Biography of Linda Cohn

Linda Cohn, whose straightforward style and natural humor create an easy rapport with viewers, regularly anchors the 1 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter, the network’s flagship news and information program. In this role, she is seen throughout the morning as the show is re-aired every weekday from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cohn also anchors select 11 p.m. ET shows. Since 2002, Cohn has provided on-site reports from the Men’s Final Four for SportsCenter. Since 1998, she has provided weekly “Extra Point” commentaries on ESPN Radio.

Since January 2004, Cohn has anchored SportsCenter’s live X (Los Angeles) and Winter X Games (Aspen/Snowmass, Colo.) coverage, presenting highlights and introducing the final competition of events during the 11 p.m. SportsCenter.

She had the honor of co-hosting the first-ever SportsCenter in high definition from ESPN’s new Digital Center on June 7, 2004.

Cohn joined ESPN in 1992 and has successfully balanced working for a 24-hour sports network with spending quality time with her husband and two children.

Known for her versatility, Cohn has hosted ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and National Hockey Night, ESPN2’s NHL 2Night and RPM 2Night and SportsCenter’s NBA All-Star Game coverage. She has also contributed to ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage, Major League Baseball playoff coverage, the ESPYs and Sunday NFL Countdown. During the 1998 season, she was one of three alternating hosts for the NFL on ESPN Radio, the network’s Sunday-long coverage of NFL games. She also provided play-by-play of ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage of the LPGA (1998-99). From 1999 to 2002, Cohn’s column “Linda Cohn’s Hotline” was regularly featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Life Section.

Beginning October 1989, Cohn worked at KIRO-TV in Seattle where she was a weekend sports anchor/reporter. At KIRO, she covered the Seattle Mariners, Seahawks and Supersonics, the Washington Huskies, the NCAA Basketball West Regional in 1991, and the Goodwill Games in 1990. Prior to that, Cohn served as a sports reporter for both SportsChannel America and News 12 on Long Island (May 1988-October 1989).

Cohn’s radio experience is highlighted by her becoming the first full-time female sports anchor on a national radio network (ABC) in 1987. She was a sports anchor for the ABC Radio Network and for WABC TalkRadio from 1987-89. Her work continued as she hosted a call-in show and provided sports updates at WFAN in New York from January-October 1989.

Cohn began her career in sportscasting in Patchogue, N.Y., as a news anchor, writer and sports reporter for WALK-AM/FM in 1981. She continued her work with three other New York radio stations until 1987: WCBS NewsRadio 88 (1984-87); WCBS-FM (1984-87); WGBB-AM (1984-85). In 1985 she began working for WLIG-TV on Long Island as a part-time anchor and reporter. She also worked as anchor, news director and chief correspondent for Long Island News Tonight, a daily television news program (1985-86).

Cohn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from SUNY at Oswego in 1981. As a senior at Newfield (N.Y.) High School, she served as the goalie on the boy’s ice hockey team and in college on the Oswego women’s ice hockey team.