Ben Strober’s childhood home was no stranger to the sounds of nightly D.C. sports broadcasts. He was enamored by Washington’s best athletes, whether from the then-Redskins, Wizards, Nationals, or Capitals.
Back then, Strober had hopes of becoming like the players he watched on television. Today, he works among them. As a producer on 106.7 The Fan, host of the Locked On Wizards Podcast, and writer on Wizards Roundtable, Strober’s job revolves around the District’s sports scene.
His route to the industry was born from that same local passion.
Ben Strober Quickly Found His Passion for Sports
A Gaithersburg, MD native, Strober was enthralled by the speed of John Wall and the excitement of Steve Buckhantz’s play-by-play calls.
But once he realized he didn’t have Wall’s bounce or Max Scherzer’s arm, Strober set his sights on the other end of sports. So, in middle school, he turned to his dad, Alan, for help on how to start.
“I asked, ‘How do I become a sports broadcaster?’, and he said to go to journalism school,” Strober said. “I knew from a young age that was the path that called me.”
But Strober made sure to get his feet wet before college as well. At Quince Orchard High School, he worked for the student newspaper, The Prowler, and landed an internship at The Town Courier, a local publication. There, he covered Quince Orchard football games on social media.
In the fall of 2021, Strober arrived at the University of Maryland to study broadcast journalism. Maryland became the next chapter in his budding career, with WMUC, the university’s student-run radio station, laying the foundation for his early growth.
He called softball and volleyball games for the station, doing play-by-play for the first time. Listening back to his first broadcast now, Strober admits he would cringe. At the time, however, he was thrilled to finally put years of listening into practice.
Everything was new. From calling games in-arena to attending post-game press conferences, Strober was navigating unfamiliar territory. But developing a feel for student media proved instrumental in building his career.
“You really start to understand what you’re capable of, and how you can better yourself every time,” Strober said. “Just getting the opportunity to do it and proving to yourself that it’s possible… it’s paramount, it’s everything.”
Playing the Field in the Minor Leagues
Strober’s focus was broadcasting, but his writing roots still showed.
The summer after his freshman year, he interned for the Gaithersburg Giants of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, writing game recaps. There, Strober heard about the Cape Cod Baseball League and its reputation as a great sports media launching pad. He applied around to various teams.
Only one got back to him: the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. It was a perfect match, the start of a relationship built as much on mutual trust as on opportunity.
A year later, he was living on Cape Cod and reporting on the team for its website. Writing came naturally to Strober, but he still had an irresistible itch to get back in the booth. So, he bet on himself and convinced Red Sox team president Paul Izzo to consider him for a commentary position.
“I pitched myself to the team president at the time, who had seen me do some video content for the team,” Strober said. “So he ultimately decided to bring me back for the next summer, but to do play-by-play, and it was such a rewarding experience.”
The job was a grind from the start. Calling 44 games in two months demanded detailed preparation and quick turnarounds. However, it was worth it, as the intense work helped Strober improve with every broadcast of the summer.
Although he already had his work cut out for him, he continued to try on different hats to diversify his skill set. To start his sophomore year, he joined the Big Ten Plus Student Network (B1G+ StudentU), a program that streams live games entirely operated by students.
Strober added another first to his list, securing exclusive rights to produce TV broadcasts of Maryland games. Working basketball, lacrosse, softball, and baseball — he had his handprints all over. Strober cherished their lacrosse broadcasts in particular, as he was brought on as an analyst due to his high school playing experience.
During the spring semester, Strober also joined the Maryland Baseball Network, which broadcasts the university’s games online and on the radio. On the mic, he commentated play-by-play and got his first experience covering America’s pastime in a live setting.
Strober put the cherry on top of a loaded résumé in his senior year: a leadership position. Having worked at WMUC for three years, Strober became the station director and took on a new set of responsibilities. But with the job, he entered a new stage of professional development.
“Having that position, I had an understanding of creating the schedules, making sure people knew how to operate the equipment,” Strober said. “It helped me grow in terms of leading… I just understood that when you’re working within that field… all these very prominent people in the industry, they treat you like one of them.”
Taking the Next Step in D.C. Radio
As his final semester as a Terp neared, Strober could finally begin to celebrate four years of hard work. But this time of reflection and rejoicing wasn’t immune to uncertainty.
With no job lined up and the day to toss his cap approaching, he didn’t know what the future would hold. Questions about what he would do for work — and whether he’d find a job at all — hung over the final stretch. Through everything, though, Strober remained level-headed.
“You just knew that the clock was ticking on what you would do, so that was a bit nerve-racking,” Strober said. “I was confident in myself that I would find something, I just didn’t know if it was going to be in this area or not… I honestly have no idea what I expected at that point.”
His faith was rewarded soon thereafter.
Strober came across a job posting for a part-time talk show host position at 106.7 The Fan. Assuming it would turn into another ghosted application, he applied, threw in a cover letter, and moved on. To his surprise, his inbox lit up.
Program director Chris Kinard asked Strober to interview. Although Kinard ultimately chose not to hire him as a host, he saw enough potential to offer Strober a part-time producer role instead.
Both understood that giving him the host job was a bit of a long shot. But Kinard believed Strober had the talent to succeed and wanted him to learn from the ground up.
Ben Strober Became a Professional
So, in December of 2024, Strober joined The Fan as producer of the Grant and Danny show, hosted by Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier. Streaming live every weekday on Audacy, the show covers everything from Washington sports to the biggest national sports news.
Operating the board, Strober screens calls and manages audio to keep things running smoothly on the air.
Kinard’s belief in him paid off. After a year of producing the show, Strober earned a larger on-air role, anchoring hourly updates with the latest headlines in 60-second segments.
And though often the youngest person in the room, Strober never felt alienated at The Fan. Working among people with decades in radio, he’s embraced the chance to learn from them.
“It’s been an invaluable experience, and a lot of great mentorship as well,” Strober said. “A lot of the colleagues I work with have been in the radio business for 25 to 30 years now, they’re extremely knowledgeable… I’m super grateful that everyone I’ve met at 106.7 has been helpful.”
Yet, much like his college days, one role wasn’t enough.
Strober’s friend Adam Gotkin, broadcaster for the Fredericksburg Nationals, sent him a job posting for host of Locked On Wizards. Strober contacted the recruiter and channel manager and talked to them over the phone afterwards.
That conversation quickly left a great impression. After speaking, they had a good feeling about him and offered Strober the job on the spot, giving him the keys to lead their daily show. It was an opportunity that culminated years of preparation, and he secured it just two weeks after graduating.
Strober debuted on the podcast in June 2025, breaking down Washington’s offseason moves and analyzing the NBA draft.
One year later, there’s much more for him to discuss. After years of rebuilding, the Wizards have become an intriguing squad after winning the first overall pick and collecting top talent.
Alongside co-host Abdullah Ayubi, Strober evaluates draft prospects and shares his projections for Washington’s future.
But beyond talking hoops, the role has provided something equally valuable: access.
“Being in the stadium every day, press conferences, media availability, just really understanding you’re in a professional space,” Strober said. “It’s a very cool experience to see the day-to-day process from the players, the head coach, and the general manager. Just being in the building is one of my favorite things.”
His time spent in Capital One Arena isn’t dedicated solely to observing the types of people he’s dreamed of meeting. Strober has made it a point to connect with them and seasoned members of the media. He says it wouldn’t have been so easy to capture a sense of belonging if not for their welcoming attitudes.
Growing comfortable with media veterans has paid dividends beyond the walls of the arena, too. Strober hosts established figures on his show, such as Josh Robbins, Chase Hughes, and Joe House, to name a few.
His commitment has translated into all-time numbers for the podcast. In May, Locked On Wizards posted its most successful month ever. It generated more than 237,200 views and produced the most-watched video in the show’s YouTube history through 28 days.
Add to his long list of duties his coverage of the Wizards for Roundtable IO since November, utilizing the penmanship that kick-started his career. Even with producing his journalism through all of these mediums simultaneously, Strober doesn’t get tired of putting in the effort. He knows this is what it takes to make a name for himself in a competitive field.
“Gotta learn to love it,” Strober said. “You understand that the days are going to be long at this point, but this is how everyone made it big within sports broadcasting… you just really love what you’re doing, so it doesn’t feel like work at the end of the day.”
Chasing What’s Next
Strober’s progression has been built on passion, persistence, and above all, time.
It’s rooted in years of Washington fandom, endless student-radio broadcasts, loads of press conferences, and hours in The Fan’s studio.
Each step has led naturally to the next. Student broadcasts became internships. Internships became jobs. And jobs opened doors to new relationships and opportunities. It’s all part of the process Strober has learned to love.
Yes, the workload is often demanding, and the future is unclear. But it’s the journey he treasures just as much as the destination that he hopes to find.
“Whether it’s doing play-by-play, if I hosted my own show on 106.7 The Fan one day, I want to do it through hard work,” Strober said. “I would attribute everything that I’ve been lucky to have to the fact I’ve worked really hard to make that luck even possible.”
For the kid who once listened from his living room, the dream has moved from the speakers to the microphone.
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