SportsNet LA outdrew a national broadcast with one of the network’s most-watched games this season as Tarik Skubal’s arrival drew tremendous interest.
Skubal made his Dodgers debut last Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs, and he allowed two runs over six innings of a 5-1 loss at Wrigley Field.
The Spectrum SportsNet LA telecast of the Aug. 1 game recorded a 2.97 HH Nielsen rating, which was four times higher than TBS’s national broadcast of the same matchup (2.97 vs. 0.74).
SportsNet LA history
SportsNet LA launched in February 2014 and is now more than a decade into their comprehensive coverage of the Dodgers.
The SportsNet LA broadcast team at the time of launch featured Vin Scully, Charley Steiner, John Hartung, Alanna Rizzo, Orel Hershiser, Nomar Garciaparra and Jerry Hairston Jr. Jorge Jarrín and Manny Mota handled the initial Spanish-language broadcasts, but in 2015 that primarily changed to Pepe Yñiguez and Fernando Valenzuela.
The SportsNet LA crew remained intact until Scully retired after the 2016 season. Then in January 2021, Rizzo stepped from the network order to move to the East Coast for family reasons.
Hartung, Hershiser, Garciaparra and Hairston remain from the original SportsNet LA broadcasters. They are accompanied by
Joe Davis, Kirsten Watson, Stephen Nelson, Eric Karros, Adrián González, James Loney, Jessica Mendoza and Dontrelle Willis.
As their team and coverage has evolved, SportsNet LA has struck a balance between relying on proven constants and mixing in new elements.
Dodger Stadium renovations included the addition of a SportsNet LA set in the new center field plaza, which has taken the crew even closer to fans for home games. It makes for great theater following an exciting game at Dodger Stadium as fans celebrate in the background during the postgame show.
“It’s flown by,” Hartung told DodgerBlue.com during a recent visit to the SportsNet LA studios. “I guess the old saying is true, that time flies when you’re having fun. We have a blast every single day that we’re here. … We have such a great friendship and working relationship.
“It’s easy. Every single day is easy. We just get along so well and we’ve developed this chemistry over time, that I look forward to coming in and spending my days with the people I get to work with.”
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