MILWAUKEE -- Brewers radio play-by-play man Jim Powell and television analyst Bill Schroeder are bidding this year to join Bob Uecker in the broadcasters wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Balloting for the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence begins Sept. 1, with the top three vote-getters by the fans automatically qualifying for the 10-member ballot that will be formulated by a 20-member committee and announced Oct. 6. The winner will be announced Dec. 9 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas and will receive the award during the induction ceremony July 26, 2009, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Fans may vote for up to three of their favorites among 210 broadcasters eligible in balloting conducted exclusively on the Hall's Web site, baseballhalloffame.org , which will carry biographical sketches of each candidate. Fans can vote up to once a day throughout September. Results will be announced when voting concludes Sept. 30. There will be no updates provided during the voting period.

Powell is in his 15th Major League season, starting with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Brewers in 1996. He was named the 1998 Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year and is a three-time Sportscaster of the Year in South Carolina. The 2007 season was Powell's 12th alongside Uecker, who won the Frick Award in 2004.

Schroeder, a former Brewers catcher, is in his 14th season on Brewers telecasts and his second alongside play-by-play man Brian Anderson. Schroeder broke into the Majors with Milwaukee and was behind the plate when Juan Nieves threw the only no-hitter in club history in 1987. He played eight seasons with the Brewers and Angels and began his broadcasting career with WTMJ radio in 1998.

A minimum of 10 years of continuous Major League service with a club, network, or combination thereof is required to appear on the ballot.

Dave Niehaus, the long-time voice of the Seattle Mariners, was the recipient at the 2008 induction in July, which marked the 30th anniversary of the award that was first presented to legendary figures Mel Allen and Red Barber. The award was named for the late broadcaster, National League President, Commissioner and Hall of Famer. Frick was a driving force behind the creation of the Hall of Fame and helped foster the relationship between radio and the game of baseball.

The three broadcasters named to the ballot last year through online voting were the Cincinnati Reds' Joe Nuxhall, the Oakland Athletics' Bill King and Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan of "Sunday Night Baseball." The other nominees selected by the 20-member committee were former "Game of the Week" broadcasters Dizzy Dean and Tony Kubek; play-by-play voices Tom Cheek (Toronto Blue Jays), Ken Coleman (Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox), Dave Van Horne (Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins) and broadcasting legend Graham McNamee (NBC), who called 12 World Series, beginning in 1923.