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Welcome Back, Joe Zerhusen

Joe Zerhusen at Reds season ticket lunch Friday April 20.
John Kiesewetter
Joe Zerhusen at Reds season ticket lunch Friday April 20.

When Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine returned to Great American Ball Park Saturday, so did public address announcer Joe Zerhusen.

Zerhusen had been absent from the ballpark announcer's booth for eight weeks due to "health issues."  Aaron Sharpe, the WNKU-FM acting general manager and music host who plays recorded music between innings, had done the ballpark announcements since the April 21 Cubs-Reds game.

Zerhusen's deep distinctive voice sounded as strong at the game Saturday, after the club honored Rose before the game on the field and unveiled the new Rose statue on Crosley Terrace outside the stadium. Zerhusen has been the PA announcer since Great American Ball Park opened in 2003.

After a road trip to Tampa, Washington D.C. and St. Louis, the Reds return home Tuesday, June 27, to play the Brewers.

Zerhusen was  a 25-year radio veteran at WRRM-FM, WOFX-FM, WCKY-AM and WUBE-AM when hired by the Reds in 2003 for the opening of Great American Ball Park.

Copyright 2021 91.7 WVXU. To see more, visit .

John Kiesewetter joined the WVXU news team as a TV/Media blogger on July 1 2015, after nearly 30 years covering local and national broadcasting for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll be posting news about Greater Cincinnati TV, radio and movies; updating your favorite former local TV/radio personalities or stars who grew up here; and breaking news about national TV, radio and media trends. You’ll also learn about Cincinnati’s rich broadcasting history.