Bob Kesling (merged)

[Volfan76]

I admittedly watch most Vols football games on TV but yesterday I was caught without an option as I was driving home from Ohio after holiday.

Kesling has had his fair share of critics in the last 24 years but yesterday was GODAWFUL. I couldn't tell if he was announcing a football game or a funeral. I've never heard anyone less enthusiastic about the action on the field and that's when he was actually telling you what was happening. Several times, especially on 4th down tries, I had to listed to the crowd in the background to even know if the attempt was good or not. It was more apparent when I got home and watched the recording of the game and the ESPN broadcasters were way more excited about my Vols than Kesling was.

I know he announced he was retiring after 2022 but yet here he still is. In my opinion, this new exciting version of Tennessee football needs a new man on the microphone that makes it sound like it actually is.

Oh it is impossible to get a picture of what is going on by listening to him and he is so slow that you can hear the crowd reaction long before he says what happened. There is NO way that a field goal kick takes that long to travel through the uprights. I was traveling last year during the bama game and I tuned in to a station playing bama's announcers so that I could keep up with action.

 

[sami]

I do not think Bob would have been a topic of discussion at any other school. In my opinion the problem is that he followed the greatest of all time.


John Ward would have been an icon at any school or network in the country. He was able to paint a picture that no other announcer had the ability to do. That is a lost art in today’s media.

Today's broadcasters are too busy involving themselves in the broadcast and clowning to bother with painting that picture. The days of the game being the star, especially on TV, are long gone.

 

[CaliVol2009]

If you are a school’s radio announcer, you should be a little biased. Call the game as you see it, but it’s okay if you are a bit more excited when Tennessee scores than the other team. That’s the way John Ward was. He still had a bit of excitement in his voice if Florida or Bama scored, but he was ecstatic when UT scored.

Hence why I said, not completely biased. Agree that Ward would get very excited when Tennessee would score, was just saying he wasn’t a complete homer like many other teams radio guys.

 

[JoeMiltonsAgent]

2 pages into this thread and I haven't seen the required Mike Keith reference unless I missed it LOL

Bob has been terrible for the entirety of his tenure as the voice of the Vols. Haven't listened to him in years and can't imagine he has improved any.

As much as I generally dislike the ESPN talking heads and especially Gary and Vern over the years, Bob just isn't worth the effort to listen to like John Ward was for me and my dad growing up.

The guy has been doing it for close to 25 years now so I don't buy the following a legend excuse for him not being any good at this or improving over time.

The powers that be in Knoxville seem satisfied though so there isn't much any of us can do about it.

 

[UTFranklinVol]

The powers that be in Knoxville seem satisfied though so there isn't much any of us can do about it.

But Kesling said he was retiring after 2022 season but he apparently changed his mind. I don't think it's the powers that be as much as it is Kesling apparently won't just retire and make things easy for everyone.

 

[05_never_again]

Also I think announcers today are afraid of offending anyone. I recall Bob Prince (Pirates) and Jack Fleming (Steelers, also did WVU) - there was no doubt you were listening to a Pittsburgh broadcast. The announcers today are bland by comparison.

I've heard what got Bob Prince fired was when he said "Ladies and gentlemen, there's a couple of idiots in front of me rooting for Chicago." (Pirates were playing the Cubs in Pittsburgh). It turned out those idiots were executives with Westinghouse Broadcasting. He was let go at the end of the season.

The young, very talented people in sports media today don't get into radio broadcasting. In 1930 or 1950, they did. That's the difference. It's a lost art in the same way that something like developing photos is.

 

[Carl Pickens]

Has nothing to do with him following Ward. He just sucks at his job. “What a turn of events.” Sounds like he is broadcasting a funeral.

Worst call ever….wtf is “what a turn of events”?….that sounded like someone that’s never watched football

 

[GiveHim6InSC]

I don’t listen to anybody else.
Only one from the Vol Network who I don’t like listening to is the guy who calls softball. I think he calls WBB now, also.
Don’t really care to hear Ferrara call baseball.
I love hearing JW call a baseball game. He does a really good job.
MBB is better with Bert or Hamer doing the color commentary, and football is better because of Pat Ryan and Brent Hubbs, IMO, mainly because they offer insight and professional analysis.
Bob had a tough act to follow in John Ward. He is synonymous with the Vol Network and I just accept his faults as such. We’ve all got them. I’d rather have him calling games than somebody who has no history with UT. He is still WORLDS better than any of those yahoos that ESPN or SECN have, IMO.
It is better when I can sync up the TV with the broadcast, which is what I do most of the time.

 

[Carl Pickens]

He calls a better basketball game than football

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Here is to another 10 years of Boob calling our games. Raise your glasses!

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

I do not think Bob would have been a topic of discussion at any other school. In my opinion the problem is that he followed the greatest of all time.


John Ward would have been an icon at any school or network in the country. He was able to paint a picture that no other announcer had the ability to do. That is a lost art in today’s media.

I think it is POSSIBLE that the root of the problem with Kesling and MOST other announcers when comparing them to Ward and other earlier generation announcers is that they have come up in TV dominated era. Did John Ward (the only UT print I have in the house is of him with his blue towel) ever broadcast for TV? His early radio only experiences required him to totally paint the picture because that was the only way fans would get to hear or see the game. Probably also allowing for syncing with the video replays which was the only way people actually SAW most games BEFORE the proliferation of live broadcasts we have today. Heck I can remember when only 3-4 college games were live on TV each week. Radio skills are no longer being developed.

 

[Orangeslide]

I was travelling home yesterday so listened to much over the radio. You are right, not only was passion left to be desired but he does not keep you up to date on important factors such as time remaining or even a decent job on down and distance. I can say that the tech team behind him is awesome, sound quality and reproduction is top notch. I had to listen to Ole Miss radio the other day for their bowl and it sounded like it was being played in a tin can.

He does struggle with football. He’s often wrong on yards gained on run plays. It doesn’t help when Ryan cuts in while the play is still happening. He does seem to do better with his call of a basketball game. He needs to quit trying to play the role of professionalism and become more of a homer like Ryan and Burt to bring some excite to the broadcast. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[snappervol]

For how good Kesling is a basketball he is equally bad at football. He needs to retire as you can tell he is done and should have done it on a high note.

Bob Kesling is equally bad on the hardwood. Ward was the one who began his career calling the BasketVols, and expanded to include Football. We all recall the utmost professionalism and word wizardry that John Ward brought to this fan base.
I just cannot agree that Kesling calls BB any better than he does FB. He is horrid at both and has really lost a gear lately.

 

[kiddiedoc]

OP, not soon enough.

/thread

 

[MountainDooley]

I feel like there a has been big drop off over the past 2 years with the broadcast. To be honest, when I heard the passion and excitement in some clips from our Spanish radio broadcast it made me jealous.

 

[orangelo]

I’m not a Titans fan, But Mike Keith would be a home run for this imo. But I know that’s a pipe dream

 

[kptvol1452]

I do not think Bob would have been a topic of discussion at any other school. In my opinion the problem is that he followed the greatest of all time.


John Ward would have been an icon at any school or network in the country. He was able to paint a picture that no other announcer had the ability to do. That is a lost art in today’s media.

I have turned on game @ halftime JW wld go over 1st half paint picture of game like you had watched it live...
He was best......

 

[dalton_vol]

Yeah agreed. I will occasionally listen to the Vol Network when I’m traveling or otherwise can’t catch a broadcast in football or hoops. It’s infrequent but it happens - and each time it does I’m left completely blown away at just how bad Bob is. No emotion, almost sounds like he hates his job and is watching the clock tick down until he can get out of there.

He’s a little better on basketball, but I think that’s because he’s friends with Barnes and that seems to keep his attention. But he stinks at football, period. It’s unlistenable and that’s a shame for a a flagship school, even if radio is a lost art. My Freshman year was 98, so I didn’t get to experience a lot of Ward first hand aside from my grandparents absolutely refusing to watch games when I was young and instead put on Ward and let him paint the picture for you. Maybe that tinted my perspective, but come on, other teams have good announcers - even today - why can’t we?

right, we don't need a 2nd John Ward, just someone that has some passion and energy for UT football. I don't mind some homerism. Tim Priest was Great, i still they they encouraged him to quit because of his passion. Bob's color guy pretty bad too and i've always liked him.

 

[SpookyAction]

I have not voluntarily listened to the Kesling on the radio in 25 years.
I hear Bob if I am in the car during a game. That is as much as I will ever listen.

A college sports extended radio network is probably one of the last lucrative radio positions left, with NFL (definitely in TN) and baseball (maybe, not sure anymore). There will be plenty of ambitious, talented, and capable people wanting that job when the time comes.
Until then, our radio broadcasts are not interesting to me.
Just my personal opinion.

 

[vol72]

Bob Kesling is just bad and has always been so. John Ward and being of advanced age have nothing to do with it. Bob should have plenty of $ saved; he needs to ride off into the sunset and spend some of it in his twilight years, but he won't; it's an ego thing. The powers that are just don't care, so Kesling will pass away on live microphone sitting next to Pat or Bert. For the record, I am older than all of them and have no Boomer/Fudd hostility.

 

[Volfan1000]

I admittedly watch most Vols football games on TV but yesterday I was caught without an option as I was driving home from Ohio after holiday.

Kesling has had his fair share of critics in the last 24 years but yesterday was GODAWFUL. I couldn't tell if he was announcing a football game or a funeral. I've never heard anyone less enthusiastic about the action on the field and that's when he was actually telling you what was happening. Several times, especially on 4th down tries, I had to listed to the crowd in the background to even know if the attempt was good or not. It was more apparent when I got home and watched the recording of the game and the ESPN broadcasters were way more excited about my Vols than Kesling was.

I know he announced he was retiring after 2022 but yet here he still is. In my opinion, this new exciting version of Tennessee football needs a new man on the microphone that makes it sound like it actually is.

I grew up listening to John Ward and Blob Kesling hopefully retires after this basketball season is complete with a Final Four appearance.

 

[Manning Up]

Listened to his first broadcast for the first half. That was all I needed. Have not listened to a radio broadcast since.

 

[brockytop]

The guy has literally not improved one iota from his first year. I used to consider him pedestrian at best, but truth, that was being kind.

 

[JoeMiltonsAgent]

But Kesling said he was retiring after 2022 season but he apparently changed his mind. I don't think it's the powers that be as much as it is Kesling apparently won't just retire and make things easy for everyone.

May be time to "convince" him then to retire because I think it's a large majority that havent been overwhelmed by his performance over the years.

 

[Rocky Top T]

He calls a better basketball game than football

He's terrible at both