Steve Hartman (sportscaster)

Steve Hartman (born July 4, 1958 in Hollywood, California) is currently the co-host of the "Loose Cannons" sports talk show on KLAC radio in Los Angeles, California (along with ex-Los Angeles Laker player and current team radio broadcaster Mychal Thompson and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs) and is also the weekend sports anchor on KCBS-TV and KCAL television (not to be confused with CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman). Hartman is nicknamed the "King of Sports Trivia" due to his encyclopedic memory of sports knowledge; both past and present. Hartman is also a film buff and an aficionado of movie trivia, especially of the Academy Awards.

Hartman is best known for his unflinching support of the UCLA Bruins, his bitter jealousy of the USC Trojans, and his otherwise pragmatic and realistic outlook regarding the other local sports teams -- particularly the Los Angeles Lakers. This stands in sharp contrast to his partner Jacobs's excessively positive outlook on things -- again, particularly the Lakers. Some fans have labeled him "Bruin Steve," while others have tagged him "Hater Hartman" and "Bandwagon Man" for his on again off again love affair of the Lakers.

Biography

For more than two decades, Hartman has put his stamp on the sports world as a writer, team executive, and broadcaster. He has become a fixture at top sporting events, having covered 17 Super Bowls, 15 Final Fours and five Major League All-Star Games. In addition, Hartman also served two seasons as a UCLA football radio color commentator, for which he earned a 1996 nomination for "best radio analyst" by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association.

The USC Problem

Hartman's hatred for The University Of Southern California is rumored to have started when his hairpiece was seen wearing a USC Football jersey.

Awards

In 2002 and 2007, the SCSBA nominated Hartman as "best radio talk show host" making him the first person to be nominated as both a talk show host and color analyst. He was also a 2004 inductee into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to his radio portfolio, he has been a weekend television sports anchor for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles since 1998. Five times (1999-2001; 2003-04), Hartman and his colleagues have been honored as the best local sports television team by the SCSBA. In addition, he served seven years as a television color analyst for ESPN's coverage of the Toyota "Pro/Celebrity" race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Hartman's hairpiece was recently seen holding hands with Marv Albert's toupee, further fueling the debate over same sex hairpiece marriages.

Early career

Hartman first gained notice as the Daily Bruin sports editor at UCLA where he gained West Coast collegiate honors for his coverage of the 1980 Final Four.

Following graduation, Hartman worked three years at KABC radio in Los Angeles as an assistant producer for the station's afternoon sports show. This was followed by a four-year run as media relations/publications director for the Los Angeles Raiders. Hartman also was the editor of the Los Angeles Rams oriented magazine "Rampages" writing opinion and feature pieces about news concerning the L.A. Rams.

In February 1989, Hartman began his sports radio career at KFOXdn in Los Angeles. A year later, he helped launch XTRA, the first all-sports station in southern California where he worked with Chet Forte, of ABC Monday Night Football Fame and later "Philly" Billy Werndl who continued with the "Loose Cannons" tradition at XTRA Radio after the death of Forte.

Family

The Hartman family includes his wife Denise, sons Drake and Garrett, his daughter Paris, and numerous hairpieces. [http://cbs2.com/bios/local_bio_288184301.html]

External links

* [http://cbs2.com/bios/Steve.Hartman.cbs.9.538063.html KCBS bio]
* [http://2005.xtrasportsradio.com/pages/Cannons.html?feed=122765&article=378300 Loose Cannons on KLAC]