Legends Behind the Lens: Mike Pearl With a special eye for talent, he shaped the look and feel of sports television for generations By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, June 12, 2020 - 12:00 pm
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Story Highlights
The story of American sports television is engrained in the history of this nation, rising on the achievements of countless incredible men and women who never once appeared on our screens. During this pause in live sports, SVG is proud to present a celebration of this great industry. Legends Behind the Lens is a look at how we got here seen through the people who willed it to be. Each weekday, we will share with you the story of a person whose impact on the sports-television industry is indelible.
Legends Behind the Lens is presented in association with the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. In these trying times - with so many video-production professionals out of work - we hope that you will consider (if you are able) donating to the Sports Broadcasting Fund. Do so by visiting sportsbroadcastfund.org.
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By Jason Dachman
In building some of the most iconic sports-television franchises ever and producing many of the most memorable sports telecasts of all time, Mike Pearl has helped redefine how fans watch sports on TV. Whether as an executive in the boardroom or a producer in the control room, he has maintained a flair for innovation, a knack for finding great on-air talent, and, most important, an unwavering sense of loyalty to his peers.
Mike's philosophy about life is all about personal relationships and friends, the late former NBA Commissioner David Stern once said. If you're a friend of Mike's, you're a friend for life, and there's nothing that he wouldn't do for a friend.
Having studied mass communications/media studies at University of Miami, Pearl broke into the television business as a reporter at WTVJ Miami in 1968. It was the start of a career that would span more than four decades at five networks and garner 16 Emmy Awards.
I've known Mike for over 45 years, and nothing has changed from his years at WTVJ to his years doing network sports, says founding executive and former President of Fox Sports Ed Goren. He has a passion for sports television and has a wonderful sense of talent. From the very beginning. Mike was more than just a producer and executive. He is a journalist with a fine sense of bringing a story and show to life.
First Big Splash
Soon after landing a job at CBS Sports in 1975, Pearl made his first big splash in the industry when he revamped the format of The NFL Today and added on-air talent Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, Phyllis George, and Jimmy The Greek Snyder. The pregame show, which Pearl produced for four years, proved a massive hit for CBS, beginning an 18-year run as the highest-rated program in its timeslot (until the network lost its NFL rights in 1994) and paving the way for countless studio shows to follow.
I have always believed that, with the right mix of [on-air] talent, anything is possible, says Pearl. When you find personalities that have great chemistry and complement each other, the rest is a walk in the park. That was truly the case with [The NFL Today]. With personalities like that, you couldn't lose.
In addition to his prowess in the studio, Pearl proved himself as a producer in the truck, working the front bench for CBS broadcasts of Super Bowl X, XII, and XIV, as well as the first live wire-to-wire coverage of the Daytona 500 in 1979. Pearl also headed up production on the CBS Sports Spectacular anthology series.
Mike was my very first partner in network television, says CBS Sports Lead Director Bob Fishman. For more than three decades, as both a producer and executive, his leadership has made everyone better, whether working behind the scenes or in front of the camera. His ability to recognize new talent is unique, and, in the production truck, when things didn't go according to plan, his skill at holding it all together was impressive. Despite his mostly quiet demeanor, there was never a question as to who was leading the broadcast.
At the Alphabet Net
In 1980, Pearl took his producing talents to ABC, where he would spend eight years and produce a string of high-profile events, including Super Bowl XIX and XXII, Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis 500 (three times), the New York City Marathon, and ABC's Wide World of Sports. Pearl also saw his first action at the Olympics - an event that would help to define his career throughout the '80s and '90s - serving as producer at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. In 1987, while at ABC, Pearl took home horseracing's highest honor, the Eclipse Award, for producing the all three legs of the Triple Crown.
In 1988, Pearl returned to his roots at the Tiffany Network, serving as coordinating producer of CBS Sports' coverage of the 1992 Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics (still the highest-rated Olympics ever).
In the crazy, zany, wacky, and pressure-filled business of sports television, I think of Mike Pearl as always being the calmest guy in the storm. he is, without question, one of the most important figures [for] four decades in sports television. Yet, even rapid sports fans don't know his name. Al Michaels
I always believe in looking for the next challenge; I could never handle being stagnant, says Pearl. If it was something that was unknown and seemed like something that wasn't necessarily in my comfort zone, then that's where I wanted to be. That [philosophy] guided a lot of the decisions I ended up making in my career.
Following the 1994 Games, Pearl was ready for that next challenge w
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Legends Behind the Lens: Mike Pearl With a special eye for talent, he shaped the look and feel of sports television for generations By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
