Pete Weber (sportscaster)
| Pete Weber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
January 19, 1951 Galesburg, Illinois, United States |
|
Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Nashville Predators (1998–present) |
| Genre(s) | play-by-play, color (television and radio) |
| Sports | Ice hockey, American football, basketball, baseball |
Pete Weber (born January 19, 1951) is the play-by-play voice of the NHL's Nashville Predators, a position he has held with the organization since the team's first season.
During the lockout that caused the entire 2004–05 NHL season to be canceled, Weber spent time following the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team, and served as host of a weekly video on demand show about the team available on Comcast in the Nashville metropolitan area. Weber also called the 2003 and 2004 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl for WWTN radio. He served as co-host of "SportsNight" on WWTN & WNFN radio from July 2003 to August 2005.
In the past, Weber has served as color commentator for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and NFL's Buffalo Bills. He was radio play-by-play voice of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, and called NBA's Seattle SuperSonics[1] on the SonicsSuperChannel. Pete's association with the Bills also featured his hosting of the team's pre- and post-game radio shows 1986–1993, and hosting the radio shows with GM Bill Polian, Head Coach Marv Levy, and QB Jim Kelly.
Pete's other play-by-play slots: minor league baseball's Albuquerque Dukes, Rochester Red Wings, and 13 seasons with the Buffalo Bisons. Pete called college action for football, basketball and hockey at University at Buffalo, basketball for St. Bonaventure University and got his start in hockey at the University of Notre Dame. His partner on Predators broadcasts for the first 15 seasons was Terry Crisp, winner of three Stanley Cups: two as a player, one as a coach.
Weber's trademark is his colorful and often quirky sense of humor while calling a game, particularly when the action is not intense at the time. He coined the phrases "The Reverse Oz Effect" regarding the antiquated Bush Stadium in Indianapolis and called the odd rise at All Sports Stadium in Oklahoma City the "Grassy Knoll", a phrase which has now been adopted for a different sports facility (Minute Maid Park in Houston). If a "make-up call" is made during a Predators game, Weber will often use phrases such as, "It's Mary Kay time here in Nashville." Weber also refuses to use any kind of objectionable material in his broadcasts, even during promotional announcements. For example, during Predators games on FSN South, Weber promotes the Best Damn Sports Show Period as "B.D.S.S.P." During the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, he told listeners to "Go Ape" to celebrate sudden death wins.
Weber, born in 1951,[2] is a native of Galesburg, Illinois. He and his wife Claudia currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] In February 2014, he was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack.[3]
Pete Weber Radio Career Pete Weber has been in broadcasting since 1972, breaking into the business in his hometown of Galesburg, IL as Sports Director of WGIL. He then moved along South Bend, IN (doing sports at WNDU AM-FM/TV). From South Bend to his first stop in Buffalo New York, being hired by WEBR NewsRadio 970 in the summer of 1976. There he covered the entire WNY sports scene – game day coverage and commentary on the NFL Bills, NBA Braves and NHL Sabres. He also was part of college football play-by-play there for Canisius College; then added college basketball with U.B., Buffalo State, Niagara, and St. Bonaventure, and did University at Buffalo hockey. In the fall of 1978, he was hired by the Los Angeles Kings to handle color commentary on their broadcasts, which were aired on KRLA, KIIS-AM (also KPRZ) and KOGO in San Diego. During the 1980 NBA Final, he was hired by Mutual Broadcasting to provide the color commentary for the LA Lakers – 76ers series. In the summer of 1981, prior to a season of TV play-by-play of the Seattle SuperSonics, he did Albuquerque Dukes baseball on KQEO. Returning to Buffalo in 1982, he free-lanced on WBEN for several years, including working on Buffalo Bills’ broadcasts. He began working on Buffalo Bills’ pre- and post-game shows there, and joined Van Miller and Stan Barron in the booth for the 1983 season. He remained at WBEN until the fall of 1988. During this period, he also did Buffalo Bison baseball broadcasts on WUFO, WXRL, and WBEN, while filling in on Rochester Red Wings’ games on WSAY and Rochester Americans’ games on WHAM. He also journeyed to Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, to cover the 1984 Winter Olympic Games for Mutual Radio. When Triple A baseball returned to War Memorial Stadium in 1985, Weber narrowed his focus there. The games were carried by WBEN from 1985 through 1988. He moved with the Bisons to WGR in 1988, where he called the games through 1995. In 1990, the Bills and Sabres followed along to WGR. Pete hosted talk shows with Bills’ GM Bill Polian, Head Coach Marv Levy and QB Jim Kelly during that period, and was on the broadcast team for the four Super Bowl seasons. From 1995-97, Pete returned to hockey, serving as the radio play-by-play man for the Sabres’ broadcasts on CJRN/WWKB/WGR. The National Hockey League expanded to Nashville in 1998, and Pete was hired by the Predators to be their first “voice.” He remains there today. In January 2016, Weber won his fourth Tennessee Sportscaster of the Year award in five years, as voted by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. Pete has served as an “insider” on Sirius/XM’s NHL Network Radio, and has served as co-host of Slapshot Radio since the fall of 2009. In addition to his roles with the team, Weber has served as co-host of SportsNight (WWTN and WNFN-FM) from 2003 through 2005, filled in as host on ESPN Radio, called two Music City Bowl games, and helped out on Nashville Sounds baseball broadcasts. He also produced and hosted two podcasts: “This Week in the Minor (baseball) Leagues” and the syndicated “Southern Pro Football.” A regional Emmy award winner (2003, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015), Pete is on the Board of Governors for the Mid-South’s chapter for the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. In addition he is on the advisory board for the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.
A native of Galesburg, IL, Pete holds two degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife Claudia, reside in Nashvi
Pete Weber Radio by Years: 1971-72: Student radio WSND, Notre Dame 1972-73, WGIL-AM/WAAG-FM Galesburg, IL (sports plus DJ) 1973-76: WNDU AM-FM-TV, South Bend, IN (Notre Dame hockey, DJ, plus weekend TV sports) 1976-78: WEBR NewsRadio 970, Buffalo, NY (Covered all college sports, Buffalo Bills football, Buffalo Sabres hockey and Buffalo Braves (NBA) 1976 - 88: Sports Stringer for AP Network Radio in Buffalo, Los Angeles and Seattle (Los Angeles, 1978-81; LA Kings hockey on KRLA, KIIS/KPRZ and KOGO; plus KHJ-TV [now KCAL-9]; plus 1980 NBA Finals on Mutual Broadcasting System Summer: 1981 - Albuquerque Dukes baseball on KQEO 1981-82 (off radio: Seattle SuperSonics TV play-by-play) 1982-88: fill-in SportsTalk on WBEN Radio Buffalo 1982: play by play of Rochester Red Wings baseball on WSAY 1983 - 95: Buffalo Bison baseball play-by-play on WUFO, WXRL, WBEN, WGR, and WWKB Radio 1983 - 88: fill-in play-by-play for Rochester Americans (AHL) hockey on WHAM 1984: Covered Sarajevo Winter Olympics on Mutual Radio 1988 - 93: Sports Director of WGR Radio (on Buffalo Bills’ broadcast teams for 4 Super Bowls, hosted Marv Levy, Bill Polian and Jim Kelly shows; hosted Buffalo Sabres hockey, college football and basketball play-by-play; and nightly SportsTalk)
1990 - 2004 ESPN Radio Program host; fill-in from 1998 - 2004 (sometimes in CT, otherwise from Nashville studios)
1992 & 1996: Anchored Winter and Summer Olympics coverage from Washington studios of AP Network Radio
1993 - 95: Buffalo Bison baseball on WGR 1995 - 97: Voice of Buffalo Sabres on CJRN, WWKB and later WGR Radio 1997 - 98: off radio, hosted and reported for Empire Sports TV Network 1998 - present: Voice of Nashville Predators (on WWTN-FM, WNSR, WGFX, 102-9 the Buzz and 102-5 the Game) 2003 - 05: SportsNight co-host on WWTN and 106-7 the Fan with 2005 - present: NHL “insider” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (did play-by-play for them of NHL All Star Game) 2008 - present: co-host “Slapshot Radio” on WNSR and 102-5 the Game