The Jamestown Tarp Skunks and WRFA Radio have announced a broadcast agreement for the 2021 season. The new agreement involves all Tarp Skunk home games being broadcast on the local airwaves at 107.9 FM, as well as streaming worldwide at the station’s website, WRFALP.com.

“We are extremely proud of this partnership with Jamestown Tarp Skunks,” said Jason Sample, WRFA general manager. “This will be a great opportunity for community members to keep up with the ball club and its performance on the field.”

“We are so excited and fortunate to have WRFA joining us at Diethrick Park this summer to bring our games to a new audience of people who can’t be with us in person, for one reason or another,” said Jacob Kindberg, Tarp Skunks general manager. “We’re just so glad that they will still have a way of following the team and enjoying Jamestown baseball again.”

WRFA’s broadcasts of the Tarp Skunks will also provide an internship program for qualifying local college students to learn and gain valuable experience with sports broadcasting and sports journalism. Interns will learn and develop skills related to play-by-play and color commentary, player interviews, and how to provide both game previews and recaps for broadcasting. By the end of the 2021 season, the interns will also have the opportunity to participate in the live broadcasts.

“When I was in college studying broadcast journalism, I remember how difficult it was to find an internship program that was specifically geared toward sports broadcasting, especially in Chautauqua County,” Sample said. “Our hope is that through this program, local college students interested in pursuing a career in sports broadcasting and journalism will gain experience and learn skills that will help them on their career path after graduation.”

The WRFA broadcast team will be comprised of Sample and Norman Rodriguez, who have 20 years of sports broadcast experience between them. In the past, Sample has covered both high school baseball and Babe Ruth World Series games, along with high school football in both Chautauqua County and Warren County, Pennsylvania. Rodriguez has covered high school baseball, football and basketball games with WNY Athletics and also was the public address announcer for the Jamestown Jammers collegiate baseball team from 2016-18. In addition, he provides play-by-play for the Jamestown Jackals semi-pro basketball team.

The 2021 interns are Sarah Disbro from Falconer and studying at Huntington University, Daniel Mallea from Mayville and studying at Syracuse University, and Collin Wood from Mayville and studying at West Virginia University.

“It’s exciting to see community baseball return to Jamestown after a two-year hiatus and WRFA is happy to be part of that excitement, “Sample said. “The best way to enjoy baseball is to see it live and in person, but we also understand that not everyone who wants to follow the team will have the opportunity to see every home game at the ball park. That’s why we’re happy to provide a forum where fans can tune in and listen to some of those games they can’t get to in person.”