From PHL to the ATL: An Alumnus’s Doggedness in the Sports Radio Arena

When Kevin McAlpin, KLN ’04, graduated nearly twenty years ago, he knew exactly what he wanted to be doing. An avid sports fan, going into the radio or television industries was a natural goal; he just wasn’t sure how to get his foot in the door in the Philadelphia sports world. To make ends meet after college, he worked as intern in Ballpark Operations for the Phillies for a couple of years, just trying to earn a paycheck so, as he puts it, he could “find a way to stop living at my parents' house in Havertown.” That job was the beginning of his career journey, one that includes resiliency, patience, and a willingness to always put yourself out there. 

During his time working for the Phillies, he was able to meet a lot of well-known sports industry names, like Harry Kallas, Chris Wheeler, and even Merrill Reese. He was able to develop a relationship with Reese, who decided to give him a shot at WBCB, a small AM radio station in Bucks County. Kevin jokes that it was just a house in a neighborhood with a satellite dish out front, but it was able to finally get him where he wanted to be – on the air. After working at that station for a few years, a position opened at 950 ESPN and 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. It was only a street team position, but he knew he had to be willing to do whatever it took to further his passage in Philly sports radio. 

After about a year and a half as part-time on the promotions team, he was able to move to a full-time Assistant Promotions Director position. From there, he was able to get in the Program Director’s ear about wanting to do live on-air sports updates. His persistence paid off – his boss needed someone to do updates on Friday nights, from 7pm to 1am. The gig didn’t come with any extra income, but he was willing to pay his dues, hoping it would be worth it in the long run. Around that same time, he and his now wife started dating. He jokes about how romantic it was that they would have their Friday date nights at the studio, with her bringing him dinner, sitting alongside him as he would do his updates. He got another break when the Phillies reporter at the time for 950 ESPN took another job. He asked his boss to let him cover the games and was able to do that for two seasons. 

The sports radio world is very connected, and his work at 950 ESPN allowed him to get to know broadcasters from other teams, leading him towards his current home, broadcasting for the Atlanta Braves. He had done some side work for the Braves in the past so when a full-time position in Atlanta opened, he figured it was worth a shot applying for it, since he was already on their payroll, and they knew his strong work ethic. Kevin submitted his resume and demo but didn’t have high hopes of hearing back. 800 people applied for the job, and while it took four months of interviews, he was able to secure a spot in the final two applicants – the other of whom was local in Atlanta. On a Monday in 2012 they flew him down for an interview and by Tuesday, he had the job. Two weeks later, he was headed for spring training in Orlando. “It was a whirlwind couple of weeks!” 

It was all very surreal for Kevin – his journey from interning at a small AM station in Bucks County, back to Philly, and now beating out hundreds of other applicants for a position in Atlanta. He says the move from Pennsylvania to Georgia was the hardest transition. As an avid Philly sports fan who had grown up in the area for 30 years, it was strange learning the history of a whole different franchise. He also never expected it to be long term. “When we first got here, we figured we’d only be here for a bit and end up back home. Now we’ve bought a house in a great school district with two kids. Atlanta and Marietta are now also home.” 

Kevin has remained with the Braves since 2012. The initial job was a full-time reporter role, where he would do call-ins, audio work, and cover breaking news. Things ended up changing in 2020, around the time everyone stopped traveling during the onset of COVID-19. With everything on Zoom, his co-worker who was hosting the pre- and post-game shows got promoted to the booth, leaving them in need of someone to take over for him in the studio. Kevin was fortunate enough to move into that role, which worked out seamlessly not only because it was the natural next step for him, but because it would give him a whole lot more time to spend with his family since it required much less travel. 

The radio industry has certainly evolved in the 21^st century, and while Kevin admits that things have changed over the years, he still sees the impact it has on people’s lives. “Radio is how I fell in love with the game. Being a kid during the summertime in Cape May, down the shore, listening to Phillies games on the radio.” He adds that he also never realized how important sports radio was for the visually impaired community, who still rely on radio to paint the picture of the game. The live and local aspect is of course important as well. “If you’re listening in Philly, you don’t care about what the national stations are talking about. You want to hear about Jalen and his contract.” 

The alumni community has also been a strong part of Kevin’s career, even when he’s been far from the nest in Georgia. He excitedly chats about an Atlanta alumni event in 2019, where he was not only able to connect with fellow Owls in the area, but also a friend of his from Philly who was very involved with the alumni community. He adds it was surreal to walk down Peachtree Street in Atlanta and see a Temple T. “They say it all the time, Temple Owls are everywhere. I heard that when I was in school, and it is most definitely true.” 

Thinking back to his days on campus, he fondly remembers Fame Pizza, adding he and his friends used to get it every Thursday night when they lived at Temple Towers. He also jokes that he wishes he could go back to the days of the food truck right outside Klein, which had the “best bacon double cheeseburger and fries!” The now defunct Draught Horse was also a highlight; it was the spot for him and his friends before and after Temple basketball games. 

With a resilient personality, Kevin has a lot of advice to offer to current students. He adds the big things are to keep your options open, be well-rounded, and always be willing to try something out of your comfort zone. He himself took a major risk, learning a whole new market and city, and while there were hurdles, it was well worth it. “Separate yourself from the crowd. Volunteer for extra stuff, be willing to come in on nights, weekends, holidays.” He says that a persistent attitude is something that has never wavered in the two decades since graduation.