The Owner's Box, Ep. 36.

Bishop Feehan alum Ray Martel is the executive producer of Mets baseball on radio.

We're back in a big way, having cranked out our third episode of the O.G. of my podcasts, The Owner's Box, in just 10 days.

Today we welcome a first-time guest, Ray Martel, the executive producer of New York Mets baseball broadcasts on WCBS Radio in New York City, who is well-versed in the changes in sports broadcasting caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ever since pro sports returned to the airwaves following last year's lockdown, media outlets have taken significant steps to comply with pandemic restrictions and keep their talent safe, including the announcing of games from remote locations instead of the ballparks, stadiums and arenas. And broadcasting from stadiums in other parts of the country? As they say in NYC, fuhgedaboudit. 

We also discuss whether some of these restrictions have led to conclusions in the bean-counters' offices that maybe they don't have to pay for expensive trips for announcers if they can do a passable broadcast from watching the games on monitors in a local studio.

Full disclosure: Ray is a Pawtucket native, a Bishop Feehan graduate and a loyal Patriots fan, so we have plenty to talk about beyond the broadcasting industry. It's an hour's worth of good listening from the podcast that leads the way among all others from Mansfield, Mass. Enjoy.