Ted Sobel

Ted Sobel (born July 14, 1953) is an American sportscaster who is the longest current tenured Los Angeles based radio sports reporter mostly with CBS Radio since 1985.[1] Sobel is the network's in-studio host and producer of Sports USA Radio's NFL pre, halftime, and postgame shows in addition to providing in-game scoreboard updates during Sunday doubleheader broadcasts.[2] Since 2005, Ted was previously 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. Sobel is currently writing his first book 'Touching Greatness' with an expected December 2018 release.[3]

Education

Sobel is a Fairfax High School grad who later enrolled at Los Angeles City College in their Radio and TV Broadcast Department and is listed as a Los Angeles City College distinguished alum.[4]

Early career

Sobel has been credentialed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Kings since 1973 and the Anaheim Angels a year later when he was mostly stringing as a reporter for many of the major news/sports outlets including Associated Press Radio (AP), United Press International Radio (UPI), ESPN Radio, Mutual Broadcasting System, Westwood One, WFAN Radio in New York, Sports Fan Radio Network, Radio-Canada Montreal (French speaking network), and others.[5] In 1977, Ted became the Public Address Announcer for the Pacific Hockey League's Long Beach Sharks. He also got his first professional play by play opportunities that season with the Sharks on local cable TV and on radio with the league’s Phoenix Roadrunners. Since, he's completed 10 seasons of hockey play by play including five with the IHL Los Angeles/Long Beach Ice Dogs (until the league folded in 2000) on KPLS-AM and KMAX-FM in Southern California while also being the voice of the first pro sports franchise to ever broadcast a full season schedule on the internet at Broadcast Dot Com. He also did hockey play by play at the University of Wisconsin (including 2 games vs. the 'Miracle on Ice' Olympic Gold Medal winning team in 1980) on WIBA Radio, New Hampshire/Cape Cod Freedoms of the North Eastern Hockey League (also the club's Public Relations and Media Director), playoffs and championship series for the NEHL's Hampton Aces, and radio color analyst for the San Diego Mariners of the Pacific Hockey League.[6] Sobel was also the game reporter and in-studio host on the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim inaugural 1993 telecast on KHJ-Channel 9 in Los Angeles.[7]

Work in Los Angeles

Sobel returned to Los Angeles after his time in Madison, Wisconsin to do radio play by play for Long Beach State basketball and football (their last PCAA Conference championship team) on KNAC-FM and U.C. Irvine basketball on KWVE-FM in 1980-82.

In 1985 Sobel began working as a sports anchor and field reporter for the CBS owned and operated KNX Radio where he continued until joining KMPC Radio when they became the first all-sports station in Los Angeles in 1992. Sobel was an update anchor, field reporter, and talk show host for the Gene Autry owned station while also producing Los Angeles Rams and UCLA football postgame shows. Sobel continued to work on assignment for KNX most recently covering the 2016 Masters for Los Angeles' only all-news station.[8] In 1994, Sobel moved over to radio station KFWB where he was also a sports anchor/reporter and talk show host and the lone survivor of four different format changes (the last being all-sports ‘The Beast 980’) until the station was sold in 2016. He also hosted Los Angeles Dodgers pre and postgame shows from 2003-2007 on the Dodgers flagship station and some NBA Los Angeles Clippers pre and post game shows as part of their flagship station.[9] He’s reported from numerous Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Rose Bowl games, NCAA Football and Basketball National Championships, Summer Olympics, U.S. Open Golf and Tennis, PGA Championship, World Cup of Soccer, Breeders Cup and Triple Crown horse races, etc. He broke several big stories including the Wayne Gretzky trade from Los Angeles to St. Louis and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks brief move to Los Angeles in 1996.[10]

Awards

Sobel was a three time Golden Mike winner for best sports news reporting in Southern California radio while at KFWB where he also enjoyed being part of a record 10 year run of winning the prestigious Best Radio Anchor Staff awards presented by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.[11]

Other sports assignments

Sobel spent seven years as the 18th green announcer at the LPGA's first major of the year: the ANA Inspiration (formerly known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) in Rancho Mirage, California. Sobel was the on-court stadium announcer for over 15 years at the now defunct Los Angeles Open ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament at UCLA (through 2012), most recently known as the Farmers Classic under the direction of Bob and Jack Kramer where he also did tennis play by play for their in-house radio setup to the attending fans. Sobel's extensive voice over work includes many local commercials while also being the hockey arena public address announcer's voice for the 1986 movie 'Touch and Go' for Tri-Star Pictures starring Michael Keaton.[12]

Personal life

A Los Angeles native, Sobel is one of four children born to parents Bernie and Sherry Sobel. His mother was a big band and USO singer (including with the Frankie Ortega Orchestra) who used the stage name Shari Fare. Her maiden name was Foreman and was the sister of six-time Academy Award nominee Carl Foreman who won the Oscar for his best written adapted screenplay of the 1958 Oscar winning best picture 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. Ted is also a first cousin to author Amanda Foreman and her journalist brother Jonathan Foreman.

References

  1. ↑ "Ted Sobel". Losangeles.cbslocal.com. n.d. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Sports USA Adds Ted Sobel Podcast, Announces College Football Slate". www.allaccess.com. 2014-05-29. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sports USA Radio Network". www.wikipedia.org. n.d. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni". LACC Foundation. n.d. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  5. ↑ Stewart, Larry (1996-01-26). "Maguire Looking Good Now as the Odd Man in the Booth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  6. ↑ Royal Half, The (2013-10-13). "The Royal Half Gameday: Florida Panthers". NHL.com. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ Sobel, Ted (2014-05-28). "Ted Sobel's Excellent Sports Adventure". Sports USA. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ Hoffarth, Tom (2016-03-03). "Weekly Media Notes Version 03.03.16: On Sobel's Tribute to KFWB, Lawler's Day and Roberts' Promotion". Inside So Cal. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Hoffarth, Tom (2010-07-28). "Ted Sobel's Excellent Adventure Abroad". Inside So Cal. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  10. ↑ Smith, Craig; Sherwin, Bob (1995-12-19). "Behring Irked By Reports -- Hawk Owner Rips Talk of L.A. Move". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Ted Sobel". Sports USA. n.d. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ Hoffarth, Tom (2010-07-29). "Arash to Judgement Toward ESPN". Whitter Daily News. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
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