It wasn't exactly a straight-ahead decision for Mark Ockerbloom.In a choice between renewing for three more years at KOCO, the ABCaffiliate in Oklahoma City, or accepting a three-year deal with NewEngland Cable News, he chose the latter.
'This gave me a chance to come back home, be the primary sportsanchor back here, with the pros and college landscape we have,' saidthe 38-year-old who grew up in Winchester and started his new jobseveral weeks ago. 'I came here with there being a real strongsituation here in both the pros and colleges.'
The top anchor spot at NECN opened up when Kristen Mastroiannitook a reporter-anchoring position at Channel 5.
Ockerbloom, Oklahoma's Sportscaster of the Year in 1996, didn'thesitate to step right in with the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, andRevolution all in action, and Boston College involved in the NCAAtournaments in basketball and hockey.
During his time in Oklahoma, Ockerbloom stayed in touch with theBoston scene through the Globe and Herald online services.
'With there being two minutes or 2 1/2 minutes of sports inOklahoma City, I found it much better in New England with there being30 minutes of sports, as well as the 20-minute and the 50-minuteupdates at NECN,' said Ocker bloom, who played hockey and basketballat Boston College High and graduated from Providence College in 1985.
Referring to on-air staffers Chris Collins and Mike Giardi andproducer Morry Levine, Ockerbloom said he appreciates the kind ofbacking he gets at NECN. 'It's about twice as large as the staff Ihad in Oklahoma City,' he said. 'This gives me a chance to writeabout teams I grew up watching. I put my own spin on the highlights,giving me a real comfort level.'
Ockerbloom worked as an intern at Providence's Channel 10 withJack Edwards, who later worked at Boston's Channels 5 and 7 and nowis at ESPN. While at Channel 10, Ockerbloom put together his own four-minute sportscast.
Ockerbloom then went on to Continental Television, for which heworked Winchester High football for several seasons, including the1986 Super Bowl victory over Peabody. He was with WLLH (1400) inLowell, WMDK-FM (92.1) in Peterborough, N.H., and WGIR (610) inManchester, N.H.
Ockerbloom was sports director at WMUR in Manchester when NECNwent on the air in 1992, and he remembered the early days of theindependent station.
He was the host for University of New Hampshire football, hockey,and basketball shows as well as games on Channel 9.
'I was the weekend sports anchor a few months after FrankMallicoat had gone to Channel 56 in Boston, and then I became thesports director from 1991 through 1995,' Ockerbloom said. 'Then anagency found the position in Oklahoma City for me, where I got tocover the Dallas Cowboys at home and on the road.'
Now, though, Ockerbloom is happy to be home again.
