Play-by-play broadcaster, host and reporter Melanie Newman joins MLB Network
April 8, 2022 – MLB Network announced that play-by-play broadcaster, host and reporter Melanie Newman has joined its on-air roster appearing across its programming. Newman’s MLB Network role is in addition to her broadcast work covering the Baltimore Orioles for MASN and the Orioles Radio Network, which she will again continue this season. As part of her new responsibilities, Newman will regularly do play-by-play for “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV+ this season, plus host MLB Network studio programs. With MLB Network producing in partnership with Apple, Newman is set to do play-play-play for the New York Mets at Washington Nationals tonight at 7 p.m. ET on Apple TV+, alongside Chris Young, Hannah Keyser and Brooke Fletcher. With her role on “Friday Night Baseball,” Newman is the second woman to lead play-by-play duties for a national broadcast team, after Suzyn Waldman held that role for The Baseball Network in 1994 and 1995.
Newman contributed to MLB Network in 2021, when she called the MLB Network Showcase telecast featuring the Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox last August. Newman also served as the play-by-play broadcaster for the first-ever, all-female MLB broadcast when the Orioles visited the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube last August, which MLB Network produced. Viewers can follow Newman on Twitter via @MelanieLynneN and on Instagram via @melanielynnen.
“Melanie is a terrific broadcaster, who we’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with over the last year,” said Marc Caiafa, Senior Vice President of Production. “Having her officially on our team contributing to our programming makes us that much stronger as we start a new season.”
“I’m thrilled to be expanding my role at MLB Network and adding the Friday night games on Apple TV+ to my Orioles work,” said Newman. “These opportunities are very exciting – a dream come true, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Newman, who joined the Orioles’ broadcast team in 2020, became the first woman in franchise history to do play-by-play for a game, when she called the Miami Marlins at Orioles on Aug. 4, 2020, on the Orioles Radio Network. At the time, Newman joined Suzyn Waldman, Jenny Cavnar and Gayle Gardner as women who have handled play-by-play duties in MLB. Since 2020, Newman has served a variety of roles for the Orioles broadcast team, including hosting pre-and post-game coverage, plus in-game reporter duties. Last September, Newman also was part of the first-ever all-female broadcast team for an ESPN baseball broadcast when the Los Angeles Dodgers matched up against the San Diego Padres.
Prior to joining the MLB Network and the Orioles broadcast teams, Newman was a broadcaster for the Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas Rangers’ organization in 2018, followed by time with the Salem Red Sox of the Boston Red Sox organization in 2019. Newman’s career began at Troy University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism, Leadership and Sports Information, and served as the play-by-play voice of the Troy University women’s volleyball, softball and baseball teams on TrojanVision TV (2010-2013). Following her time at Troy, Newman then moved to the Atlantic Sun Conference (2012-14), providing sideline duties, before joining the Texas Collegiate League as a broadcaster and on-field emcee (2014). Newman later acted as the pre-game host, away game co-broadcaster and on-field host for the Mobile BayBears of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization (2014-15). She has also contributed to the GameDay Radio Network, Big South Conference, Liberty Flames Sports Network on ESPN+ and other sports telecasts on the ACC Network.
Newman follows Ruben Amaro, Jr., A.J. Andrews, Alex Avila, Ariel Epstein, Hannah Keyser, Keiana Martin, Cameron Maybin, Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Bo Porter, Siera Santos and Xavier Scruggs who have joined MLB Network this offseason.