Why Radio – Because Of Moments Like This

October 5, 2016 By Rob Peterson

There wasn’t much to talk about during the season opener for the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers dominated the Rams in convincing fashion by hanging 28 points on them and spoiling their first game since they moved to L.A. from St. Louis after last season.

The game moved along without much fanfare but then…

A streaker.

A streaker stormed the field and paused the game. While fans like these are generally ignored by announcers, Westwood One’s Kevin Harlan flipped the script and told the story only as he could through epic and hilarious radio play-by-play.

Since Kevin’s amazing off-the-cuff spontaneity, the clip above has gone viral generating over 50 million social impressions in just one day, according to Keyhole. From Deadspin to Bleacher Report the press and fans alike have gone crazy for the amazing play call because Everyone’s Listening.

Twitter had a field day with Kevin’s call, even NBA Superstar LeBron James got in on the action:

I thought when u said “He has no regard for human life!!” was the best ever but this take the cake @Kevinharlan!! ??????https://t.co/bWbVjVb94g

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 13, 2016

The NFL has also gotten in on the action and posted the call to their YouTube channel.

The day after the now infamous call, Dan Patrick got the full scoop on why Kevin decided to call the action.

“I was always led to believe, and certainly do today, that the theater of the mind is very powerful.” Kevin told Radio Ink in an interview after his call went viral. “It’s unique in that it invites the listener to be so engaged as they use their mind and thoughts to form a lasting impression. That’s kind of what this was in the Bay Area on Monday night.”

Kevin reminds us that no matter what media you choose to broadcast on, any time you can create content that people care about they will share it with everyone they know.

Senior Writer at Fox Sports, Dieter Kurtenbach, sent the tweet below about Kevin Harlan:

Kevin Harlan is a national treasure: pic.twitter.com/CQFjPxkTMX mdash; Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) September 13, 2016

Westwood One Radio + NFL + Social Media. That’s how we bring culture to life.

When something happens and a story needs to be told, Everyone’s Listening with Westwood One.

Rob Peterson is the Digital Marketing Manager of Cumulus | Westwood One. Follow him on LinkedIn.