Comcast SportsNet Chicago Promotes Kevin Cross to News Director

Comcast SportsNet Chicago, the television home of the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox, has named Kevin Cross as its News Director, effective immediately.  The announcement was made by Phil Bedella, Vice President/General Manager of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

In his new position, Cross, who held the title of Assistant News Director at Comcast SportsNet Chicago since 2006, will supervise the network’s daily news operation and news staff, which will include overseeing CSN’s locally-produced sports news and talk shows, including SportsNet Central and Chicago Tribune Live, along with the network’s live coverage of press conferences and breaking news.  In addition, Cross will work closely with the network’s digital department on all cross-platform sports news integration.

“Kevin’s professionalism and dedication to excellence is widely respected and we are delighted he will lead our efforts to provide viewers with the very best local and regional sports news coverage available anywhere,” said Bedella.

A multiple Emmy award-winning producer, Cross has close to twenty years of local sports television experience in Chicago, working at virtually every level in the newsroom.  He began his sports TV career at SportsChannel Chicago in 1993 as a producer, earning Emmys for writing and for his work on Bulls pre/post-game shows during the team’s championship run.  During the network’s transition to Fox Sports Net Chicago in 1998, Cross was promoted to senior producer and orchestrated the network’s live pre/post-game shows for both Bulls and White Sox telecasts, along with a number of sports magazine series.

In 2000, Cross became President/Executive Producer of Timeline Productions where he created syndicated sports programming for national distribution (including Fox Sports) in 65 million households.  In 2003, Cross joined CLTV as executive producer of their sports dept., where he oversaw all editorial content and spearheaded the creation of original programming, including the network’s Sports Page Roundtable & SP Express programs.

Cross replaces Charlie Schumacher, who left the network this past fall.  Cross is native of Chicago’s southside and attended high school at Hyde Park Academy.  He received his degree in television production from Columbia College in 1993.