Bonnie Bernstein

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Bonnie Bernstein bigraphy, stories - American sports announcer

Bonnie Bernstein : biography

August 16, 1970 –

Bonnie Lynn Bernstein (born August 16, 1970) is an American sports journalist and executive. She has been named one of the most accomplished female sportscasters in history by the American Sportscasters Association.American Sportscasters Online, ASA Names "Top 15 Women Sportscasters," Visser Voted No 1. http://www.americansportscastersonline.com/top15womensportscasters.html Bernstein is Vice President, Content and Brand Development, of Campus Insiders, as well as the on-air "face" of the network.Ourand, John, "Bonnie Bernstein Joins Campus Insiders In On-Camera, Exec Roles" accessed 2 April 2013 http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2013/04/02/Bonnie.aspx?hl=Campus&sc=0 Additionally, she freelances for The Dan Patrick Show, ESPN, espnW and DirecTV and serves as a guest commentator on several news networks, including MSNBC, NBC and FOX News Channel.

Biography

Early life and education

Bernstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Howell, New Jersey. She was salutatorian of her class at Howell High School, where she is a member of the school’s hall of fame. She attended the University of Maryland, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in broadcast journalism. She was a four-time Academic All-America in gymnastics, receiving the Thomas M. Fields award for excellence in academics and athletics. Bernstein maintains close ties to her alma mater, serving on the Board of Visitors for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland and the advisory board for the Povich Center for Sports Journalism. She also hosts TerpVision, a quarterly TV program showcasing the University and its notable alumni.

Early career

Bernstein spent three years climbing the local broadcast ladder, launching her career as the news and sports director at WXJN-FM radio in Lewes, Delaware. She transitioned to television at WMDT-TV in Salisbury, Maryland as the ABC affiliates weekend news anchor, then became Reno, Nevada’s first-ever female weekday sports anchor at NBC affiliate KRNV-TV.

ESPN

Bernstein first joined ESPN in 1995 as its Chicago Bureau Chief, where she covered Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ record-setting championship run (1996–98). She also served as a correspondent for Sunday NFL Countdown and College GameDay and filed reports for SportsCenter during the Major League Baseball post-season and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.

CBS Sports

Bernstein joined CBS Sports in 1998 as the lead sideline reporter for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships and feature reporter for The NFL Today. She transitioned to sideline reporting for the NFL on CBS. She worked with the Verne Lundquist/Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf crew until 2003, when she was promoted to the lead crew of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. Bernstein covered Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII for the network and during Super Bowl XXXVIII, she became the first correspondent ever to cover the game for both network television and network radio, filing reports for CBS Sports and Westwood One Radio.CBS Sports TV Team, Bonnie Bernstein, Reporter, http://www.cbssports.com/cbssports/team/bbernstein

Upon signing with CBS/Westwood One Radio in 2001, Bernstein often pulled "double duty" during the NFL season, covering a Sunday game for CBS and Monday Night Football for radio.

During the 2003 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Bernstein was involved in an incident with University of Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams. After the Jayhawks narrowly lost to Syracuse, Bernstein, during her post-game interview, inquired about the North Carolina vacancy to which Williams had been linked. Williams, visibly perturbed, suggested a producer forced Bernstein to ask the question, and said, "I could give a (expletive) about North Carolina right now. I’ve got thirteen kids in that locker room that I love." Williams later apologized for his on-air profanity and accepted the North Carolina job one week later. Responding to the incident, CBS Sports President Sean McManus said, “Bonnie’s questions were appropriate. They had to be asked, and her performance was totally professional." “Hot reaction by Williams wasn’t fair to Bernstein” USA Today, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/martzke/2003-04-09-martzke_x.htm