Broadcast Pioneers member Joe Pellegrino has been a TV-radio sportscaster at 7 major TV stations in 6 major cities through a 35-year career.  Born in Washington, D.C., he attended American University on a baseball/basketball scholarship and won the outstanding senior athlete award.  He captained both teams in his junior and senior years and made All-Conference in baseball for two years.  He earned a Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Commujnications/Journalism from American University, and got his commercial start as a disc jockey in Virginia during grad school.

His first major job was as a radio reporter/anchor at WWDC (AM) in Washington, covering Congress and the White House for 3 years before moving to WMAL-TV news.  His sports career started as weekend sports anchor at WMAL-TV and was hired by WRC-TV (NBC) in Washington as the 11 pm sports anchor and radio reporter.  His weatherman was Williard Scott.  Four years later, he was named sports director/anchor at Channel 7 in Boston.

Two years later was named sports director/anchor at KGO-TV San Francisco, and 18 months later he was hired as sports director/anchor at WPVI-TV, joining Larry Kane to help launch Action News with the late Jim O'Brien.  Six years later, he accepted a lucrative offer at WDIV-TV, Detroit as sports director and announced Tiger baseball for two years with Hall of Famers Al Kaline and George Kell.

Three years later, he moved to WKYC-TV, Cleveland as sports director where Al Roker was his weather guy.  But he longed to return to Philly and re-joined Larry Kane at WCAU-TV as 11 pm sports anchor for 6 years.   He was caught in the CBS money cutback purge of the late "80's and joined WIP radio as sports talk host for 4 years, and TV host for 76ers telecasts on Channel 17, WPHL-TV.

He also did talk radio for 5 years at WSSJ, Camden while in the financial planning business.  He continues to make  TV-radio commercials and guest appearances on CN8 and 950AM sports talk.   In addition to Tiger baseball, he has done pre-season play-by-play of the Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns, and Michigan State and Navy football, Michigan and Villanova basketball.

 

A grade school choir boy, Joe has sung professionally at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City, has performed the National Anthem at two Eagles games, the 76ers, minor league baseball games and numeroous banquets.  He recently became a grandfather for the first time and his two daughters live in suburban Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Arizona, respectively..