first Red Sox broadcasts?

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

A while back, Kevin asked when the first Red Sox games were broadcast and 
who did the play by play, because (if I recall correctly) somebody in the 
Red Sox organisation wanted to know.  So,  I did some research-- I assumed 
one very early experimental broadcast might have been done by the late Joe 
Toye, a mega sports fan and writer for the Boston Traveler, but I was 
finally able to document the April 13, 1926 first broadcast on WNAC-- in 
WNAC's printed history, they always gave that date as the first time they 
broadcast a Red Sox game from Fenway... it was  the home opener, versus the 
Yankees.  Back then, it was a custom to let whichever the newspaper your 
station worked with select the play by play announcer-- who was usually one 
of their sportswriters.  That's how Frank Ryan of the Herald ended up doing 
the Bruins play by play on WBZ from about 1924 on.  After working with WBZ 
for a couple of years, the Traveler split off and worked with WNAC, while 
the Herald continued their arrangement with WBZ.  So, according to the 
Traveler, the first to broadcast the Red Sox games was one of their 
sportswriters-- Gus Rooney, who had broadcast a couple of boxing matches 
before doing the Red Sox play by play.  (Fred Hoey came later.)

So, I called Kevin Shea at the Red Sox to tell him, and he said he wasn't 
the one seeking the information.  I wonder who wanted it, now that it seems 
we really do have that piece of Red Sox (and radio) trivia.  (Btw, the 
Yankees won, 12 to 11...)