The St. Louis Blues gave a giant middle finger to their fans for not renewing TV announcer John Kelly's contract
The Blues' move to a TV/radio simulcast is a sign of the times, indeed.
The St. Louis Blues have decided to have their radio team of Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale that airs on WXOS 101.1 FM also be simulcasted on FanDuel Sports Midwest. The move means that John Kelly is no longer announcing Blues games on FDSNMW, and this also sends Jamie Rivers back to studio duty on Blues Live! pre-game and post-game shows. Alexa Datt is off of Blues Live!, meaning that she will still be on Cardinals Live! for the rest of the season.
The non-renewal of Kelly’s contract comes on the heels of Darren Pang leaving then-Bally Sports Midwest (now FanDuel Sports Midwest) to then-NBC Sports Chicago (now CHSN) in 2023. John Kelly is the son of the late Blues broadcasting giant Dan Kelly.
The reactions to this disgraceful move are what you would expect on the r/stlouisblues subreddit on Reddit: majority being heavily critical of the move.
Matthew DeFranks at St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the Blues’ TV and radio simulcasts (07.10.2025):
John Kelly, the television voice of the Blues for the past two decades, will no longer call games for the franchise after his contract was not renewed, the Blues announced Thursday evening.
Instead, the club, FanDuel Sports Network and 101 ESPN will switch to a simulcast model with Chris Kerber (play-by-play) and Joey Vitale (analyst) calling the action. Television color commentator Jamie Rivers will return to his role in the studio as an analyst on "Blues Live."
Additionally, Chris Pronger will have a greater role on "Blues Live," which will still feature Bernie Federko and Scott Warmann. Andy Strickland will serve as the rinkside reporter for both home and road games, instead of previously just working the home games. Alexa Datt will no longer be part of coverage.
Kelly was the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Blues for 20 years, coming back to St. Louis in 2005-06 after stints in Tampa Bay and Colorado.
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Kerber has called Blues games on the radio for 25 years after working in the minors in Springfield, Massachusetts. Vitale played 234 games in the NHL and has been Kerber's partner on the radio for the past seven seasons.
“Chris Kerber arrived 25 years ago this summer to the St. Louis Blues, establishing himself early on as one of the league’s most energetic and colorful radio play-by-play voices,” Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. “The Blues and FanDuel Sports Network believe that Chris has earned this moment and opportunity to connect with a much broader audience.
Dominic Genetti at Edwardsville Intelligencer on the Blues broadcast changes (07.10.2025):
The St. Louis Blues have already revealed a rebranding initiative with new jerseys and new logos, now they're making changes in the broadcast booth.
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Additional changes include "Blues Live" pre and postgame broadcasters. Alexa Datt will not return as host to the program. "Blues Live" broadcaster Scott Warmann will continue his hosting duties and rink side reporter Andy Strickland will host the show for road games.
Hockey Hall of Famers and Blues legends Bernie Ferderko and Chris Pronger will continue their in their analyst positions on "Blues Live" — Proger's role on the show will "increase," the team says.
Drew Lerner at Awful Announcing on the Blues’ non-renewal of Kelly (07.10.2025):
A staple of the St. Louis Blues television broadcast finds himself out of a job after the team opted not to renew his contract amid apparent cost-cutting measures.
John Kelly, who has called Blues games on television for two decades, will no longer be doing so next season, the team announced on Thursday.
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While the Blues described the move as a “strategic realignment,” most have chalked to move up to cost-cutting. It makes little sense to have announcers call a game for both television and radio; one is a visual medium while the other is audio. The information a radio listener needs conveyed is much different than what a television viewer needs. The only explanation for making such a move is saving money.
The Kelly name is closely linked to the St. Louis Blues organization, with Dan Kelly serving as the team's broadcaster from 1968 to 1989. His son, John Kelly, then filled in for one game, continuing the family tradition until Dan’s passing in 1989.
The younger Kelly left the St. Louis Blues in 1992 to join the Tampa Bay Lightning as a broadcaster, and later joined the Avalanche in 1995. He then rejoined the St. Louis Blues for the 2004–2005 NHL lockout period and has remained with the team since.
With Dan Kelly witnessing the birth of the Blues organization and the Bobby Orr overtime goal, it might be an understatement to say that his son John had a significant role to fill.
John did just that, though. Not only is John Kelly a pillar in the Blues community, but he is also famous for his sporadic and emotional play-by-play. Whether it’s shouting, “thank you, thank you, thank you,” “unbelievable,” or “highway robbery,” Kelly’s emotions show through in his broadcast, showing his audience that he’s invested. Kelly poured his heart out into every season, every game. He believed in the team and educated the fans.
Matthew DeFranks at St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman stating the ouster of Kelly was a “joint decision” between the club and its TV partner (07.11.2025):
Blues president and CEO Chris Zimmerman defended the decision on Friday morning to oust television play-by-play broadcaster John Kelly, saying that he “definitely wouldn’t characterize it as a cost-cutting move.”
On Thursday evening, the Blues (along with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest and 101 ESPN) announced that the club would not renew Kelly’s contract, and that they would be transitioning to a simulcast with Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale calling the action. The announcement brought outrage from Blues fans on social media, with plenty criticizing the organization for being cheap.
Zimmerman said the decision to change the broadcast was a joint one with FanDuel Sports Network.
“Are there some costs to be saved by not having two separate productions?” Zimmerman said. “Sure, but when you look at the scope of our business, what we’re investing in, how we’re investing in the business, how we invest in players, it’s just not the driver. … We’re not going to save our way to success here. We’re going to win in a new media world based on how good the product is, how engaging and, oh yes, of course, a big part will also always be about the quality of the team and how entertaining they are.”
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Zimmerman noted that the new leadership at FanDuel helped play a role in this decision, as longtime former ESPN executive Norby Williamson leads production and Jay Rothman oversees the NHL broadcasts.
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In making this decision in conjunction with FanDuel Sports Network, how confident was Zimmerman in the future of the network? The Blues have two seasons remaining on their agreement with the network, though the 2026-27 season can be opted out.
What a cowardly way to state things, Mr. Zimmerman.
Kelly’s former broadcast partner Pang on X calling out the short-sighted move (07.10.2025):
Panger is 100% correct here.
Kelly announced on Friday on his departure from Blues telecasts, via Instagram (07.11.2025):
A video highlight of Kelly’s calls (mostly Blues):
Calling games on TV is a very different beast to calling them on radio.
Kelly’s last game on the Blues telecasts for FDSNMW was the infamous game 7 against the Winnipeg Jets, where the Blues blew a 3-1 lead late in the 3rd and them lost in OT 4-3.
This is the most bone-headed move in St. Louis media history, bar none. This is disrespecting the Kelly Family legacy of the Blues, along with the fanbase as a whole. I get that Kerber and Vitale will be a decent duo for TV, but canning Kelly without giving him a chance to retire on his own terms is a giant middle finger to the Blues fanbase. Losing Panger to Chicago was bad enough, but this is much, much worse. An older generation felt the same way when Ken Wilson was sent packing in 2004.
Numerous Blues fans feel the same way as I do: an insult to the traditions of our franchise… all for profit.
Hi Justin, I couldn't respond to you on Twitter, so hopefully you'll see this. Please sign and share our petition to keep John Kelly.
https://www.change.org/p/bring-back-john-kelly-restore-the-voice-of-st-louis-blues-hockey