Meet the voice of the South Bend Cubs

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - If you’ve watched or listened to the South Bend Cubs, chances are you’re familiar with the voice behind the action.

“To me, a good story means more than a good stat,” says Brendan King, play-by-play broadcaster for the South Bend Cubs. “I think you can rattle off any number, that’s what any broadcaster can do. But when you can tell a guy’s story about why the game means something to him, I think that makes the difference on the air.”

Brendan King has been perfecting his storytelling craft for years — a passion that runs in the family.

“It all started because my grandfather, my dad’s dad, worked in downtown Chicago in the 1950s and 60s working in TV and radio advertising,” King says. “Obviously, radio was a big deal then because the Cubs have been on the radio for decades, White Sox, too, Blackhawks, ultimately the Bears and the Bulls a little later. I got told stories of that growing up.”

Brendan grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, where he got his first real taste of broadcasting early on.

“My high school, Lincoln-Way East — which is a big public school on the south side — had a broadcasting club and when I was a freshman, there was a senior broadcasting football and basketball games, so I had an interest because of my grandfather’s stories to get into it,” King recalls. “They gave me a shot to do the football game because the senior for whatever reason had to miss a game. I remember I was terrible. That kind of started it all.”

His first pro job took him to Boise, Idaho, in the Northwest League. But from the start, he knew he wanted to work his way closer to home — and that opportunity came when South Bend opened up.

“I was really fortunate in 2018 that at the time Chris Hagstrom and Darin Pritchett, then the play-by-play voice, was looking for a number two broadcaster,” King says. “So, I started as the media relations assistant and number two broadcaster.”

Of all his calls during his time here, one moment stands out.

“It starts with that 2019 Midwest League Championship,” he says.

Like any minor league baseball player, Brendan’s goal is to make it to the majors someday.

“Just trying to build up the repertoire and the reels to ultimately get to my dream to be in the big leagues,” he says. “My goal is to call Chicago Cubs baseball, and that’s what I’m working towards every day.”