American sportscaster
Michael Barkann
|
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Born
| (
1960-04-30
)
April 30, 1960
(age 64)
|
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Education
| East Brunswick High School
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication
|
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Occupation
| Sportscaster
|
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Spouse
| Ellen Barkann (2 children)
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Michael Barkann
(born April 30, 1960) is an American sports host, anchor and
reporter
for
NBC Sports Philadelphia
. From 2011 to 2016, he co-hosted the "Mike and Ike" show on 94 WIP weekdays from 10am ? 2pm.
[1]
Early years
[
edit
]
Barkann grew up in
East Brunswick, New Jersey
and attended
East Brunswick High School
, where he was an outstanding long-distance runner in spring track & cross country, graduating with the class of 1978.
[2]
[3]
He is a graduate of Syracuse University, class of 1982. He graduated with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
[4]
Broadcasting career
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
Barkann started his career at
NBC News
in
Washington, D.C.
as a desk assistant. From there he went to
New Jersey Network
in
Trenton
, working at first off-camera. On February 11, 1983, after the region was hit with a big blizzard, the station asked Barkann to contribute to the telecast, filing a weather report. It was his first time on air. Soon after, Barkann hosted a program called Weather Watch, which led to him doing the weather for the news broadcast. Several years later, Barkann started doing backup sports for the network, at age 26.
A few months later, Barkann moved to
KYW-TV
in Philadelphia as a sports reporter. Barkann spent five years at KYW-TV but did not have his contract renewed, leading him to a job in
Boston
, where he became sports director at
WLVI-TV
. However, five years in, Barkann received "an unbelievable opportunity" and returned to Philadelphia, beginning his current role as host/reporter at
NBC Sports Philadelphia
, in Philadelphia, starting in 1997.
[5]
Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia / NBC Sports Philadelphia
[
edit
]
On October 1, 1997, Barkann brought the network on the air as host of
Daily News Live
. The success of Barkann's
Daily News Live
sparked many other SportsNet affiliates to establish similar programs.
Throughout his career, Barkann has hosted
Eagles Post Game Live
, which currently features former Governor of Pennsylvania and former Mayor of Philadelphia
Ed Rendell
, Hall of Famer (Writer's Honor Roll)
Ray Didinger
, former Eagle
Brian Westbrook
and WMMR's Kathy Romano. Barkann also hosted
Monday Night Live
and a program called
Spotlight
, which are both now off the air. Barkann also hosts the
Postgame Live
programs for the
Phillies
,
Flyers
and
Sixers
whenever the team is in or near the playoffs.
Notable moments at Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia / NBC Sports Philadelphia
[
edit
]
Barkann was overcome with emotion when hosting a live postgame show the day
Harry Kalas
died in Washington. Barkann, through tears, called Kalas a "sound of summer" and the "soundtrack of our lives." Barkann said Kalas was a "great, great man," reported that "the voice is silent tonight." Barkann was also highly praised for his job hosting Kalas' memorial service, held at
Citizens Bank Park
.
Before going on air for
Phillies Postgame Live
, Barkann, along with former Phillies all-stars
Ricky Bottalico
and
Darren Daulton
, watched Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS from their set. When
Jimmy Rollins
hit a memorable walk-off double to the gap in right-center, Barkann and crew exploded. In footage captured by an idle studio camera and later released to the public, Bottalico can be seen saying "that's winning the game, that's winning the damn game" and Barkann throwing his hands in the air and yelling "this team is incredible, this team is unbelievable!" The video was used as part of the Phillies pregame montage shown on their video board at
Citizens Bank Park
during the 2010 postseason.
While working for
KYW-TV
, Barkann did a piece called "Birds Eye View" during which Coach
Buddy Ryan
allowed him to "try out" for the team. Barkann lined up at receiver with
Randall Cunningham
at QB. Troy West, the DB, lined up against Barkann, who Barkann later recalled "threw me ten feet in the air." When asked about Barkann's performance,
Mike Quick
said, "I thought he was going to be bad, but that was just sad."
[6]
National broadcasting career
[
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]
Barkann's career has also included many national jobs. Most notably, he served as a field reporter for
USA Network
's coverage of the
U.S. Open Tennis Championships
from 1991 to 2008. In 2009, coverage shifted to
ESPN
and Barkann was left off the broadcast team.
[7]
Since leaving the Open, Barkann has covered the
Billie Jean King Cup
for HBO Sports. Held at
Madison Square Garden
and shown nationally on HBO, the event featured a final of
Serena Williams
against her sister Venus.
Barkann's career has also included reporting for CBS. With CBS he has covered major events, including the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan in 1998, and the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994 as a speed skating reporter covering
Dan Jansen
, who won a gold medal in the 1000m.
In 1992, Barkann was a reporter at the
1992 Winter Olympic Games
in
Albertville, France
[8]
where he covered the
Dan Jansen
story.
[9]
Barkann's career also involved the NCAA he has covered the Final Four and Fiesta Bowl for CBS as well as Big 5 Basketball events and telecasts.
In 2009, Barkann also hosted the finale of
Being John Daly
for
the Golf Channel
.
Barkann is also a former
XFL
commentator. He worked the
UPN
(now
CW
) game telecasts.
Notable national broadcasting moments
[
edit
]
During Barkann's time at the Open, fans grew accustomed to his off-beat, fun interview style. One of the first stories Barkann did for USA was on a hot dog stand that players had mentioned smelling during their matches. His piece included an interview with the vendor, who insisted if the players came and tried his hot dogs all would be well.
Another famous moment came back in 1992 with
Barbra Streisand
, who was then rumored to be dating
Andre Agassi
. Barkann asked Streisand, "what moves you about him on the court," to which she replied, "he's so evolved, more so than his linear years and he plays like a zen master out there." This interview marked the first time Streisand talked publicly about her relationship with Agassi and it made big news at the time.
In 2007, Barkann interviewed
Jerry Seinfeld
and
Larry David
. Barkann asked the two what the funniest thing they had seen at the Open was, to which Seinfeld replied, "not you."
At the 2008 Open, Barkann asked
Novak Djokovic
in his on-court post match interview (which was not only broadcast to the television audience, but over the PA system at Arthur Ashe stadium) to do his famous, but never before seen impersonations. Djokovic did his
Maria Sharapova
and
Rafael Nadal
impersonations, becoming an instant sensation on YouTube (getting over one million hits) and in tennis circles. Ironically, Barkann's last interview at the US Open was another attention-getter with Novak talking in front of a sea of angry booing fans about how they were only cheering for
Andy Roddick
because they thought he had "16 injuries".
Personal life
[
edit
]
Barkann resides with his wife Ellen in
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
. Ellen was instrumental in the startup of The Philadelphia Sports Group, which serves as a talent marketing agency for local and national athletes and sports media members. His daughter is
Emmy
award-winning journalist and
White House
correspondent, Emily Barkann.
Barkann read the eulogy at former colleague and MLB catcher
John Marzano
's funeral and frequently recalls the shortened life of his great friend. He also spoke at Daily News columnist Phil Jasner's funeral, along with
Doug Collins
.
Barkann was the subject of part of
Bill Conlin
's speech at his induction to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame
in
Cooperstown, New York
.
[10]
Michael, along with his wife Ellen Barkann, started the Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation in the beginning of 2013. The foundation seeks to help heal the hearts of families across the Delaware Valley whose hearts have been broken by the sudden illness or sudden loss of life of a loved one. Many notable events include their yearly Golf Outing in May and their Holiday Hearts program, which donated thousands of dollars to five families during the 2013 Christmas season.
Awards
[
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]
Barkann has won a number of awards which include:
- Named
Pennsylvania
's Sportscaster of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007.
- Recipient of 1989 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement Sports Reporter
- Recipient of 1989 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Sports Feature
- Recipient of 1991 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement Sports Reporter
- Recipient of 2003 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement Host/Talk Program
- Recipient of 2006 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Talk Program
- 5-time Philadelphia Sports Emmy Award winner
- 2010 Greater Philadelphia Chapter of ALS annual honoree
References
[
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]
- ^
"Michael Barkann out as WIP announces new midday show"
.
- ^
"East Brunswick High School Alumni (East Brunswick, New Jersey): Official Site Provided by the East Brunswick Education Foundation"
. Ebhsalumni.org. Archived from
the original
on 2013-12-10
. Retrieved
2013-12-05
.
- ^
Marks, Jon.
"Michael Barkann is Always on the Run"
,
The Jewish Exponent
, February 3, 2016. Accessed June 25, 2019. "Since returning to Philly ? where he started off with KYW television more than 30 years ago ? Barkann has covered the various local pro and college teams. It’s kind of ironic he’d wind up here, though, considering he grew up in the heart of Giants territory in East Brunswick, Middlesex County, N.J.... 'She would always tell me when I was in school, "You should be doing more,"' recalled Barkann, a four-sport athlete at East Brunswick High School, who later ran cross country at Syracuse."
- ^
[1]
Archived
August 17, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Interview: Michael Barkann Is the Face of Philly Sports"
. Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
2013-12-05
.
- ^
"CBS Podcast Player"
. Philadelphia.cbslocal.com
. Retrieved
2013-12-05
.
- ^
[2]
Archived
May 11, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"The 1992 Winter Olympics | Episode guide and videos - Yahoo TV"
. Tv.yahoo.com. 2011-04-20
. Retrieved
2013-12-05
.
- ^
"NY Times : WINTER OLYMPICS: TV SPORTS; It's Terrible, Terrible! (Unless It's Just Great!)"
.
New York Times
. 1994-02-17
. Retrieved
2013-12-05
.
- ^
"Conlin honored at Baseball Hall of Fame"
. Archived from
the original
on 2019-03-25
. Retrieved
2011-11-07
.