Bill Pidto
Encyclopedia
Bill Pidto was a former radio personality on Mad Dog Radio
on the show The B-Team and is currently an anchor for MSG Network
's coverage of New York Rangers
road games and select New York Knicks
games. He was formerly a journalist
for ESPN
from 1993 to 2008. He was often seen as one of the anchors for ESPNews
. As of February 2011, he is one of the hosts of NHL Overtime on Versus
.
where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. At Cornell he began his broadcasting career as a sports anchor and reporter for WVBR
, a radio station in Ithaca, New York
. He was also a member of the Delta Chi
Fraternity.
Pidto spent the following two years as the Sports director at WBNG-TV, located in Binghamton, New York
. In 1989, he left WBNG for a sports anchor job at WSTM-TV
in Syracuse, though he spent only a year at this station before moving on to the short-lived Sports News Network in 1990. He broke in with ESPN
as a field producer for the network's Scholastic Sports America, program for two years. In 1992, he also spent time as a sports anchor for New England Cable News
.
When ESPN2
was launched in 1993, Pidto was hired to anchor the program SportsSmash, and hosted NHL 2Night
when it debuted in 1995. That same year, Pidto also joined NFL Primetime
. During his tenure at ESPN he has also served as an anchor for Baseball Tonight
.
On coverage of the New York Knicks, Pidto will serve anchor duties when either Al Trautwig
is unavailable for a home game or the Knicks are on the road (when the Rangers or Knicks are at home, Al Trautwig does the pre-game and haftime/intermission reports from the Geico Studio Suite on the 7th floor of MSG). When both the Knicks and Rangers are playing, Bill Pidto routinely does the pre-game, post-game, and intermission reports for the New York Rangers.
Mad Dog Radio
Mad Dog Radio is a Sirius XM Radio station which broadcasts sports talk, sports news, and play by play. The channel is located on channel 86 on the XM service and channel 123 on the Sirius service. This channel officially started broadcasting on November 12, 2008...
on the show The B-Team and is currently an anchor for MSG Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
's coverage of New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
road games and select New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
games. He was formerly a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
from 1993 to 2008. He was often seen as one of the anchors for ESPNews
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...
. As of February 2011, he is one of the hosts of NHL Overtime on Versus
Versus
Versus, often abbreviated v. or v, vs. or vs may refer to:- Media :* Versus , a United States sports channel, to be renamed NBC Sports Network in 2012* Versus , a Japanese action/horror film...
.
Biography
A native of Palo Alto, California, Pidto was a 1987 graduate of Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. At Cornell he began his broadcasting career as a sports anchor and reporter for WVBR
WVBR
WVBR-FM is a college radio station that broadcasts to Ithaca, New York, and surrounding areas. It operates at 3 kilowatts from a transmitter on Hungerford Hill, in Ithaca. A translator on 105.5 FM provides a cleaner signal to certain areas of Ithaca...
, a radio station in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. He was also a member of the Delta Chi
Delta Chi
Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...
Fraternity.
Pidto spent the following two years as the Sports director at WBNG-TV, located in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. In 1989, he left WBNG for a sports anchor job at WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV
WSTM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter on Sentinel Heights Road in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS channel 3 and Time Warner channel 4...
in Syracuse, though he spent only a year at this station before moving on to the short-lived Sports News Network in 1990. He broke in with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
as a field producer for the network's Scholastic Sports America, program for two years. In 1992, he also spent time as a sports anchor for New England Cable News
New England Cable News
New England Cable News is a regional 24-hour cable news television network owned and operated by NBCUniversal serving the New England region of the United States. It is very similar to CNN in structure and style, but focuses more on regional news. The channel is also similar to Northwest Cable...
.
When ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
was launched in 1993, Pidto was hired to anchor the program SportsSmash, and hosted NHL 2Night
NHL 2Night
NHL 2Night was a TV show that had highlights of National Hockey League games five nights a week on ESPN2. It was usually broadcast live at midnight eastern time or immediately following an NHL telecast on ESPN2. It was then re-broadcast a few times throughout the night and following day.The show...
when it debuted in 1995. That same year, Pidto also joined NFL Primetime
NFL Primetime
NFL Primetime is a sports television program that has aired on ESPN since 1987. The show is presented similarly to ESPN's own SportsCenter, featuring scores, highlights, and analysis of every game of the week in the NFL.-Format :...
. During his tenure at ESPN he has also served as an anchor for Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight is a program that airs on ESPN. The show, which recapitulates the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since 1990.-Air times:...
.
On coverage of the New York Knicks, Pidto will serve anchor duties when either Al Trautwig
Al Trautwig
Al Trautwig is a commentator with the MSG Network, NBC, Versus, and USA Network. He does the pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as fill-in play-by-play for both teams.-Early life:...
is unavailable for a home game or the Knicks are on the road (when the Rangers or Knicks are at home, Al Trautwig does the pre-game and haftime/intermission reports from the Geico Studio Suite on the 7th floor of MSG). When both the Knicks and Rangers are playing, Bill Pidto routinely does the pre-game, post-game, and intermission reports for the New York Rangers.