Bob Lobel

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Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter. During a round of layoffs in April 2008, Lobel's contract was bought out by the station.[1]

WBZ

A native of Apple Creek, Ohio, Lobel joined the station as weekend sports anchor in 1979 and was promoted to weekday anchor and sports director in 1981. Before joining the television side of WBZ, Lobel worked at WBZ radio for three years, most notably as the co-host (with Upton Bell) of Calling All Sports, a sports talk show that aired nightly on the station. He also worked at WJOY in Burlington, Vermont and WGIR in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Lobel has also done some play-by-play work, calling WBZ's annual broadcast of the Boston Marathon, Boston Celtics games from 1989–1993, Boston College Eagles football games in 1986, New England Patriots preseason games from 1985–1991, and two NFL games for NBC in 1985. He was a sideline reporter for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament between 1995 and 1997.

On the air, Lobel was known for using props and catchphrases during his sportscasts:

  • "Why can't we get players like that?" - when any former player for a Boston team is shown making a big play for his new team. This is emphasized in instances when the former Boston player burns a Boston team.[2]
  • the "Panic Button" when a local team is on a losing streak
  • a support beam from the Boston Garden occasionally used for Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics highlights.

Lobel is also known for his local charity work for Children's Hospital and The Genesis Fund among many others.

During a 2003 edition of Sports Final, Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan said that the wife of New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd needed someone to "smack" her for taking his young children to NBA playoff games where they could be taunted. Kidd had recently faced charges of domestic violence. Lobel immediately interrupted Ryan and tried to get Ryan to retract his comment, but Ryan refused. The Globe suspended Ryan for three weeks. In an Internet chat that summer, Lobel said that his actions were not "an act of heroism on my part, just knowing what is acceptable and what is not acceptable".[3]

On April 2, 2008, it was announced that Lobel will be released from WBZ-TV after almost thirty years with the station.[2] On Dec. 1, 2010, Lobel started doing a new radio show on WTPL-FM 107.7 in Hillsboro, NH, it airs weekdays from 1 pm until 2 pm.

On February 3, 2009 Bob Lobel returned briefly to the WBZ fold, on WBZ 1030 AM, replacing Gil Santos (longtime sportscaster who retired on January 30) as the on-air sports reporter. He continues to work with the radio station in other capacities, including golf reports on weekends.

WODS-FM and WAMG-AM

In September 2008, Lobel was hired as a co-host on a morning talk show on WODS-FM, "Oldies 103.3". The show, co-hosted by Karen Blake, will feature cover a range of topics including sports.[4][5][6] Due to back surgery in October 2008, Lobel was replaced on WODS on November 11, 2008.[7]

Lobel appeared on The Boston Sports Show on Boston's ESPN Radio affiliate, WAMG-890, until it was cancelled in September 2009.

Fenway Park

In 2013, Lobel was one of three men chosen to serve as Fenway Park's public address announcer. He will announce most of the Boston Red Sox's Saturday games.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Jessica Heslam (2008-04-02). "’BZ dial$ down, ending Lobel’s TV tenure". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Lobel out in Ch. 4 purge". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  3. ↑ "Bob Lobel chat". Boston Dirt Dogs. 2003-05-12. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  4. ↑ Jessica Heslam (2008-09-23). "New day dawns pretty early for former sportscaster Bob Lobel". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  5. ↑ Christine McConville (2008-09-19). "Bob Lobel launches comeback - on radio". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  6. ↑ Christine McConville (2008-09-20). "Bob Lobel launches comeback as morning host on radio". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
  7. ↑ http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2008_11_12_Back_surgery_forces_Bob_Lobel_out_of_radio_job/
  8. ↑ "Red Sox tab three for Fenway PA duties". ESPN Boston. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 12, 2013. 

External links

Preceded by
Dan Davis		 Boston College Eagles football Play by Play
1986 		Succeeded by
Gil Santos
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