NESN Red Sox Broadcast To Make History With All-Female Team in the Booth — and at the Helm

Emma Tiedemann and Alanna Rizzo will be on the call; Red Sox vet Amy Kaplan will produce

When the surging Boston Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals tonight (7 p.m. ET, NESN), it won’t just be another regular-season ballgame at Fenway Park. It will mark a milestone in sports television: the first-ever full Red Sox game to feature an all-female broadcast booth — and a production team led by women.

From left: Anna Gregoire and Amy Kaplan produce NESN’s broadcast of a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. (Photo: Clay Stark/Boston Red Sox)

The effort, part of NESN’s Women of NESN initiative and tied to the team’s annual Women’s Celebration Night, is more than symbolic. It’s a deliberate showcase of the depth and leadership of women across the RSN’s broadcast operations — from editorial to technical execution — and an opportunity to highlight the collaboration and preparation driving one of regional sports’ most sophisticated productions.

At the center of tonight’s on-air presentation will be Emma Tiedemann, radio voice of the Portland Sea Dogs, providing play-by-play and Alanna Rizzo, NESN’s Emmy-winning reporter, offering color commentary. Kasey Hudson, who joined NESN through its “Emerging Talent” development pipeline, will provide sideline reporting. In the studio, Natalie Noury will anchor pre/postgame coverage alongside The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.

Behind the scenes, NESN’s production will be steered by two of its top female leaders: Amy Kaplan will produce the game broadcast; Anna Gregoire, the studio show. Their leadership roles underscore the growing presence of women in top production positions at NESN — and the value of creating visibility for that talent.

“This shouldn’t be the story forever,” says Tiedemann. “Eventually, it should just be a baseball game. But, for now, it’s important to show people what’s possible.”

Rizzo agrees. Although she welcomes the attention the night brings, her hope is that this becomes the norm. “We’re having this conversation because it’s an all-female booth, but look at the résumés: we’ve all been doing this for decades. Once Emma calls that first pitch, we’re off and running. It’s no different from any other day at the park.”

From Portland to Primetime: Bridging Production Worlds

For Tiedemann, the jump from a Double-A radio booth to NESN’s full-scale MLB production is not just a career milestone. It’s an education in what live sports television can look like when fully resourced.

Emma Tiedemann and Alanna Rizzo open NESN’s Red Sox broadcast on Tuesday night. (Photo: NESN)

“Up in Portland, our TV production is two people: a director and a replay person,” she explains. “We don’t really have graphics that I can call for. In my ear is our radio producer because we simulcast. I have no direct line to our MiLB TV crew. Replays just show up on the monitor, and I try to talk about them while also serving a radio audience.”

By contrast, NESN’s coverage offers a collaborative environment with layers of support: real-time stat feeds, multi-angle replay coordination, graphic integration, and editorial storytelling tools that elevate the booth’s ability to engage the viewer. “I’ll never forget last season just having somebody feeding me stats in my ear — things I would never be able to access that quickly in the minors,” Tiedemann says. “Just being able to access all of that in one place, I’ll definitely be standing back in awe of the production at some point tomorrow night.”

Elevating the Booth With Support Behind the Lens

Kaplan’s experience leading Red Sox broadcasts is a foundational piece of NESN’s game-day workflow. Both Tiedemann and Rizzo point to her presence as a stabilizing and empowering force that allows the booth to do its best work.

“Having someone like Amy in the chair, there [is] a sense of comfort,” says Tiedemann. “Her veteran presence makes a huge difference. How she reads the game and orchestrates the whole broadcast elevates everything we’re doing in the booth. Alanna and I can focus on our roles knowing that the visuals and transitions are in the hands of pros.”

As an announcer accustomed to calling minor-league games for radio as part of a team of two, Tiedemann is eager to lean into the wealth of NESN’s production tools and storytelling capabilities: “There’s a center-field camera angle NESN uses that really shows how a ball gets through the infield into right. I love that. It’s something I can build off of in my call. But there will also be moments when I have to remind myself: ‘No, Emma, you have to talk now. Don’t just sit back and enjoy the shot.’ That’s how impressive their production is.”

NESN’s Commitment to Opportunity and Visibility

The broadcaster’s Women of NESN initiative is a multi-year effort to identify, mentor, and showcase women across both on-air and production roles. It’s the same program that helped launch Hudson’s career, and the initiative continues to build a visible pathway into roles that have historically skewed male, particularly behind the camera.

Kasey Hudson reports from the field during Tuesday night’s NESN broadcast of Red Sox vs. Royals. (Photo: Clay Stark/Boston Red Sox)

Rizzo offers perspective from having been part of the first all-female MLB broadcast in 2021, a game produced by MLB Network and YouTube. That crew, which included Melanie Newman and Sarah Langs in the booth and Rizzo on the field, drew national media attention, including segments on NBC Nightly News and Today.

“That moment was huge,” Rizzo recalls. “But, when you strip away gender and look at qualifications, the work speaks for itself. We’re getting closer to a place where that’s all that matters.”

Building the Future — One Broadcast at a Time

Although the spotlight will be on the on-air crew tonight, the long-term impact lies in showing what a modern, inclusive production environment can look like — one in which women hold decision-making roles across editorial, technical, and storytelling domains.

Tiedemann is treating the opportunity as both a platform and a learning experience: “This year I’ll be a little more grounded. It’s not a doubleheader, and I know the lay of the land. But I want to be more TV-minded. In Portland, I’m so used to radio. This time, I’m focused on letting the pictures do some of the talking — and trusting the crew behind the scenes to bring it to life.”

UPDATE (8/7/25): Photos from the night of the broadcast have been added