Kevin Burkhardt Shares His Unique Broadcasting Journey

Fox broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt is now one of the industry’s most respected voices, holding several crucial roles within the company. However, his journey in broadcasting wasn’t always clear-cut.

Burkhardt, known for being the play-by-play commentator for Fox’s top NFL team and the host of the network’s leading MLB studio show, recently appeared on the Calm Down podcast with Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson.

On the podcast, Burkhardt shared his career path, including his stint as a used-car salesman before making it big in broadcasting.

“I just hit a wall and was like, why can’t I get a break? I don’t understand what’s going on,” Burkhardt recalled about the early days of his career. “So I literally just went through the Sunday classifieds back when the newspaper was still being delivered. And I found a car dealership. I said, you know what, I’ll do that. I had no idea how to sell cars or any of that stuff. I just went in, and the guy said, ‘Okay, sure, you’re hired.’”

Burkhardt explained that he introduced himself as a sportscaster during his time at the dealership. This led to occasional opportunities to fill in at WCBS in New York. “He heard me one night driving home from the dealership and said, ‘Man, you’re really good. You let me know when you get freelance opportunities. Just keep it between me and you.’ He turned into a real friend. This guy by the name of Mike Trevino, who still owns a couple of the dealerships. It became a real relationship, and when I got gigs, he just let me go.”

Through his experiences, Burkhardt hopes to inspire younger broadcasters by sharing his story, emphasizing that it’s possible to achieve their dreams even if they don’t land major opportunities right out of college.

“I enjoy talking about it because I enjoy telling young people. I was in the middle of it, trying to figure it out, too. You don’t have to get it right out of college and go to the top thing. Your path can be kind of weird. It was a good learning experience. No doubt, I actually took a lot from it. It was cool.”

Source: Calm Down with Erin and Charissa