About Michael Barkann
As a youngster, Michael Barkann’s passion was sports- it was all he wanted to do, to discuss, to think about. Out of that passion came a 40 year(and counting!) award winning broadcasting career. Now, he brings his rugged, versatile and powerful voice to the world of voice acting.
Michael Barkann is one of Philadelphia’s best known sports media personalities. Since 1997, this veteran sportscaster has been a host of myriad programs for NBC Sports Philadelphia/Comcast SportsNet. He has been honored as Pennsylvania’s Sportscaster of the Year eight times besides winning numerous Emmy Awards including: Outstanding Individual Achievement for a Sports Reporter; Outstanding Sports Feature; Outstanding Individual Achievement Host/Talk Program; and Outstanding Talk Program.
Barkann earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University’s prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications which has produced such sports media luminaries as Bob Costas, Marty Glickman, Mike Tirico and Dick Stockton among many others.
His on-air career began with New Jersey Network (he started as NJN’s weatherman!) and soon took him to KYW-TV in Philadelphia. In 1991 he joined the USA Network and for 18 years covered U.S. Open Tennis, World League Football and a boxing series Tuesday Night Fights. He gained major television exposure working for CBS Sports at the Winter Olympics. In 1992 in Albertville, France, 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway and 1998 in Nagano, Japan Barkann covered speed skating for CBS.
In 1992 Barkann became sports director at WLVI-TV in Boston. He spent five years in Boston and also hosted sports radio programs on WEEI-AM.
Barkann joined NBC Sports Philadelphia(then Comcast SportsNet) and brought the network on the air in October 1997. He was the first person to appear live on the fledgling network. He soon became known for his offbeat interview style. He has served as the host for “Daily News Live,” CSN’s daily roundtable and CSN’s Post Game Live programs. Among his favorite assignments were the Phillies World Series Championship, the Eagles Super Bowl victory and Dan Jansen’s dramatic speed-skating gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Barkann’s charitable work includes his family’s Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation, the Live Like Blaine Foundation and the ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia.
Off camera, his favorite pursuits are photography, films and travel. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife Ellen and two children.
