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Steve Bartelstein is an American former television journalist. He was previously a news anchor in New York City, first at WABC-TV (1999–2007), a flagship station of the ABC television network, WCBS-TV (2007–2009), a flagship station of CBS and later in Chicago at WBBM-TV (2010–2011), a television station owned and operated by the television network CBS. [1]
Bartelstein was born in Evanston, Illinois, [1] and graduated from Niles East High School, located in Skokie, Illinois. [1] He attended the University of Evansville for two years. [1] He is of Italian and Jewish descent.[ citation needed]
He began his broadcasting career at age nineteen as a weekend news anchor in Evansville. He worked in Durham, North Carolina; Providence, Rhode Island; Indianapolis, Indiana; Charleston, South Carolina;[ citation needed] and Portland, Oregon. [2]
Following a period working at CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, he joined WABC-TV in New York City. Bartelstein was the anchor for WABC when they initially covered the September 11 attacks. [3]
On March 14, 2007, the Daily News reported that Bartelstein had been "fired" from WABC-TV after "sleeping through a newsbreak he was to anchor". [4] [5] The Daily News article also reported that WABC-TV had previously suspended him several times for persistent tardiness.
On November 7, 2007, Mediaweek reported that WCBS-TV had announced that it had hired Bartelstein as a weekend news anchor. [6] The station soon began airing promotional announcements featuring him and making reference to an upcoming feature story about his cancer illness.[ citation needed] On September 28, 2007, New York Post columnist Cindy Adams had reported that Bartelstein was being treated for testicular cancer. [7]
On March 18, 2009, WCBS-TV announced that he had left the station. Bartelstein told the Daily News that he was unhappy and felt unappreciated with his job.[ citation needed]
On August 12, 2010, it was announced that he would be joining WBBM-TV in Chicago as a morning-news anchor [8] On July 3, 2011, it was announced that he left WBBM after only 10 months, putting an end to his broadcasting career. [9] [5]
Bartelstein attended baseball umpire school and umpired in the Pecos League for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. [10] [11]