Ellis G. Cannon is an American
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
host, television personality and publisher.
He was born on March 28, 1959, and was raised in
Midland,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Midland in 1977. Cannon received his B.A. and J.D. from the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
in 1981 and 1984, respectively.
Between 1984 and 1996, Cannon was a trial lawyer in the Pittsburgh law firm of Robb, Leonard & Mulvihill, highlighted by a successful representation of the
Major League Baseball Players Association
The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a signed contract with a Major League club ...
. He served as a partner in the law firm from 1990 to 1996.
In 1996, Ellis and his brother, Henry, co-founded the "Pittsburgh Sports Report", a monthly newspaper covering all
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
sports. Cannon remains the
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
of PSR as of April 2010. Since its creation in 2004, Cannon has also been the publisher of "KidSPORTS Magazine, A Parent's Guide for the Young Athlete". He is President of Pittsburgh Sports Report, Inc.
PSR has won 5 Golden Quill Awards, presented by The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, recognizing excellence in journalism, among over 20 nominations.
Ellis and Henry co-hosted "The Pittsburgh Sports Report with the Cannon Brothers", a sports talk show on Pittsburgh's
ESPN Radio 1250
WPGP (1250 AM) is a radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, broadcasting with a power output of 5,000 watts. The station is owned and operated by the Salem Media Group.
History
The station is one of the five original Pittsb ...
beginning in 1998. In 2001, Ellis became the sole host of "The Pittsburgh Sports Report with Ellis Cannon" on the station and the show quickly became the Pittsburgh market's #1 rated
weekend talk show. He also hosted numerous other programs dedicated to the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, MLB, Pittsburgh Penguins and professional golf. Cannon also co-hosted national weekend programming for ESPN Radio between 2001 and 2004.
In January 2004, Cannon was hired by
WPGB
WPGB (104.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a country music format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Fleet Street, off the Penn-Lincoln Highway (Interstate 376) i ...
(FM 104.7) of
Clear Channel in Pittsburgh to host "Ellis Cannon’s Sportsline Pittsburgh," weeknights from 6 PM EDT to 8 PM EDT, and won multiple Pittsburgh A.I.R. Awards for Achievement in Radio, including "Best Evening Show on a Sports, Talk or Personality Station", "Best Sports Reporter" and "Best Sports Coverage Reporting". "Sportsline" was the only daily sports program in the station's newstalk format and was removed from the air in January 2010 when the station's daily format was changed to all political talk.
Cannon was an on-air member of the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
radio network between 2004 and 2010, serving as gameday anchor and host of all pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage. He was also a member of the on-air broadcast, offering in-game updates and analysis, and covered the Steelers in
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
and
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
. He hosted several Pittsburgh Steelers players shows as well.
From 2007 to 2009, "Ellis Cannon's Sportsline Pittsburgh" was the lead-in program to the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
Radio Network game broadcasts after the Pirates changed flagship stations from
KDKA-AM
KDKA () is a Class A, clear channel, AM radio station, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. and licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Its radio studios are located at the combined Audacy Pittsburgh facility in the Foster Plaza o ...
to WPGB, after KDKA served as the flagship from 1955 to 2007.
Cannon produced daily on-air commentaries during his tenure at WPGB, served as a daily sport commentator on the Pittsburgh Steelers flagship station, WDVE-FM (2004–2010), and previously served as a sports anchor for Pittsburgh's Fox Sports Radio 970 (WPGG-AM).
In addition, Cannon has appeared on many national television networks as a sports/sports law analyst, including
Fox News Channel
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
,
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
and
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, and on many Pittsburgh television programs on
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Jeannette-licensed CW affil ...
,
Pittsburgh CW, and
PCNC
The Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC) is a regional United States cable news, cable news television channel serving the Western Pennsylvania area. It is owned by Cox Media Group, which also owns WPXI, another Pittsburgh-area station from which ...
.
In April, 2010, Mr. Cannon was inducted into the
Beaver County (PA) Sports Hall of Fame in the category of broadcasting.
He also teaches the Ellis Cannon Academy of Sports Media and Broadcasting at the
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, known simply as PA Cyber, is a public cyber charter school founded in Midland, Pennsylvania in 2000.
Regional Office locations
*Allentown, Pennsylvania
*Erie, Pennsylvania
*Greensburg, Pennsylvania
*Harr ...
.
Sources
*Ellis G. Cannon http://www.pghsports.com/PSR-Bios/psr-Bio-EG_Cannon.html
*Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10012/1027512-139.stm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Ellis
Living people
1959 births
Sportspeople from Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh alumni
University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni
American sports radio personalities
American people of Serbian descent