(Per The Press Box Radio Show)
The Press Box Radio Show debuts Monday on stations throughout the state of Alabama and “The Guys” of the show could not be more excited. Featuring three veterans of the Alabama sports scene, The Press Box will bring long-time friends and colleagues Chris Stewart, J.D. Byars and Mike Grace together for two hours each weekday to put their own spin on the Alabama sports scene.
Chris Stewart has been broadcasting since 1988 and is in the midst of his 19th season as the University of Alabama’s men’s basketball play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide Sports Network. Recognized on five occasions (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2016) has “Alabama Sportscaster of the Year” by the National Sports Media Association, Stewart has also spent the past two decades as the “voice” of Alabama Baseball and is also a regular part of CTSN’s coverage of Alabama football.
Said Stewart, “We went with the name The Press Box mainly because that’s where J.D., Mike and I spend so much of our time professionally. On game days, it is our office and while we’re working, we interact with so many friends in the business, so many people that we know who are plugged in with what’s happening with different teams around the state and the country for that matter. Now it’s not like we’re splitting the atom. We’re not re-inventing the wheel, but we feel like what we cover on a daily basis is the type of thing that will allow us to get together, have a good time for a couple of hours
each day and hopefully inform and entertain our listeners in the process.”
Stewart will be joined in The Press Box by J.D. Byars, the 2019-2020 back-to-back honoree as “Alabama Sportscaster of the Year” by the National Sports Media Association. South Alabama’s “Voice of the Jags” and Director of Broadcasting/Corporate Sales Executive since January 2014, Byars also has a deep connection to the northern half of the state. He spent three-plus years as the Director of Broadcasting & Corporate Sponsorships at North Alabama Lion Athletics and prior to that, served as a sports and news reporter at WAFF-TV in Huntsville.
For Byars, “This show is the reality of a lot of planning and the desires of this group wanting to work together dating back almost six years now. It is just so cool to be part of a group that can bring a new
perspective to sports-talk programming and do it in a fun and engaging way.”
The final member of The Press Box team is Mike Grace, President of MGL Productions and Executive Producer of The Press Box. Grace has spent over forty years in the broadcasting industry, including ten seasons as “Voice of the Bulldogs” for Samford University. His recent broadcast credits include multiple radio roles for Learfield IMG College properties including Arkansas, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, along with television play-by-play for both UAB and Troy University. He has also produced and syndicated the national broadcast of the Mobile Alabama Bowl Radio Network for the past 20 years.
“I can make this promise,” said Grace. “We will have a lot of fun. Get ready for three guys who love one another like brothers, love sports and love the art of making great radio.”
Starting Monday, The Press Box Radio show can he heard 24/7 on demand at www.pressboxradio.com and listeners can interact with “The Guys” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at pressboxradio1 on each platform.
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Listeners throughout East Central Alabama can hear the show weekdays from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on FOX Sports Central Alabama on 98.3 FM.
