Listening to the radio and TV broadcasts of Brewers and Packers games, you wouldn't know Wisconsin's teams are the ultimate definition of small-market clubs.

From Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker to nationally-appreciated talents like Wayne Larrivee, Jim Powell, Pat Hughes, Matt Vasgersian and Daron Sutton, some big names in sports have landed on -- and moved through -- Milwaukee's TV and radio dials.

But how does their management retain talent when some consider Milwaukee the farm system for big league broadcasting? And what can it do to keep broadcasters here, like it didn't do for Hughes, who left for the Cubs, and Vasgersian, who now announces Padres games?

A handful of teams are looking for new broadcasters this winter: the Cubs, the Dodgers and the new franchise in Washington all have spots to fill. Might they try to tap into Powell, who sits side-by-side with arguably the most famous announcer in baseball, or pry away Sutton, who is still just settling into his job?

"Even Jim knows that another ball club would be crazy not to see if they could lure him away," says Tim Van Wagoner, who was the Brewers director of broadcasting until the end of this season. "He has the ability to be a No. 1 broadcaster at the vast majority of teams."

Van Wagoner says he's seen broadcasters make a switch before.

"When I first started, that's when Jim Paschke left to concentrate on the Bucks. I was responsible for finding the top five replacements, and we ultimately hired Matt Vasgersian (who later left for San Diego). Any good director of broadcasting will have five guys in their tickler file in case someone leaves or in case someone gets ill. You gotta be ready. I have five guys to this day."

Vasgersian stresses that his reason for leaving was different than most.

"I wanted to be back on the West Coast, but I wasn't looking to leave the Brewers. I really liked it there."

That is a different situation than Powell may find himself in, according to Vasgersian.

"Jim is married with children and has more to think about than himself," says Vasgersian. "I could make those selfish decisions."

Jon Schweitzer, senior vice president and general manager at WTMJ radio, the flagship station of the Brewers Radio Network, says there are processes in place to make sure his talents don't jump ship.

Says Schweitzer, "When you a have a good talent, at least we put him under a contract. That is the case with Jim. Over and above that, we make sure that working conditions are appropriate for that talent. We make sure he's challenged. We make sure he understands what our direction is. We have a great relationship with Jim."

Will the Cubs come calling?

Powell's current contract runs for the next two years, however it's not unusual in broadcasting for a talent to leave his market for another opportunity somewhere else. Most stations don't want to keep an employee who wants to leave.

The Cubs, for their part, are remaining tight-lipped about their search for new talent.

"(We're in the) very early of the stages of the process," says the Cubs vice president of marketing and broadcasting John McDonough. "We're really not going to get into the name game."

Other sources have reported that Sutton and his predecessor, Vasgersian, are on the short list for the Cubs job. After all, Chicago is a lucrative and high-profile market, and there are very few open spots.

"There are 55 radio play-by-play positions, and 100,000 people would want one of the jobs," says Van Wagoner. Even in Milwaukee, he says, "There's no lack of candidates who come out of the woodwork and would express interest."

Vasgersian agrees, and says a broadcaster must tread carefully if he's looking for a better deal.

"If Jim wanted to get into some prolonged contractual squabble, there'd be 75,000 kids with demo tapes and Brooks Brothers suits waiting to take his -- and my -- spots," says Vasgersian. "Regardless of how good you are, the team thinks they can get someone in there cheaper. It's like the situation with players' (contracts), but there's no union for broadcasters."

He also admits that every broadcaster is expendable, too, except for Vin Scully in Los Angeles.

"When you start to get fat and lazy that's when you lose your edge. And none of us are so good that we're not replaceable," says Vasgersian.

So, is it likely that a current or former Brewers talent could wind up with the Cubs, as was the case with Hughes? Van Wagoner thinks it's possible.

"All I can say is that in any TV play-by-play situation, you have to go with the intricacies of the marketplace. Chicago is used to the lovable Harry Carry, Dick Butkis and Ron Santo types, who aren't as much of broadcasters as characters. Vasgersian could do Chicago but maybe not Florida, where they have an older listenership and want their play-by-play right down the middle. Daron would be a great fit in any market. He's the type of guy that is always asking what extra he could do from a community relations standpoint. (He's) unbelievable -- if you gave him a chance to work a ticket booth, he would."