Ryan Cameron out as Atlanta Hawks’ on-court announcer

After 20 years of service and changing the way fans enjoyed the game, radio personality Ryan Cameron found himself out as the Atlanta Hawks on-court announcer this week. Cameron spent the last 17 years as the on-court announcer for the NBA team at State Farm Arena. He joined the Hawks in 2001 in a role where he engaged fans in the stands and played games. An afternoon radio jockey at Majic 107.5/97.5, Cameron took over the mic for the Hawks in 2004 and covered more than 700 home games during his tenure, including playoff runs. Big Tigger, whose real name is Darian Morgan, has been selected by the Hawks to replace Cameron as the in-game announcer. Tigger, who has been the in-game DJ for several years for the Hawks, has gotten the nod for the top job.

In an interview Tuesday, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin pointed to Audacy, the company that airs the Hawks games on 92.9/The Game on the radio as the reason for the change. Audacy also owns V-103, where Tigger is morning host. Koons said that this was a synergy issue with Cameron no longer working for Audacy since Majic 107.5/97.5 is owned by Radio One. “Ryan is fantastic,” Koonin said. “We love him. But this is 21st century media, and we need to be vertically integrated. That means using on-air talent with The Game and V-103.”

Also joining the Hawks’ in-game team is Tenitra Batiste, a host and reporter at The Game. She will become part of the in-arena show as an analyst. Audacy said in a news release, “This is a great opportunity to have our talent have a more visible presence at State Farm Arena during Hawks games.”

For the majority of his 30-year radio career, Cameron was a jockey at V-103 but left in early 2018 to pursue other ventures. Later that year, he decided to return to radio with Majic. The radio station has bounced around and has been owned by different companies over the years. Entercom, recently renamed Audacy, purchased what had been CBS Radio in 2017.

Cameron has not commented on this announcement, but fans we spoke to were disappointed to hear the news. They say Cameron was a viable part of making the Hawks game a great experience and they hate to see him replaced, pointing to his flair and ability to make the game fun on and off the court.

In addition to his radio role with Majic, Cameron will continue in his role as game announcer for the Falcons, which also airs on 92.9/The Game. Many wondered if Cameron will soon be pushed out of this role as well by Audacy.