Philly Radio: MLB Phillies Drop Jim Jackson From Radio Team

Jim Jackson

Longtime Phillies sportscaster Jim Jackson said Wednesday he has been dropped from the team's radio broadcasts after a 14-year run, The Philly Business Journal reports.

“The Phillies have informed me that they are no longer in need of my broadcasting services,” Jackson told his Twitter followers. “I’m told I’m a 'luxury the organization can no longer afford in such uncertain times.'”

Jackson, 57, said his journey with the Phillies began in 2006 when he had lunch with former Phillies president David Montgomery and discussed being part of the broadcast crew. He started by hosting pre-game and postgame shows in 2007. Three years later, his role expanded to include play-by-play during the fourth and fifth innings of all regular season home games that did not conflict with his Philadelphia Flyers broadcasting schedule. That gave regular play-by-play man Scott Franzke’s voice a rest and allowed Jackson to work with color commentator Larry Anderson.

He thanked Montgomery, who died last year after a five-year battle with cancer, for giving him the initial opportunity, noting that it lasted longer than either could have expected.

Jackson, an Upstate New York native, will still be heard as the television play-by-play voice of the Flyers — a role he has held since 1995, after two years on the radio side.

The Phillies could not be reached for immediate comment Wednesday. Jackson was joined on the radio broadcast crew by Franzke, Anderson and relative newcomer Kevin Frandsen.

Thanks for a great 14 year run... pic.twitter.com/atkok59bCB

— Jim Jackson (@JimJPhilly) October 14, 2020

Like all professional sports teams, the Phillies suffered financially from Covid-19’s impact this season. The pandemic forced each Major League Baseball team’s schedule to be cut from its traditional 162 games to a truncated 60-game slate. That meant instead of teams having 81 home games, each club hosted just 30 games. Perhaps more notably, teams played their games without fans in the stands due to social-distancing considerations. After a season in which the Phillies drew 2.7 million fans in 2019, sports industry analysts Team Marketing Report estimated the franchise lost $186.1 million without fans in attendance in 2020.