Longtime Rangers broadcaster Steve Busby is out as the team's television play-by-play voice.

It was the Rangers' call.

"I wasn't given any options," Busby, 67, said in a telephone conversation Friday. He joined the Rangers' broadcast team in 1982. He's been along for much of the ride since.

Dave Raymond, who was a utility broadcaster last season, is expected to become the Rangers' primary television play-by-play voice. He'll be joined by analyst Tom Grieve, who recently has eased up on his workload.

When Grieve took time off in 2016, Busby slid into the analyst seat with Raymond replacing him on play-by-play.

Busby, a former pitcher, did a great job analyzing that part of the game. Sometimes he was hard on the Rangers' staff. Let's hope his old-school grit had nothing to do with his parting.

For their part, the Rangers said they simply were looking to go in a different direction.

"It's been a long run," Busby said. "I'm not sure it hasn't been more than I deserved."

Still, he said he would have liked to broadcast for the Rangers "a while longer."

Other moves on the FSSW broadcasts should be expected. There will be behind-the-scenes production changes. Slightly complicating matters is that voices in the booth work for the Rangers, as does field reporter Emily Jones. Meanwhile, studio voices and Jim Knox, who roams the stands, are employed by FSSW. There is plenty of coordinating to be done.

"Along with the Rangers we are re-evaluating the entire experience," said Steve Simpson, who heads up FSSW.