SPORTSCOMM MAGAZINE
November 4-17, 1992

"Annie Hoffman Dials Success In All Sports Networks" (Cover Story)

By Tim Graham

When people think of someone who’s worked to make an impression in the Cleveland sports scene, it’s fairly safe to say not many folks should have the name Annie Hoffman come to mind. Well, maybe they should.

Hoffman, executive producer of all-sports radio station WKNR (AM 1220), has been moving up the media ladder since she became associate director for ESPN at the ripe old age of 19.

It was then that Hoffman was working hard to pay for her own education at Cleveland State University, while also trying to obtain some valuable career experience.

"I’m proud of the fact that I put myself through college, and also had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the same time," she says.

Although she did not originally intend to get into the field of sports media, Hoffman is genuinely satisfied with the path her career has taken.

"I wanted to be an actress when I got out of high school. I thought that maybe I should go into broadcasting," she says. "I have an enthusiasm for the business. I truly like what I do. I really do love it, and that’s always been a motivating factor for me. I love going to work every day."

"I thrive on the pressure that the broadcasting business creates. I also like the people I work with. You meet lots of interesting people, so it’s a learning experience every day."

As well as working for WKNR, Hoffman recently did production work for a Bill Clinton campaign ad, and was a casting and wardrobe assistant for "Babe Ruth", a movie that aired as NBC’s Sunday Night Movie last year.

In addition, Hoffman also has worked for a pair of public relations firms in New York City, channels 3 and 19 in Cleveland, Big Ten Productions, SportsChannel, NBC, CBS, and ABC Sports.

It is the extensive production work she did for ABC Sports that she is most proud of. With ABC, Hoffman had the opportunity to work on major productions, including among other events, the Super Bowl and 1988 Winter Olympics.

"It was always a goal of mine to work in the Olympics because it’s the largest sporting event in the world, " she says. "I’ve also taken pride in the fact I have assisted in production of other large-scale events like the Super Bowl and the Indianapolis 500. I’m also proud of the work I did with Monday Night Football."

People might think such credentials are all the more impressive because Hoffman is a woman, but she doesn’t buy that. Hoffman is definitely not one to think that just because she’s a female, she’s unique to the sports media biz.

"Ten years ago it might have been a big deal, but since that time there have been a lot of women who’ve made great strides and continue to do so," Hoffman explains. "I think society should start getting comfortable with women in sports media."

Hoffman feels strongly women are here to stay in the sports industry. She also believes that they can be just as successful as men, and that it’s just a matter of time before women are fully accepted as equals in the business.

"People think men are born with a special sports chromosome, and women aren’t. That’s just not true," she says.

"Sports is not some unattainable knowledge that only men can find."

Hoffman attained her knowledge of sports as she grew up in Lakewood. She says her family has always been into the sports scene. Her uncle, Frank Gansz, is the special teams coach for the Detroit Lions.

"I grew up in sports," she explains. "I’m in a sports family. If you grow up around it, I don’t think you realize how much it affects your life. So I became very comfortable working in sports."

While doing baseball work for ESPN in Baltimore for a contest between the Orioles and the Kansas City Royals, Hoffman was assigned to an interview with all-star third baseman George Brett.

Notorious for avoiding the press, Brett tried to escape from Hoffman by going into the clubhouse. Undaunted, she followed him inside. Upon arrival in the locker room, she was greeted by an anonymous Royal who decided to get a little exposure of a different kind.

"I really never thought anything about being in the locker room," she recalls. "just to show him that I wouldn’t be intimidated, I said ‘Excuse me, but I’ve seen much bigger.’ That’s just the way you have to have to handle yourself."

It is just such a witty attitude that’s allowed Hoffman to get where she is today. Having just celebrated her birthday on the first day of November, Hoffman is hoping to further enhance her career by helping to make her radio station the number one AM stop on the dial.