Eastern gets broadcaster bonus in new radio deal
By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
It's been quite a year's journey for Dennis Patchin.
With the official announcement this past Monday that radio broadcasts of Eastern Washington University football and basketball will shift from bouncing around the dial to firmly landing on 700 ESPN, Patchin's path, it seems, has taken him right where he's longed to be.
Patchin will take over play-by-play of Eagles basketball from Larry Weir, who remains Eastern's football voice.
About a year ago Patchin, an iconic local television personality with the longevity on the job that is unheard of in Spokane – he came here in 1984 from Missoula and yes, way before KREM's Randy Shaw – suddenly disappeared from his slot as KXLY's sports director.
It's not at all uncommon in a market such as Spokane's to be on the tube one night and gone the next, usually off to a bigger market under cover of darkness or a cloak of secrecy. But sometimes TV talent is hijacked by contract issues so one had to wonder when, where – and if – Patchin would surface next.
So it was good for his followers to see that, while Patchin's face and tell-it-like it is style had vanished from the tube, his voice was suddenly heard on the station's radio side.
“I became the program director of this radio station, 700 ESPN, the Monday after Hoopfest last year,” Patchin said. “One of my goals was to add some play-by-play elements of local teams to make this more of a local station.”
The Eagles, who already play third fiddle in the market to Washington State and Gonzaga, often found themselves bounced off their flagship station with Chiefs hockey. There will no bouncing around the radio to follow Kirk Earlywine's Eagles.
“Fortunately, if you're an Eastern fan you know your games are going to be on 700 and that's the only place they're going to be,” Patchin said.
With the addition of Eastern to the broadcast family, it looks like Patchin's goal has been accomplished. The KXLY Broadcast Group, which includes 700 ESPN, AM 920 and KVNI in Coeur d'Alene, was already a formidable player in the market with the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners, Washington State University and the Spokane Shock Arena Football League team.
“They came to us and we came to them at the same time and worked out a deal. We're all excited in our building to be able to have the Eagles on our station,” Patchin said.
But it's Patchin who is also jacked to be back courtside. The opportunity to go back to radio play-by-play – especially basketball – is part of the reason he got out of daily television.
“It (play-by-play) was a lot harder to do when I was on television because you were gone in November, gone in February which were two of the three key rating periods,” Patchin said. “Adding this to my plate made me a more valuable commodity here at the station.
Patchin is still doing a little TV. “I'm not completely off, I'm just not doing the day-to-day sports anymore,” he said.
“I really look forward to getting back to doing basketball,” he said. “It's been 10 years since I've done games.” Patchin took over broadcasting duties for Gonzaga Universirty basketball when the late broadcaster, Dick Wright, became ill and ultimately had to give up the mic.
Patchin handled the late Dan Fitzgerald's final games, the first two years of coach Dan Monson and the first two of Mark Few. “My last three years with Gonzaga it was Elite-Eight, Sweet-16 and Sweet-16, so a pretty good run.”
His favorite sport to broadcast depends on the time of year. “I like to do hockey, I like to do basketball I like to do football,” he said. “If I have to put them in order, basketball first, football second, hockey third.” And baseball? “Even though I really love the game of baseball, I think doing baseball games is very difficult.”
The new deal unfortunately bounces Weir out of the basketball broadcast seat, a job he's held for nearly 20 years. But it's the cruel nature of the broadcasting beast. It's similar to what happened to Patchin when his play-by-play work ended after Gonzaga broadcasts shifted to a competing station, 1510 KGA, a decade ago.
Weir will have a new element to his job as coaches shows will be added for both football and basketball. Patchin will also host a basketball coaches show too, “Day and time and location yet to be announced,” he said.
Eastern athletics director Bill Chaves was a guest on Patchin's show Monday as the change was announced. And the Eagles' AD decided to put some pressure on Patchin.
“I'm trusting what you've been able to do with the Shock, No. 1 in the AFL, you'll be able to do with the basketball team,” Chaves offered as an added challenge to Patchin.
“I'm not saying anything,” Patchin told his radio audience – and Chaves – as he answered the challenge.
Patchin, speechless? That's certainly a first.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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