Raiders broadcaster Jason Horowitz on announcing style, approach to new job

June 05, 2024

HENDERSON, Nev. — Jason Horowitz underestimated Vegas. After getting some work done at team headquarters last Thursday, the voice of the Raiders decided to walk a mile to a nearby restaurant for a meeting with a reporter. By the time he finished his mid-afternoon journey wearing a gray Raiders T-shirt and black shorts, the 97-degree heat had taken its toll.

Luckily, Horowitz was able to recover to jump into a wide-ranging sit-down interview with The Athletic. He discussed his upbringing in Detroit, the origin of his passion for broadcasting, how he’s handled the pressure that comes with replacing legendary sportscaster Brent Musburger and what to expect from him in his first season as the play-by-play announcer for the Silver and Black.

What was your experience growing up in Detroit?

I came from working-class parents. I’ve always wanted to be a sports broadcaster my entire life. When I was 5, my brother and I would play video games and I would do play-by-play and he would shut the game off and leave. It was every single time. It’s funny, though, my entire life people always rip on Detroit, right? The city has had so many issues and there’s no question about that, but growing up in Michigan, Michigan was an awesome state to grow in. There’s so much outside of Detroit. Plus, we grew up in an era of great sports teams. The Red Wings had their run. We had Barry Sanders for a decade. I was in high school when Michigan won the national championship. My brother was at Michigan State when The Flintstones won the national basketball championship. The Pistons, you had the Isiah Thomas era and then the Grant Hill era, and then you had Chauncey Billups-Rip Hamilton-Ben Wallace era. From a sports perspective, growing up in Michigan was awesome. From a living perspective, there’s just so much in Michigan more than people realize.

Jason Horowitz has been named the Raiders' radio play-by-play voice, joined on the call for all Raiders games this season by Lincoln Kennedy.

More: https://t.co/kXuyfSNCFp pic.twitter.com/HbOUNDFAyQ

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 26, 2022

It’s obvious how you became enamored with sports, but what cultivated your desire to pursue a career in broadcasting?

So, when the Pistons had Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars and they won the back-to-back titles, for Hanukkah one year my parents bought me this VHS tape. It was called “Back-to-Back,” and it was basically a chronicle of how they went from this franchise that was based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Detroit and how they went from that and how bad they were but then they went and drafted Isiah Thomas. Like the whole thing, right? Through the second title when they beat the Trailblazers and Vinnie Johnson hits the game-winning shot. And I used to watch it like every day. It was 1990, so I was about to turn 7. And I watched it every day. And George Blaha, who still is the voice of the Pistons and Michigan State football, I just always pictured myself being him and calling those shots and Vinnie Johnson’s game-winner. In fact, when I auditioned for ESPN’s “Dream Job” going into my senior year of college, they sat us around at a high-top bar table like this. It was circular. There were probably eight of us. And you waited in line for three hours to get in. Basically, for some people your only audition was this. And they said, “Give us your best play-by-play call.” And so, I did my version of George Blaha calling Vinnie Johnson’s game-winning shot in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. And it was from when I was 7 years old. I don’t know; I just love that aspect of it. It was just something that was there.

After graduating from Syracuse, you were hired to be the face of CBS SportsLine in 2005 while also working as a radio host. Why didn’t you start out with play-by-play announcing and how did you ultimately get there?

I went to college also wanting to be a SportsCenter anchor. You’re younger, so you grew up in a different era of SportsCenter, but SportsCenter when we were growing up, those were the people who were sports broadcasters, right? Yes, you had your Keith Jacksons and your Verne Lundquists and your Brent Musburgers and all the people we watched call games, but the people who everyone knew for sports were Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Chris Berman, all the people that were on ESPN SportsCenter, Rich Eisen, Stuart Scott. … I wanted to be a SportsCenter anchor. So, when I graduated and I was hosting for CBS SportsLine, that’s what I always thought I wanted to do. And it wasn’t until I started doing games for MSG. … And I was hosting a nightly show there, but also calling New York Liberty games. I realized I liked being in the environment more. That was always the balance of what am I going to do? And I think I’ve done a good job of balancing those two, but there’s nothing better than being in the environment when the action is actually happening.

Most recently, you called Army football games for CBS, served as the lead studio anchor of Westwood One’s college football and basketball coverage and hosted various radio shows on Sirius XM. What led you to explore this opportunity with the Raiders?

I first heard about it a little bit before it was public that Brett was going to be retiring or not coming back. … And I had submitted something through someone, but I didn’t expect anything about it. Until this year, I had never called an NFL game. I’ve been part of NFL broadcasts through Westwood One and doing studio and working on NFL games and I’ve done a ton with the draft and the Super Bowl, but other than the Senior Bowl, which is going into the NFL, I’ve never called an NFL anything. I didn’t think anything would come about. So, when the Raiders called me on July 8, my wife and I were out to dinner with a couple of friends, and the Raiders called at night East Coast time. A, I was shocked and B, I was so excited. Because, I mean, they could pick anybody, right? It’s the Raiders. … In the history of the NFL, they are one of the most iconic. I was thrilled. And then I interviewed a few days later, had a couple more conversations and a week had gone by in total and then I got the job.

You already had some Raiders knowledge, but what was the ramping-up process of learning more about the history of the franchise, learning about the fan base and becoming familiar with the makeup of the current team?

I started working on that the moment they called. When they called, it was July 8 and that night I went back home and finished putting the kids to bed and all that stuff and I went and started looking at it. I mean, I knew Brent Musburger was here and I knew Greg Papa and Bill King, but I wasn’t sure in my head about the total history of Raiders broadcasters. And it really is just those guys and Joel Myers — maybe I’m missing someone — but that’s it. For my interview on Monday three days later, I was focused on this year’s team, but also just the history. Because it’s a fan base that’s going to know if you don’t know. I was very focused on that as much as anything else. And I’ve done it the entire month since then. The first game was the Hall of Fame Game. So, you’re honoring that history. You’re honoring that tradition. Who is Cliff Branch? What did he do? Why is he so important to Mark Davis? I started looking into all of that and it’s something I’ll probably always have to do. Everything from this point forward, it’s going to be in my memory, like everything the last few years I’ve watched, that’s fine. (I’m learning about) the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s. It’s alumni weekend; I’m meeting people from that first team. That’s what all this stuff’s about.

What was your approach to the Hall of Fame Game given it was your first time calling an NFL contest?

I did a lot more historical perspective for prep than I normally would just because I didn’t know what was going to come up. And then we had a lightning delay. So, it came up again because Mr. (Mark) Davis sat down with us during the broadcast in the pre-game. And I actually had written some note cards. When I get ready to do a game, I got my boards, but I usually have four or five note cards that I tape up on the window of a broadcast booth. Two of them are storylines — one for each team — one of them is a coaching note card, and then one is just kind of like other stuff about broadcasting, basically reminding myself to be controlled. But for that game, I had a couple of notecards — one on Cliff Branch and then one on Raiders history and important notes in Raiders history and important players in Raiders history and all the Hall of Famers and why they’re so important to Raider fans and all of that stuff — because I want that to be part of my background. It’s not because I didn’t grow up a Raiders fan. I grew up in Michigan; I grew up a Lions fan. Obviously, I have the peripheral of some of those plays and some of those things, but not the details. And so being around Matt Millen in the last few weeks, who is very close with a lot of those guys, getting to know some of the Raiders who were there for Cliff Branch’s Hall of Fame ceremony, it’s been really helpful.

New team…lightning in the area so you may just get the jay and linc show pic.twitter.com/R3m7W1jzyr

— Jason Horowitz (@HorowitzJason) August 4, 2022

Your broadcast partner is former Raiders All-Pro offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy. What’s it been like working with him?

Easy. Lincoln is wonderful. Obviously, his credentials speak for themselves as a top-10 pick who lived up to it with Pro Bowls and All-Pros and helping the Raiders get to the Super Bowl and all that stuff. My experience with him in the last month is that he’s a top-class person. We’ve gotten to have a couple of dinners together. We’ve shared texts back and forth. He has things outside of football, which I appreciate. I have a lot of stuff outside of football that’s important to me. There’s a big perspective there that’s great. And our ability to hang and communicate and talk and talk to each other and with each other, not over each other, it started right from the beginning. It’s been really good.

What goes into the process of building rapport and chemistry with a new partner?

It’s funny because a lot of people don’t see similarities between talk radio and play-by-play or talk radio and studio, and I think I’m a much better play-by-play guy now because I’ve now done 10 or 11 years of talk radio and vice versa. And for two different reasons. No. 1, I’ve worked with so many different co-hosts. There was a time a few years ago where I would have five shows in a week with five different co-hosts. And, to your point, they’re all different. They all have different rhythms. They all have different senses of humor, they all have different cadences, and it is your job as a co-host, even though it’s your daily show, that they sound good. The same way that it’s my job as a play-by-play guy that Lincoln sounds good because he’s the one that has all the knowledge. It’s all those things, which I didn’t quite get at first 10 to 12 years ago. I didn’t quite grasp that. I thought, “Hey, this is about me,” and it’s not. The show is better, the game is better, the call is better if you both sound good. And so, whatever you have to do to make sure that that happens, that’s on you changing to make sure that you fit that person. And so, my development in that regard has really helped my development in calling games with other people. Because up until last year when I was doing all the Army games for CBS, I never had a consistent play-by-play partner. It was always different. And so, I got used to that. I think it’s been really helpful.

As someone who didn’t grow up a Raiders fan, how have you made an effort to ingratiate yourself with the fan base?

It’s interesting. So, when I worked at MSG, New York is a spot where a lot of people want to get to. I was there very young — I was 23 or 24 when I got hired — and I didn’t dive into the Knicks and the Rangers. I was more along the lines of like, “Hey, I’m an outsider,” and that’s not what it’s supposed to be. So, I learned from that experience. I’ve done everything national since then, but it’s been a great learning experience because I’ve gone a completely different approach this time. I’m not going to be the play-by-play guy who is sounding like our dog just died if the other team scores a touchdown, but it is a Raiders broadcast and so there is something that’s fitting to that. More so than that, there’s nothing that anybody can do that’s going to be loved by 100 percent of everybody, but I am 100 percent diving into the, hey, do you want to stop and talk to me while I’m on the concourse? I will absolutely talk to you. You want to take pictures with me? 100 percent. You want to tell me what your first Raiders game was and give me that experience? Because this fan base … this is your broadcast and that’s important to them. And that’s important to me because it is important to them. That’s where it’s different than it was the first time around.

Ready to meet you #raidernation. When you see me around town or at @@AllegiantStadm , make sure to say hi pic.twitter.com/wFsRmvtiqD

— Jason Horowitz (@HorowitzJason) August 14, 2022

You’ve called a few preseason games now. Are you comfortable now or are there still nerves?

Oh yeah. Yep. Both. I’m 100 percent comfortable. Everyone has been great to work with and extremely welcoming. I was very nervous for the opener in Canton. I am generally a lot more relaxed now. So, I have this thing — it’s at the top of my Twitter profile, too — it’s, “Hey folks, how are you?” People who have known me for a long time, they just call me, “Hey, folks, how are you?” It’s something that developed out of nerves. My first show back in 2005, they were like, “All right, 3, 2, 1,” and I was so nervous. It just screamed out of my mouth, “Hey folks, how are you?!” I didn’t think anything of it and then afterwards my mom called and she’s like, “I know you were talking to me. I knew you were saying hi.” So, I just kept doing it. And then when she passed away in 2016, it kind of had a different meaning, too. That’s kind of where that came from: It came out of nerves. And in the last few years, I haven’t really been nervous to do games. Like, there’s energy and all that stuff, but it’s not energy; it’s just excitement. The first game, I was nervous. Because I wanted to be good. I wanted to be great. I wanted to almost prove that the person they hired was going to be there and someone that everyone was going to love for the next 25 years. And, I mean, that’s just too much pressure for a first game, right? But, since then, it’s just time to rock and roll.

You’re the third Raiders play-by-play announcer since Greg Papa was dismissed prior to the 2018 season. Does coming after him and Musburger, who held the role from 2018 through last season, change your approach at all?

Before Brent, Greg was the voice of the Raiders for two decades. I wouldn’t say that it’s been a lot of turnover. When you hire Brent and Brent’s probably 79 or 80 years old, I don’t think you’re hiring him expecting that he’s going to do 20 years. I just think it’s kind of the circumstances. I’m not coming into this thinking of it, “Hey, I want to be here three years and leave.” I would love to be part of this organization for the next two to three decades, call five to six Super Bowls and be part of the future of Raiders history.

You mentioned that Musburger served as an inspiration to you. How does that register with you to be succeeding him directly?

In my football-watching career, I remember Brent more as a college guy, but he’s just so iconic. He was so good. I wasn’t even thinking about, “What are they going to think about me compared to Brent?” There’s no comparison in the history of Brent Musburger versus me. … There’s no comparison. As long as I’m me, then that’s the best I can do. And then we’ll go from there.

How would you describe Jason Horowitz the broadcaster?

It’s pretty authentic. We’ve known each other for probably 24 hours and I think you can tell I’m pretty smiley. I’m kind of a guy who approaches people with that type of enthusiasm. My ultimate goal — and has been the goal whether it’s been play-by-play or studio — has always been for that to come across. This is a really fun job. We are very lucky to have these jobs. They’re hard, they take work, they take great craft, but they are fun and we are very lucky. And I approach it that way. I would say that’s my style. My style is energetic, but my style is calling a game with a smile. And hopefully it comes across that way.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)

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