Former Braves reporter Kelly Crull finds new home on 680/93.7 The Fan

But Crull is now in career shift mode, moving from reporting sports for 20 years to proffering her opinions about football, baseball and basketball as the newest radio host and podcaster on Atlanta’s 680/93.7 FM The Fan.

Credit: COURTESY

Credit: COURTESY

After losing her job as a Braves reporter at Bally Sports in 2023, she worked multiple freelance gigs, including fill-in host on the Fan. The station promoted her to full time, giving her a role on “The Locker Room” morning show Tuesdays and Thursdays and evening co-hosting duties with Buck Belue whenever the Braves are not playing a night game.

“It’s a shift in mindset,” Crull said. “The guys try to poke me a little bit and tee me up to give my opinions and pull that out of me.”

She has already started a Fan interview podcast show (“Crull Me Maybe”) focused on sports figures in town, and plans one focused on women’s sports.

“They’re definitely keeping me busy,” she said.

The Fan hasn’t had a regular female voice on air since Sandra Golden left in 2021. (Golden now works part time with Steak Shapiro on 92.9/The Game.)

Fan president David Dickey and program director Andy Roth both saw Crull’s skills while subbing in and Dickey found a spot for her on the roster.

“She’s talented and underappreciated,” Roth said. When she was a rotating co-host earlier this year with Belue on his evening show, he said he sensed the chemistry.

“I respected her work on the Braves,” said Belue, the quarterback who led Georgia to a national championship in 1980 and joined the Fan in 2000. “She is so upbeat and knowledgeable, too. There have been female sports hosts in the past and you roll your eyes. But I don’t have to worry about Kelly.”

Crull admits college football isn’t her strongest suit, but said she is working hard to bone up on a sport that is near and dear to core Fan listeners.

During her first official show with Belue this past Monday, he tried and failed to get her to disclose her salary, then joked she must have had a signing bonus.

“No signing bonus,” Crull told him. “Just the fact I get to work with the Hall of Famer in you and keep the morning show in line, that was the deal.”

Belue went on a rant, complaining the Braves had already funneled through 60 players during a disappointing, injury-depleting season. “I’m worn out,” he said. “I’m just flat dizzy.”

Crull noted the Braves players still have pride and could potentially finish third ahead of the Miami Marlins even if the playoffs are out of the question.

“I’m just trying to turn your frown upside down,” she said.

Credit: COURTESY

Credit: COURTESY

Crull, 41, grew up in Indiana playing basketball and tennis in high school. She earned a broadcast degree at the University of Missouri, then covered Purdue sports at a TV station not far from her hometown, followed by stints reporting for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Diego Padres before joining Comcast in Chicago.

“She brought her own ideas,” her Comcast boss John Schippman said. “When she got put on the Cubs reporting beat, she really embraced it and built relationships with players and staff.”

With both the Cubs and the Braves, she became embedded with the team for months at a time. “You’re around these men and their families 24/7,” Crull said. “They become a part of you. You truly want to see them succeed. You appreciate how much work they put in and how much they sacrifice for their families.”

David Ross, a former Atlanta Brave who finished his playing career as a Cub during that historic 2016 World Series run, said he became friends with Crull that year and regularly keeps tabs on her career. “She was there to talk to us during those emotional walk-off homers or when a pitcher threw a complete game,” Ross said. “She was such a professional. You feel like she was part of the team.”

After the Braves won the World Series in 2021, CEO Derek Schiller extended World Series rings to broadcasters like Crull, which she deeply appreciated.

“It’s definitely the most expensive piece of jewelry I have!’ she said.

If you listen

Kelly Crull is on 93.7/680 The Fan’s “The Locker Room,” 6-10 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays and “The Buck Belue Show” 6-8 p.m. weekdays when the Braves are not on and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.