Mark Thompson (TV)
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Mark Thompson is an American newscaster and a two-time Emmy award winner for writing, hosting and producing specials for the
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stations.


Television news

Thompson reported on science and environmental issues for
KRON-TV KRON-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, KRON-TV maintains studios on Front Street in the c ...
, then an
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
affiliate in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, before getting upped to the nightly weather anchor on the 5, 6 and 11:00 p.m. editions of ''NewsCenter 4'', in addition to those duties. Mark Thompson pioneered ''Neighborhood Weather'', where he would read letters from viewers who’d requested a live remote broadcast from their neighborhood in the Bay Area. This was known as “Neighborhood Weather”, a popular and enduring franchise. Thompson was the on-air nightly weather anchor, science, and even occasional lifestyle reporter for
KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV outle ...
's ''Fox 11 News''
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. When he started appearing on
KCOP-TV KCOP-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of MyNetworkTV. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KTTV (channel 11). Both stations ...
Channel 13 (the Fox-owned sister station of KTTV), Thompson became known for dancing during the weather reports on KCOP-TV's 11 PM newscasts, which he originally did on a whim. However, when email reaction was so enormously positive, he kept it going, quickly gaining not only a local following but nationwide attention as well. He was featured on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' on October 5, 2006, and on
Brit Hume Alexander Britton Hume (born June 22, 1943), known professionally as Brit Hume, is an American journalist and political commentator. Hume had a 23-year career with ABC News, where he contributed to ''World News Tonight with Peter Jennings'', ''N ...
's program on
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 ...
, among others. He left both stations as of June 3, 2011. He made no on-air announcements of his future plans as a weather anchor. Thompson previously served as an on-air weather anchor and science/environmental reporter at
KMGH-TV KMGH-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Sterling-licensed independent station KCDO-TV, channel 3 (and its Denver-licensed translato ...
in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and also worked at
WKBW-TV WKBW-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios at 7 Broadcast Plaza in downtown Buffalo and ...
in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
.


Radio news and talk

Thompson hosted a daily 10 AM-to-noon radio show on
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
talk station KGO until October 6, 2022; his show ended on that station due to a sudden change in format, and he, in fact, was the final host on the format, being notified immediately before his show of the change and being notified mid- monologue to end the broadcast at approximately 10:16 AM that day. He would promptly give a final
station identification Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and broadcast network, networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, ...
before abruptly ending his show. The show concentrated on politics and pop culture and featured calls from listeners across the Bay Area and California. Thompson had originally done fill-in talk show hosting on KGO when he first worked in San Francisco as a news person. Thompson also regularly appears on ''
The Tim Conway Jr. Show ''The Tim Conway Jr. Show'' is a weeknight talk radio program, currently web streaming and broadcasting throughout the Los Angeles County and Orange County, California metropolitan areas at KFI AM 640. The show runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacifi ...
'' on
KFI KFI (640 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. It began operations in 1922 and became one of the first high-powered, clear-channel station, clear-channel List of ...
in Los Angeles. Thompson and CNN Latino anchor Elizabeth Espinosa hosted an early afternoon weekday talk program from early 2014 to late 2015.


Television hosting and announcing

Thompson is a regular hosting television shows of high drama and even life and death. He has hosted high-profile "event" shows like Celebrity Daredevils Live (FOX) with Dennis Rodman and Angie Everhart, all the Robbie Knievel jumps since 1990 (building to building in Las Vegas, over a portion of the Grand Canyon, and over an oncoming train). He also hosted a live Knievel jump during which the weather prevented the jump and Thompson was asked to "fill" for the entire hour. The show still registered a 25 share. Thompson has been a regular New Year's Eve host for FOX Television as well. In these shows, he has presided over everything from building implosions to musical acts. Thompson hosted the red carpet arrival show for the Emmy Awards on Fox Television (Sept. 2011). It was his second time hosting an Emmy red carpet show. Thompson also hosted '' Hole in the Wall'' along with
Brooke Burns Brooke Elizabeth Burns (born March 16, 1978) is an American fashion model, game show host, actress, and television personality. Burns began her television career in 1995, portraying the supporting character Peg in the Spanish- American teen s ...
for Fremantle Television. The show aired on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
during 2008-2009. For three successful seasons, Thompson hosted ''
Guinness World Records Primetime ''Guinness World Records Primetime'' (AKA ''Guinness Primetime'') is a TV show based on the ''Guinness World Records'', and aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from July 27, 1998, to October 4, 2001. It was hosted by Cr ...
'' on the Fox network, and those familiar with the genre will remember him as the host of ''When Good Pets Go Bad'' and the voice of many of the edgy Fox primetime reality shows at the time. Thompson was the host of the weekly entertainment program ''That's So Hollywood,'' and was one of the primary fill-in hosts on ''
Good Day L.A. ''Good Day L.A.'' is an American morning television news and entertainment program airing on KTTV (channel 11), a Fox owned-and-operated television station in Los Angeles, California, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Corpo ...
'', Fox's highest rated Los Angeles morning show.


Career as a producer

Thompson was formerly a creative partner in NEXT entertainment with
Mike Fleiss Mike L. Fleiss (born April 14, 1964) is an American television producer and writer. Early life Fleiss was raised in Fullerton, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley. Career He is the creator, producer and writer of '' ...
. Together they were responsible for a number of successful specials for Fox, and Thompson was the first person to pitch '' The Bachelor'' to ABC, though he credits Fleiss with the idea itself.


Other work

Thompson is a frequent panelist on political and cultural issues on
The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web se ...
network, and fills in for host, Cenk Uygur, on the show, The Conversation. His regular weekly podcast, The Edge with Mark Thompson, features conversations on politics, show business, and popular culture. Thompson has been seen as a reporter, an anchorman, and even a moderator of presidential debates in feature films such as '' Set It Off'', ''
The Day After Tomorrow ''The Day After Tomorrow'' is a 2004 American science fiction disaster film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Roland Emmerich. Based on the 1999 book ''The Coming Global Superstorm'' by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber, the film stars Denn ...
'' and ''
The American President ''The American President'' is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. The film stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss. In the ...
'', and television shows such as '' 24'' and ''
Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ...
''. Thompson has been one of the leading voices in reality television, as his voiceovers were heard in the earliest days of reality TV and are still heard on shows such as ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'', ''
Paradise Hotel ''Paradise Hotel'' is an American reality television program. In the show, a group of singles live in a luxurious hotel resort, competing to see who can stay in the hotel the longest. Each week, the contestants pair off into couples, and must sh ...
'', '' Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'', ''
The Simple Life ''The Simple Life'' is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. It depicts the two wealthy socialites, as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, farm work, serving meals in fast ...
'' and ''
Don't Forget the Lyrics ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' is an international game show in the United States. The American show originally aired on Fox from July 11, 2007, to June 19, 2009, and after a year off the air, a third overall season, and first as a syndicated show ...
''. He was also the announcer on former Fox game shows ''
Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as Social status, status, or Power (social and politica ...
'' and ''
It's Your Chance of a Lifetime ''It's Your Chance of a Lifetime'' is an American game show that aired on Fox in June 2000. Gordon Elliott hosted the show, with Mark Thompson serving as announcer (only to do the opening intro and contestant call-in at the end). The show was an ...
''. Thompson is the vocalist for the ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...
'' television show theme song for all versions of the show worldwide, and he is also the announcer for the US version of the show. Radio Host: The Mark Thompson radio show is heard Monday- Friday from 10a-noon PT on KGO810 radio in SF. While the station is in SF, the show enjoys input from listeners across the country and even in other countries. The show is streamed across multiple platforms as well as being broadcast on radio. Thompson has won multiple Golden Mic awards for his work in both radio and television. Thompson sits in with Tim Conway Jr on KFIAM640 on Tuesday nights in Los Angeles and has been on KFI since 2013.


Personal

A native of
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Thompson graduated from
Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
. He also studied at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. A regular on the charity and fundraising circuit, Thompson is an active supporter of many philanthropic enterprises with a concentration in the areas of veganism and advocacy for animals, education, and environmental charities. Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Mark Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American reporters and correspondents American television journalists Game show announcers Television anchors from San Francisco Television anchors from Los Angeles Television anchors from Denver American male journalists