MLB Home Plate

Infobox Radio Station
name = MLB Home Plate


area = USA
CAN
branding = MLB Home Plate
slogan = XM's 24/7 Major League Baseball Channel
airdate = 2005
frequency = XM175
format = Sports Radio
erp =
class = Satellite Radio Station
owner = XM Satellite Radio
website = [http://homeplate.xmradio.com homeplate.xmradio.com]
callsign_meaning =

MLB Home Plate is a popular destination on the XM Satellite Radio dial for fans of Major League Baseball, as it features around the clock MLB related talk shows, as well as archives and live reports.

MLB Home Plate launched in February 2005, as an incentive to entertain the new listeners who signed up for XM's lucrative Major League Baseball deal when the games weren't on. MLB Home Plate is carried on XM channel 175.

First season on the air

MLB Home Plate launched at the start of the Major League Baseball season in 2005, ready to entertain the new customers who bought XM to hear their favorite teams. It launched with a full lineup, and several guests immediately. On day one of broadcast, José Canseco made the claim to his former manager turned Home Plate host Kevin Kennedy that Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire took steroids during the 1998 Home Run Chase. XM Satellite Radio even put out a press release about the broadcast. [cite press release |publisher=XM Satellite Radio |date=2005-02-15 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=828 |title=JOSE CANSECO CLAIMS SAMMY SOSA AND MARK McGWIRE TOOK STEROIDS DURING 1998 HOME RUN CHASE ON XM SATELLITE RADIO'S MLB HOME PLATE CHANNEL; PETE ROSE TELLS XM HE SUSPECTS CANSECO MOTIVATED BY MONEY |accessdate=2007-03-22] Around launch time, XM announced that they had signed Cal Ripken, Jr. to do a Saturday mid-morning show on Home Plate. The channel was aided throughout the season as XM's subscriber growth prediction exceeded what they expected, with retailers claiming that 15-17% of people who signed up for XM did it for baseball.

The end of the 2005 season was especially active as the satellite company carried both feeds of both teams during the post-season games, and 4 feeds per world series game (which included a promotion where XM gave out free Roady XTs to all who attended the first World Series 2005 game).

And following that...

At the beginning of MLB's second season on XM Radio, XM Radio Canada decided to add all 14 MLB Play-by-Play channels to their platform. Canada already carried Home Plate, and now they would carry the complete Major League Baseball package barring XM 174 (Spanish broadcasts). In exchange, they would produce channel 179 with some select exclusive content, and make that channel the home for all the Toronto Blue Jays home games. XM Canada also produced interviews for play on the other play-by-play channels when no games were being aired.

In late April 2006, DirecTV removed the MLB Home Plate channel from their lineup. DirecTV wanted to go completely music programming. Talk channel High Voltage was also removed, but put back on the lineup within a week due to fan response. DirecTV also claims that there is a rights issue brewing over the MLB audio broadcasts, but this has been debated. On 2008-03-29, Home Plate was added to XM Radio Online [cite press release |publisher=PR Newswire"via" xmradio.com |date=2008-03-26 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1590 |title= XM Satellite Radio's MLB Home Plate to Air on XM Radio Online |accessdate=2008-03-29 |quote= Starting March 29, MLB Home Plate Channel Will be Available on the Internet for the First Time.] .

Personalities

* Rob Dibble - Former MLB pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. After 7 seasons, he turned to broadcasting, and added his commentary to such shows as "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" and "Gameday" on ESPNRadio. He now co-hosts "The Show" in p.m. drive, with Kevin Kennedy.
*Kevin Kennedy - Former manager of the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, and regular contributor to MLB's "Game of the Week" coverage. Now co-hosts "The Show" in p.m. drive, with Rob Dibble.
*Mark Patrick - Former host of "Mark Patrick on Sports" on Fox Sports Radio. Mark has had a long radio career, including an award winning stint at "The Bob and Tom Show". Mark now co-hosts "Baseball This Morning" exclusively on XM each morning from 6-9 a.m. ET with an encore airing immediately after the program.
*Buck Martinez - 17-year MLB catcher with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. He won an Emmy Award for Best Sports Special in 1995 for his work as an analyst on ESPN's telecast of the game in which Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. Currently he co-hosts "Baseball This Morning" in AM drive.
*Cal Ripken Jr. - Hall of Fame shortstop, Ripken played his entire 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles. The baseball legend now hosts a weekly program exclusively on XM's MLB Home Plate 175, where all baseball topics are discussed. Joining Cal on the show will be his brother, fellow MLB veteran Billy Ripken.
*Joe Castellano - Veteran broadcaster and former commentator for Westwood One and CBS Sports. He currently hosts "MLB Live - Late Edition".
*Charley Steiner - Emmy award winning sportscaster for the Dodgers, and is best known for his 15 year service on ESPN's "SportsCenter". As the host of "Baseball Beat", he has six writers, authors, columnists, broadcasters, or celebrities as guests daily. There is also a daily blog by the show's producer at [http://www.BaseballBeatTheBlog.Blogspot.com Baseball Beat: the Blog] .
*Jeff Erickson - The senior editor of RotoWire.com and winner of the 2007 AL Tout Wars fantasy baseball title hosts Fantasy Focus, which focuses on fantasy baseball. John Sickels hosts the show on Fridays, when it is often called "Down on the Farm."

References

External links

* [http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.jsp?ch=175 MLB Home Plate on XM]
* [http://xmradio.com/pdf/mlb_grid_offseason.pdf MLB Home Plate Lineup] - Printable PDF grid featuring the complete MLB Home Plate lineup.