games in Little League Baseball are televised nationally on ESPN2.

2000s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
2000	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds and Orel Hershiser	Dave Ryan
2001	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds and Orel Hershiser	Dave Ryan and Álvaro Martín
2002	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds and Tony Gwynn	Linda Cohn and Dave Ryan
2003	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds	Sam Ryan
2004	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds and Buck Martinez	Sam Ryan and Dave Ryan
2005	ABC	Brent Musburger	Harold Reynolds	Sam Ryan
2006	ESPN2	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser and Joe Morgan	Erin Andrews and Orestes Destrade
2007	ABC	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser and Dusty Baker	Erin Andrews and Orestes Destrade
2008	ABC	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser	Stacey Dales, Pedro Gomez, and Orestes Destrade
2009	ABC	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser	Moises Arias and Orestes Destrade

Notes

• 2002 - Both the U.S. Championship and World Championship Games were televised live during prime time for the first time (6:30 ET). The World Championship Game was aired on tape delay on the West Coast.
• In 2006, 28 of the 36 games were televised on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
  • 2006 - The World Championship Game was initially supposed to air on ABC. However, a rain delay caused the game to be postponed until following day (Monday, August 28, 2006). As a result, the Championship Game instead, aired on ESPN2.
• In January 2007, it was announced that ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC had extended their contract with the Little League organization through 2014.^[11]

2010s

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Sideline reporters
2010	ABC	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser	Kyle Peterson and Bobby Valentine
2011	ABC	Brent Musburger	Orel Hershiser	Kyle Peterson
2012	ABC	Karl Ravech	Nomar Garciaparra	Jenn Brown
2013	ABC	Karl Ravech	Orel Hershiser and Nomar Garciaparra	Jaymee Sire
2014	ABC	Karl Ravech	Barry Larkin and Nomar Garciaparra	Jaymee Sire
2015	ABC	Karl Ravech	Nomar Garciaparra and Kyle Peterson	Jaymee Sire
2016	ABC	Karl Ravech	John Kruk and Kyle Peterson	Jaymee Sire

See also

• Wide World of Sports
• Major League Baseball on ABC
• ESPN Major League Baseball
• Little League World Series#Little League World Series champions
  • Little League World Series#Media coverage
• Little League World Series on television

References

1. 1953 - The Little League World Series is televised for the first time, by CBS, with rookie announcer Jim McKay behind the mike.
2. The World Series final is broadcast live on television – ABC's first.
3. 1963 - ABC and its Wide World of Sports program televises the Little League World Series championship game for the first time, with Chris Schenkel calling the play-by-play.
4. The game is broadcast in color for the first time on ABC Wide World of Sports.
5. Baseball great Ted Williams is an announcer for ABC.
6. For the first time, ABC-TV carries the Little League World Series championship game live on Wide World of Sports. ... For the first time in baseball history, ABC mounts a micro-miniature camera on the mask of the home plate umpire, Frank Rizzo.
7. Little League World Series Was Longest-Running Event on ‘ABC’s Wide World of Sports’
8. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=677485&type=story
9. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/18/sports/baseball/18LITT.html?ei=5007&en=e42df3eaa8172335&ex=1376539200&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=all&position=
10. For the first time, U.S. Regional championship games in Little League Baseball are televised nationally on ESPN2.
11. latimes.com

External links

• Tony Gwynn To Be In Broadcast Booth For Little League Baseball World Series
• ESPN.com
• Little League Chronology
• NASO LockerRoom - ESPN Expands Little League World Series Coverage