2013
I
Michael Barkann by Mark Casasanto
t’s not often that we Philadelphians embrace anyone hailing from points north of Atlantic City. Seemingly, somewhere on the Garden State Parkway, there’s an imaginary line that separates what is Philadelphia and what is New York. Every now and then, however, someone will cross that line and step into our light. Even though he is a product of Jersey City, a town that sits in the shadows of the canyons of steel that is New York City, have no doubt. Michael Barkann is a Philadelphian through and through. A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Barkann started his career in Washington, DC before moving on to the New Jersey Network and his first on-air break during the Blizzard of ‘83. Shortly after, he hosted a program called Weather Watch at the station until he broke into sports reporting. He debuted in Philadelphia as a sports reporter at KYWTV, then known to all as Channel 3. After a five year run, he moved north to Boston as Sports Director at WLVI-TV. It wouldn’t be long before Barkann set his sights on the City of Brotherly Love, once again. With the birth of the CoreStates Center (Wells Fargo Center), technology changed the way the tri-state area sports fans viewed their sports both live and on cable television. Built with plenty of premium options, the arena offered everything from luxury suites to cigar bars-to-go with state-of-the-art surround sound, video boards and a complete television studio. For those who couldn’t experience
Even though he is a product of Jersey City, a town that sits in the shadows of the canyons of steel that is New York City, have no doubt. Michael Barkann is a Philadelphian through and through.
Comcast SportsNet and SportsRadio 94 WIP’s Emmy Award-Winning Sportscaster Media Award the action live and first-hand, Comcast-Sportsnet (CSN) would soon launch the area’s first 24-hour-aday all-sports network. It was then that Michael Barkann dropped anchor in Philadelphia. He has hosted and contributed to everything on CSN from Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and Eagles pre and post game shows, Daily News Live and Philly’s Sports Talk. For more than 15 years, Michael Barkann has been the voice of our local sports information. He and former Eagle Ike Reese host their own program daily from 10 am to 1 pm on SportsRadio 94 WIP. A steady list of accomplishments and achievements line Barkann’s resume as well. He is both a multiple Emmy Award recipient and Pennsylvania’s Sportcaster of the Year winner. In 2010, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, he has covered speed skating at the Winter Olympic Games, Super Bowl XXXI but probably best remembered for his long term association and his sometimes quirky celebrity interviews during the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. Near and dear to his heart are the numerous charities and organizations to which he donates his time. Among them, he and his wife Ellen started the Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation to provide grants to organizations and families throughout the Delaware Valley who are overcome by the financial burdens caused by family crisis, longterm illness, or sudden loss of life. A loving husband, father and allaround quality individual, a trusted voice and a proven professional, Philadelphia is proud to call you one of our own.
Q&A
Q: W hat was your first job? A: Dishwasher, Pat’s Pizza, Harvey Cedars, NJ
Q: W ho was your best friend growing up?
A: Richard Glickman- he lived
around the corner from me.
Q: W hat is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A: My father always told me
to seize a moment or an opportunity. It’s how I met my wife and it’s why I’m at Comcast SportsNet.
Q: W hat is the best advice you ever gave?
A: I always tell high school or
college kids to “be yourself.” Don’t put on airs- be who your parents brought you up to be. If you represent that in every situation, most of the time (if not all the time), you will be successful.
Q: W hat song from back in
the day makes you smile as soon as you hear it? A: Werewolves of LondonWarren Zevon Please complete this sentence: On the road to success... …nice and easy over life’s speedbumps; don’t let them become brick walls. Then... get going!