Ron Flatter
Encyclopedia
Ronald Allen "Ron" Flatter (born April 9, 1959 in San Rafael, Calif.
) is an American and Australian radio broadcaster based in New York
. He is currently a national news anchor for Fox News Radio
in New York, and a sportscaster
for Sport 927
in Melbourne
, Australia
. He was until September 2010 a radio sportscaster for WEPN
, ESPN New York.
SI.com's Richard Deitsch listed Flatter as No. 8 on his Media Power Rankings for June/July 2010 in the Media Circus column.
Recent assignments include the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa
, the 2002 Winter Olympics
, and horse racing
’s Triple Crown
in the USA. ABC’s
Brent Musburger
has used Flatter as a radio writer, producer and on-air reporter.
, Flatter became a part-time TV sports reporter at Chico’s KHSL
shortly after his first assignment was calling and producing an NASL
exhibition soccer match in March 1976 between the San Jose Earthquakes
and Dallas Tornado
when he was 16 years old.
He studied at Butte College
and moved from KHSL to small-market radio and newspaper jobs in Utah
, Arizona
, and California
. Most of these were sports assignments, but Flatter occasionally handled news stories as well.
In 1989, he got his first major-market job, working for the Pasadena Star-News
, covering LA college, pro, and prep sports. He was then hired by KMPC
radio in Los Angeles, which in those days broadcast the games of the Angels, the Los Angeles (now St. Louis) Rams, and UCLA.
In 1992 Flatter moved to Bristol, Connecticut
to start work as a producer, production manager, and creative director in two separate stints with ESPN Radio Network (1992–95 and 1998–2004).
Flatter became an air personality at sports stations in Miami (1995–96) and Austin, Texas
(1996–98).
Following a visit to Australia
, he moved from the US to Melbourne
to become Sport 927’s Editor of International Sport from 2004-07. He still contributes radio and Web features for Sport 927 from the States and his current travels.
With his Australian work visa set to expire, Flatter returned to the States in early 2007 to began a career as a free-lance broadcaster and sportswriter in Manhattan
.
In the same year, 1050 ESPN Radio, now WEPN (1050 AM, "ESPN New York") made Flatter its lead weekend anchor. In October 2009, he became the station’s weekday morning anchor, delivering local SportsCenter updates during the network’s Mike and Mike in the Morning
program. In March 2010, Flatter was assigned to anchor updates within The Seth Everett Show, The Herd
and McDonald & Tierney, an assignment that carried to the expiration of his contract in September 2010. In November 2010, Flatter was named one of the permanent anchors of Fox News Radio's national newscasts. His role at Fox will include reporting from the field for certain sports events that are considered worthy of attention within the network's regular newscasts. Flatter had served as a substitute anchor for the network since January 2008.
He has covered the Kentucky Derby
since 2007 as a paddock reporter for ESPN Radio, which won an Eclipse Award
for its 2009 broadcast.
Flatter covered the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa, both for ESPN Sports Radio in the US and Sport 927 in Australia.
Additional Flatter assignments have included the Summer Olympic Games
in Los Angeles
(1984), and Winter Olympics both in Salt Lake City (2002) and Vancouver
(2010).
In 2000, Flatter produced a baseball feature for ESPN Radio that went on to earn the network an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Use of Sound.
In 2011, he continues to get noticed in the media both in Australia
and the United States
, as an item in the Jan. 2, 2011 Melbourne Age mentioned Flatter's adventures getting to work through the Manhattan blizzard that week, writing: "Ron Flatter, a news anchor at [Fox News Radio] and sports correspondent for [Sport 927], found himself fighting Antarctic-like conditions on the way to work in Manhattan the last week."
, Wheel of Fortune
, and The Weakest Link. Flatter won $80,500 on the latter, when his opponent failed to answer this question from host Anne Robinson
: “What word for a machine that performs human tasks literally translates to the Czech term for `compulsory labor’?” The man answered “automaton,” but the correct response is robot
.
Here's a Facebook
clip of Flatter winning $80,500 on The Weakest Link (US).
pitch. This particular cricket story made headlines worldwide in November 2004, following a phone interview Flatter conducted with the Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan
, who argued that three Australian players (Jason Gillespie
, Brett Lee
, and Glenn McGrath
) most likely were regularly breaking soon-to-be updated rules against throwing. Cricket bowlers are not allowed to flex their elbows. If they do they are called for throwing - something Muralitharan has a reputation for doing. His point about the Aussies was that the speed of the game had advanced to such a point that the umpires’ naked eyes could no longer be trusted to accurately judge the rule, and that the electronic eye should be the game’s final arbiter in these cases.
The Australian Football Association of North America
wrote about Flatter and the Muralitharan story, and mentions a story from the Herald Sun
newspaper in Australia about Flatter's work.
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
) is an American and Australian radio broadcaster based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is currently a national news anchor for Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
in New York, and a sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for Sport 927
Sport 927
Radio Sport National is a Melbourne based radio network dedicated to covering horse and greyhound racing. While much of the station is dedicated to Gallops, Harness and greyhound racing, it does also cover other sports....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was until September 2010 a radio sportscaster for WEPN
WEPN
WEPN is a 24-hour sports talk formatted radio station in New York City featuring national and local sports talk programs and live broadcasts of sports matches. It is the New York affiliate for ESPN Radio...
, ESPN New York.
SI.com's Richard Deitsch listed Flatter as No. 8 on his Media Power Rankings for June/July 2010 in the Media Circus column.
Recent assignments include the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, and horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
’s Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
in the USA. ABC’s
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
has used Flatter as a radio writer, producer and on-air reporter.
Broadcasting
Growing up in Chico, CaliforniaChico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
, Flatter became a part-time TV sports reporter at Chico’s KHSL
KHSL-TV
KHSL-TV Channel 12 is a CBS affiliate television station based in Chico, California. Its transmitter is located in Cohasset, California. The station is owned and operated by Catamount Broadcasting of Norwalk, Connecticut, which also operates KNVN channel 24, a NBC affiliate owned by Evans...
shortly after his first assignment was calling and producing an NASL
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
exhibition soccer match in March 1976 between the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
and Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado
Dallas Tornado were a soccer team based in Dallas that played in the NASL. They played from 1967 to 1981. Their home fields were Cotton Bowl , P.C. Cobb Stadium , Franklin Field , Texas Stadium and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus...
when he was 16 years old.
He studied at Butte College
Butte College
Butte College is a community college in the Butte - Glenn Community College District which is located in northern California between the towns of Chico, Oroville and Paradise, approximately 80 miles north of the state capital...
and moved from KHSL to small-market radio and newspaper jobs in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Most of these were sports assignments, but Flatter occasionally handled news stories as well.
In 1989, he got his first major-market job, working for the Pasadena Star-News
Pasadena Star-News
The Pasadena Star-News is the local daily newspaper for Pasadena, California. The Star-News is a member of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, since 1996. It is also part of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group, along with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Whittier Daily News.Ridder Newspapers...
, covering LA college, pro, and prep sports. He was then hired by KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
radio in Los Angeles, which in those days broadcast the games of the Angels, the Los Angeles (now St. Louis) Rams, and UCLA.
In 1992 Flatter moved to Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
to start work as a producer, production manager, and creative director in two separate stints with ESPN Radio Network (1992–95 and 1998–2004).
Flatter became an air personality at sports stations in Miami (1995–96) and Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
(1996–98).
Following a visit to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he moved from the US to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to become Sport 927’s Editor of International Sport from 2004-07. He still contributes radio and Web features for Sport 927 from the States and his current travels.
With his Australian work visa set to expire, Flatter returned to the States in early 2007 to began a career as a free-lance broadcaster and sportswriter in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
In the same year, 1050 ESPN Radio, now WEPN (1050 AM, "ESPN New York") made Flatter its lead weekend anchor. In October 2009, he became the station’s weekday morning anchor, delivering local SportsCenter updates during the network’s Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning is an American sports-talk radio show hosted by Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on ESPN Radio and simulcast on television, normally on ESPN2. If ESPN is broadcasting a live sporting event during the show's timeslot, Sportscenter will air on ESPN2, and the show's...
program. In March 2010, Flatter was assigned to anchor updates within The Seth Everett Show, The Herd
The Herd
The Herd may be:* The Herd , the 1960s UK band that launched Peter Frampton's career* The Herd , a hip-hop outfit from the suburbs of Sydney, Australia* The Herd , a 1978 Turkish film...
and McDonald & Tierney, an assignment that carried to the expiration of his contract in September 2010. In November 2010, Flatter was named one of the permanent anchors of Fox News Radio's national newscasts. His role at Fox will include reporting from the field for certain sports events that are considered worthy of attention within the network's regular newscasts. Flatter had served as a substitute anchor for the network since January 2008.
He has covered the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
since 2007 as a paddock reporter for ESPN Radio, which won an Eclipse Award
Eclipse Award
The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...
for its 2009 broadcast.
Flatter covered the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa, both for ESPN Sports Radio in the US and Sport 927 in Australia.
Additional Flatter assignments have included the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(1984), and Winter Olympics both in Salt Lake City (2002) and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(2010).
In 2000, Flatter produced a baseball feature for ESPN Radio that went on to earn the network an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Use of Sound.
In 2011, he continues to get noticed in the media both in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as an item in the Jan. 2, 2011 Melbourne Age mentioned Flatter's adventures getting to work through the Manhattan blizzard that week, writing: "Ron Flatter, a news anchor at [Fox News Radio] and sports correspondent for [Sport 927], found himself fighting Antarctic-like conditions on the way to work in Manhattan the last week."
Game show contestant
Flatter has also been a contestant on the TV shows ScrabbleScrabble (game show)
Scrabble is an American television game show that was based on the Scrabble board game. The show was co-produced by Exposure Unlimited and Reg Grundy Productions. It ran from July 2, 1984 to March 23, 1990, and again from January 18 to June 11, 1993, both runs on NBC. A total of 1,335 episodes were...
, Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, and The Weakest Link. Flatter won $80,500 on the latter, when his opponent failed to answer this question from host Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
: “What word for a machine that performs human tasks literally translates to the Czech term for `compulsory labor’?” The man answered “automaton,” but the correct response is robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
.
Here's a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
clip of Flatter winning $80,500 on The Weakest Link (US).
Cricket throwing controversy
Flatter broke a story involving the examination of how one controversial cricket star delivers what would be the equivalent of a baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitch. This particular cricket story made headlines worldwide in November 2004, following a phone interview Flatter conducted with the Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
, who argued that three Australian players (Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie
Jason Neil Gillespie is an Australian cricketer who formerly represented Australia at international level, in both Tests and One Day Internationals, and South Australia, Yorkshire and Glamorgan at first-class level. His primary role is as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also a competent...
, Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
, and Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
) most likely were regularly breaking soon-to-be updated rules against throwing. Cricket bowlers are not allowed to flex their elbows. If they do they are called for throwing - something Muralitharan has a reputation for doing. His point about the Aussies was that the speed of the game had advanced to such a point that the umpires’ naked eyes could no longer be trusted to accurately judge the rule, and that the electronic eye should be the game’s final arbiter in these cases.
The Australian Football Association of North America
Australian Football Association of North America
The Australian Football Association of North America is a non-profit organization that formed out of the campaign to save television coverage of Australian rules football in the United States and Canada in 1996...
wrote about Flatter and the Muralitharan story, and mentions a story from the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
newspaper in Australia about Flatter's work.