Bernie Smilovitz is an American personality and a Sports Director at WDIV-TV in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He has been working for WDIV-TV since 1986 and has been reporting for sports stories, covering the news with humor.
On the one hand, Bernie loves Detroit, having lived there since the start of his professional life, and on the other hand, Metro Detroiters claim that Bernie is their own.
Early Life
Bernie Smilovitz was born in October 1952 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents relocated to New York after seeing the consequences of World War Two. When Bernie was five years old, he and his family moved to Washington, D.C. There, he fell in love with sports after knowing that sports can be so interesting.
The period was of listening to music, and at that time, many boys of his age would like to hear the latest musical trend of the day. But, Bernie would listen to his radio commentator who would appear on Senator’s baseball games.
He developed a passion for sports and sportscasting while listening to his radio. One could depict his energy level when he would sit on the couch and shout at the TV screen while watching Sunday football, NBA basketball, and NHL hockey games.
Regarding Bernie’s family, he has a younger brother, Harvey, who is around four years younger than him. After moving to Washington, D.C., Bernie grew up in Silver Spring, where he did his school at Northwood High School and other higher studies at the University of Maryland.
Bernie Smilovitz Career
Bernie began his professional life while working for a radio station, where he would work for around four hours anchoring for the sports. He has also worked at CBS TV Station and then secured a job at WTTG-TV as their 10 PM news sportscaster. He got his first chance to work on national TV in 1979 when WTTG hired him.
In March 1986, he relocated to Detroit, Michigan, United States, where he joined WDIV-TV. He would cover Tigers Baseball games and anchor the 5, 6, and 11 PM sportscasts there. After that, he never looked back and returned to Washington and became a local personality of Detroit.
For the last 30 years, he has been working in Detroit, and his work revolves around interviews with celebrities in sports and talking about sports-related breaking stories. Bernie’s work for sports anchoring is such that you will get lost in his talks and behind-the-scenes of the sports.
Social Life
Bernie is available on Facebook with his handle name – Local 4 Bernie Smilovitz, with around 1.5K followers. There, he introduces himself as a reporter. After 3rd May 2023, he had the most recent post on Facebook concerning the death of his wife, Donna. On Twitter, he is available with a handle name – Bernie Smilovitz (@berniesmilovitz).
Bernie Smilovitz Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Bernie Smilovitz |
| Birth Date | October 1952 |
| Age | 72 Years |
| Birth Place | Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Residence | Franklin, Michigan. USA |
| Profession | Sports Director at WDIV-TV |
| College | University of Maryland |
| Qualification | Graduate |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 9” – in Centimeters – 175 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 80 kg – in Pounds – 176 lbs |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Bernie Smilovitz Family | |
| Father | – |
| Mother | – |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
Relationship Status | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Who was Bernie Smilovitz’s wife? | Donna Rockwell Smilovitz |
| Children | Two (Jacob & Zachary Smilovitz) |
Personal Life
Bernie was a happy-living married man until the death of his wife, around 12 days before 18th October 2023. The pair has two sons and grandchildren. The couple was together for around 38 years after their marriage until Donna’s death.
The Story Behind Bernie’s Worst Week
Bernie wrote an article on 18th October, posted at 6:07 AM on clickondetroit.com. He begins his write-up in a way that he wants to signify someone else who entered his house in 1986. He tells the personality to be an important part of his life as that person gave him kids and grandkids.
That person is none other than Bernie’s wife, Dr. Donna Rockwell. He says he had been married to Donna for over 38 years, and around 12 days ago, he lost his wife. Bernie says that all his plans for the present and future are gone now after the demise of his loving wife.
He was accustomed to the standards set by his wife, Donna, and she was the only person who knew how fragile his life would be without her. At the end of his article, he says goodbye to his loving wife, Donna, who gave him two amazing sons.
Bernie Smilovitz Net Worth
Bernie Smilovitz has worked for around 30 years for WDIV-TV and in a few naming radio stations before joining WDIV-TV. There is no mention of his net worth on any official website, but he is surely earning well because of his hard work and determination.
Facts About Bernie Smilovitz
- Since Bernie gave the details of his wife’s death on his social media, many people got confused and thought that Bernie was dead. It brought him into the news.
- During his initial career, Bernie worked for WTOP radio for around four years, where his responsibilities were related to the night talk show.
- While working for WTOP, he had other substitute tasks with Channel 5.