Rich Fields
Rich Fields | |
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| Born | Richard Wayne Fields November 30, 1960[1] Bay Village, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
| Website | www |
Richard Wayne Fields (born November 30, 1960) is an American media personality, author, motivational speaker, game show announcer, and meteorologist. He is best known as the announcer for the American version of The Price Is Right with both Bob Barker and Drew Carey from 2004 to 2010.
Early life and education
[edit]Fields was born in Bay Village, Ohio, and raised in Avon, Ohio, before moving to Clearwater, Florida, in 1976. He graduated from the University of Florida Gainesville in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting. While attending UF, Fields was diagnosed with both testicular cancer and lymphoma, both of which he survived.[1]
In early 2000, Fields returned to college at Mississippi State University to study meteorology and later became a successful Los Angeles television weatherman.[2] Rich completed his MSU Meteorology internship at WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida.
Career
[edit]
In 1978, during a question-and-answer segment with announcer Johnny Olson at a taping of The Price Is Right, Fields asked how he could get Olson's job. Olson brought Fields onstage and asked him to give an example of how he would call a contestant to "Come on down!"[3]
Fields worked as a radio personality starting in 1979, serving some 16 radio stations across the country, including markets like Los Angeles, California, and Tampa, Florida. He disc jockeyed music radio shows for over a decade on CBS' 93.1 FM frequency in Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s.[4] Between 1995 and 1999, he was the announcer of the Florida Lottery game show Flamingo Fortune.[5]
In 2002, Fields was offered the morning weather position at KPSP-LP in Palm Springs, California. Fields was later promoted to Chief Meteorologist for KPSP and was charged with the weather forecasts on the 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. newscasts for the station until May 2004.[6]
On March 30, 2004, producer Roger Dobkowitz notified Fields that Dobkowitz had chosen him as the next announcer for The Price Is Right, a decision following the death of longtime announcer Rod Roddy.[7] The announcement of Fields' hiring was announced by Bob Barker at the April 6, 2004, taping of the show, which aired on April 23.[7] Fields signed a contract to be the series' announcer through 2010.[7]
Fields served as the announcer of the All-Star summer tournament series Gameshow Marathon from May 31 until June 29, 2006, on CBS.[8] It was during this seven-show series that Fields set a record for announcing the most televised game show titles in a single season. This U.S. version was hosted by actress and talk show host Ricki Lake.[9]
In 2007, Fields appeared with Bob Barker on a fictional episode of The Price Is Right in an episode of How I Met Your Mother.[10]
In 2009, Fields had his own comedy web series on YouTube called Rich Fields Gone Wild where he discusses situations in his daily life with Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk) and Adam West (Batman) as guest stars in those particular episodes.[11]
On July 16, 2010, Fields confirmed that he would not be returning to The Price Is Right for its 39th season.[12] From 2010 to 2016, Fields was a staff meteorologist for CBS, delivering forecasts on its Los Angeles properties KCBS-TV, KCAL-TV, KNX, KFWB, and KRTH.
Fields served as the announcer on 55 episodes of Wheel of Fortune in 2010 following the death of Charlie O'Donnell, and provided post-production voice-over work for over 11 weeks of episodes, plus specials.[13]
From 2017[14] until 2020, Fields held down the Afternoon Drive position on Q105 (WRBQ-FM). After nearly three years on the air at Q105, Fields and nearly the entire air-staff were let go during staffing cutbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]
In November 2021, Rich Fields was hired as a meteorologist at WTSP (10 Tampa Bay), the CBS affiliate in Tampa, Florida, where he stayed until 2023.[16] On February 16, 2023, Fields announced he was leaving traditional broadcasting to become a motivational speaker.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Shipp, Laura (September–October 2010). "The Price Is Right's Rich Fields". Coping Magazine. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "Rich Fields Bio". RichFields.tv. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ Blits, Stan (4 September 2007). Come on Down! Behind the Big Doors at The Price Is Right. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-135011-5.
- ^ "KCAL Meteorologist's Contract Not Renewed". adweek.it. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ "Come on Down". Cleveland Magazine. December 2004. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Rich Fields Is Right for 'Price' Job". Los Angeles Times. 10 April 2004. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Fessier, Bruce (8 April 2004). "Rich Fields Invited to 'Come on Down' to TV Show". The Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California: Gannett – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ King, Susan (9 July 2006). "He Always Knew 'Price' Was Right". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Gameshow Marathon". TVTime.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Fields, Rich (22 April 2022). "Rich Fields". wtsp.com. WTSP-TV. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Rich Fields". Voices.com. Voices.com, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Fields, Rich (July 16, 2010). "A Note to Friends and Fans". RichFields.tv. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010.
- ^ "What Happened to Rich Fields?". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. December 6, 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Rich Fields Joins Q105". MYQ105.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Beasley Enacts Layoffs, Furloughs and Temporary Pay Cuts". InsideRadio.com. April 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Rich Fields - Meteorology". RichFields.tv. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Rich Fields, Motivational Speaking". RichFields.TV. Archived from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-17.