Tony Kale joins ISSA Hall of Fame

Area radio personality Tony Kale, well-known locally as the "Voice of the Patriots," was among those inducted into the Indiana Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association (ISSA) Hall of Fame for 2025 during a ceremony held earlier this year at the Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood.

Kale has spent 38 years gracing the local radio airwaves, and the last 37 of those have included doing play-by-play for Owen Valley and other high school sports.

He was the 2009 Marv Bates Award winner from the ISSA, and is approaching nearly 1,450 career games called, including six state championship appearances.

Kale also handles numerous Edgewood broadcasts and hosts a popular morning show on WCLS 97.7.

An Ellettsville native, Kale played varsity basketball and baseball for Edgewood High School and grew up listening to Marty Brennaman, the Cincinnati Reds' announcer, and Jack Buck, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals.

"My dad had a big influence on me, as far as getting me into sports," Kale said. "At night I used to listen to the AM stations on my Sony Walkman. I could pick up games practically from coast to coast. I'd just scan the dial and find a game and listen to it."

Kale would listen and learn, unknowingly honing his future craft by following his favorite teams and play-by-play announcers.

"I would imitate those guys," he said, recalling his playing days at Edgewood. "During baseball season, some of my buddies who weren't playing out on the field would say, 'Hey, do the play-by-play.' I just had kind of a knack for it, and they thought it was funny."

Kale recalled the thrill of seeing radio broadcasters at his high school games.

"Back then, with no social media or anything, that was the only coverage other than newspapers," he said. "To have your game broadcast on the radio back then was a big thing, there's no doubt it was. I think I still have a copy of a game or two of mine somewhere on cassette tapes. It was really, really a thrill to know that the radio guys were showing up to your game."

Following his graduation from high school in 1986, Kale attended Indiana University for a short time before fate - and his mom - led him to the Columbia School of Broadcasting in Indianapolis.

"I ended up being one of five students out of almost 500 that made the national honor roll out of the Indianapolis location," Kale said. "I graduated in a little over a year, and I was fortunate at the time to get a part-time job at WLSO in Spencer, so I could work on some of my school stuff while I was working there. I never thought I was going to end up making broadcasting my entire career, but I've been very blessed to get to do what I do each day."

WLSO later became WSKT-FM and in 2005 the station moved to Bloomington and changed music formats.

"We went all-Christmas through the holiday season, and then we switched from country music to classic hits and became WCLS," Kale recalled.

Kale is currently the operations manager for WCLS and produces commercials, does the FCC paperwork and even sells advertising time in addition to hosting his popular "Morning Mayhem" show alongside John Chance.

At the helm for countless memorable broadcast calls through the years for Owen Valley sports, Kale said he's had the good fortune to share the broadcast booth with buddies and color commentators Chance, Reggie Johnson and Brent Ranard to name just a few.

"I've shared the booth with a lot of good people and interviewed a lot of good coaches and players," Kale said. "I've had the opportunity to meet so many people and build so many relationships, which has been my favorite part of the job more than anything - they become part of your family."

When asked if he incorporated any of the mannerisms or sayings of some of his favorite broadcasters into his own work Kale replied, "The only thing I've really kind of stolen off another announcer comes from Jack Buck, who used to be the radio voice of the St. Louis Cardinals. He always closed his broadcasts with, 'Thanks for your time, this time, until next time.' And that's the way I always close my shift every day."

Although he said he tries not to think about what legacy he may leave behind once he steps away from the broadcasting mic for the final time, he does know how he hopes he'll be remembered.

"Just as someone who got to live out his childhood dream and tried to do it to the best of his ability," he said.

Kale makes his home in Ellettsville with his wife, Rhonda.