John Rooke
John Rooke (born c. 1959) is an award-winning broadcaster, and an inductee into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame and Rhode Island's Words Unlimited Hall of Fame. He currently serves in several broadcast capacities, including 30 years as the play-by-play voice for Providence Friars men's basketball; Big East Conference football and basketball play-by-play for ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, and the IMG College Network; ACC football for IMG; stadium voice for the New England Patriots and New England Revolution; former host for Inside the Big East and "Golfing The World" on ESPNU, Fox Sports Net and several regional sports networks and local TV stations; and talk host for WOR 710 in New York and WEEI-FM sports radio in Boston & Providence. He has also hosted shows for the NBC Sports Radio Network and ESPN Radio, plus currently hosts This Week in the Big East for Westwood One.[1][2][3]
Personal life
A 1981 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Rooke held a position as adjunct professor in journalism at Emerson College in Boston from 2006 through 2015. In 2012, he was listed as one of the top sports broadcasting instructors in the country by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA). In 2015, Rooke joined Dean College in Franklin, MA as a Distinguished Executive Facuity member, as Director of the Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management - an academic partnership between Dean and Kraft Sports + Entertainment, and launched the school's Sports Broadcasting major within the Communications program. Rooke has also authored a book (from Arcadia Publishing) on radio history in Rhode Island (Rhode Island Radio), published in November, 2012. Additionally, he works as an independent commercial voice artist and columnist for WEEI.com and Patriots.com. John has also served as a gubernatorial communications director, a program director/manager for a major communications company, and as a television sports anchor for 25 years in several markets.[4]
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Rooke currently resides in Berkley, Massachusetts - he has been located in New England since 1988. Among his previous duties and clients, he served as a Development Director for a local children's charity, A Wish Come True, Inc.. Rooke has also coached and officiated youth baseball for more than 20 years, including Little League, RBI and AAU teams.
Media background
Rooke's media background includes working with/for these broadcast stations/media companies since 1979:
- KUT-FM Austin;
- KLBJ-AM Austin;
- KTRH-AM Houston;
- KCEN-TV Temple/Waco;
- KSAT-TV San Antonio;
- WOAI-AM San Antonio;
- KRNN-AM San Antonio;
- WPRI-TV Providence;
- WJAR-TV Providence;
- WLWC-TV Providence;
- NESN;
- WLVI-TV Boston;
- WVIT-TV Hartford;
- WCBS-TV New York;
- WPRO-AM, WEAN-FM Providence;
- WSKO-AM/FM Providence;
- WEEI-FM Boston;
- WAMG-AM/WLLH-AM Boston;
- WEEI-FM Providence;
- Cox Communications, Rhode Island;
- ESPN Radio Network;
- ESPNU;
- ESPN Regional Television;
- New England Patriots;
- NBC Sports Radio Network;
- WOR-AM New York
- IMG College;
- Learfield;
- Westwood One;
- Sirius/XM;
As a play-by-play announcer for television and radio, John has called game broadcasts for these teams/leagues:
- Texas High School Football (Central & South Texas);
- University of Texas Longhorns women's basketball;
- San Antonio Spurs;
- San Antonio Dodgers (now Missions);
- UTSA Roadrunners;
- Trinity University Tigers;
- San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL);
- St. Mary's University Rattlers;
- Providence Friars;
- Pawtucket Red Sox;
- Boston Red Sox (NESN);
- New England Revolution (MLS);
- Boston College Eagles;
- Big East Conference (football, basketball, soccer);
- URI Rams (basketball);
- Brown Bears (football);
- Miami, OH (football/IMG);
- Atlantic Coast Conference (football);
- American Athletic Conference (football, women's basketball)
References
- http://jrooke.tripod.com/projo.html
- "/ Sports / Football / Patriots / Rooke's voice is hard to miss". Boston.com. 2003-09-19. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- http://www.rirhof.org
- "Faculty". .emerson.edu. 2009-02-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-11-12.