Rich Fields
Encyclopedia
Richard Wayne "Rich" Fields (born November 30, 1960) is an American broadcaster, spokesman, announcer and meteorologist
, best known for being the announcer of the American version of The Price Is Right
from 2004–2010.
Fields is currently a part-time meteorologist for the CBS owned and operated television stations KCBS-TV
and KCAL-TV
in Los Angeles, California. Fields handles weather duties for all of the newscasts on KCBS-TV
/KCAL-TV
, including the weekends. Fields can also be heard on the radio on K-EARTH 101 KRTH in Los Angeles.
and raised in Avon, Ohio
, before moving to Clearwater, Florida
in 1976. He graduated from the University of Florida
in 1983 with a degree in broadcasting and has enjoyed a 32 year career as a radio personality, including a ten year stint at KCBS-FM
in Los Angeles, and can still be heard at times on K-EARTH 101 KRTH in Los Angeles. In his early career, Fields worked as a show host and announcer at Universal Studios
in Hollywood. Fields is a well-known voice-over personality and has done hundreds of television and radio commercials. In 1995, Fields became the announcer for the Florida Lottery
's Flamingo Fortune
television game show (a Goodson Production) and held that position for three seasons.
In early 2000, Fields returned to college at Mississippi State University
to study meteorology and later became a television meteorologist. After an internship at WFLA-TV
in Tampa Florida, Fields was offered the morning weather position at KPSP-LP
in Palm Springs
, California
. Fields was later promoted to Chief Meteorologist for KPSP and worked for the station until May 2004.
at a taping of Price Is Right in 1978, Fields asked how he could get Olson's job. Olson brought Fields onstage and asked him to give an example of how he would call a contestant to "Come on down!"
In March 2004, while still working for KPSP, Fields auditioned for the announcing role on The Price Is Right that was vacated by the death of Rod Roddy
. Occasionally, Fields delivered his weather forecasts for KPSP from the Price Is Right stage (Studio 33) at CBS Television City
. On April 4, 2004, CBS announced that Fields would become the show's new announcer. Legendary show host Bob Barker
introduced Fields to viewers nationwide on the episode that aired April 27 of that year.
In 2008, and nearly a year after Drew Carey
took over the host position on The Price Is Right, Fields began to regularly appear on camera, interacting with Carey during the show. In that time, Fields appeared on camera more often than either of his predecessors during their tenures as announcer.
On July 16, 2010, Fields announced on his website that he would not be returning to The Price Is Right, as the show's current executive producer Mike Richards
was looking to change certain aspects of the show. In the web post, Fields stated producers plan to add performances by live bands and include an announcer with a background in improvisational comedy
. Since Fields' departure, a rotating group of guest announcers have appeared in his place, until George Gray succeeded him on April 18, 2011.
as an energetic game show host opposite Michael Rappaport. Also in 2006, Fields was called to do voice-over on the ABC comedy According to Jim
. In 2007 Fields appeared as himself on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother
with host Bob Barker in the episode titled "Showdown".
In addition to appearing on both the daytime and prime-time versions of The Price Is Right, Fields has also made appearances on other television shows including Gameshow Marathon, Inside Edition
, The Late Late Show
and many others. In 2006, Fields co-hosted the Orlando Christmas Parade on Superstation WGN. In 2007, Fields was the host of the first-ever Game Show Hall of Fame Awards in Las Vegas. At that show, Fields accepted Merv Griffin
's induction into the Hall of Fame, at the request of the Griffin family.
On May 1, 2008, Fields appeared on GSN Live
on Game Show Network
. On June 10, 2008, Fields guest starred on NBC's Last Comic Standing
as the announcer for the event "Last Comic Smackdown". Prior to this, Fields provided narration for GSN's Top 10 Countdown of the greatest game show hosts during the segment on Bob Barker, with Bob being in the #1 position. Fields has also appeared onstage many times with Drew Carey and his "Comedy Allstars" shows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Fields will also announce Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
, a GSN series hosted by Carey and featuring most of the cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
, which started airing on April 11, 2011, he also performed in an episode.
Fields served as a guest announcer on Wheel of Fortune
following the death of Charlie O'Donnell
, and provided post-production voice-over work for over nine weeks of episodes.
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, best known for being the announcer of the American version of The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
from 2004–2010.
Fields is currently a part-time meteorologist for the CBS owned and operated television stations KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
and KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
in Los Angeles, California. Fields handles weather duties for all of the newscasts on KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
/KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
, including the weekends. Fields can also be heard on the radio on K-EARTH 101 KRTH in Los Angeles.
Early life and career
Fields was born in Bay Village, OhioBay Village, Ohio
-Education:Bay High School was awarded the blue ribbon award in the school year of 2010-11.Newsweek magazine placed Bay High School 793rd in its 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 U.S...
and raised in Avon, Ohio
Avon, Ohio
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,446 people, 4,088 households, and 3,143 families residing in the city. The population density was 548.4 people per square mile . There were 4,291 housing units at an average density of 205.6 per square mile...
, before moving to Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
in 1976. He graduated from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1983 with a degree in broadcasting and has enjoyed a 32 year career as a radio personality, including a ten year stint at KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
in Los Angeles, and can still be heard at times on K-EARTH 101 KRTH in Los Angeles. In his early career, Fields worked as a show host and announcer at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Hollywood. Fields is a well-known voice-over personality and has done hundreds of television and radio commercials. In 1995, Fields became the announcer for the Florida Lottery
Florida Lottery
The Florida Lottery is a government-run organization in Florida, USA. With numerous on-line and scratch-off games available, players have a wide variety of prize levels to choose from. Since it began, the Florida Lottery has continued to add variety to its portfolio of games...
's Flamingo Fortune
Flamingo Fortune
Flamingo Fortune is an American game show for the Florida Lottery that aired from 1995-1999. It was originally produced by Mark Goodson Productions, at the time also producing game shows for state lotteries alongside his regular game shows...
television game show (a Goodson Production) and held that position for three seasons.
In early 2000, Fields returned to college at Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
to study meteorology and later became a television meteorologist. After an internship at WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...
in Tampa Florida, Fields was offered the morning weather position at KPSP-LP
KPSP-LP
KPSP-CD is a CBS-affiliated Class A low-power television station serving California's Coachella Valley . It is officially licensed to Cathedral City. Its studios and offices are in Thousand Palms, California...
in Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Fields was later promoted to Chief Meteorologist for KPSP and worked for the station until May 2004.
The Price Is Right
During a question-and-answer segment with then-announcer Johnny OlsonJohnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
at a taping of Price Is Right in 1978, Fields asked how he could get Olson's job. Olson brought Fields onstage and asked him to give an example of how he would call a contestant to "Come on down!"
In March 2004, while still working for KPSP, Fields auditioned for the announcing role on The Price Is Right that was vacated by the death of Rod Roddy
Rod Roddy
Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy was an American radio and television announcer. He is primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew!, Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right. On the latter two, Roddy appeared on camera on...
. Occasionally, Fields delivered his weather forecasts for KPSP from the Price Is Right stage (Studio 33) at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
. On April 4, 2004, CBS announced that Fields would become the show's new announcer. Legendary show host Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
introduced Fields to viewers nationwide on the episode that aired April 27 of that year.
In 2008, and nearly a year after Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
took over the host position on The Price Is Right, Fields began to regularly appear on camera, interacting with Carey during the show. In that time, Fields appeared on camera more often than either of his predecessors during their tenures as announcer.
On July 16, 2010, Fields announced on his website that he would not be returning to The Price Is Right, as the show's current executive producer Mike Richards
Michael G. Richards
Michael G. Richards , also known as Mike Richards, is a television personality and producer....
was looking to change certain aspects of the show. In the web post, Fields stated producers plan to add performances by live bands and include an announcer with a background in improvisational comedy
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
. Since Fields' departure, a rotating group of guest announcers have appeared in his place, until George Gray succeeded him on April 18, 2011.
Other work
In 2006, Fields appeared in the FOX sitcom The War at HomeThe War at Home (TV series)
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
as an energetic game show host opposite Michael Rappaport. Also in 2006, Fields was called to do voice-over on the ABC comedy According to Jim
According to Jim
According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
. In 2007 Fields appeared as himself on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
with host Bob Barker in the episode titled "Showdown".
In addition to appearing on both the daytime and prime-time versions of The Price Is Right, Fields has also made appearances on other television shows including Gameshow Marathon, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated...
and many others. In 2006, Fields co-hosted the Orlando Christmas Parade on Superstation WGN. In 2007, Fields was the host of the first-ever Game Show Hall of Fame Awards in Las Vegas. At that show, Fields accepted Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
's induction into the Hall of Fame, at the request of the Griffin family.
On May 1, 2008, Fields appeared on GSN Live
GSN Live
GSN Live is an American live interactive show on Game Show Network that premiered on February 25, 2008 at noon ET and officially ended its 3 year run on July 29, 2011. The last "live" edition aired May 13, 2011...
on Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
. On June 10, 2008, Fields guest starred on NBC's Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
as the announcer for the event "Last Comic Smackdown". Prior to this, Fields provided narration for GSN's Top 10 Countdown of the greatest game show hosts during the segment on Bob Barker, with Bob being in the #1 position. Fields has also appeared onstage many times with Drew Carey and his "Comedy Allstars" shows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Fields will also announce Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza is an improvisational comedy television program that aired in the United States on the Game Show Network. The program was hosted by Drew Carey from CBS's The Price Is Right and former host of ABC's Whose Line Is It Anyway? and was produced at the Hollywood Theatre at the...
, a GSN series hosted by Carey and featuring most of the cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)
Whose Line is it Anyway? is a comedy improv show hosted by Drew Carey on ABC that ran from August 5, 1998 to September 4, 2004, and subsequently on ABC Family since 2005...
, which started airing on April 11, 2011, he also performed in an episode.
Fields served as a guest announcer on Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
following the death of Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
, and provided post-production voice-over work for over nine weeks of episodes.