Looking to add to their totals: WCBS colleagues Lonnie Quinn and Chris Wragge show off Emmy gold at 2012 event

Award season is in full swing! It culminates with the Oscars later this month. But not so fast. The New York Emmy Awards announced its nominations today.

MSG Network leads the pack with 67 nominations. WNBC has the most among over-the-air outlets with 58 nominations.

There are dozens of award categories and here’s a brief rundown…

WCBS’ Chris Wragge, a multiple winner, has been nominated for Best Evening Newscast (under 35 minutes). He was tapped for anchoring the East River helicopter crash in October, 2011. He also received three other nominations, including coverage of a sportscast/series for the Giants Road to Super Bowl 46. He is also a nominee for the prestigious Best Anchor.

Among those joining Wragge in that category are WABC weekend morning anchor Phil Lipof, Tom Llamas of WNBC, and Sukanya Krishnan from WPIX.

Veteran WNBC anchor Chuck Scarborough is in the running for the News Special category, hosting a 9/11 10th anniversary broadcast.

• Related: FishbowlNY, Scarborough, Ritter, and Anastos Relive Memories of 9/11

Scarborough’s new nighttime partner, Shiba Russell got a couple of nominations for her 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchoring.

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After a lifetime of praise and criticism for the Knicks, John Andariese is getting feted at Madison Square Garden, his home for forty years.

Andariese retired from the broadcast booth before the start of this season.

Tomorrow night, MSG holds a special farewell for its native son. Prior to the Knicks tipping up with the Cavs, MSG will run a video tribute to the longtime announcer. After the clips, Andariese wll speak to Knicks play-by-play voice Mike Breen.

At the conclusion of the first quarter, Andariese will be presented the fifth annual Dick McGuire Knickerbocker Legacy Award by the McGuire family. The honor is symblic for someone who shows the cornerstones of the Knicks franchise: Pride, Tradition, and Class. Andariese joins past winners Herb Williams, Mike Saunders, Cal Ramsey, and original honoree, Dick McGuire.

“‘Johnny Hoops’ is one of the great New York basketball personalities and was an integral part of MSG’s Knicks coverage, on both television and radio, for four decades,” said Dan Ronayne, executive VP and general manager, MSG Networks. “Many Knicks fans grew up watching or listening to John and he will always be synonymous with MSG and the New York Knicks.”

Andariese, a stellar forward at Fordham, debuted behind the mic at MSG in 1972 as radio analyst. He also famously provided commentary on the TV side opposite Marv Albert from 1986 to 1998.

Photo courtesy: sportsgrid.com

The folks at MSG Network had a full court press last night to usher in the Knicks 2012-13 season. A media party was held at Walt “Clyde” Frazier‘s Wine and Dine just blocks away from Madison Square Garden.

There are likely several reasons for the excitement. For starters, there is an entire NBA season on the schedule. Last season’s lockout kept games scrubbed until Christmas Day. MSG announcers, who were in attendance with the exception of lead TV play-by-play voice Mike Breen, and occasional Knicks studio host Bill Pidto, are excited about this season.

Alan Hahn, a longtime beat writer, starts his second full-time season as MSG studio analyst. He declared last night that there are no more “next years” for the Knicks. He said there is anticipation that “next year” is finally here.

And the other reason for the Knicks buildup is the elephant in the room. This town belongs to the Knicks, but the Nets have owned the press. They made the highly publicized move from New Jersey to Brooklyn during the off-season. Fittingly, the Nets open their Brooklyn digs with their regular season opener Thursday night on TNT, of course against the Knicks.

Frazier sat down with FishbowlNY. Here are his thoughts about the Nets overshadowing the Knicks.
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While all eyes are locked on the Nets arrival in Brooklyn, there is another team ready to start the season.

The Knicks kick off the 2012-13 edition of the NBA schedule and, of course, MSG is the home to most of the action. The regional sports network will televise 70 regular season games starting with the Knicks’ home opener vs. the World Champion Heat November 2.

In addition to the home opener, MSG carries 13 games in November, eight featuring playoff teams from last season.

Mike Breen will return to courtside with long-time partner, Knicks analyst Walt “Clyde” Frazier. Knicks cablecasts on MSG will also include courtside reporter Tina Cervasio and Jill Martin as feature reporter and host of halftime’s “A New York Minute.” Al Trautwig will serve as host of Knicks telecasts for home games and Bill Pidto will handle host responsibilities for road games. Alan Hahn returns for his second season as a Knicks studio analyst.

MSG will also cover the entire six game pre-season schedule starting with the Knicks at the Wizards in Washington on October 11.

TNT has the opening night matchup as the Knicks travel across the East River to face the Nets, the first major league team in Brooklyn since 1957.

The nation’s first all-sports radio station is about to celebrate 25 years, and FishbowlNY is joining in the accolades.

Beginning today, we start a special, week-long series commemorating WFAN’s silver milestone July 1.

There are interviews with two charter members of the station, the first person on the air, and the signature voice a quarter-century later.

But we begin with a look back through the eyes of operations manager Mark Chernoff, who joined WFAN in 1993.

WHN owned the frequency at 1050 when Emmis suits, led by Jeff Smulyan, decided country music had run its course.

Smulyan, sales manager Joel Hollander, and others flipped the battle-tested country format in 1987 to sports. It was a mixed blessing, as WFAN was an untouched canvas on the radio easel.

“Its earliest incarnation was very different from what the ‘FAN eventually became,” Chernoff says.

Specifically, the programs were national in flavor, with many short-form features interspered within the shows. Original programming also consisted of 4 sports updates per hour, as opposed to today’s “20-20″ version. The Mets and WFAN have been perfect together since the station’s inception.

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The Knicks flip the switch on their playoff push with their first round encounter starting tomorrow against the Heat in Miami. MSG offers fans post-game coverage following each game.

MSG will broadcast Games 2, 3, and Games 5 and 6 (if necessary) of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. Game 2 on MSG is Monday night at 7 p.m.

Games on MSG will be preceded by a 60-minute pre-game show, Knicks Game Night.

MSG’s telecasts will feature Mike Breen and Walt Frazier courtside as play-by-play man and analyst, respectively. Tina Cervasio will report from the sideline for all MSG games and Jill Martin will contribute for all games at the Garden. MSG’s studio crew for the first round of the playoffs will include hosts Al Trautwig and Bill Pidto, and analysts Bernard King, Kelly Tripucka and Alan Hahn.

MSG Network today made it official, hiring Spero Dedes as the New York Knicks main radio play-by-play voice on ESPN 1050/WEPN. Dedes, who worked Los Angeles Lakers games the last six seasons, is also back-up on the TV side for veteran sportscaster Mike Breen.

“I can remember walking into the Garden for my first Knicks game as a teenager and feeling the magic of the place,” said Dedes. “I’ve been in love with this franchise ever since,” Dedes says. ”When I was a broadcast student at Fordham all I dreamt about was what it would feel like to be a Knicks announcer and now it’s become reality.  I’m truly humbled by this opportunity, and having my family close to me again means a great deal.  In addition, I’m forever grateful to the Lakers organization for my time spent there.”

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As the NBA season is about to get underway, New York Knicks veteran radio play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson is walking away from the high profile position. The games are broadcast by ESPN 1050/WEPN.

The New York Post reports that Johnson, 43, is leaving MSG Network to concentrate on his NFL and college basketball duties with CBS and boxing announcing for Showtime.

Johnson has been with MSG since 1994, also serving as backup to Mike Breen on the TV side for Knicks game.

The Post reports says another longtime member of the MSG talent pool, Mike Crispino is the likely replacement for Johnson.

Update: A MSG Network spokeman released this statement, “Gus is a very talented broadcaster, and has been a part of the MSG Network family for a long time.  We wish him all the best and will miss having him on our team.”

The Knicks begin the 2010-11 season on October 27.