View My VisualCV Online: http://www.visualcv.com/johnboytwo

Immediate Goal

I am an older, experienced radio/television veteran searching for a challenging opportunity in the broadcasting and/or horse racing industries.  I am confident my wealth of professional experience can contribute significantly to the success and the improvement of a new or existing business operation.

 

I can easily relocate into any area of the United States. My past experience will allow me to quickly settle and assimilate into any situation or city in the country.

Professional Accomplishments

  • Racing Analyst/Commentator at Prairie Meadows / Altoona, IA
  • Racing Analyst/Commentator at American Quarter Horse Association
  • Sports Anchor/Sports Director at KTUU-TV2 (NBC) Anchorage, AK
  • Sports Anchor/Sports Director at KERO-TV 23 (NBC) Bakersfield, CA
  • Radio Announcer at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar
  • Talk Show Host at XTRA Sports 690, KORG-AM1150, and World Talk Radio

I am a veteran broadcasting professional with more than three decades of experience at the microphone, on the board, in front of the camera, and behind the scenes.

 

I am currently working as a horse racing analyst/commentator at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona, IA and for the American Quarter Horse Association.

 

I was a two-time NSSA Alaska Sportscaster Of The Year as Sports Anchor/Sports Director at KTUU-TV2 (NBC) in Anchorage, AK. My position and reputation allowed me to cover events and stories in many foreign countries, including the U.S.S.R and Canada, where I reported on the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

 

During my stay at KTUU, I hired a young sports intern by the name of Sarah Heath. Today, she is Sarah Heath Palin, former Governor of Alaska and the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate. Sarah mentions me by name on Page 47 and Page 410 of her new bestseller Going Rogue!

 

I have also worked in the specialized field of thoroughbred horse racing. I was "on-the-air" as the radio results announcer for all three major Southern California thoroughbred tracks: Del Mar, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita.

 

In 1993, San Diego's legendary radio giant XTRA Sports 690 noted my broadcasting and horse racing expertise in its decision to hire me as the host of the station's first thoroughbred racing talk show.

 

In 2008 and 2009, I was at the microphone as guest host on the Southern California-based thoroughbred racing program Inside Racing, which airs on KLAC AM570 Los Angeles.

 

Executive Feedback

"For what it's worth, your resume is one of the better presented I've seen. I especially liked the "25 Fascinating Factoids."

--Tom Bier, Station Manager, WISC-TV


"You've done good work (notwithstanding your taste in interns). I'll keep you in mind."

--Con Psarras, VP/ND, KSL-TV

 

Professional Experience

Prairie Meadows

Altoona, IA
Apr 2010 - Present
Racing Analyst/Commentator 

I am serving as a racing analyst/commentator for Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Iowa. I provide commentary on the track's video feed, support the marketing department with promotional activities, and post articles, audio, and full-card handicaps online.

American Quarter Horse Association

Amarillo, TX, United States
Oct 2010 - Present
Racing Analyst/Commentator 

I visit various race tracks as a racing analyst/commentator for the American Quarter Horse Association. I provide pre- and post-race commentary for track video signals and promote the AQHA to the fans in attendance. I have been on assignment to Will Rogers Downs in OK, The Fair Grounds in LA, Hialeah Park in FL, and Sunland Park in NM.

KERO-TV23 (NBC)

Bakersfield, CA, United States
1979 - 1981
Sports Director/Anchor 

I made coverage of local college and high school sports a priority, often venturing "beyond the call of duty" to do so. My persistence allowed me to cover a variety of high-profile events such as two world championship fights, the Major League All-Star Game, and the National Hockey League All-Star Game.

KTUU-TV2 (NBC)

Anchorage, AK, United States
1984 - 1988
Sports Director/Anchor 

My position and my reputation as the hardest working sportscaster in town allowed me to cover events and stories in many foreign countries, including the U.S.S.R and Canada. I was the only broadcast journalist in Alaska to travel to Indianapolis, IN to report live on the U.S. Olympic Committee selection of Anchorage as a Winter Olympics candidate city.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Del Mar, CA, United States
1989 - 1995
Marketing & Media Assistant 

I was "on-the-air" and in front of the public on a daily basis as Marketing & Media Assistant for the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for many seasons. My role included broadcasting race results on radio stations, hosting public handicapping seminars, and providing interview opportunities to members of the local news media.

IVID Communications

San Diego, CA, United States
1995 - 2000
Senior Instructional Designer 

At IVID Communications, I applied my journalism and writing skills to an "outside the box" experience as a senior instructional designer. I designed and wrote computer-based and instructor-led training courses for major corporate clients such as Ford Motor Company, Ford Credit, NCR, and DataQuick Information Services.

Thoroughbred Connection

San Diego, CA, United States
2000 - 2010
CEO 

I have owned my thoroughbred racing business Thoroughbred Connection since 2000. Its primary purpose is as the flagship company for racing talk shows, including terrestrial broadcasts on ESPN Radio 800 in San Diego and on the Internet-based World Talk Radio in San Diego.

Education

San Diego State University - College of Professional Studies And Fine Arts

San Diego, CA, United States
1972 - 1977
BA, Journalism

Skills

Radio Talk Show Hosting

(Rockstar)
10+ Years Experience, (Last Used <1 year ago)
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Video Shooting And Editing

(Rockstar)
10+ Years Experience, (Last Used <1 year ago)
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Audio Editing

(Rockstar)
10+ Years Experience, (Last Used <1 year ago)
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25 Fascinating Factoids About My Career In Broadcasting

1) My first "on air" gig was as a sportscaster on San Diego State University's college radio station KCR.
 
2) One of my fellow KCR peeps (pardon the pun) was Ted Giannoulas, aka The Famous Chicken.
 
3) I interned as a writer for the well-known Boss Radio newsman Brent Seltzer in 1976 at KDEO AM on Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa.
 
4) My first paid job in broadcasting was at KDEO. I wrote news for the morning show and helped out the morning man, the legendary Top 25 DJ Neilson Ross.
 
5) I was fired for the first time in broadcasting at KDEO by Jess Bullet when he took over as PD.
 
6) I did stats and between-period interviews for Jerry Trupiano on Houston Aeros World Hockey Association broadcasts when the Aeros were in San Diego to play the Mariners.
 
7) I became good friends with and helped out two San Diego Mariners broadcasters, the late Ron Oakes and Roy Storey, on their home broadcasts at the San Diego Sports Arena.
 
8) I was the play-by-play announcer for the first game in the short history of the San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Hockey League, at the historic Cow Palace, filling in for Roy Storey when he was ill.
 
9) I broadcast a total of four San Francisco Shamrocks games, the only professional hockey broadcasts I ever did in my career.
 
10) My commentary partner on one game was the late Rory Markas, who announced major league baseball games in Southern California for the Anaheim Angels until his sudden death in January 2010.
 
11) I was hired as a news reporter at KERO-TV23 Bakersfield after I worked a day "on audition" during an emergency situation in which the station was severely shorthanded.
 
12) I became sports director at KERO-TV23 and I worked with Kern County broadcasting icon Burleigh Smith nightly on the set.
 
13) I covered the first two title fights of Bakersfield featherweight boxer Ruben Castillo against the ring legends Alexis Arguello and Salvador Sanchez in Tucson, AZ.
 
14) I was the ring announcer at Bakersfield's Strongbow Stadium for the colorful boxing promoter Harry Kabakoff, aka "Hula Harry," nee Melville Himmelfarb.
 
15) I once interviewed wrestling legend Freddie Blassie and drew his ire for suggesting that his "sport" was not on the up and up!
 
16) As radio results announcer at Hollywood Park, I learned to call thoroughbred horse races under the guidance of the late great  Harry Henson.
 
17) I taught Broadcast Journalism classes at my alma mater San Diego State University in the early 80s. My "star pupils" include Artie Ojeda (KNSD), Louis Weiner (KFMB), Gregg Rawdin (KUSI), and Faith Sidlow (KSEE Fresno), all still working in the business!
 
18) I accepted a sports anchor/reporter job at KTUU-TV2 Anchorage without ever visiting the city or the station beforehand.
 
19) I met my  wife Shari Johnson (who worked in the production department) at KTUU-TV in 1985.
 
20) I hired a 24-year-old sports intern by the name of Sarah Heath in 1987. She went on to become Sarah Heath Palin, former Governor of Alaska and John McCain's 2008 Vice Presidential running mate.
 
21) I did a documentary and a series of reports on an Anchorage Youth Hockey League team's travels to Leningrad, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen in 1986.
 
22) I covered two International Olympic Committee Winter Olympics site selection meetings ... 1986 in Lausanne, Switzerland and 1988 in Calgary, Canada.
 
23) I was hired by Tom McKinley at The Mighty 690 (XTRA Sports), San Diego's legendary sports station in 1993 to host the station's first thoroughbred horse racing show.
 
24) I hosted a thoroughbred racing talk show on the Internet for three years on San Diego-based World Talk Radio.
 
25) I have covered three Belmont Stakes in this decade (2003, 2004, and 2008) hoping to see the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. But, no Triple Crown heroics at The Big Sandy for Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, or Big Brown!

Radio & Television

Host, Commentator, Interviewer

VisualCV Video

A compilation of my work in 2010 at Prairie Meadows Racetrack/Casino in Altoona, IA.

Selected On Camera Clips

These are selected on-camera clips from my work at KTUU-TV2 (NBC) Anchorage, AK.

Inside Racing - KLAC AM570 Los Angeles

First segment interview with racing journalist/blogger Claire Novak on May 9, 2009 ... the day after the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

Inside Racing - KLAC AM570 - Los Angeles

Second segment interview with handicapper Bruce Finkelstein on May 9, 2009 ... the day after the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

KTUU-TV 2 Anchorage Sports Segment

VisualCV Video

A four-minute sports segment from a KTUU-TV 2 (NBC) Anchorage newscast... I always strived for good writing, good content, interesting video, and giving my viewers a well-rounded segment! I enjoyed the opportunity to interview former NC basketball star Kenny Smith, who was a rookie at the time for Bill Russell's Sacramento Kings.

Hockey Referee - Anchorage, AK

VisualCV Video

This is one of my all-time favorite features that I've ever done. This was when wireless microphones were just beginning to be part of the tool set. I asked Jimmy Brett, a well-known hockey referee in Anchorage, to wear a wireless for one period. We got some great sound! This piece ended up being aired on ESPN!

Kenai River - Alaska - 1986

VisualCV Video

A "blast from the past!" Simply the most amazing day of fishing I've ever had in my life. And truly a "once in a lifetime" fishing experience, I've never come close to anything like it again. I still have my trophy-mounted Kenai King on display in my home.

Leningrad Hockey - USSR - 1986

VisualCV Video

The pinnacle of a four-country tour for the Anchorage North Stars junior hockey team ... a report on one of their two games outdoors in Leningrad, USSR against the Red Army youth team!

Fox Morning Show - San Diego

VisualCV Video

Video segment from San Diego's FOX affiliate morning show. I was interviewed by  host Raoul Martinez about my connection to Sarah Heath Palin.

References

John Larson

(Superior)

Jay Privman

(Peer)

Jane Asher

(Peer)