Bruce Beck
Encyclopedia
Bruce Beck is the weekday Sports anchor at WNBC-TV. He is currently in his twelfth year with News 4 New York
. He also files numerous sports reports for the station's various newscasts.
The versatile sportscaster has covered a multitude of events for News 4 New York, including Super Bowl XLII, The NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup
Finals, The World Series, The U.S. Open Tennis Championship, The U.S. Open
Golf Championship, The NCAA Final Four
, The 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing, China, The 2006 Winter Olympics from Torino, Italy, The 2004 Summer Olympics from Athens, Greece and The 2002 Winter Olympics
from Salt Lake City, Utah
.
Beck has hosted and contributed to a number of WNBC-TV specials including the live broadcast of the ING New York City Marathon, The Belmont Stakes, The U.S Open Golf Championship and "Glory Days," which preceded New York Yankees post-season games. In the summer months, Beck hosts WNBC'S popular Sunday night show Mike'd Up - The Francesa Sports Final.
In addition, Beck has hosted the Sun America Sportsdesk and the Allstate
Sports Update for NBC Sports and has served as a sideline reporter for the network's coverage of the NBA and WNBA on NBC. Beck has been a studio anchor for NBA-TV and is the host of the weekly Rutgers University
basketball and football shows which air on SportsNet New York
and other channels. He was also the play by play commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) from 1994 to 1997.
. Among his many duties, he hosted the station's coverage of the Knicks, Rangers, and Yankees. He was the play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball, professional and Golden Gloves boxing and professional tennis. He hosted the Millrose Games, The Virginia Slims Championship, The National Horse Show, and the Lou Carnesecca Show.
From 1994 to 1997, Beck hosted "Sportstalk" and "Sports Images" on CN8, the Comcast Network. He also was the play-by-play voice of Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball and Hofstra University
Football, while calling college basketball games for CBS Sports. He was the host of CBS' coverage of the Hambletonian and The American Championship Harness Series on ESPN. He was a play-by-play voice and host of Showtime Championship Boxing
.
Beck was the play by play announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
from 1994 to 1997, calling UFC 4
through UFC 15
with partner and olympic gold medalist Jeff Blatnick
.
In 1993 Beck did play by play for the Riddick Bowe
vs Evander Holyfield
II fight with Tony Paige
.
Beck was twice named New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He also was the recipient of the 1999 New York Emmy for outstanding On-Camera Achievement: Sports Reporting. Overall, he has received eight New York Sports Emmys, one Mid-Atlantic Sports Emmy, and three national Cable Ace Awards.
Beck was chosen by St. John's University to deliver the 2009 Commencement speech to its Staten Island Campus on May 16. He will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree.
in Ithaca, New York
, Beck received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. Beck grew up in Livingston, New jersey
and was inducted into the MetroWest Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He currently resides in Scarsdale, New York
with his wife Janet (JJ), two sons Jonathan and Michael and his dog, Pepper.
Every summer, Beck, along with CBS Sports
announcer Ian Eagle
run a Sports Broadcasting Camp at the Yogi Berra
Museum and Learning Center in Montclair, New Jersey. The camp teaches the fundamentals of broadcasting and features lectures by big name broadcasters. It culminates with students calling play-by-play of a minor league baseball game.
News 4 New York
News 4 New York is the brand identifier of WNBC-TV in New York City. It began using this for its news broadcasts in 1971 to 1972, again on October 13, 1980, and again in March 2008. Prior to this, WNBC used the NewsCenter 4 brand for their newscasts...
. He also files numerous sports reports for the station's various newscasts.
The versatile sportscaster has covered a multitude of events for News 4 New York, including Super Bowl XLII, The NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals, The World Series, The U.S. Open Tennis Championship, The U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
Golf Championship, The NCAA Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, The 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing, China, The 2006 Winter Olympics from Torino, Italy, The 2004 Summer Olympics from Athens, Greece and The 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
from Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
Beck has hosted and contributed to a number of WNBC-TV specials including the live broadcast of the ING New York City Marathon, The Belmont Stakes, The U.S Open Golf Championship and "Glory Days," which preceded New York Yankees post-season games. In the summer months, Beck hosts WNBC'S popular Sunday night show Mike'd Up - The Francesa Sports Final.
In addition, Beck has hosted the Sun America Sportsdesk and the Allstate
Allstate
The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...
Sports Update for NBC Sports and has served as a sideline reporter for the network's coverage of the NBA and WNBA on NBC. Beck has been a studio anchor for NBA-TV and is the host of the weekly Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
basketball and football shows which air on SportsNet New York
SportsNet New York
SportsNet New York is a New York City-based regional sports cable network which airs in the New York metro area and all of New York state, and nationwide via satellite. It is owned jointly by the New York Mets, Time Warner Cable, and NBCUniversal...
and other channels. He was also the play by play commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
(UFC) from 1994 to 1997.
Career
From 1982 to 1994, Beck was a staff broadcaster with the MSG NetworkMSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
. Among his many duties, he hosted the station's coverage of the Knicks, Rangers, and Yankees. He was the play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball, professional and Golden Gloves boxing and professional tennis. He hosted the Millrose Games, The Virginia Slims Championship, The National Horse Show, and the Lou Carnesecca Show.
From 1994 to 1997, Beck hosted "Sportstalk" and "Sports Images" on CN8, the Comcast Network. He also was the play-by-play voice of Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball and Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
Football, while calling college basketball games for CBS Sports. He was the host of CBS' coverage of the Hambletonian and The American Championship Harness Series on ESPN. He was a play-by-play voice and host of Showtime Championship Boxing
Showtime Championship Boxing
Showtime Championship Boxing is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month...
.
Beck was the play by play announcer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
from 1994 to 1997, calling UFC 4
UFC 4
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 16, 1994, at the Expo Center Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event was seen live on pay-per-view, and later released on home video.-History:UFC 4 used an eight-man tournament...
through UFC 15
UFC 15
UFC 15: Collision Course was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 17, 1997, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video.-History:...
with partner and olympic gold medalist Jeff Blatnick
Jeff Blatnick
Jeff Blatnick is a former American Super Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. He won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and an Olympic gold in 1984. As a commentator, Blatnick worked UFC 4 through UFC 32 for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
.
In 1993 Beck did play by play for the Riddick Bowe
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...
vs Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
II fight with Tony Paige
Tony Paige
Anthony Ricardo Paige is a former professional American football player who played running back for nine seasons for the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. Paige went professional in 1984 as a sixth round selection of the New York Jets. He led the...
.
Awards
Beck has been named New York State Sportscaster of the Year three times—in 2007 and 2008 and again in 2010—by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He also received the 2006 New York Emmy as Outstanding Sports Anchor.Beck was twice named New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He also was the recipient of the 1999 New York Emmy for outstanding On-Camera Achievement: Sports Reporting. Overall, he has received eight New York Sports Emmys, one Mid-Atlantic Sports Emmy, and three national Cable Ace Awards.
Beck was chosen by St. John's University to deliver the 2009 Commencement speech to its Staten Island Campus on May 16. He will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree.
Personal life
A graduate of Ithaca CollegeIthaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, Beck received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. Beck grew up in Livingston, New jersey
Livingston, New Jersey
Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
and was inducted into the MetroWest Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He currently resides in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
with his wife Janet (JJ), two sons Jonathan and Michael and his dog, Pepper.
Every summer, Beck, along with CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
announcer Ian Eagle
Ian Eagle
Ian Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
run a Sports Broadcasting Camp at the Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
Museum and Learning Center in Montclair, New Jersey. The camp teaches the fundamentals of broadcasting and features lectures by big name broadcasters. It culminates with students calling play-by-play of a minor league baseball game.