The Suns have hired veteran broadcaster Kevin Ray to serve as the television play-by-play announcer for Suns broadcasts on FS Arizona starting with the '17-18 season. He has served as the team's sideline reporter the last five seasons, and prior to that as host of the Suns' pre- and postgame shows. Ray replaces Steve Albert, who last month announced his retirement (Suns). Ray has "also served as the television play-by-play voice" of the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and AFL Arizona Rattlers (AZCENTRAL.com, 5/4).
MOVES IN BRISTOL: ESPN continues to announce new hires and extensions for current on-air talent. Stefano Fusaro has joined the net as a reporter and will be based in Dallas. He has spent the last two years at WTVJ-NBC in South Florida. ESPN also has re-signed Julie Foudy and SEC Networks hosts Dari Nowkhah, Peter Burns and Laura Rutledge to multiyear deals (THE DAILY). Meanwhile, ESPN anchor Sara Walsh announced via Twitter on Thursday that she is "part of the recent layoffs that have swept away some of the station's best talent." Walsh said that she "found out on the day she was scheduled to return from maternity leave" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 5/4).
ON THE WAY OUT: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters Bob McGinn and Charles Gardner are leaving the paper "after long and illustrious careers." McGinn has been the paper's Packers beat writer since '91, while Gardner has covered the Bucks since '03 (JSONLINE.com, 5/3)....Longtime WDFN-AM sports radio host Matt Shepard was "let go by the station" on Monday. Shepard also is the "voice of Michigan basketball, Eastern Michigan football and a host and sideline reporter" for FS Detroit (FREEP.com, 5/1)....Ventura Couty Star writer Jim Carlisle announced he was let go by the paper after 33 years (TWITTER.com, 5/3).
NOTES: TSN.ca's Gary Lawless has joined the Golden Knights as the team's Insider, and he "will write stories, columns, features, event recaps and player/staff profiles on vegasgoldenknights.com and will serve as the team’s lead on-camera reporter, filing daily video recaps from Golden Knights practices, games, events and press conferences." He begins June 6 (WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.com, 5/3)....Former MLBer Josh Beckett will "make his television studio debut Tuesday night on Root Sports Southwest on the pre- and postgame shows for the Braves-Astros game." Beckett will "work an undetermined amount of games as a studio analyst this season" (CHRON.com, 5/4)....Retiring Duke football radio play-by-play announcer Bob Harris on Monday was "feted during a celebratory golf outing followed by a dinner attended by Duke athletics employees past and present" (Durham HERALD-SUN, 5/4).
