Baldwin grad making name for himself in sports broadcasting

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 21, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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There appears to be no limit to what Austin Bechtold can accomplish in his professional career.

The 2019 Baldwin graduate is already climbing the ladder in the radio broadcasting field.

Bechtold, 23, is a producer and part-time host at 93.7 The Fan. He has been putting in some long days in his quest to grow.

“I am a producer for The Fan Morning Show from 5 to 10 a.m. and the Joe Starkey Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Bechtold said. “I also host The Fan Early Morning Show as my own time to share my opinion and further my presence on the air.”

Bechtold has enjoyed a strong start to his rising career.

He attended Robert Morris from 2019-21 and majored in sports communication, followed by a two-year stint majoring in sports media at Waynesburg.

Bechtold made a great first impression by being named Newcomer of the Year in 2020 by the RMU Academic Media Center.

He graduated from college with a 3.8 GPA after finishing his high school studies with a 3.87 GPA.

Bechtold covers RMU and Pitt basketball for Pittsburgh Sports Now, the Pirates for SB Nation’s Bucs Dugout and Penn State football for Nittany Sports Now. He also is a play-by-play announcer for four Baldwin sports. His sidekick on the airwaves at Baldwin is Tyler Zeman, a 2020 alumnus.

Bechtold also works for KDKA+ and JRM Video Production. JRM Video is owned and operated by 2017 alum Jake Mysliwczyk along with his business partner, Ryan Milan, a 2017 Baldwin grad.

And let’s not forget Bechtold’s stints as WUSN production assistant, sports editor of The Yellow Jacket and Pony League World Series stage manager. He also worked a camera for the 2022-23 PAC wrestling championships.

“I also called PIHL games this past season and the WPIAL baseball championships,” he said.

One might wonder how Bechtold has been able to jam so much experience into a relatively short period of time. The answer possibly lies within an in-depth Q&A interview:

When and how did you become interested in sports broadcasting? Who has been your biggest influence so far career-wise?

I became interested in sports broadcasting as a young kid watching and listening to sports with my dad (Ray Bechtold). We watch the Steelers every Sunday, Penguins and Pirates during the summer in the same seats we watched them 15 years ago. I grew up being fascinated with the broadcasters. Every time I was in the car with my dad driving somewhere, The Fan was on, and I became so locked in on the conversation that I was saying my own rebuttals to myself. My dad’s had a huge impact on my love of sports. I have known what I wanted to do since I was 12, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

My biggest influences career-wise have to be Lanny Frattare, Alan Saunders and Adam Crowley. Each represent a different aspect of the industry. Lanny has taught me how to prepare, the blueprint for properly announcing play-by-play of sports and getting to know players and coaches on a personal level.

Alan brought me on at Pittsburgh Sports Now for my internship and I’ve stuck on as a writer with the site. I’ve covered two ACC Tournaments and two NCAA Tournaments for PSN.

Crowley, along with Dorin Dickerson, Joe Starkey, and Andrew Fillipponi, have taken me under their wing in sports radio, and Crowley’s been a huge factor in how to prep a show, format opinions and become a well-rounded broadcaster. Mullsy (Chris Mueller) and (Paul) Zeise have been huge supporters of mine and I’ve learned a lot from both.

Nationally, Al Michaels is my favorite. His success speaks for itself.

How are you handling your quick rise through the ranks so far in the radio business?

When I was in high school, I planned that I wanted to write and work at The Fan when I graduated from college. It was a four-year plan for me. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I wanted to push myself to see if it could happen. I worked as a part-time producer at NewsRadio KDKA for a year before becoming a producer at The Fan. I got my foot in the door at Audacy and knew I eventually wanted to be on The Fan.

Persistence, confidence and the willingness to say “yes” to working different shifts and opportunities have put me in a good position.

I feel like I was born to do this. My drive and passion help me to work hard, and I know nothing different in my life than hard work. Having that love for it is important, and if you work hard, ask questions and show you want to advance in the field, people will notice. I’m happy with how I’ve been able to quickly rise as a 23-year-old a year out of college, and a big reason why is being myself, true to who I am, and treating people the right way.

What are your short-term goals career-wise?

On July 1, I officially became the full-time producer of The Joey Starkey Show, which was a big goal. I also want to continue covering events on a larger scale and continue building my name in Pittsburgh sports media.

What are your long-team goals career-wise?

My long-term goals are to be a full-time radio host and also cover a team for a local outlet or be a columnist while hosting on radio. I love radio and writing and always have. If a Pittsburgh play-by-play job opens up for a college or pro team, I’d love to one day step into that role and maintain writing and broadcasting at the same time. Hosting on The Fan, having a column and still calling play-by-play for football, basketball or baseball would be incredible.

How has your experience been as a producer at 93.7 The Fan? What aspect of that job have you enjoyed the most?

Working at The Fan has been awesome. They say, “Don’t meet your heroes,” but it was a breathtaking experience meeting Joe Starkey, Ron Cook, Paul Zeise, Andrew Fillipponi, Chris Mueller and others for the first time. I worked with The Fan Morning Show before being full-time with the midday show, and I created my own segment, “The Bechtold Breakdown,” where I recap all the biggest events of the week or past few days and give my take on it. We discuss it every Friday at noon.

The best part of the job has been interacting on air with the guys and giving my opinions, plus bouncing counterpoints off their ideas. It’s great practice to host a future show and learn from guys who have done it at a high level. Joe and Paul are great people, and I think that gets lost sometimes. It’s not the easiest job and has its tough days like all jobs, but it’s fun and worth being a part of every day more than anything.

Do you have any quirky “behind the scenes” anecdotes you can share with us?

Before almost every show, Joe Starkey calls me and refers to my nickname, “City Limits,” in a song he sings impromptu over the phone. Why? I don’t know, but we get a kick out of it and start the day with a laugh. Joe’s pretty easy to work with. Adam Crowley and I both shaved to have mustaches like Paul Skenes when he debuted. Somehow, everyone liked it and want me to keep it full-time, which is still an on-and-off again experiment.

The best behind-the-scenes moment for me comes from Ron’s last show, where I was finally able to reach Joe Greene in the airport for the Super Bowl after his plane landed to talk to Ron in his final segment. The great Joe Namath called us on the regular phone line callers call instead of the hotline number we gave him, and I noticed the number after I called it 10 times. I had the chance to talk to Joe Greene and Joe Namath 5-10 minutes apart. I’ll remember that for the rest of my career.

Where did the nickname “City Limits” originate?

City Limits comes from the music TV show “Austin City Limits” from Austin, Texas. Joe Starkey thought up the nickname and people liked it, including me, and it stuck. I always go by Austin Bechtold, but City Limits has a good ring to it.

What sports did you play at Baldwin?

I played volleyball for four years for coaches Eric Falcione and Milan Yekich. Coach E was awesome to play for and a great players coach. Milan was the varsity coach my senior year and the JV coach the two prior years. Adam Foote was an assistant for a season, maybe two. My all-time favorite coach, Chris Kelly, also spent a year as an assistant.

What other extracurricular activities were you involved in?

I was a part of the National Honor Society and the web editor my senior year, Special Olympics, Math League, the Purbalite and Baldwin’s morning announcements. I also helped the girls volleyball team for two years.

It’s well-documented that you are a huge fan of Wiffleball. Would you tell us about that aspect of your life?

I run the Baldwin Wiffleball with six teams and over 45 players in our league. It wasn’t invented until the year after we graduated; the idea was thought of days before my friends and I graduated from Baldwin but was formed and founded by a bunch of Baldwin guys who love sports. We’re in season five and about to start our playoffs in mid-July.

More and more people have joined over the years. We have players from Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Shaler, Canonsburg, Brentwood, TJ and Baldwin. I love it. I host a weekly podcast with a good friend of mine (Ashton Nort) talking about BWL. We have team shirts and league hats and have fans that come and watch our games. It’s reconnected a lot of people and combines with very competitive Wiffleball games.

We’ve played in two national tournaments and will be playing in a third from Aug. 9-11 in Essex, Vt., at the Vermont Summer Classic benefitting T1 Diabetes. We’re raising money for the charity.

What are some of your greatest memories from your volleyball and/or athletic career at Baldwin?

One of my favorite is when our boys volleyball team beat, I think, Shaler in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs at home. I still talk to those guys all the time and play basketball with four or five of them every week. I’ll never forget being there at the 2015 Baldwin WPIAL girls volleyball championship win, at home, against NA my freshman year. Being the manager of the girls team my senior year and going to the WPIAL championship is a favorite memory.

The best part of playing volleyball at Baldwin is that it brought me three of my best friends (Joey Shields, Nick Pouch and Tyler Gurchak) and we maintain a very close friend group.

What is your favorite sport to cover?

Definitely play-by-play for high school and college basketball or writing for high school and college basketball. I love working football, hockey and baseball, but there’s something different about basketball. It’s an intimate atmosphere with our broadcast table literally a foot away from the stands and people looking over our shoulder to watch replays on the monitor. It’s really cool. Plus, I’ve covered ACC and NCAA basketball tournaments, which is awesome.

What was your favorite class at Baldwin?

Newspaper class, coinciding with The Purbalite. I also like history classes.

Did you have a least favorite class?

Oh yes. I was so bad at geometry my freshman year and think I could have gotten more from that class, but it didn’t happen for a few reasons. Probably the worst class I’ve had. It sounds simple, but geometry’s not.

Did you have a favorite teacher in high school?

By far my favorite teacher was “Mr. R,” Chris Reilsono. He’s like an uncle to me. We still keep in regular contact and he’s always there to support me in my personal and professional life. He’s an unbelievably kind person and a true leader. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Mr. (Keith) Harrison, Mr. (Doug) Graffand Mr. Foote.

Is there anything you would have changed in your high school career?

If I had to give anyone a piece of advice, I’d say to soak it all in and stay in the moment. Be present in life. I came from St. Elizabeth to Baldwin, two minutes down Route 51 from each other but about two light years away from each other in terms of adjustment. I went from graduating with 12 people to a graduating class of about 320. It was a tough adjustment for me and took time to realize who my real friends are. Now they’re more like family and we grow closer every year and take trips together.

There are a few things I wish I would have known as a high school student and to go for it more in terms of pursuing opportunities in all regards instead of just some, but it’s made me the person I am today and taught me lessons that I don’t think I could have learned without those experiences.

Do you have any hobbies?

I go to a lot of Steelers and Pirates games. I like to hang out with my friends and play Wiffleball. I’m an usher at my church St. Albert’s on Sundays.

Are you a regular book reader? If so, what is the title of the last book you read?

I’m not actually a big book reader. The last book I read and really enjoyed was “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch from Carnegie Mellon during my senior year at Waynesburg. It makes you appreciate what you have in life and be thankful for your family, friends, health, safety and life.

What is your favorite all-time book?

“To Kill a Mockingbird.” “You Can’t Make This Up” by Al Michaels is also good and I’ve read bits and pieces.

What is your favorite movie?

I have two, and they’re both series: “Back to the Future” (the first one is the best), and “The Fast and Furious” (the best is either “Fast 5” or “Furious 7”).

What is the name of the last movie that you’ve seen?

I watched “Field of Dreams” last Saturday for probably the fourth or fifth time. It’s my favorite sports movie.

Do you watch much television? What is your favorite TV show?

Love watching TV and playing sports a couple times a week; it’s why I maybe have no time to read. I watch “NCIS,” “Chicago PD,” “Law and Order” and others when they’re on and new episodes. It makes me sound older than I am, but I enjoy watching them. My two favorite shows are “Friends” and “NCIS.” My dad and I watch “NCIS” together every Monday and Tuesday.

What has been your all-time favorite summer vacation?

I go to Geneva-on-the-Lake every summer in Ohio with family and friends. I’ve also been to Hilton Head numerous times, and it is fun. The best, outside of summer, was going to the 2023 Rose Bowl Game when Penn State beat Utah in Pasadena. It was awesome and just incredible.

What are some things people may not know about you?

Some people might not know that I run Baldwin Wiffleball and we’ve done pretty well in national tournaments and on the local stage. It’s one of the most important things in my life. And I have twin sisters.

I also went to Catholic grade school and care about my faith. I once made four game-winners in four consecutive games when I was at RMU in our communications basketball league, the KMart Cup.

I like rap and country music, not a similar combo. I’ve only been to one concert in my life and it was a Jimmy Buffett concert with my family years ago. I’d love to go to another very soon.

What are three of your favorite foods?

Steak, pizza and mashed potatoes.

Tags: Baldwin