David Kaplan (radio)
Encyclopedia
David Kaplan is an American
columnist, radio
and television personality who hosted the radio program Sports Central on WGN Radio
in Chicago
. He is also the host of Chicago Tribune Live: a daily sports roundtable discussion show on Comcast SportsNet in Chicago. In addition, he co-authored the award winning "Around Town" column in the Chicago Tribune
with longtime writer Fred Mitchell from 2009-2011. Kaplan is also the pre and postgame host for CSN's Chicago Cubs broadcasts where he partners with former Chicago Cubs outfielder and 1996 National League Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth. Kaplan is now the co-host of WGN Radio's highly rated evening talk show "Sports NIght" which is a nightly talk show that airs weeknights from 7-10 p.m. His on air partners are former comedian Brian "The Big Funny" Noonan and well respected news anchor Andrea "The Petite Pepper Pot" Darlas and the show has received tremendous praise for their ability to cover sports and other topics outside the sports world in a very entertaining manner. He has also appeared as a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and he was in the highly acclaimed documentary "Hoop Dreams" during his basketball scouting days.
Kaplan grew up in Skokie, Illinois
and is a graduate of Hamline University
in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he received a bachelor's degree in English. He formerly was a basketball coach at Northern Illinois University
, and a scout for two NBA teams: the Indiana Pacers
and the Seattle SuperSonics
. Kaplan worked at Chicago sports radio station WMVP-AM before joining WGN (AM)
's sports staff as a reporter in 1995.
He became the host of Sports Central at WGN in 95' and it quickly became Chicago radio's #1 rated sports talk show. He and former Chicago Bears star Tom Waddle co-hosted the show for just over 10 years which at the time was the longest on air sports talk duo in Chicago radio history. After Waddle left to join ESPN Radio in February of 2007 Kaplan hosted the show on a solo basis until March, 2010. It was the longest-running sports talk show in Chicago (began in 1982), until March, 2010 when the former Program Director Kevin Metheny, who was characterized in the Howard Stern movie Private Parts as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton opted to replace the program with a non-sports oriented talk show. In December of 2010, Kaplan signed a new long term contract to stay at WGN Radio as the primary host of a new evening talk show called WGN Sports Night. He is the only broadcaster in Chicago TV or radio history to host a daily radio show, a daily TV show, and write a regular column in a major newspaper all at the same time.
In January 2008, Kaplan was named the host of Chicago Tribune Live on Comcast SportsNet
. “CTL” airs live Monday-Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and is a roundtable discussion of the hot stories in the sports world featuring Kaplan and a panel of guests including writers from the Chicago Tribune. In November 2009 he and the staff of Chicago Tribune Live were awarded the prestigious Emmy Award
for Best Interview Program for their work on CTL. Kaplan signed a long-term agreement with Comcast on December 15, 2010. The new contract calls for him to also host the Chicago Cubs
pre-and post game Comcast shows and to receive his own space for news reporting and a blog on the Comcast SportsNet Chicago website called "The Kap Man".
Currently, Kaplan also calls college basketball and football games for various conferences and he has been the announcer for the Chicago professional lacrosse
team: the Chicago Machine
; he was also the announcer for the Chicago Shamrox
. In 2011 Kaplan played a prominent role in the highly acclaimed ESPN documentary "Catching Hell" which chronicled the story of the 2003 Chicago Cubs and fan Steve Bartman who was thrust into the spotlight when the Cubs failed to win Game 6 of the National League Championship Series after leading 3-0 in the 8th inning at Wrigley Field.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
columnist, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television personality who hosted the radio program Sports Central on WGN Radio
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He is also the host of Chicago Tribune Live: a daily sports roundtable discussion show on Comcast SportsNet in Chicago. In addition, he co-authored the award winning "Around Town" column in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
with longtime writer Fred Mitchell from 2009-2011. Kaplan is also the pre and postgame host for CSN's Chicago Cubs broadcasts where he partners with former Chicago Cubs outfielder and 1996 National League Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth. Kaplan is now the co-host of WGN Radio's highly rated evening talk show "Sports NIght" which is a nightly talk show that airs weeknights from 7-10 p.m. His on air partners are former comedian Brian "The Big Funny" Noonan and well respected news anchor Andrea "The Petite Pepper Pot" Darlas and the show has received tremendous praise for their ability to cover sports and other topics outside the sports world in a very entertaining manner. He has also appeared as a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and he was in the highly acclaimed documentary "Hoop Dreams" during his basketball scouting days.
Kaplan grew up in Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
and is a graduate of Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he received a bachelor's degree in English. He formerly was a basketball coach at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
, and a scout for two NBA teams: the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
. Kaplan worked at Chicago sports radio station WMVP-AM before joining WGN (AM)
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
's sports staff as a reporter in 1995.
He became the host of Sports Central at WGN in 95' and it quickly became Chicago radio's #1 rated sports talk show. He and former Chicago Bears star Tom Waddle co-hosted the show for just over 10 years which at the time was the longest on air sports talk duo in Chicago radio history. After Waddle left to join ESPN Radio in February of 2007 Kaplan hosted the show on a solo basis until March, 2010. It was the longest-running sports talk show in Chicago (began in 1982), until March, 2010 when the former Program Director Kevin Metheny, who was characterized in the Howard Stern movie Private Parts as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton opted to replace the program with a non-sports oriented talk show. In December of 2010, Kaplan signed a new long term contract to stay at WGN Radio as the primary host of a new evening talk show called WGN Sports Night. He is the only broadcaster in Chicago TV or radio history to host a daily radio show, a daily TV show, and write a regular column in a major newspaper all at the same time.
In January 2008, Kaplan was named the host of Chicago Tribune Live on Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
. “CTL” airs live Monday-Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and is a roundtable discussion of the hot stories in the sports world featuring Kaplan and a panel of guests including writers from the Chicago Tribune. In November 2009 he and the staff of Chicago Tribune Live were awarded the prestigious Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Best Interview Program for their work on CTL. Kaplan signed a long-term agreement with Comcast on December 15, 2010. The new contract calls for him to also host the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
pre-and post game Comcast shows and to receive his own space for news reporting and a blog on the Comcast SportsNet Chicago website called "The Kap Man".
Currently, Kaplan also calls college basketball and football games for various conferences and he has been the announcer for the Chicago professional lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team: the Chicago Machine
Chicago Machine
The Chicago Machine is a mens field lacrosse team that plays in Major League Lacrosse that was based in Chicago, Illinois until the franchise left after the 2009 season to be a travel team in 2010. The team then transferred its roster to the reborn Rochester Rattlers on November 23, 2010 when it...
; he was also the announcer for the Chicago Shamrox
Chicago Shamrox
The Chicago Shamrox were a professional lacrosse team that played in the National Lacrosse League in the 2007 and 2008 NLL seasons. Home matches were played at the Sears Centre in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The team's ownership group was headed by Kevin Loughery Jr., the son of...
. In 2011 Kaplan played a prominent role in the highly acclaimed ESPN documentary "Catching Hell" which chronicled the story of the 2003 Chicago Cubs and fan Steve Bartman who was thrust into the spotlight when the Cubs failed to win Game 6 of the National League Championship Series after leading 3-0 in the 8th inning at Wrigley Field.