Scott Kaplan

Scott Kaplan is a San Diego, based media entrepreneur. He is primarily known as the host, executive producer of The Scott and BR Show on The Mighty 1090 (1090 am in San Diego and Los Angeles, or the Mighty 1090 app) television simulcast on UTTV (The cable channel of the SD Union Tribune, Cox Cable channel 114/ATT U Verse 1017 in SD or on uutv.com) While first an on air personality, Kaplan is also involved in a variety of media companies, as a content provider, executive producer, fund raiser, operations manager and marketing director.

Early life

Kaplan was born February 17, 1970 on Tyndall Air Force Base, in Panama City, Florida, while his father was serving. Not long thereafter, the Kaplan’s relocated back to their hometown, Woodridge, New York, which is a tiny town, in the heart of what was then called, The Borscht Belt. By the early 80’s, the Kaplan’s made the natural snowbird transition, from New York to South Florida.

Scott Kaplan went to Coral Springs High School, in a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale. His senior year, 1988, he was student body president, captain of the debate team, and kicker on the football team.

Kaplan was not a highly recruited high school football player, however, using his skills of creative editing and many cold calls to college coaches, Kaplan landed a full football scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.^[1]

Career

Radio career

Kaplan helped pioneer internet radio.^[2] In 1996, Kaplan was hired by then Sportsline USA executive Ross Levihnson, (recently replaced as CEO of Yahoo!), to program a 24-hour sports talk online radio station. After two years of online broadcasting, Sportsline USA partnered with CBS Sports. Kaplan’s show, The Scott and Sid Show, was then syndicated nationally by Westwood One. Kaplan, and then on air partner, Sid Rosenberg, spent four years building their broadcast product, then relocated from the CBS Sportsline facilities in South Florida, to WNEW and the CBS broadcast center in New York. Kaplan then hosted Westwood One’s NFL Today pre game show for two seasons. Kaplan provides sideline commentary and analysis, along with insider information and interviews, for Westwood One’s coverage of NFL Football, and also for CBS television. Kaplan has covered the NFL for WW1 and CBS Sports as a sideline reporter for more than 10 years. He has worked on the crews of Jim Nantz, Marv Albert, Dick Enberg, Ian Eagle and Dave Simms, on television as well as radio.Kaplan moved from New York to San Diego in May 2001, to team up with Billy Ray Smith on then, Southern California’s sports radio powerhouse, XTRA 690 AM. In late 2002, Clear Channel moved XTRA 690 from the San Diego market to Los Angeles. Kaplan and Smith teamed with the original owner and programmer of 690, John Lynch, to form The Mighty 1090.

With longtime broadcast partner Billy Ray Smith, the former captain of the San Diego Chargers defense, The Scott and BR show has been on the radio airwaves throughout Southern California for 15 years. Prior to relocating to San Diego in 2001, Kaplan was hosting mornings at WNEW 102.7 in New York.

CBS

Scott Kaplan is currently an NFL sideline reporter for CBS.

Westwood One Sports

Scott Kaplan is currently an NFL sideline reporter for Westwood One Sports.

Stable Wars

Scott Kaplan created a reality television show based on his experience as a horse racing stable manager at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club .

San Diego Prep Insider

Scott Kaplan is the Executive Producer for the current hit local television show, San Diego Prep Insider, of Fox Sports San Diego, which began airing in August 2015. The show tells the stories of local San Diego high school student athletes.

Game Time Ready

Scott Kaplan is the host of the new Fox Sports San Diego television show, Game Time Ready, which features college basketball stories, primarily focusing om the San Diego State Aztecs. Game Time Ready launched in November 2015.

U-T TV

In June 2012, Kaplan was part of the start up television channel, U-T TV, in association with the San Diego-based newspaper U-T San Diego. Kaplan was host of the show "Kaplan at Night." He previously hosted the morning show entitled 'The Scott & BR + Amber Show' and later retitled 'FrontPage with Scott & Amber.'^[3]

Personal life

Prior to beginning his career as a broadcaster, Kaplan was a place kicker at the University of Pittsburgh. While a player at Pitt from 1988 to 1992, Kaplan was the team’s leading scorer for three seasons. Kaplan is still an avid athlete and competitor. In 2010, Scott raced in, and completed, the ‘toughest endurance race in the world’, the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

Kaplan is also the owner of the Great Friends Stables, a horse racing syndicate in Del Mar, California. The GFS biggest win was the 2008 Cal Cup Classic with Mr. Chairman, who was purchased from Merv Griffin.

Kaplan is the founder of the Great Friends Foundation. The GFF, annually gives out college scholarships to the children of San Diego’s military. Currently there are six scholarship recipients attending Harvard, UCLA, UCSD and SDSU.

Kaplan and his wife Gayle, live in Carmel Valley, CA with their four children.

References