For more than a decade, Kyle Belanger’s media work has included a deeply-rooted relationship with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

While the collaboration began during his time working as the afternoon drive-time host on the ESPN Radio affiliate located inside the HoopHall, it has certainly taken on increased significance since 2016. That was when he was named lead host for 60 Days of Summer, leading to a vibrant expansion of his interaction with the HoopHall community.

In 2021, he played a large role in the rebrand of 60 Days to its current “HoopHall Hangouts” format, which allowed the program to stretch throughout the entire calendar year. Belanger has also been tabbed as the host of the HoopHall’s postseason collegiate award conference calls, working as the moderator between hall of famers and college coaches, as the top players in the nation are named by the most influential figures in the sport.

Belanger’s strategic communication expertise is also put to use with his HoopHall partnership. Each year, during Hall of Fame Enshrinement weekend, Kyle serves as the primary liaison between the HoopHall and one of its title sponsor, Baron Championship Rings. In that capacity, he serves a number of roles, including working directly with the organization’s founder and president to present the new hall of famers with their custom-made hall of fame rings, ensuring a smooth and mutually-beneficial experience for all parties involved.

Select examples of the 60 Days of Summer interview series, the Legends podcast, and enshrinement coverage can be found below.

Kyle Belanger is a fulltime member of the Communications/Sports Journalism faculty at Springfield College, where he specializes in radio and Internet journalism. His classes blend modern media theory and practical technical skills, with the immediate goal of placing students into positions of success in internship and employment roles. He has been on faculty for eight and a half years.

In addition, Kyle maintains his position as an active and vibrant member of the sports broadcasting media. He hosts a weekly podcast for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame titled “Legends,” during which he interviews members of the hall of fame and asks them to go deeper into their personal narratives than they have in previous interviews. Kyle also hosts the Hall of Fame’s in-person 60 Days of Summer appearances, interviewing sports’ brightest stars in front of a live audience.

Kyle’s most recent broadcast, a play-by-play gig for BallIsLife, has already garnered more than 300,000 views on Facebook Live.

None of this work is as important to Kyle as his roles in the fatherhood profession. Proud to be the only working father he knows to be present for more than 95 percent of his children’s school pickups and drop-offs, and having never missed lunchbox note, Kyle looks for every opportunity he can get to road trip with his family. Many of his adventures are captured and shared on his popular FirstTimeFatherProject.com blog.

Dedicated to service, Kyle’s work as a community advocate and volunteer also leans heavily on his skills as a communications professional. As co-founder and executive board member for All Our Kids, Inc., Kyle’s duties include helping to organize and publicize events for foster children and their families throughout the Pioneer Valley. In addition, Kyle’s work assisting in publicity and events for the Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team has earned him four consecutive trips to work with the organization on Radio Row at the Super Bowl.

Kyle’s media career began in 2001, when he started freelancing for The Item, a mid-sized daily newspaper serving the Sumter, S.C., region. His responsibilities at The Item were primarily in the sports department, a coincidence that launched the next 15 years of his media life.

His first fulltime foray came in 2002, as a sportswriter and columnist for The Recorder, in Greenfield, Mass. He would eventually become assistant sports editor there, as well as win multiple awards for his weekly column “Fan Fare.”

In 2006, he became Editor in Chief at the Western Mass Sports Journal, continuing to write, as well as overseeing day-to-day operations and production. It was also at this time that he began his work in sports talk radio, hosting a weekly Sports Journal show and eventually helping to flip the format on WHLL to a sports talk/ESPN Radio affiliate. In 2008, he left the Sports Journal and joined WHLL as sports director and afternoon drive-time host.

Kyle lives in South Hadley with his wife, Caroline Martin, their two sons, Milo (8) and Calder (6), and Taco the Cat (age unknown).