The Escalon Times is bringing back a popular feature from the past, Whatever Happened To, which highlights the lives and careers of Escalon High grads, the paths they chose and what they’re doing now.
This first installment focuses on Steve Scott, a 1979 EHS grad who has spent decades behind the microphone as a radio news anchor.
After spending 20 years in Chicago and 18 more in New York City on the air, Scott relocated to San Francisco last year. He said that move has led to some “exciting career developments” for him, both in the news and sports arenas.
Scott is currently the Morning News Anchor on KCBS All-News Radio in San Francisco. He’s on the air Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., and KCBS can be heard on 740AM (and 106.9FM in the Bay Area), as well as on the free Audacy app.
He’s also now the public address announcer for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors at Chase Center and is the voice that Warriors’ fans inside the arena hear announcing who made a basket, who committed a foul, and who’s shooting free throws, as well as captivating the crowd with his three-point call.
Here is a look at Steve Scott’s four-plus decades in broadcasting, with no plans to sign off anytime soon.
Returning to the Bay Area, after nearly 40 years away
I’m thrilled to be back in the Bay Area. This is really a full-circle move for me. After growing up in the Central Valley, going to Escalon High School, and then college at San Jose State, I went off to Chicago and then New York. It’s great to be back in California. I have family here. It’s been fun to reconnect with old friends. It feels like home. It is home.
On working at KCBS
It’s a thrill to be on KCBS. It’s the radio station that young news-geek Steve grew up listening to. We have an excellent team of journalists and outstanding local management. I couldn’t be happier!
Anchoring the KCBS morning news
For news radio, there’s no better time slot than Morning Drive. Hundreds of thousands of people wake up to my voice telling them what happened overnight, what’s happening in the morning, and what will be happening later in the day. We let them know if they’ll need a jacket or an umbrella. We tell them if a traffic tie-up will delay their drive to work. We keep them informed about news that affects their health, their family, and their pocketbook. And, in an emergency, we’re a calm voice of assuredness that we’ll get through it together. It’s an awesome responsibility that I take very seriously.
Some radio career highlights
If you stick around for a long time, you see a lot of stuff. Covering 9/11 in New York is probably the biggest story I’ve ever been a part of. The magnitude of the destruction and loss of life was devastating.
The COVID pandemic was grueling to cover; for a while, we were losing more than 800 people a day in New York City. It became very personal.
I reported from both the Bosnia and Kosovo wars. I’ve covered presidents and prime ministers. I questioned Fidel Castro in Havana. I’ve reported from the scene of plane crashes, train derailments, tornadoes and earthquakes.
But, I also won an award for a feature story about deep fried turkey testicles. That’s the beauty of news: There’s something different every day.
Getting up very early
My alarm goes off at 2:15 a.m.; I typically arrive at KCBS at around 3:30 a.m., and I go on the air at 5 a.m. Fortunately, I’m a ‘morning person,’ so the early start doesn’t bother me.
Describe being the Public Address Announcer for the Golden State Warriors
What an amazing opportunity! I had been an NBA PA Announcer before. I spent 17 seasons with the Chicago Bulls and then nine seasons as a PA Announcer for the New York Knicks. I hadn’t really thought about doing it again. But, after a chance meeting with Raymond (Warriors Senior VP of Communications Raymond Ridder), he asked if I might be interested in joining the Warriors. It all came together pretty quickly.
On taking the Warriors PA Announcer job
The Warriors are the team I grew up watching as a kid. I still remember the 1975 championship team. Rick Barry. Clifford Ray. Jamaal Wilkes. Jeff Mullins. Coach Al Attles. The opportunity to come back all these years later, and be the PA Announcer for this storied franchise, was too good to pass up. I couldn’t say no.
Explain the set up with the Warriors at Chase Center
I sit at the scorer’s table, right at center court. It’s the best seat in the house! I got to announce Michael Jordan in Chicago. I got to announce the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York. And now, I have a front row seat at Chase Center to announce future Hall of Famers like Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. It’s pretty incredible!
When a Warriors player makes a big three-point basket, the fans will hear me say ‘THREEEEEEEE!!’ It’s fun to keep the crowd fired up and engaged throughout the game.
Evening basketball, early morning news
It can be a quick turnaround. Most weeknight Warriors games start at 7 p.m. A few start at 8 p.m. Games last about two-and-a-half hours or so. My alarm for work goes off at 2:15 a.m. Fortunately, I live very near Chase Center, so I can get home pretty quickly after games. And, I’m a great afternoon nap-taker.
How the PA announcer got his start
I owe my PA announcing career to being a lousy basketball player. I was cut from the Escalon High team in 10th grade. It turns out I was a much better basketball announcer than I was basketball player. I continued announcing in college at San Jose State. I ended up being a PA announcer for soccer at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Then came the Bulls, the Knicks and now the Warriors. I don’t know if anyone else has been a PA announcer for three NBA teams. From the little stage in the old gym at Escalon High, to the biggest stages in the NBA. It’s been quite a journey!
Steve Scott lives with his wife, Jeanne, in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, very near Chase Center and Oracle Park. He’s a 1979 graduate of Escalon High School, and a 2020 graduate of San Jose State University – completing his college degree 41 years after graduating high school.
The Times would like to hear from readers regarding other EHS alumni to highlight. Send information to Editor Marg Jackson via email: mjackson@oakdaleleader.com and include some specifics about the graduate, the year they graduated and what they’re doing now, along with a contact phone number or email for the alumnus.
