TheFord C. Frick Award is presented annually by theBaseball Hall of Fame in the United States to abroadcaster for "major contributions tobaseball".[a] It is named forFord C. Frick, formercommissioner of baseball. Prior to his career as an executive, Frick was a baseball writer and occasional broadcaster; he gained fame as aghostwriter forBabe Ruth in the 1920s. The award was created in 1978, and named in tribute to Frick following his death that year.
Recipients of the award are not members of the Hall of Fame—they are not "inducted" or "enshrined", they are not "Hall of Fame broadcasters", and there is no "broadcasters' wing" of the Hall of Fame—they are officially "honorees."[3] The award is given at a separate ceremony from the induction ceremony on Hall of Fame weekend.[4] As with recipients of theBBWAA Career Excellence Award for baseball writing, the honorees are permanently recognized in a "Scribes & Mikemen" exhibit in the Hall's library.[5]
Detail on the selection process for the award when it was first established is lacking.
From2004 to2016,fans were allowed to vote for three of the award's ten annual nominees; in the final years of fan voting, it was conducted on the Hall'sFacebook page. Through2013, seven candidates were selected by a committee consisting of previous Frick Award winners and broadcast historians and columnists, which also determined the final recipient. Beginning with the2014 award, the final election committee no longer selected any of the finalists; that became the role of a Hall of Fame research committee.[6]
Other changes in the selection process were also announced for the 2014 award; these changes were similar to those instituted in 2010 for Veterans Committee balloting. From 2014 to 2016, candidates were considered every third year, based on the era in which they made their most significant contributions:[6]
"High Tide Era": Mid-1980s to present, including the rise of regional cable networks. Individuals from this era were considered for the 2014 award.
"Living Room Era": Mid-1950s to early 1980s, reflecting the rise of television. Individuals from this era were considered for the 2015 award.
"Broadcasting Dawn Era": Origin of broadcasting to early 1950s. Individuals from this era were first considered for the 2016 award.
The Hall of Fame announced further changes to the selection process in 2016 that took effect immediately, with the first award affected by these changes being that for 2017. Fan voting was eliminated, and the final ballot was cut from 10 to 8. Candidates were still considered every third year, but in mostly different categories:[7]
"Current Major League Markets": Broadcasters who made their mark with one or more specific MLB teams. These individuals were first considered for the 2017 award.
"National Voices": Broadcasters who made their contributions with national media. These individuals were first considered for the 2018 award.
"Broadcasting Beginnings": Pioneers of baseball broadcasting, roughly covering the time span of the previous "Broadcasting Dawn Era". These individuals were first considered for the 2019 award.
In April 2022, the Hall of Fame announced further changes to the Frick Award selection process. The size of the ballot was restored to 10 nominees, while also requiring that at least one candidate be a foreign-language broadcaster.[8] The election cycle was also revised, effective with the 2023 balloting: four consecutive elections will have a composite ballot of local and national broadcasters, followed by one election for broadcasters whose careers ended prior to 1994 (the introduction of theWild Card era).[8] Thus, recipients will be selected per the following balloting rotation, which will then repeat:[8]
Composite ballot (local and national voices):2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
For several years in the early 2000s, Frick Award honorees also became life members of theVeterans Committee, which considers candidates for Hall of Fame induction who are not eligible for the regular voting by theBaseball Writers' Association of America – specifically, players no longer on the BBWAA ballot and all non-players. However, starting with the2008 elections, voting for players on the main Veterans Committee ballot was restricted to Hall of Fame members. After further changes announced for the2011 elections, Frick Award winners became eligible to serve on the voting bodies that replaced the Veterans Committee that consider candidates from different eras of baseball.
