| In 1968, Jim
McKay became the first sportscaster ever to win an Emmy
Award. Since then, he has won nine more, including the
1981-92 Emmy as Outstanding Sports
Personality-Host.
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Jim McKay and
"ABC's Wide World of Sports" have been together for over 25
years- in fact, Jim McKay was the program's host on the very
first day in April, 1961. He has traveled some 4.5 million
miles to cover events for the program, and has commented on
more than 100 different sports in 40 different countries and
from Maine to Hawaii in the United States.
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Jim
McManus(McKay's real name) gave up his job as a reporter for
the Baltimore Sun newspapers to join that organization's new
TV station WMAR-TV in 1947. He was the first voice ever
heard on television in Baltimore, and he remained with the
station until joining CBS in New York in 1950 as host of a
variety show. Through the 50's, sports commentary became
more and more his primary assignment for CBS.
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However, McKay is
probably best known for his excellent and sensitive coverage
of 10 Olympics, all for ABC except for the 1960 Rome Games
which he covered for CBS. For his news reporting of the
tragic events surrounding the Black September terrorists'
attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in
Munich in 1972, he has won numerous awards, including an
Emmy, and the prestigious George Polk Award for Journalism.
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McKay is now
Anchorman for ABC golf telecasts, as well as events like the
Indianapolis "500", Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes,
Belmont Stakes and others. He will also be in the anchor
booth this February covering the Winter Olympic Games from
Calgary, Canada.
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