MASN announces changes to broadcast team for 2019 season

Today, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) named Bo Porter and Alex Chappell as on-air personalities for Washington Nationals baseball coverage, and announced that Dan Kolko will move to a new role with the broadcast team.Kolko will serve as the host of Nats Xtra - the exclusive Nationals pregame and postgame show - with Porter serving as the featured analyst on the show. Chappell will work as the on-field reporter, joining Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo on MASN's broadcasts of Washington Nationals baseball.

Kolko will move to the studio after spending the past five seasons as MASN's on-field reporter. Now a familiar face for Nationals fans, Kolko conducted several memorable interviews for MASN while also contributing to MLB Network as a Nationals correspondent. In total, 2019 will mark his eighth season covering the team for MASN, as he served as Nationals beat writer for MASNsports.com from 2012-14. Kolko previously covered the Baltimore Ravens for MASN from 2008-11, writing for the network's website and providing on-air analysis for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Report. Prior to joining MASN, Kolko worked with Comcast SportsNet in a production role. A native of Silver Spring, Md., Kolko earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Delaware.

Porter, a former Major League player, manager, coach, and executive, comes to MASN after most recently serving as Director of Players Trust and Director of Player Development and Youth Initiative for the Major League Baseball Players Association. He returns to the nation's capital after serving as the Nationals third base coach during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. After the 2012 season, Porter left Washington to join the Houston Astros where he served as field manager for two seasons. As a player, Porter played parts of three Major League seasons with the Chicago Cubs (1999), Oakland Athletics (2000), and Texas Rangers (2001). The outfielder also played in the Colorado Rockies (2002) and Atlanta Braves (2002-03) systems over a 10-year professional playing career. Porter was last affiliated with a Major League franchise when he served as the Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Atlanta Braves during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Chappell joins the MASN broadcast team as on-field reporter after covering college football for ESPN and the SEC Network since 2016. Chappell's baseball experience includes serving as on-field reporter for FOX Sports Sun's 2017 coverage of the Tampa Bay Rays and working the 2017 American League Division Series for TBS. Before moving to Florida, Chappell worked in Boston, covering all four major professional sports for WHDH 7-News. A native of McLean, Va., Chappell spent 2013 in the D.C. area covering the Washington Redskins on Comcast SportsNet.

In addition, the Washington Nationals and MASN are pleased to announce MASN's coverage of seven 2019 Nationals Spring Training games. Their coverage will include the March 25 exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park and six spring contests from FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach. Please see the full Spring Training TV broadcast schedule below.

NATIONALS 2019 SPRING TRAINING TV BROADCAST SCHEDULE*

2/23: vs. HOU at 6:35 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN

3/5: vs. BOS at 1:05 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN

3/9: vs. MIA at 6:35 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN 2

3/13: vs. ATL at 1:05 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN

3/16: vs. STL at 1:05 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN

3/23: vs. STL at 1:05 p.m. in West Palm Beach, FL on MASN

3/25: vs. NYY at 5:05 p.m. in Washington, D.C. on MASN

* Subject to change

For more information on how to purchase Spring Training tickets, please visit nationals.com/Spring.