The Atlanta Hawks’ new season is a week away, and one of the existing questions ahead of the opener has been answered: who will be calling and reporting on the games on TV?
Gray Media and the Hawks announced the on-air broadcast team for this year’s Hawks games, the first season that the Atlanta-based media company will have sole responsibility for airing the local games this season. The same team that covered the games last year for now defunct FanDuel Sports Network Southeast will return this year, with one notable new addition. The company made the long-awaited announcement of the team broadcasters this morning:
Bob Ratbun (Play-by-Play) Ratbun has been calling Hawks games since 1996, and he returns to the broadcast booth for his 31st year doing play-by-play for the team. He has also done play-by-play for the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, and for the SEC and ACC men’s college basketball games.
Dominique Wilkins (Analyst) NBA legend Wilkins electrified the Hawks’ court through the 80’s and early 90’s as the forward for the team. This season, Wilkins, the Hawks VP of Basketball, provides color analysis alongside Ratbun once again.
Brian Oliver (Analyst) In his sixth season on the Hawks’ broadcast team, Oliver, a former Hawks guard and Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, brings more Hawks game analysis, along with pregame, halftime, and postgame show appearances.
Madison Hock (Reporter/Host) Hock, who just signed on as sideline reporter for ESPN College Football coverage, reprises her role as reporter, pre-game, halftime, and postgame host for a second consecutive year. She previously did similar duties for the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs and OKC Thunder. Hock is a former Belmont University basketball player.
Baillie Burmaster (Reporter/Host) WANF Sports Director Burmaster joins the broadcast team this year as reporter and host. The former college soccer player for Oklahoma State has been covering sports in Atlanta for WANF since 2023.
“We are thrilled to bring Hawks fans an exceptional broadcast lineup that pairs Hall of Fame insight with dynamic, trusted local sports reporting,” said Erik Schrader, Vice President and General Manager of Atlanta News First / WANF-TV, in a press statement. “Bob and Dominique represent the gold standard of NBA storytelling, and adding Baillie and Madison alongside Brian gives our viewers comprehensive, first-class coverage before, during, and after every game.”
Last season, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast aired most of the local Hawks games, with some games airing on WANF/WPCH. The network shut down earlier this year due to financial difficulties by its parent company, Main Street Sports Group. The Hawks now work directly with Gray Media to produce and distribute the games via its two Atlanta local TV stations, WANF and WPCH. The games will also be seen on its regional network of Gray Media-owned TV stations in the Southeast, and its digital sports network, Peactree Sports Network (PSN).
On the radio, WZGC 92.9 The Game will continue to air the games, with Steve Holman, “The voice of the Hawks,” doing play-by-play with Mike Conti co-hosting.
The Hawks pre-season kicks off on October 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The regular season vs. the Orlando Magic begins on October 21st.
