Baseball broadcaster speaks to ad club

Former KFVS12 weekend sports anchor and reporter Steve Stewart, now in his third year as a member of the Cincinnati Reds broadcasting crew, told members of the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals about his career in broadcasting at a luncheon at Port Cape Girardeau last Tuesday.

Stewart worked at KFVS12 from 1991 to 1993.

Stewart, 42, said he always wanted to be a radio broadcaster, even during his stint at the television station.

"I enjoyed working at the TV station in Cape, but I still had an urge for Major League Baseball," he said to a packed room, which included many KFVS executives.

Stewart grew up in Kirkwood, Mo., and attended Southern Methodist University. His first broadcasting job was in Dallas doing play-by-play for an indoor soccer team. He said all broadcasters have bloopers, and his first one was mispronouncing the name of a referee -- it went over the airwaves as a curse word.

"My first baseball job, which is what I always wanted to do, was in Calgary, Canada. It was a Triple A minor league team. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of trial and error," he said.

Stewart left Calgary for a broadcasting job in Nebraska before coming to Cape Girardeau. From Cape Girardeau, Stewart left for Louisville, Ky., and signed on with the Triple A Richmond Braves.

Then came a stint in South Carolina, followed by a move to Baltimore to broadcast Orioles games. When legendary Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck died in 2002, Stewart did some fill-in work. He joined the Reds organization in 2004.

He said getting jobs in broadcasting requires perseverance, luck and timing.

"It's been a fun journey," he said. "And Cape is always special to me."