Chris Van Vliet

Chris Van Vliet
Chris Van Vliet reporting from the red carpet of the 83rd Academy Awards.
Born	Christopher Van Vliet (1983-05-19) May 19, 1983 Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Television Personality, Radio Personality and Journalist
Years active	2005–present
Website
www.chrisvanvliet.tv

Christopher "Chris" Van Vliet (born 1983 in Pickering, Ontario) is a Canadian television/radio personality, professional film critic, and competitive sport fisherman currently living and working in Cleveland, Ohio.

He is the entertainment reporter for CBS Cleveland affiliate WOIO channel 19 and a radio personality at WDOK FM 102.1 in Cleveland. Prior to coming to Cleveland, he was known for his work in his native Canada as the former co-host of the Sun TV show Inside Jam! and the former co-host of Razer's (now MTV2) 969 program.

Van Vliet also serves as a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.^[1]

Education and early career

Van Vliet attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, where he completed the university's communication studies program. While attending he held jobs at Rogers Community Television and AM570 News in Kitchener. His first on-air job was with CHEX-TV in Peterborough, Ontario, where he was a news reporter and videographer immediately following graduation.^[2]

969

Following his early days in Peterborough, Van Vliet eventually moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was hired as a host and producer for Razer Television's (what would eventually become MTV2) 969 program.^[3] 969 aired from November 2004 until it was cancelled in 2007. While there, he also hosted Razer News, a celebrity news program. In 2007, Van Vliet was voted as the third favorite Vancouver TV personality by the readers of TV Week Magazine.

Inside Jam!

Following 969, Van Vliet returned to Toronto where he co-hosted the program Inside Jam! with Tara Slone on Sun TV. While the program was initially an hour-long daily entertainment news program, on March 23, 2006, it was reported that the program was moving to a 1-hour Saturday format.^[4] Inside Jam! has since been scaled down to a half-hour program airing Saturdays and Sundays.^[5]

WOIO

In February 2010, Van Vliet announced on air on Inside Jam! that he would be leaving the show, having accepted a position as an entertainment reporter at CBS affiliate WOIO in Cleveland, Ohio.^[6] In April 2010 he was voted by Inside Edition as one of Cleveland's hottest bachelors.^[7]

In October 2011 he was named by Cosmopolitan Magazine as the Bachelor of the Year. He donated the $10,000 prize to The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. ^[8]

On June 2, 2012 Van Vliet won two Emmy Awards for Best Host and Best Single Sports Story for his report on Gregory Iron, a professional wrestler from Cleveland who wrestles despite being born with cerebral palsy.^[9]

Outside Interests

Sports Fishing

In addition to his media work, Van Vliet also is involved with competitive sport fishing, having entered numerous Bassmaster tournaments,^[10] and even winning an Amateur Division Big Fish of the Day title when the Bassmaster Northern Open took place on September 14, 2013 in Sandusky, Ohio with a 6-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth bass.^[11] He also has recorded two overall top ten finishes in previous Bassmaster Northern Opens.

Professional Wrestling

Van Vliet is also a professional wrestling fan, having worked as an announcer for the Cleveland based independent promotion Prime Wrestling,^[12] and having conducted numerous interviews with professional wrestlers from national companies such as WWE and TNA.^[13][14]

Awards

• Two-time Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards recipient^[9]
• 2011 Cosmopolitan Magazine Bachelor of the Year^[15]
• 2012 Broadcasters Hall of Fame Personality of the Year^[16]
• 2013 Bassmaster Bass Pro Shops Northern Open - Amateur Division Big Fish of the Day (6lb., 7oz. smallmouth bass)^[11]

References

External links

• Chris Van Vliet