David J. Halberstam, a 40-year industry veteran who himself served as play-by-play announcer for St. John’s University basketball in New York and as radio play-by-play voice of the Miami Heat in South Florida. He is also a respected sports broadcast historian, often quoted by the daily media. A self-described broadcast hybrid, Halberstam has held lofty positions in sales and management including Director of Sales for the Miami Heat and Executive VP, General Manager of Westwood One Sports.
His first book, Sports on New York Radio: A Play-by-Play History, was published in 1999 (McGraw Hill) and reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Crain’s New York, New York Daily News and noted by the New York Times. It is frequently referenced by authors, newspapers and radio talk show hosts. Halby is a true student of sports broadcasting who has dedicated many years to appreciating marvelous announcers and researching what made their fingerprints and legacies special.
Through the years, he’s written articles about sportscasting, sales, and sports history for publications like USA Today, LA Times, Yahoo Sports, Bleacher Report, New York Daily News, Awful Announcing, Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated.com and SportsBusiness Journal.
For the past nine years, Halberstam has been the principal of Halby Group, which has consulted Major League Baseball, ESPN and DirecTV, among other entities.
