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John Forslund holding a microphone
John Forslund has been the Kraken's play-by-play announcer for all three of their seasons.

The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division and began play during the league's 2021–22 season.[1] Throughout their history, Kraken games have been televised primarily on Root Sports Northwest and radio broadcast primarily on KJR-FM.

Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer.[2][3] J. T. Brown is the Kraken's primary television color analyst.[4] In August 2022, the team hired Eddie Olczyk to be a television analyst alongside Forslund and Brown. Olczyk maintained his job at TNT as the lead color commentator and called the Kraken's games as his schedule allowed.[5] Alison Lukan is a studio analyst for Root Sports Northwest who filled in for Brown for a few games during the 2021–22 season and did the same for Olczyk and fellow analyst Piper Shaw for the 2022–23 season onward. Nick Olczyk joined her as a TV, radio, and mobile app contributor for the 2022–23 season.[6] Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team's primary radio play-by-play announcer. He is the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in NHL history.[7][2] Former NHL player and Vancouver Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson served as Fitzhugh's color analyst for the Kraken's first two seasons,[8] before resigning in August 2023 to take a new broadcasting job in Canada.[9] The Kraken then hired former Seattle Thunderbirds commentator Al Kinisky to replace him.[10] In 2021, Fitzhugh tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the Kraken's first-ever regular season road trip; on radio broadcasts, John Forslund and veteran KJR broadcaster Ian Furness filled in on play-by-play duties.[11] The telecast for the Kraken's February 17, 2022, game against the Winnipeg Jets had Fitzhugh on play-by-play and Brown on color commentary, comprising the first all-Black broadcast booth in NHL history.[12]

Kraken games were televised regionally on Root Sports Northwest for the team's first three seasons. On April 25, 2024, the Kraken signed a deal with Tegna, owners of Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV and independent KONG, to air their games throughout their territory, with streaming handled by Prime Video.[13] For radio, Kraken games are broadcast on KJR-FM 93.3 and KJR 950 AM, the flagship stations of the Kraken Audio Network. During a schedule conflict, some games may be heard on 96.5 KJAQ.[14][15]

Television

Alison Lukan reporting while an ice hockey player skates by
Alison Lukan has been an ice-level reporter with the Kraken for all three of their seasons.

In their first season, the Kraken averaged a 0.96 Nielsen rating for games broadcast on Root Sports Northwest. By comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights averaged a 1.87 rating in their first season for games broadcast locally on AT&T SportsNet.[16]

From the beginning of their second season through mid-January 2023, the Kraken averaged a 0.68 rating, in the lowest third of the 23 United States NHL markets for which Nielsen ratings were available, despite a much better record than their first season at the same point.[17] The team launched a new show, entitled What's Kraken?, on the over-the-air station KCPQ, to broaden fan support during the 2022–23 season.[18] Seattle's high percentage of "broadband only" homes, without cable or satellite TV service, and the unavailability of Root Sports Northwest on most over-the-top media services, contributed to the low ratings.[19]

During their second and third seasons, the Kraken averaged a 0.7 rating for their October games on Root Sports Northwest. Shortly before the 2022–23 season, Comcast moved Root Sports Northwest to a higher-priced tier of service, due to the high cost and low demand for the channel.[20]

Seattle Kraken television broadcasters
Year Channel Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Ice level reporter Studio host
2023–24 Root Sports Northwest[21] John Forslund[2] J. T. Brown (most games)[4]
Eddie Olczyk (select games)[5]
Nick Olczyk (select games)[6] 		Piper Shaw (most games)[22]
Alison Lukan (select games)[6] 		Ross Fletcher[23]
2022–23
2021–22 John Forslund (most games)[12][2]
Everett Fitzhugh (select games)[12] 		J. T. Brown[12][4]
Alison Lukan (Replaced Brown during a March game against the Washington Capitals)[6]

Radio

Seattle Kraken radio broadcasters
Year Flagship Station Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
2023–24 KJR-FM[15] Everett Fitzhugh[7] Al Kinisky[10]
2022–23 Dave Tomlinson[8]
2021–22 Everett Fitzhugh (most games)[11][7]
John Forslund (Games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19)[11]
Ian Furness (Games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19)[11]

As of 2024, the Kraken Audio Network also includes the following stations outside Seattle:[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Seattle Kraken hockey team statistics and history at HockeyDB.com". HockeyDB. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Clark, Ryan S. (January 26, 2021). "Seattle Kraken hire John Forslund and announce TV broadcast deal". The Athletic. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  3. ^ McIntosh, Andrew (January 26, 2021). "NHL's Seattle Kraken signs multiyear TV broadcast rights deal". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Wyshynski, Greg (June 21, 2021). "Brown to retire, join Kraken as television analyst". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Eddie Olczyk joining Kraken's TV broadcast team". The Seattle Times. July 18, 2022. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Morse, Dan (August 16, 2022). "Alison Lukan & Nick Olczyk to join Kraken broadcast team this season". Davy Jones' Locker Room. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Douglas, William (August 7, 2020). "Kraken set to have first Black full-time NHL team play-by-play announcer". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Johnston, Patrick (October 23, 2021). "From the Canucks to the Kraken: Dave Tomlinson jumps back into radio". The Province. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Baker, Geoff (August 17, 2023). "Search for new Kraken radio analyst gears up in wake of Dave Tomlinson departure". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Al Kinisky Named Kraken Radio Color Analyst". National Hockey League. September 26, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Stone, Larry (October 15, 2021). "KJR's Ian Furness savors long-awaited opportunity during broadcast of Kraken's first victory". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Clark, Ryan S. (February 9, 2022). "How J.T. Brown and Everett Fitzhugh became the NHL's first all-Black broadcast duo". The Athletic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Kraken leaving ROOT Sports for new TV and streaming deals". The Seattle Times. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena Announce Regional Partnership with iHeartMedia Seattle". PR Newswire (Press release). March 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Baker, Geoff (March 3, 2021). "Sports Radio KJR named Kraken flagship station". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  16. ^ Ourand, John (May 9, 2022). "Sports Media: NHL sees local ratings dip in return to full season". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Kraken ticket demand and fan experience on the rise". The Seattle Times. February 4, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 announce new media partnership". FOX 13 Seattle. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 24, 2023). "Exploring why Kraken's TV ratings haven't caught up to improved play". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Baker, Geoff (December 5, 2023). "To grow fan base, Kraken should ditch ROOT Sports and show TV games for free". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  21. ^ "Seattle Kraken Increases Broadcast and Streaming Access Through Partnerships With TEGNA and Prime Video". National Hockey League. April 25, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Beg, Zaiem (June 27, 2024). "Piper Shaw to remain with Kraken broadcast". Davy Jones' Locker room. Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  23. ^ Condor, Bob (September 26, 2021). "Stars of Spokane". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "Kraken Affiliate List". iHeartRadio. April 12, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
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