Benson High School

The KBPS Sportscasting program provides students in Portland Public Schools the opportunity to broadcast live PIL football and basketball games on-air on the radio and online.  No previous broadcast experience is necessary.  Any Portland Public High School student is eligible.  More information is available by emailing KBPS Instructor Jacob Patterson jacpatterson@pps.net or emailing KBPS Sportscasting Director Sean Philipsen sphilipsen@pps.net - Find our upcoming schedule and podcasts of previous games on KBPS below.

KBPS Sportscasting Recruiting Flyer  

Tips To Become Better at Sportscasting (from the KBPS textbook "Announcing Broadcast Communicating Today 5th Edition")

How to join: Review this page with parents / guardians. Complete the two required forms. Contact us via email. Review schedule. Show up at game location with completed forms one hour before game start time. Contact us before arriving at the game to receive free KBPS Media entry at the event. Commit to staying for the entire broadcast of the game.

Weekly Sportscasting Meetings: The KBPS Sportscasting team meets on Thursdays 3:45p - 4:45p in KBPS classroom #182 at Benson High School to talk about tips, improving skills, review previous broadcasts, and answer any questions. All students are invited.

Broadcast Schedule (Games, locations, dates, and times are subject to change.)

2025 WINTER BASKETBALL - (Tipoff at 6pm) (Arrive at 5:15pm)

Fri 12/5/25 Lebanon @ Roosevelt 6pm Girls
Tue 12/9/25 David Douglas @ McDaniel 6pm Boys
Fri 12/12/25 Beaverton @ Benson 6pm Girls
Tue 12/16/25 McMinnville @ Lincoln 6pm Girls
Fri 12/19/25 Tigard @ Lincoln 6pm Boys 

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS -- KBPS Sportscasting is open to all PPS High School students currently in good academic standing (2.0 GPA minimum.) Participating students need to complete these two forms and return them to KBPS Sportscasting Director Sean Philipsen. (make a copy, fill out, and return): 1) KBPS FCC Form Link  & 2) KBPS Sportscasting Field Trip Form.

Students must provide their own transportation to the game (broadcast locations vary by game, most broadcast games take place at PIL schools.) Students must arrive at the broadcast 45 minutes before the start of the game, and need to be present for the entire game. Students should bring something to eat and drink like water and snacks. Students must maintain professionalism and be non-biased while broadcasting on AM 1450 and representing KBPS. 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW -- Students in the sports program conduct live radio broadcasts of PIL football and basketball games throughout the fall and winter seasons each year, including both league and state playoff games. The students assume the roles of play-by-play broadcaster and color analyst, as well as keep statistics during the games to assist with the broadcast. The sports program is open to any student attending any of the Portland public high schools, no previous radio broadcasting experience of any kind is required for participation, and like all the KBPS programs, the sports program is a rare opportunity for students to get valuable and practical hands-on on-air experience. In addition to the live game broadcasts, the students also participate in a weekly evening meeting at the KBPS studios, where the program supervisor and students listen to portions of previous broadcasts, constructively analyze each other’s work, and discuss and study how to improve and learn for subsequent broadcasts. The schedule gives the sports program a balance between classroom learning experience and on-air radio broadcasting, laying the foundation for students to use those skills to advance into college programs, as well as potentially explore internship and career employment opportunities.

PROGRAM HISTORY -- Ever since KBPS went on the air in 1923, sportscasting has been an important part of the student broadcasting program. And like today, students have always broadcast football and basketball games, as well as participated in the traditional Monday instructional and critique meetings at the KBPS studios. From the early days of the station until 2000, football broadcasts were always from Providence Park. After 2000, football broadcasts moved to Lincoln High School, where multiple schools shared the field as their "home" field. With the addition of new wireless remote broadcast equipment, KBPS now broadcasts football games from various schools throughout the district. Basketball broadcasts have always come from various high school gymnasiums in the city, but prior to the arrival of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1970, KBPS also broadcast high school basketball doubleheaders every Friday night from Memorial Coliseum.

During its over 85 year history, there are three people who have perhaps had the most influence on the sportscasting program. One is Johnny Carpenter, a long-time KOIN sportscaster, who held the role of sports program supervisor for much of the early years and initial development of KBPS, from the 1940s until the early 1960s. The second is Kevin Flink, a student of the KBPS program, who then continued his student broadcasting at Washington State University, before returning to KBPS where he spent 32 years as a teacher before retiring from the school district in recent years. The third, and likely the most important, is Don Bird, an ex-Marine, Oregon State University graduate, and physical education teacher who held the role of supervisor and guided the sportscasting program during his tenure starting in 1968 and only ending after his second bout with cancer in the late 1990s. Bird was fair, tough, kind, had a quick sense of humor, always treated students as they would want to be treated, and was an influential role model to many who came through the program, including both Flink and Russill. During Bird's second and final fight against cancer, his son Steve temporarily stepped into the role to assist during Don's final season, and the KBPS community should always be grateful to the Bird family for the contribution they made to the history of the sportscating program. 

Students have always come from all over the city to be KBPS sportscasters. Here is a list of just a few of those who have passed through the program over the years:  Phil Knight (Nike);  Hal Childs (went on to become General Manager of the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks of the NBA);  Art Eckman (broadcaster of the Portland Beavers, Oregon State University, San Francisco Giants of MLB, and was one of the first sportscasters ever hired at ESPN); Ron Ross (broadcaster of the Portland Winterhawks for over 20 years, also worked for the Eugene Emeralds and commercial radio in Portland); Steve Brandon (Sports Editor of the Portland Tribune and long-time Portland sports writer); Doug Binder (sports writer for The Oregonian); Richard Washington (may have been a standout basketball player on the court at Benson High School, UCLA, and eventually the NBA, but also worked football games from behind the mic during high school); Kevin Flink (former KBPS classroom teacher and former KBPS Operations Manager) is still actively involved in the Portland sports community as a public address announcer, working with the Portland Timbers, Portland State University, local high schools, the PIL, and the OSAA.

Starting in the 2021-22 season, Sean Philipsen returned to the airwaves following a stint as a student broadcaster in the late 2000's under Trask Russell.  Sean was named KBPS Sports Director starting with the 2021-22 season and can be heard calling play-by-play of most of the games broadcast on AM 1450 KBPS.

Podcasts of previous KBPS Sportscasting Games (left click the link to listen or right click and "save link as" to download the podcast)

12/12/2025 PIL Girls Basketball Beaverton v. Benson AM 1450 KBPS

12/9/2025 PIL Boys Basketball David Douglas v. McDaniel AM 1450 KBPS

12/5/2025 PIL Girls Basketball Lebanon v. Roosevelt AM 1450 KBPS

11/7/2025 OSAA 1st Round Football Roosevelt v. West Linn AM 1450 KBPS

10/30/2025 PIL Football Ida B. Wells v. Jefferson AM 1450 KBPS

10/24/2025 PIL Football Roosevelt v. McDaniel AM 1450 KBPS

10/17/2025 PIL Football Ida B. Wells v. Lincoln AM 1450 KBPS

10/9/2025 PIL Football Grant v. Ida B. Wells AM 1450 KBPS

10/3/2025 PIL Football Cleveland v. McDaniel AM 1450 KBPS

9/26/2025 PIL Football Lincoln v. Franklin AM 1450 KBPS

9/19/2025 PIL Football McDaniel v. Ida B. Wells AM 1450 KBPS

9/12/2025 PIL Football Century v. McDaniel AM 1450 KBPS

9/5/2025 PIL Football David Douglas v. Franklin AM 1450 KBPS

3/7/2025 OSAA 2nd Round Girls West Linn v. Benson AM 1450 KBPS

3/5/2025 OSAA 1st Round Boys Mountainside v. Grant AM 1450 KBPS

3/4/2025 OSAA 1st Round Girls Central Catholic v. Benson AM 1450 KBPS

2/25/2025 PIL Boys Basketball Jefferson v. Grant AM 1450 KBPS

2/18/2025 PIL Girls Basketball Cleveland v. Benson AM 1450 KBPS

2/11/2025 PIL Boys Basketball Benson v. Grant AM 1450 KBPS

2/4/2025 PIL Boys Basketball Jefferson v. Franklin AM 1450 KBPS

1/29/2025 PIL Girls Basketball Jefferson v. Grant AM 1450 KBPS

1/14/2025 PIL Boys Basketball Wells v. Franklin AM 1450 KBPS

1/7/2025 PIL Girls Basketball Grant v. Lincoln AM 1450 KBPS

12/6/2024 PIL Boys Basketball Grants Pass v. Lincoln AM 1450 KBPS

KBPS interviews Basketball Legend AC Green at the 2022 MLK Invitational

On 7/18/2014, Harrison Brown was able to talk with AC Green. Click here to listen.

Click the MP3 below to hear what it sounds like to be part of the KBPS sportscaster team.  This is Harrison Brown and Dylan Berichon with play-by-play of the final minutes of the Benson vs. Madison (now McDaniel) boys basketball game. Benson vs. Madison