Editing Phoenix Suns (section)

==Media{{Anchor|The Voice of the Suns}}==
On television, Suns games not aired exclusively by one of the league's national television partners. They are carried on broadcast television by [[Gray Television]]'s Arizona's Family Sports network (which consists of [[KPHE-LD]] in Phoenix, KAZF 32 in Flagstaff, KAZS 27 in Yuma, and [[KOLD-TV]] 13.5 in Tucson), or Phoenix [[independent station]] [[KTVK]]. Games are also carried on a [[Over-the-top media service|over-the-top]] subscription streaming service known as Suns Live, in partnership with [[Kiswe Mobile|Kiswe]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bradley|first=Ben|date=October 4, 2023|title=Phoenix Suns launch Suns Live streaming subscription|work=Arizona's Family|url=https://www.azfamily.com/2023/10/04/phoenix-suns-launch-suns-live-streaming-subscription/|access-date=October 4, 2023|archive-date=October 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010085748/https://www.azfamily.com/2023/10/04/phoenix-suns-launch-suns-live-streaming-subscription/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How to Watch Phoenix Suns Local Broadcasts|work=NBA.com|url=https://www.nba.com/suns/how-to-watch|access-date=October 3, 2023|archive-date=October 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004190901/https://www.nba.com/suns/how-to-watch|url-status=live}}</ref>

The contract succeeds a previous agreement with [[regional sports network]] (RSN) [[Bally Sports Arizona]] (formerly Fox Sports Arizona), which first assumed rights to Suns home games in 2003,<ref name=":13" /> and added exclusive rights to away games beginning in the 2011–12 season (away games had previously been carried by [[KUTP]]).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sunnucks |first=Mike |date=February 23, 2011 |title=Fox Sports Arizona sole Phoenix Suns home |work=Phoenix Business Journal}}</ref> Suns owner [[Mat Ishbia]] stated that the agreements would give Suns fans "more options and access than they’ve ever had",<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=April 28, 2023 |title=The Phoenix Suns Could Usher In the Future of Regional Sports TV Deals |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/future-rsns-phoenix-suns-new-local-tv-deal-1235404040/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428165208/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/future-rsns-phoenix-suns-new-local-tv-deal-1235404040/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Rizzo |first=Lillian |title=Phoenix Suns and Mercury to move games from cable to local network and streaming |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/28/phoenix-suns-mercury-gray-television.html |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=CNBC |date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428165208/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/28/phoenix-suns-mercury-gray-television.html |url-status=live }}</ref> explaining in an interview that moving from the RSN model to [[free-to-air]] television would help counter the trend of [[cord cutting]] and increase the Suns' potential audience to three million households.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sprung |first=Shlomo |date=April 28, 2023 |title=RSN to DTC: Phoenix Suns, Mercury Bringing Games to Local TV for Free |url=https://boardroom.tv/phoenix-suns-mercury-local-tv-streaming-regional-sports-network/ |access-date=April 30, 2023 |website=Boardroom |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430184046/https://boardroom.tv/phoenix-suns-mercury-local-tv-streaming-regional-sports-network/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The contract was initially blocked by a lawsuit by Bally Sports' parent company, [[Diamond Sports Group]] (which had recently filed for [[chapter 11 bankruptcy protection]]) in April 2023. Diamond accused the team of breaching its contract and bankruptcy law, stating that the team was making an "improper effort" to "change their broadcasting partner without permitting Diamond to exercise our contractual rights."<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":32" /><ref name="Rankin">{{Cite news |last=Rankin |first=Duane |date=April 28, 2023 |title=Diamond Sports Group accuses Phoenix Suns of breach of contract in leaving Bally Sports Arizona |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/04/28/suns-say-diamond-sports-group-totally-inaccurate-on-breach-of-contract-claims/70162949007/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428194143/https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/04/28/suns-say-diamond-sports-group-totally-inaccurate-on-breach-of-contract-claims/70162949007/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Diamond sued the Suns over the Gray agreement, and the contract was voided by the bankruptcy court in accordance with an [[automatic stay]]. The stay did not impact a related agreement for rights to its [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] sister team, the [[Phoenix Mercury]].<ref name="Rankin" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaplan |first=Daniel |title=Judge voids Suns' media deal with local TV group |work=The New York Times |url=https://theathletic.com/4507308/2023/05/10/suns-diamond-sports-media-deal/ |access-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511004035/https://theathletic.com/4507308/2023/05/10/suns-diamond-sports-media-deal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Diamond was ultimately allowed to exercise its right of first refusal, but did not make an offer before the deadline lapsed; as a result, the Suns' and Gray formalized the new broadcasting agreement on July 14, 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |author=The Athletic Staff |title=Suns, Mercury to move forward with new TV deal |work=The New York Times |url=https://theathletic.com/4692136/2023/07/14/suns-mercury-gray-television-broadcast-deal/ |access-date=July 17, 2023 |archive-date=July 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717033904/https://theathletic.com/4692136/2023/07/14/suns-mercury-gray-television-broadcast-deal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[KMVP-FM|98.7 KMVP-FM]] serves as flagship station of the Suns Radio Network. [[Al McCoy (announcer)|Al McCoy]] served as the team's play-by-play announcer and "Voice of the Suns" from 1972 to 2023, making him the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history.<ref name="NBA.com-McCoy503">{{cite web |last1=phxmyramirez |title=SHAZAM! Suns to Honor Broadcasting Legend Al McCoy and His 50th Season |url=https://www.nba.com/suns/news/shazam-suns-honor-broadcasting-legend-al-mccoy-and-his-50th-season |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026080557/https://www.nba.com/suns/news/shazam-suns-honor-broadcasting-legend-al-mccoy-and-his-50th-season |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |access-date=February 22, 2022 |website=NBA.com}}</ref> He was awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award at the 2007 [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] induction ceremony, and was inducted into the Suns' [[Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor|Ring of Honor]] in 2016.<ref name="ROH-McCoy3"/> The [[2021–22 Phoenix Suns season|2021–22 season]] marked McCoy's 50th season with the team.<ref name="NBA.com-McCoy503" /> For 50 consecutive seasons (barring remote broadcasts due to COVID-19), Al McCoy was positioned at courtside, adjacent to the Suns' home bench, as recent as May 2022.<ref name="Booker-Al-Courtside3">{{cite web |title=Devin Booker gives signed jersey to Al McCoy after franchise record win |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKanaJbsG9g |access-date=October 14, 2022 |website=Official Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Channel | date=April 5, 2022 |publisher=Arizona Sports |archive-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026143913/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKanaJbsG9g |url-status=live }}</ref> He stopped broadcasting road games in 2019 due to difficult vantage points at higher locations in other NBA arenas limiting his preferred style of descriptive play-by-play.<ref name="Podcast-Pasch3">{{cite podcast |host=Dave Pasch |title=The Dave Pasch Podcast |website=AZCardinals.com |publisher=The Arizona Cardinals |date=October 26, 2022 |url=https://www.azcardinals.com/audio/the-dave-pasch-podcast-al-mccoy |access-date=October 26, 2022 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130054142/https://www.azcardinals.com/audio/the-dave-pasch-podcast-al-mccoy |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 2, 2022, his broadcast position was moved higher up in the arena, closer to the [[Skybox (sports)|skybox]]-area of the Footprint Center.<ref name="McCoyLocationChange3">{{Cite tweet|number=1576754002254958592|user=JonBloom|title=A new view, but the same Hall of Fame voice of the Suns, Al McCoy ready to rock the mic for season #51.|first=Jon|last=Bloom}}</ref> [[Tim Kempton]] serves as analyst, while Jon Bloom handles play-by-play for road games not broadcast by McCoy.<ref name="NBA.com-GameNotes3">{{cite web |title=Phoenix Suns Game Notes |url=https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/suns.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709151218/https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/suns.pdf |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2022 |website=NBA.com |publisher=Phoenix Suns}}</ref>

Television broadcasts formerly featured a simulcast of McCoy's radio commentary, but this was dropped in 2003 in favor of dedicated commentary teams for radio and television. Studio host Tom Leander initially served as the television play-by-play announcer.<ref name=":13">{{cite news |last1=Gintonio |first1=Jim |date=July 7, 2003 |title=Suns end simulcast; Leander to call road games |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53911285/suns-end-simulcast-leander-to-call/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026091023/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53911285/suns-end-simulcast-leander-to-call/ |archive-date=October 26, 2022}}</ref> As of the 2022–23 season, Kevin Ray and Leander split play-by-play duties, with either former Sun [[Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1959)|Eddie Johnson]] or [[Ann Meyers|Ann Meyers Drysdale]] on [[Color commentator|color]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2022 |title=NBA regional announcers for 2022-23 season: Complete list of local play-by-play and analysts for all 30 teams |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/nba-announcers-2022-23-season-complete-list-all-30-teams/dci67cwgqu7c5ovgxncc0os9 |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=Sporting News |archive-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428165208/https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/nba-announcers-2022-23-season-complete-list-all-30-teams/dci67cwgqu7c5ovgxncc0os9 |url-status=live }}</ref> Eddie Johnson has been the Suns TV analyst since 2000, paired initially with McCoy until the discontinuation of radio simulcasts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Eddie |title=The Real McCoy |last2=McCoy |first2=Al |last3=Wolfe |first3=Rich |date=2009 |publisher=Lone Wolfe Press |isbn=9780980097870 |chapter=Take This Job and Love It}}</ref>