A Santa Barbara County man has had a nearly front-row seat to the Olympics for more than two decades. He’s helped bring some of the iconic moments to sports fans around the world.
Brad Jay is now in the middle of working his ninth Olympics, which is now in its final week in Italy.
"I'm staying in the fashion district of Milan. It's fun, but you really want to be up at the venue," said Jay.
He works for the International Broadcast Center (OBS), which supplies feeds of Olympic events to broadcast networks around the world, including NBC in the United States.
"Our English-language feed will go out to about 200 different places, and NBC can use our feed as well," said Jay. "If they're not using their announcers in a qualifying round, or maybe a sport that doesn't have a lot of American stars in it, they will take our feed. They can also take our highlights. I've heard my highlights are all over the place on NBC right now."
Jay talked about some of the events he’s announcing during these Olympics.
"This time around, I am the main announcer for snowboard cross, free ski slope style, some aerials, and others. I'm doing about six or seven different sports. I feel like I'm becoming a Swiss utility knife here at the Olympics!"
He started as a radio DJ in Santa Barbara at KJEE, a modern rock station. He also freelanced as a DJ, playing music during Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games, and as an in-stadium host at Los Angeles Clippers basketball games.
He also became a DJ and arena announcer for the X-Games, the extreme sports games. In 2002, he worked his first Olympics.
"I was already doing radio, so I had music experience, and I was hired to be the music director, and to pick all the DJ's (for contest venues) at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City," said Jay. "I thought at that point my career would be a manager hiring DJ's. I didn't know that I was going to be moving to an announcing role. It wasn't until 2018, in South Korea, where I ran into somebody from OBS and they needed somebody to fill in for a couple of TV shows. I was there, I filled the void, and boom! Next thing I know, I'm doing the Olympics in 2020, 2022, 2024, and now 2026."
For more than two decades, he’s also been the nighttime DJ on KTYD, Santa Barbara’s classic rock station. He’s doing his night show from Italy.
While the Winter Games wrap up this weekend, he’ll be staying on in Italy for a few more weeks, as part of the broadcast team for the Paralympics.
Jay admits he’s really excited about the next Olympics. After criss-crossing the globe for decades, he’ll be able to jump in a car and head south on Highway 101 to do the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
"To be in LA, where I was born in 1964, is amazing," said Jay. "I am so much looking forward to that."
The 2030 Winter Olympics are in France, and the 2032 Summer Games in Australia. Jay is hoping to do those, and then perhaps wrap up his Olympic career when the 2034 Games return to the United States, and Salt Lake City.
"To me, I feel like that's the swan song. That would probably be my last one. At that point, I'm getting up there in age," said Jay.
The Santa Barbara County man says he feels incredibly lucky, having a part in the games and helping to bring Olympics history to the world for decades.
