Broadcasting from a studio near Los Angeles, California, Rome hosts The Jim Rome Show on radio. He hosted TV shows on ESPN, TSN2 (in Canada), Showtime and CBS, but since 2024 has streamed on X. He has also formed a free, ad-supported streaming channel.[2]
For a number of years Rome hosted a television show Jim Rome Is Burning (formerly Rome Is Burning), which aired on ESPN in the United States and TSN2 in Canada. In 2011, Rome ended his relationship with ESPN to join the CBS network where he hosts his own show, as well as an interview-format show on the Showtime channel.[3] His past hosting jobs included sports discussion television shows Talk2 (ESPN2), The FX Sports Show (FX), and The Last Word (Fox Sports Net). The Jim Rome Show is tied for the #21 most listened to talk radio show in the United States [4] and Rome is the #29 most influential talk radio personality[5] according to Talkers Magazine.
From April 2012 to March 2015, Rome had a television sports talk show on CBS Sports Network named Rome. During the same time period he had a monthly TV sports/entertainment talk show on Showtime named Jim Rome on Showtime.
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2019)
Rome started his radio career at college radio stationKCSB-FM while at UCSB, where he was sports director for one quarter, and at news station KTMS, also located in Santa Barbara, where he began as a traffic reporter and became a sports talk host in summer 1987.[10] At the end of 1990, he moved to XTRA Sports 690 in San Diego, where he started what is now known as The Jim Rome Show, or "The Jungle," with a loop of the instrumental intro of Iggy Pop's song "Lust for Life" and the instrumental intro of Guns N' Roses' song "Welcome to the Jungle" as the show's signature music.
The show's production moved to a studio in downtown Los Angeles in spring 1994, though the broadcast was still originated by XTRA San Diego. At the same time as the studio move, the show start time shifted to 9am Pacific/12pm Eastern, where it remains as of 2022. The program was syndicated in 1996 through Premiere Radio Networks, which sold it to an assortment of local stations including ESPN Radio affiliates. A new contract that took effect in January 2013 brought the program to the CBS Sports Radio network, which simulcasts the program on its local FM/AM stations, its SiriusXM satellite channel, and its cable TV channel. As of February 2024 the television version of the program is no longer carried on CBS Sports, and is transitioning to the X/Twitter livestream platform.
Over time, the show's production facility moved to the Premiere Radio building in Sherman Oaks, then an undisclosed Orange County location, and finally, as part of the start of TV simulcasting in January 2018, a custom-built studio in Costa Mesa. Due to past incidents of the studio being invaded by callers, the exact addresses of the former and current Orange County studios are not publicized. To provide continuity across the show's eras in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County, it is consistently referred to as originating from "Southern California." In 2005, the TV versions of the show were criticized for obscuring the studio's location by using the "Southern California" terminology and footage of the downtown Los Angeles skyline despite originating almost 40 miles away in the Costa Mesa area.
The radio show is heard on more than 200 stations across the United States and Canada and has an audience of approximately 2.5 million.[8] In 1998, Rome released an album entitled Welcome to the Jungle, which featured memorable sound bites and music from the show.
In early 2003, Rome was interviewing friend Mark Shapiro, executive producer of programming and production at ESPN, on his radio program. Unexpectedly, the two began to discuss a possible return of Rome to ESPN, and within a few months, Rome was officially rehired to host Rome Is Burning. Rome openly attributes that interview as the impetus to his return to television.
Controversy and incidents
Rome gained notoriety in 1994 for an incident on his ESPN2 television show, Talk2, when his guest was NFLquarterbackJim Everett. Rome had often referred to Everett on radio as "Chris" (after Chris Evert, the female tennis player), suggesting that Everett was less than a man whenever he shied away from getting hit. Everett appeared as a guest on the television show, where he warned Rome about repeating the insult. Rome continued to address Everett as "Chris" and Everett overturned the table between them and shoved Rome to the floor while still on the air. Their confrontation resulted in no legal action, although Rome publicly apologized to Everett. Rome considers that event one of his early career mistakes.[11]
In 1997, hockey legend Gordie Howe announced an attempt to play a shift with the International Hockey League's Detroit Vipers, which would allow Howe to claim having played professional hockey in six decades. Rome challenged the 69-year-old ex-hockey star, offering a bounty of $3,000 to any player on the team playing against the Vipers to take Howe out of the game permanently by saying, "Putting this old fool back to reality." Rome clarified that the statements were a joke.[12]
In 2012, Rome was involved in a controversy with NBA Commissioner David Stern. During an interview, Rome asked Stern about the conspiracy theories that the NBA Draft Lottery was fixed in favor of the New Orleans Hornets, and he asked, "Was the fix in for the lottery?" Stern replied with two answers: "Number one, no; and a statement, shame on you for asking." He then proceeded to ask Rome the loaded question example of "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" and accused Rome of "making a career out of cheap thrills". This led to a heated exchange between Rome and Stern, ending when Stern said he had "to go call someone important like Stephen A. Smith."[13]
On January 1, 2015, Rome sent out a tweet that stated, "Is there anyone not in a marching band who thinks those dorks running around with their instruments are cool?" After a backlash, he later deleted the tweet and issued an apology. The incident also inspired the hashtag "#MarchOnRome".[14]
After poking fun at horse racing for some years, saying "it's not a sport, it's a bet," Rome seemed to take more interest in horse racing after interviewing Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux many times on his radio talk show. Rome thereafter took up a stronger interest in buying Thoroughbreds. He first became a part owner in Wing Forward, who, in his North American debut, made a dramatic last-to-first comeback to win the race. Rome mentioned it as "one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had." In 2008, Jim and his wife Janet purchased a stake in a two-year-old colt, giving them a potential shot at the Triple Crown stakes races in 2009. Listeners suggested names for the horse, who was eventually named Gallatin's Run.[19]
By 2012, Rome owned part or all of 14 horses in connection with multiple partnerships including his own stable, Jungle Racing, LLC.[20] The first to gain national attention was the winner of the 2012 and 2013 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, a filly named Mizdirection. He described his feelings upon winning the Breeder's Cup race, saying, “I’ve just had a moment I’ve never experienced in my life. That was absolutely awesome.” He purchased an interest in her for $50,000 in 2010. He co-owned the mare with Bill Strauss, Danny Gohs, Borris Beljak, and Kevin Nish.[21]As of September 2013[update] Mizdirection won 11 of 17 starts and retired from racing with $1,719,621 in earnings. She was usually ridden by jockey Mike Smith.[22] Two days after her 2014 Breeders' Cup win, Mizdirection was purchased for $2.7 million at the Fasig-Tipton sale by Al Shaqab Racing of Qatar, owned by Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, and retired to become a broodmare.[23]
Rome's next significant race horse was Shared Belief, a gelding by Candy Ride, named the Eclipse Award winner in the two-year-old male division for 2013.[24] As a three-year-old, he continued winning, and closed out the 2014 year with a record of eight wins in nine races (Five of six races in 2014 alone) and over $2 million in earnings, again with Mike Smith as his regular rider.[25] As a four-year-old, the horse defeated 2014 Kentucky Derby winner and horse of the year California Chrome in both horses' first race of the season, then Shared Belief went on to a decisive win in the Santa Anita Handicap.[25]
Related Research Articles
Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the racetrack complex. Horse racing and training were shut down in December 2013 though the casino operations continued until a new state of the art casino building, the new Hollywood Park Casino, opened in October 2016.
Richard Alan Enberg was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including NBC (1975–1999), CBS (2000–2014), and ESPN (2004–2011), as well as for individual teams, such as UCLA Bruins basketball, Los Angeles Rams football, and California Angels and San Diego Padres baseball.
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports. The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, he became the first African-American announcer to call play-by-play of a major sports championship in the United States when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for the CBS network in 2001. Gumbel is currently the studio host for CBS' men's college basketball coverage and was a play-by-play broadcaster for the NFL on CBS until 2023.
Roger Lodge is an American TV game show and sports radio host and actor. He is known for hosting the syndicated dating show Blind Date. Lodge's acting credits include appearances on the ABC sitcom Full House; CBS's Yes, Dear; and UPN's The Parkers. He also appeared in the Tony Scott film The Fan and Not of This Earth. He hosts The SportsLodge on radio station KLAA AM 830, which is owned by the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and serves as their radio flagship station. He also hosts the Angels pregame show on AM 830 and the Angels Baseball Radio Network.
The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show hosted by Jim Rome. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific Time. The show is produced in Los Angeles, syndicated by Infinity Sports Network, and can be heard on affiliate radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.
Jeanne Zelasko is an American journalist and sportscaster who worked for "The Beast" AM980 KFWB and Fox Sports West in Los Angeles County, California. Prior to taking that position Zelasko had a relatively lengthy career working for Fox Sports as a reporter and analyst for various programs, as well as reporting for MLB Network, ESPN and as the court reporter on Judge Joe Brown.
KLAC is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by a joint venture between iHeartMedia, Inc. and the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club, KLAC serves as the Los Angeles affiliate for Fox Sports Radio; the flagship station for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network, the Los Angeles Clippers, UCLA Bruins football and basketball; and the home of radio personalities Fred Roggin, Rodney Peete, Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith.
Douglas Mitchell Gottlieb is an American basketball analyst, sports talk radio host and college basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. Gottlieb played both NCAA collegiate basketball, twice leading the nation in assists, and professional basketball. In addition to his coaching duties at Green Bay, he works for Fox Sports after tenures with the Pac-12 Network, CBS Sports, and ESPN.
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. As of 2021, he is with Showtime, Fox and SiriusXM as a reporter, commentator, and interviewer, having served in the same capacity at ESPN, NBC Sports and CBS Sports.
CBS Sports Network is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network, it operated as a multi-platform media brand which also included its primary website, collegesports.com, and a network of websites operated for the athletic departments of 215 colleges and universities.
AllNight with Jason Smith was a syndicated sports talk radio show on ESPN Radio, hosted by Jason Smith. The show was heard Sunday through Thursday from 10pm PT to 1am PT live from the studios of KSPN in Los Angeles, California, rather than the ESPN Headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. Smith was named host of the show on September 19, 2005, after former host Todd Wright was fired after almost eight years on the show. It reached more than 500 ESPN affiliate markets across the United States and Canada.
Jorge Sedano is an American sports broadcaster and talk show host. He began his career in 1999 and is currently a radio and television personality at ESPN.
Travis Rodgers is a sports talk radio personality on Los Angeles ESPN affiliate KSPN (AM). He was the host of the Yahoo! Sports Radio program, Travis Rodgers Now, which aired weekdays 12-2pm EST. He also co-hosted the KLAA 830 AM program ESPN Morning Show with Kelvin Washington. Prior to his radio shows, he was the producer of the nationally syndicated Jim Rome Show and the ESPN television show Jim Rome is Burning.
Bill Seward was an American broadcaster, actor, and coach. In addition to calling various professional and college sports in America, Seward has been “on the mic” for NBC’s Summer and Winter Olympic coverage, Rugby World Cup on NBC, Rugby World Cup Sevens on NBC Sports Network, Varsity Cup, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Nordic Skiing World Cup, European Figure Skating Championships, FINA Synchronized Swimming World Cup, Vuelta a Espana, Eneco Cycling Tour, Tour of Belgium, Tour of Norway, 4 Days of Dunkirk, Paris Marathon, IBU Biathlon World Championships, Tour de Ski and the Four Hills World Cup ski jumping event. Seward is the host of "Robot Wars" on Discovery Science and has appeared on NBC’s "Early Today" along with programs on MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Universal Sports and the horse racing networks HRTV and TVG.
Mizdirection is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, she is best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2012 and 2013.
Shared Belief was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old, he was undefeated in three races, including the Hollywood Prevue Stakes and Los Alamitos Futurity, and was named the American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 2013 at the Eclipse Awards.
Ted Sobel is an American sportscaster and author who is the longest current tenured Los Angeles-based radio sports reporter. He has worked mostly with CBS Radio since 1985. Sobel is the network's in-studio host and producer of Sports USA Radio's NFL pre, halftime, and postgame shows and NHL pre and postgame shows in addition to providing in-game scoreboard updates during Sunday NFL doubleheader broadcasts and NHL games including the Stanley Cup Finals. Since 2004, Ted has been a sideline reporter for Sports USA Radio's NFL and NCAA games of the week while also hosting podcasts for the network along with field reporting covering all major sports, most notably the Masters Tournament. Sobel completed his first book Touching Greatness in 2021.
Fernando Toro is a retired US Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse racing jockey about whom Santa Anita Park called one of Southern California's most successful jockeys in the 1970s and '80s.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
