George Blaha is wrapping up his 49th season as the voice of the Detroit Pistons, providing commentary for their local TV broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Detroit, particularly during the playoffs for non-ABC games. He has served as both their radio and TV play-by-play announcer since the 1976-77 season. A significant reason for his path to broadcasting, as he recently shared with Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press, can be traced back to essential advice from the legendary Detroit Tigers’ announcer Ernie Harwell.
Blaha reached out to Harwell through a letter, despite having no prior connection:
Toward the end of his studies at U-M, Blaha wrote a letter to Harwell asking him for advice on how to break into the business. He didn’t know Harwell. Had never worked at a radio station. Had never called a game. Had no tape.
…Harwell, not surprisingly, wrote Blaha back. He suggested he enroll in the Institute of Broadcast Arts, a night school run out of WEXL Radio in Royal Oak.
The school offered a 10-week class specializing in enunciation, timing, and, most importantly, the opportunity to create a tape. As Harwell noted, he’d need a tape to send to stations for potential job opportunities.
As Windsor writes, Blaha indeed took that class after working days unloading grocery store trucks. This ultimately led to him sending his tape to WMIC in Sandusky, MI, where he got a position calling Friday night high school games for Saturday-morning tape-delayed broadcasts. He then moved on to WAJB in Adrian, MI, before landing the job with the Pistons after showcasing his talent through a test demo that featured him calling a Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball scrimmage. It’s intriguing how Harwell’s thoughtful response to a stranger catalyzed Blaha’s journey to becoming one of the NBA’s longest-tenured broadcasters.
Additionally, Blaha, who has recovered well from heart surgery in 2022, expressed to Windsor his intention not to retire just yet, even after recently turning 80. He plans to work his 50th season next year, though he is uncertain about his future after that. The Pistons’ unexpected success this year, finishing with a 44-38 record, may complicate his decision to step away.
“I would not miss my 50th season, that’s for sure. But Father Time is unbeaten, and you’d like to spend a little time maybe traveling with your wife—I told her we’re going to Italy.”
At some point in the not-too-distant future, Blaha will start taking a few more games off. “And once you do that, maybe it’s easier to walk away,” he said. But then “this year makes it tough. Why would you want to stop working?”
It will be interesting to see how long Blaha, who was recently elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, chooses to continue in his role. His journey and the reasons for his enduring presence in broadcasting are certainly compelling.
