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SALT LAKE CITY — A new ballpark isn't the only major change coming to the Salt Lake Bees in the near future, its voice is leaving Smith's Ballpark too.
Steve Klauke, a three-time Utah Sportscaster of the Year award-winner, and who has been the primary radio announcer for the team since they returned as the Buzz in 1994, announced Friday that this season will be his last. However, he plans to continue to be the radio voice of the Weber State football and men's basketball teams, a role he's had since 2015.
"I have decided that now is the best time to hang up the microphone," he said, in a statement. "I want to thank the fans for their support and hope everyone has had as much fun listening as I have had broadcasting. I am looking forward to calling the 2023 season and taking one last trip around the league."
Klauke, originally from Illinois, came to Utah in 1991 to host Utah Jazz pregame, halftime and postgame shows before he landed the job calling what was then the Salt Lake Buzz. He's since called 4,034 regular season and playoff games over the past 29 years, earning a Ballpark Digest Broadcaster of the Year award in 2014 in addition to his local sportscaster accolades.
He's even filled in a few times for the Bees' parent MLB club, the Los Angeles Angels, as well as the Toronto Blue Jays before that. He's most known for his phrase "handshakes and high-fives all around" after Bees wins, which he's said over 2,000 times in his career.
Klauke's final season in the Smith's Ballpark radio booth will begin next week, as the Bees host the Sacramento River Cats on March 31. His last game is scheduled to be on Sept. 24.
Salt Lake Bees president Marc Amicone called Klauke "an icon in the Utah media" and the "the best play-by-play announcer in baseball." Gail Miller, the co-founder of the Larry H. Miller Company, which owns the club, added that Klauke is a "true fan" of the team.
"We will always treasure and honor the immeasurable impact he has had on sports in Utah," she said. "Steve will forever be remembered as 'the voice of the Bees' and holds a special place in our hearts."
The Larry H. Miller Company announced in January that the team will move to a new ballpark to be built in South Jordan after the 2024 season. The team has played at Smith's Ballpark since returning to Utah in 1994.
