Rob Parker (sports journalist)

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Rob Parker (born in New York City, 1962-) is a Detroit News newspaper sports columnist and radio broadcaster. Parker co-hosted Parker & The Man with Mark Wilson (Wilson was the 'Man') on Detroit's WKRK Live 97.1 FM from 7 PM - 11 PM five days a week and it was one of the top rated sports radio shows in Michigan until its cancelation in December 2006. Parker is also a regular on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith's weekly Back Page Panel, a sportswriters roundtable discussion of the week's hottest sports topics. Parker attended Southern Connecticut State University and Columbia University for graduate studies in journalism. Parker used to be the Detroit Pistons beat reporter, and has covered some of the most important sports events in recent Detroit history. He first worked as a broadcaster on WDFN's afternoon drive show with longtime host Mike "Stony" Stone, before leaving and being replaced with Bob "Wojo" Wojonowski, a fellow Detroit News sports columnist. In 2006, Parker expanded to television, he hosts Sports Rap, a weekly sports digest show on the FSN Detroit cable channel.

Personally, Parker is divorced, and came to Detroit from New York partially because his former wife was from the area. He is known over the air for his distinct New York vocal accent and his joking whine when speaking. He is a self-confessed lover of Major League Baseball, particularly The National League. African-American, Parker is not shy to discuss the racial aspects of current sports events, such as the NBA off-court dress policy, or the lack of African-Americans in NFL coaching positions. Often challenged by local sports fans for his controversial opinions, as they relate to race relations in sports, his opinions are usually respected by listeners even if they disagree. Parker owns a barber shop in Detroit and sometimes strays from a strict diet of sports topics to discuss Detroit politics and larger social issues. Mark Wilson, 'The Man' is a very engaging and able partner and tends to play the straight man to Parker. Parker dated FOX Sports sideline reporter Pam Oliver for several years. They broke up, partially, according to Parker's on air comments, because of the media scrutiny.

[edit] Radio show news

This article documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

CBS which owns the station released Parker and Wilson as the station decided to replace them with Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers broadcasts formerly carried exclusively on the 1270 AM station WXYT, also a CBS owned station. Parker and the Man recently celebrated their 7th anniversary on the air and were promoted as "Michigan's Number One, night time sports talk show". The Detroit Free Press speculated on December 29th, 2006 the New Years Eve broadcast of the Red Wings will officially end the shows reign.

Rob Parker was quoted in a December 29th 2006 Detroit News article that he and Wilson plan to continue as a team on another station in Detroit- "different Bat time, different Bat channel." He is also quoted as saying the station did not offer an explanation beyond "they were going in a different direction."

As of March 1st, there has been developments on the Parker and the Man front. In a message to their myspace page subscribers, Rob Parker stated that there is a deal in the works that would have Parker and the Man back on the radio dial, albeit on AM, and not FM. The station would be Detroit AM station 1200 WCHB, a station with a strong and clear signal throughout Southeastern Michigan, Northwestern Ohio and Southwestern Ontario. Terry Foster, a fellow sports columnist with Parker at the Detroit News, reported in his blog a new deal to put Parker and Wilson back on the air was in the works too.