Van Earl Wright

Last updated
Van Earl Wright
Born (1962-01-27) January 27, 1962 (age 62) [1]
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. [1]
OccupationTelevision sports broadcaster / broadcaster / news anchor
Years active1985-present
Employer Turner Sports
Known forwork as sports anchor on CNN's Sports Tonight & anchor for CNN Headline News
Children3 [2]

Van Earl Wright (born January 27, 1962) [1] is an American television sportscaster, news anchor and journalist with over 30 years of national and local experience.

Contents

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Wright is known for a homespun delivery which reflects his Southern roots. His signature greeting is "Hel-looooo, everybody." [3]

Broadcasting career

Fox Sports Net (FSN)

For much of the late 1990s until the summer of 2007, Wright worked for Fox Sports Net, serving chiefly as an anchor of both the National Sports Report and FSN Final Score , both attempts at competing with ESPN's SportsCenter . He also hosted and anchored for Fox Sports West, including their regional NSR companion, the Southern California Sports Report. During his stint at FSN, he was most notable for his staunch support and adulation of Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers.

CNN

Wright is a former anchor at both CNN Headline News and CNN/Sports Illustrated, which put together reflects the longest tenure of his career. He also co-hosted Fox Sports Radio's Morning Extravaganza. [3]

Even though he was never shown on-air, Wright's voice became legendary during Headline News' sports segments during the 1980s at 19 and 49 minutes after the hour, especially for his elongated pronunciation of 'Los An-ge-leees'. Late in his tenure, he also routinely read his dry mandated sign-off ("I'm Van Earl Wright, CNN Headline Sports") with a series of increasingly bizarre inflections. His segment got noted on-air by Larry King and Al Michaels, among others.

Other broadcasting assignments

Wright also worked in Beaumont, Texas as a weekend sports anchor on KBMT and later in Detroit both as a sports anchor on WDIV, the local NBC television affiliate, and also as the host of a short-lived midday show on all-sports radio station WDFN-AM. Reflecting on his move from WDIV to CNN, he said, "My four years at CNN were great in that I received a lot of exposure not only nationally, but worldwide as well. It definitely helped me develop a style that I am now well known for, but it was also very limiting because the atmosphere there was very conservative. In the end, I realized that if I wanted the opportunity to grow and take on new challenges in broadcasting ... it was going to be somewhere else." [4]

Wright provided the announcer's voice for Crystal Dynamics' Sega Saturn baseball video game 3D Baseball and 3DO basketball game Slam 'n Jam 95 . [5]

World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and other appearances

Wright also provided the voice overs for World Championship Wrestling in the 90's during segments promoting upcoming live events.

On February 22, 2007 Wright participated on a special broadcasters' edition of Pros vs. Joes on Spike TV with Derrin Horton and Sal Masakela. The "pros" they faced were former NBA center Rik Smits, tennis pro Robby Ginepri, former MLB relief pitcher Rob Dibble and former NFL wide receiver Andre Rison.

Wright has had a few appearances on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide playing himself alongside Willie Gault as sports broadcasters and most recently was featured in the series finale.

In January 2008, Wright became the voice of the new American Gladiators on NBC, which was hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali.

From 2012 until mid-2013, Wright provided the play by play commentary for the Lingerie Football League, until being replaced by league associates Jim Stews and Mitchell Mortaza.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Sports Networks</span> American sports channel group (1996–2021)

Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019, following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. A condition of that acquisition imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice required Disney to sell the regional networks by June 18, 2019, ninety days after the completion of its acquisition. Disney subsequently agreed to sell the networks to Sinclair; the transaction was completed on August 22, 2019. The networks continued to use the Fox Sports name only under a transitional license agreement while rebranding options were explored. A rebranding cross-partnership with Bally's Corporation took effect on March 31, 2021, and the networks were rebranded as Bally Sports, ending the Fox Sports Networks branding after 25 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HLN (TV network)</span> American cable channel

HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by CNN Worldwide, the network primarily carries true-crime programming, recently drifting away from limited live news programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Summerall</span> American football player and sportscaster (1930–2013)

George Allen "Pat" Summerall was an American football player and television sportscaster who worked for CBS, Fox, and ESPN. In addition to football, he announced major golf and tennis events. Summerall announced 16 Super Bowls on network television, 26 Masters Tournaments, and 21 US Opens. He contributed to 10 Super Bowl broadcasts on CBS Radio as a pregame host or analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDIV-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Detroit

WDIV-TV is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. WDIV-TV maintains studio facilities on West Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, making it the only major television station in the market with offices and studios within the Detroit city limits. Detroit's other television stations are all based in the suburb of Southfield; WDIV's transmitter is, however, located on Greenfield Road in Southfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJBK</span> Fox TV station in Detroit

WJBK is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on West 9 Mile Road in the Detroit suburb of Southfield.

Danyelle Sargent-Musselman is a former American sports television reporter.

<i>The Best Damn Sports Show Period</i> American TV series or program

The Best Damn Sports Show Period was an American sports television show that aired on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertainers. It also aired Top 50 countdown shows and other sports specialty shows. Since its debut on July 23, 2001, BDSSP welcomed thousands of guests and aired more than 1,300 episodes. The last original show aired June 30, 2009; however, FSN taped a handful of Top 50 specials.

Vincent Robert Cellini is an American sports broadcaster for radio and television, currently working at NBA TV and Turner Sports.

Petros Papadakis is an American sportscaster who serves as a college football analyst for Fox Sports and co-host of the Petros and Money Show on AM 570 LA Sports. He played college football as a tailback and was team captain for the USC Trojans. He is the self-proclaimed "captain of the worst team in USC history."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Hickman</span> American broadcaster (1956–2022)

Frederick Hickman was an American sports broadcaster with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN. He was later an anchor and managing editor for the evening newscast of the African-American cable news channel Black News Channel. Hickman was an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980. He received CableACE awards in 1989 and 1993, and was a New York Sports Emmy Award Winner in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curt Menefee</span> American sportscaster

Curt Menefee is an American broadcaster who hosts the Fox Network's NFL pregame show Fox NFL Sunday. He is also the co-anchor of Good Day New York on Fox's New York City flagship station, WNYW.

WPDH is a commercial radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its studios and offices are on Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Frazier</span> American sportscaster

Kevin Timothy Frazier is an American television host, widely known as co-host of Entertainment Tonight and the founder and owner of the urban entertainment website HipHollywood.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bally Sports Detroit</span> American regional sports network

Bally Sports Detroit (BSD) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group that operates as a Bally Sports affiliate. It provides coverage of local sports teams in the state of Michigan, primarily focusing on those in Metro Detroit. The network airs exclusive broadcasts of games involving the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings; repeats of Detroit Lions preseason games; and some high school sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bally Sports West</span> American regional sports network

Bally Sports West is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operated as part of Bally Sports, along with its sister network Bally Sports SoCal. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events in California, focusing primarily on teams based in the Greater Los Angeles area. Bally Sports West is available on cable providers throughout Southern California, the Las Vegas Valley and Hawaii; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

The National Sports Report is a sportscast that aired on United States television channel Fox Sports Net.

Matt Morrison is an American sportscaster now with CSN Bay Area. He previously worked for Fox Sports Net as anchor with both FSN Detroit and FSN Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Sports Boston</span> Sports television network in Boston, U.S.

NBC Sports Boston is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports events throughout New England with a major focus on Boston area teams, as well as several original analysis, magazine and entertainment programs. It is available on cable providers throughout Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

NBC Sports Bay Area is an American regional sports network owned as a joint venture between NBCUniversal and the San Francisco Giants, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. Headquartered in San Francisco, the channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. NBCS Bay Area's sister channel is NBC Sports California. The president of the network is Ted Griggs.

Dave Neal, son of Bob Neal and Melody Gadziala, is a two-time Emmy Award winning American sportscaster currently employed by ESPN. He has 2 sons, Sam and Lil Pete.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Birth reference results for Van Earl Wright". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ Shipnuck, Alan. "VAN EARL WRIGHT". Vault. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  3. 1 2 Stewart, Larry (2004-10-01). "Wright's Way Is Now Radio". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
  4. ↑ "Team EGM Talks to the Voice of Crystal Dynamics: Van Earl Wright". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 72. Ziff Davis. July 1995. p. 104.
  5. ↑ Easley, Joel (June 17, 1995). "New video game is alright in two player mode". Kokomo Tribune . p. 10. Retrieved August 15, 2021– via The Associated Press. Closed Access logo transparent.svg (Subscription required.)
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.