David Kaplan (radio)
{{Short description|American radio and television personality (born 1960)}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox presenter
| name = David Kaplan
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|11|19}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois
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| show = Kap and J. Hood
| station = ESPN 1000
| network =
| timeslot = 7:00 AM-10:00 AM CT
| show2 = The REKAP on YouTube
| station2 =
| network2 = @rekapdavidkaplan
| timeslot2 = Daily
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| children = 4
| website = {{URL|https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gCJG2UFyTHESi-zn5EEWw}}
}}
David Kaplan is an American sports columnist, radio and television personality. He currently co-hosts Kap and J. Hood on ESPN 1000 and manages a YouTube channel, @rekapdavidkaplan, where he posts recaps of Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Bears games, along with coverage of other Chicago and major sporting events.
Kaplan is the only person in Chicago media history to simultaneously host a daily television show, a daily radio show, and write a regular column for a major newspaper.{{Cite web |title=David Kaplan to be Inducted into Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame With 2021 Class |url=http://www.chicagolandsportshalloffame.com/1/post/2021/05/david-kaplan-to-be-inducted-into-chicagoland-sports-hall-of-fame-with-2021-class.html |access-date=2022-12-18 |website=Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame |language=en}}
Early life and career
Kaplan grew up in Skokie, Illinois, and graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English. He has been married twice previously.{{cite web |url=http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/sportscentral/wgnam-sportscentral-information,0,1106767.story |title=David Kaplan Bio |publisher=WGN Radio |access-date=19 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615051735/http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/sportscentral/wgnam-sportscentral-information%2C0%2C1106767.story |archive-date=15 June 2011 }}
Basketball career
Kaplan served as an assistant coach on head coach John McDougal's staff for the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team from 1982 to 1986.{{Cite web |url=http://www.niuhuskies.com/datadump/athletics/mbball/agate03-04/GoedertObit.htm |title=Korcek, Mike. "Funeral Services Set For Former Northern Illinois, DePaul Cage Assistant Coach Jay Goedert," Northern Illinois University Athletics, Tuesday, July 6, 2004. |access-date=February 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224073249/http://www.niuhuskies.com/datadump/athletics/mbball/agate03-04/GoedertObit.htm |archive-date=February 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=https://niuhuskies.com/news/2009/7/20/2009_NIU_Athletics_Hall_of_Fame_Class_Announced.aspx|title=2009 NIU Athletics Hall of Fame Class Announced|website=NIU Athletics|accessdate=12 May 2023}} He also worked as a scout for two NBA teams, the Indiana Pacers and the Seattle SuperSonics.
Broadcasting career
Kaplan began his broadcasting career at Chicago sports radio station WMVP-AM before joining WGN (AM) as a sports reporter in 1995.
=WGN Radio and ''Sports Central''=
In 1995, Kaplan became the host of Sports Central on WGN, which quickly became Chicago radio's top-rated sports talk show. He co-hosted the show with former Chicago Bears star Tom Waddle for over 10 years, making them the longest-running sports talk duo in Chicago radio history. After Waddle left to join ESPN Radio in February 2007, Kaplan hosted the show solo until March 2010. Sports Central, which began in 1982, was Chicago's longest-running sports talk show until it was replaced by a non-sports talk show in March 2010 by then-program director Kevin Metheny, who was portrayed as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the Howard Stern film Private Parts.{{cite web|url=http://www.wbez.org/feder/2010/04/kaplan-leaves-sports-central-with-classy-farewell/19781|title=Kaplan leaves 'Sports Central' with classy farewell|author=Feder, Robert|date=5 April 2010|publisher=WBEZ|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-date=15 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915103055/http://www.wbez.org/feder/2010/04/kaplan-leaves-sports-central-with-classy-farewell/19781|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/03/wgn-cubs-sports-central-david-kaplan-jim-laski-show.html|title=WGN-AM recasts Kaplan, gives Laski 'Sports Central' slot|author=Rosenthal, Phil|date=25 March 2010|publisher=Chicago Tribune|access-date=19 December 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wbez.org/blog/robert-feder/%E2%80%98pig-virus%E2%80%99-quarantined-metheny-laski-driven-out-wgn|title='Pig Virus' quarantined: Metheny, Laski driven out from WGN|date=12 November 2010|author=Feder, Robert|publisher=WBEZ|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218124626/http://www.wbez.org/blog/robert-feder/%E2%80%98pig-virus%E2%80%99-quarantined-metheny-laski-driven-out-wgn|archive-date=18 December 2010|url-status=dead}} In December 2010, following Metheny’s departure, Kaplan signed a long-term contract to remain at WGN Radio, becoming the primary host of a new evening talk show called WGN Sports Night.{{cite web |url=http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/sportscentralweekend/wgnam-sports-central-weekend-about,0,6444828.htmlstory |title=Sports Central |publisher=WGN Radio |access-date=19 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611045859/http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/sportscentralweekend/wgnam-sports-central-weekend-about%2C0%2C6444828.htmlstory |archive-date=11 June 2011 }}
=Comcast SportsNet and ''Chicago Tribune Live''=
In January 2008, Kaplan was named the host of Chicago Tribune Live on Comcast SportsNet (CSN).{{cite web |url=http://www.csnchicago.com/pages/talent_anchors |title=Anchors |publisher=CSNChicago |access-date=19 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110090826/http://csnchicago.com/pages/talent_anchors |archive-date=10 January 2010 }} In November 2009, he and the Chicago Tribune Live team were awarded an Emmy Award for Best Interview Program.{{cite web|url=http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/1259-david-kaplan-signs-long-tern-contract-extension-with-comcast-sportsnet-chicago|title=David Kaplan Signs Long-Term Contract Extension With Comcast SportsNet Chicago|date=15 December 2010|author=Larz|access-date=19 December 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/staff-blog/2009/11/congratulations-to-chicagonows-emmy-winners.html|title=Congratulations to ChicagoNow's Emmy winners!|author=Greenfield, Jimmy|date=9 November 2010|publisher=Chicago Now|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-date=November 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113082349/http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/staff-blog/2009/11/congratulations-to-chicagonows-emmy-winners.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/12/david-kaplan-gets-new-deal-at-csn-chicago-.html|title=David Kaplan gets new deal at CSN Chicago|author=Rosenthal, Phil|date=15 December 2010|publisher=Chicago Tribune|access-date=19 December 2010}} In 2013, the show was rebranded as Sports Talk Live, which Kaplan hosted until its cancellation in August 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|url=http://davidkaplan.net/|title=Official Website of David Kaplan|website=davidkaplan.net|accessdate=12 May 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/david-kaplan-returning-to-daily-television-on-nbc-sports-chicago-with-unfiltered.html|title = David Kaplan returning to daily television on NBC Sports Chicago with Unfiltered|date = 29 March 2022}}
=Additional television appearances=
Kaplan appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and featured in the acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams during his basketball scouting career.{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-08/sports/ct-spt-1109-around-town--20101108_1_emmys-award-winners-honor-roll|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913142219/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-08/sports/ct-spt-1109-around-town--20101108_1_emmys-award-winners-honor-roll|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2012|title=Around Town|author1=Kaplan, David |author2=Mitchell, Fred |date=8 November 2010|publisher=Chicago Tribune|access-date=19 December 2010}} In 2011, he appeared in the ESPN documentary Catching Hell, which chronicled the story of the 2003 Chicago Cubs and fan Steve Bartman’s controversial role in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
=College basketball and NBC Sports Network=
In November 2012, Kaplan was hired by NBC Sports Network to call college basketball games, after previously working as a basketball announcer for ESPN. He also calls college basketball games for various conferences, including the Atlantic 10 Conference on NBCSN, the Missouri Valley Conference, and the Horizon League. Kaplan has also served as an announcer for the Chicago Machine and the Chicago Shamrox.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
=''Kap and Haugh'' and move to ESPN=
From 2013 to 2015, Kaplan co-hosted Kap and Haugh on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, alongside longtime Chicago Tribune lead sports columnist David Haugh.{{Cn|date=January 2025}} After a 21-year career at WGN Radio, Kaplan signed a multi-year contract with ESPN in 2015, where he began hosting Kap and Co., a daily sports radio show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, airing from 9:00 AM to noon CT. Kaplan’s co-hosts included U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Eddie Olczyk, who also serves as a color analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL on NBC, and Jordan Cornette, who later moved to Bristol, Connecticut, to work for ESPN and the ACC Network. Cornette’s wife, Shae Peppler Cornette, also co-hosted with Kaplan, along with NBC Sports Chicago broadcaster Pat Boyle. Currently, Kaplan co-hosts Kap and J. Hood with Jonathan Hood on ESPN 1000 from 7:00 to 10:00 AM CT.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
=Cubs Pre- and Postgame coverage=
Kaplan hosted pregame and postgame shows for the Chicago Cubs on either WGN Radio or television for 25 seasons from 1995 to 2019. He was the former pregame and postgame host for NBC Sports Chicago’s Chicago Cubs broadcasts, partnering with former Cubs outfielders Todd Hollandsworth, David DeJesus, and Doug Glanville.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
=''Unfiltered with David Kaplan''=
On March 28, 2022, NBC Sports Chicago announced that Kaplan would host a new 30-minute weeknight sports talk show titled Unfiltered with David Kaplan, which premiered on April 4, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Staff • |first=NBC Sports Chicago |title=New Show 'Unfiltered With David Kaplan' Debuts April 4 on NBC Sports Chicago |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/nbcsports/new-show-unfiltered-with-david-kaplan-debuts-april-4-on-nbc-sports-chicago/2793555/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=NBC Chicago |date=March 28, 2022 |language=en-US}} In November 2022, Kaplan announced that he would leave NBC Sports Chicago at the end of the year to focus on his ESPN radio show and his growing YouTube channel.{{cite web | url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/11/17/23465382/david-kaplan-leaving-nbc-sports-chicago-espn-1000-bears-cubs-white-sox-bulls-blackhawks | title=David Kaplan announces he's leaving NBC Sports Chicago on Dec. 30 | date=18 November 2022 }}
Awards
Kaplan was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. He has won three Emmy Awards for his television work, including two at Comcast SportsNet and one for hosting A Piece of the Game, a nationally aired sports memorabilia show that has received multiple awards for excellence.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
From 2009 to 2011, Kaplan co-authored the award-winning Around Town column in the Chicago Tribune with longtime writer Fred Mitchell.{{Cn|date=January 2025}} He was inducted into the WGN Radio Walk of Fame in May 2018{{Cn|date=January 2025}} and was also inducted into both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame and the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2017.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gCJG2UFyTHESi-zn5EEWw YouTube channel]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaplan, David}}
Category:College football announcers
Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters
Category:College basketball announcers in the United States
Category:American television personalities
Category:People from Skokie, Illinois