CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati announced today local broadcast plans for the 2023 season. For the first time in club history, the Orange and Blue will have an exclusive, non-simulcast radio contract continuing their partnership with iHeartMedia. iHeart will be the Official Radio Broadcast Home of FC Cincinnati for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Veteran broadcaster Tom Gelehrter returns as the “Voice of FC Cincinnati” for his eighth season in the booth. Gelehrter has teamed with analyst Kevin McCloskey for the past seven seasons and will continue that partnership in 2023 for home matches and select road broadcasts. Former Major League Soccer standouts Omar Cummings and Jeff Larentowicz will also join Gelehrter in the booth for matches this season.
“We are very excited to continue our partnership with iHeartMedia to become the exclusive radio home of FC Cincinnati,” said Vince Cicero, FC Cincinnati Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Broadcasting. “We’re ecstatic to bring Tommy and Kevin back for fans of the Orange and Blue to listen to throughout the season, as well as bringing two of Major League Soccer’s superb all-time players, Omar Cummings and Jeff Larentowicz, into the booth.”
“Coming off of the excitement of their first MLS Playoff appearance, and win, last year, we are thrilled to announce this three-year broadcast partnership extension with FC Cincinnati,” said DJ Hodge, Market President of iHeart Cincinnati. “We are incredibly proud to be able to bring all of the action to fans in the region with the familiar voices in the booth, Tommy and Kevin. Fans will be able to hear all of the action, including a pre- and post-game show, as they follow along with FCC throughout the season and back into the playoffs.”
For the first time in club history, the broadcast will feature a three-hour window and include a 30-minute pre- and post-game show during each broadcast. When FC Cincinnati is at home, fans watching on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV will have the option to switch to the local home radio broadcast as their audio source.
Matches will primarily air on ESPN1530 with all station assignments available on the club’s schedule page.
Gelehrter and McCloskey return to the booth for their first broadcast of 2023 on February 25 when FC Cincinnati welcome Houston Dynamo FC to TQL Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will air on Fox Sports 1360 beginning at 7 p.m.
Broadcast Team Bios
Tom Gelehrter, Play-by-Play & Executive Producer: For the eighth straight season, Tom Gelehrter again leads the FC Cincinnati broadcast team, bringing 24 years of experience to the booth. Gelehrter has served as the “Voice of FC Cincinnati” since the club’s creation and last season called his 200th match with the Orange and Blue. He has extensive experience on both television and radio, having called games for ESPNU, ESPN3, FOX Sports Ohio and 700-WLW. Before founding local production house, 4th Floor Creative, he spent nine years as the Senior Director of New Media and Broadcasting at the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, Gelehrter called soccer on the collegiate level at both the University of Akron and the University of Cincinnati and hosted the weekly television shows for Bearcats football and basketball for seven years. He is a 2002 graduate of Syracuse University.
Kevin McCloskey, Match Analyst: Kevin McCloskey joined the FC Cincinnati broadcast team in 2016 and since then has served as the club’s match analyst. A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, McCloskey moved to the United States in 1999 to play soccer at the University of Rio Grande. He was an All-American midfielder during his collegiate career and participated in two NAIA national tournaments before playing professionally for four years with the Cincinnati Kings of the USL. He has experience as an assistant coach with the men’s soccer programs at Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, the University of Rio Grande and Urbana University. McCloskey currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for Kings Hammer Soccer Club and holds a USSF A license. Prior to his collegiate career, he played on the Northern Ireland U16 and U18 national teams. McCloskey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rio Grande and master’s degree from Urbana University.
Omar Cummings, Match Analyst: Jamaican International Omar Cummings joins the FC Cincinnati broadcast team this season, in addition to his current role as Director of Soccer in the Community and Club Ambassador. The former MLS standout appeared in 185 games across eight seasons, scoring 42 goals during his career with Colorado and Houston. Cummings helped guide the Rapids to the 2010 MLS Cup crown scoring 14 regular season goals and recording two assists during the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs. He finished his professional career by returning to Cincinnati for the 2016 and 2017 USL seasons, appearing in 20 matches for the Orange and Blue, scoring three goals. Cummings made his international debut with the Jamaican National Team in July 2008 and earned 35 caps with the Reggae Boyz. He joined FC Cincinnati as a Club Ambassador in 2017 following his retirement and appeared on two club telecasts during the 2020 season.
Jeff Larentowicz, Match Analyst: Two-time MLS Cup Champion Jeff Larentowicz joins the FC Cincinnati broadcast team this season, adding to his current role with the club as Talent Development Coach. The native of Pasadena, California began his MLS career in 2005 with the New England Revolution. After serving as a reserve during his rookie season, Larentowicz settled into a starting role in the Revs defensive midfield until he joined Cummings and the Rapids in 2010, appearing in 30 regular season games and starting all four playoff games during Colorado’s 2010 championship season. He won his second MLS Cup with Atlanta United FC in 2018 before announcing his retirement from professional soccer on April 5, 2021, finishing an MLS career in which Larentowicz played in 437 games across 16 seasons, the third-most appearances in league history. He earned four caps with the United States Men’s National Team and was a regular fill-in on Atlanta United telecasts following his retirement.
About FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati is a Major League Soccer team playing at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally founded in 2015 by Carl H. Lindner III and current Co-CEO Jeff Berding, FCC began play in the United Soccer League (USL) in 2016. FCC entered MLS as the 24th team in 2019. The club’s wide and diverse ownership group is led by controlling owner Lindner III; as well as managing owners Meg Whitman and Dr. Griff Harsh; Scott Farmer; and George Joseph.
FC Cincinnati opened the club’s privately funded, 26,000-seat soccer-specific TQL Stadium in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati in 2021, a venue which has won numerous global awards including the World Football Summit Best Venue 2022 in Madrid and the 2022 Prix Versailles World Title in the Sports Category in Paris, France.
The club earned its first MLS Cup Playoffs berth in 2022, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinal as the no. 5 seed. The club won the 2018 USL Regular-Season Championship in record-setting fashion and earned postseason berths in all three of its USL seasons. In 2017, FC Cincinnati also advanced to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a run that included victories over two MLS squads.
About iHeartMedia Cincinnati
iHeartMedia Cincinnati owns and operates WEBN-FM, WLW-AM, WKFS-FM, WEBN-HD2, WEBN-HD3, WSAI-AM, WCKY-AM and WKRC-AM, and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month, and has a portfolio of unmatched consumer brands and industry-leading events. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next four podcast publishers combined; has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand; and is the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
