Until a year ago, when he left the morning show "Fox 6 WakeUp News," Mark Concannon was a familiar face among Milwaukee anchorsthe cheerful but smart personality who had anchored the morning program since its inception in 1990. Concannon had started with Channel 6 as a weekend sports anchor three years earlier and had worked as a sportscaster in other cities before coming to Milwaukee. Since departing from the morning show, he has returned to his roots, covering the Packers all the way to the Super Bowl.
What have you been up to in the last year?
I've been working for Fox Sports Wisconsin, doing sideline reporting for Brewer telecasts and hosting pre- and post-game shows for the Brewers. I've done reporting for them on the Bucks and have been the primary Packers reporter for FoxSportsWisconsin.com.
So it's back to where it all began?
A friend of mine told me: "You took a 20-year hiatus from sports." But even on "WakeUp News," sports were always part of the conversation. I was a sports person for my first 14 years in the business. I've always spoken the language. I've always been a fan. It's fun for me to be back into it.
Tell me about Fox Sports Wisconsin.
It's been around awhileit's one of the many regional Fox networks. It's been great working with them. They're very passionate about the quality of their broadcasting.
How has the TV news business changed over the years?
It's so much more demanding than when I started, in several ways. Back then you had two newscasts a day. Now you have two five-hour morning shows and very long shows at night. The technology was so primitive then. A lot less was expected from viewers because you couldn't do a lot. Most stations didn't even have remote trucks. Now you have to be there right away and you are expected to fill a lot of content.
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Did you ever think about leaving Milwaukee?
No. I had a couple of job offers when I was at Fox 6 and just going out of town for the interviews made me homesick. I would have missed Milwaukee. I couldn't leave. It has all the advantages of a big city and none of the disadvantages. It has restaurants, festivals, cultural events, major league sportsand you can get anywhere in 15 minutes. People around the country don't understand what we have here.
