Personality Test: Rob King
As one of Root Sports main anchors, Rob King provides analysis during pre-game, postgame and game intermissions in Pirates and Penguins telecasts. Additionally, he serves as play-by-play announcer for McDonald's High School Football and collegiate games produced by the network.
Having come to Pittsburgh in 2000, King's versatility in the studio and at the game comes from having spent five years in Syracuse, N.Y., where he was sports director at CBS affiliate WTVH-TV and hosted a radio show on WHEN-AM. Prior to that, he spent over two years as a reporter at KPLR-TV in St. Louis and hosted a radio show on KFNS-AM.
King is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where he was an all-conference quarterback.
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life:
Gru. People say I can sometimes be animated, and we both have a prominent proboscis.
Childhood hero:
My mother. She was the best (and remains so).
The piece of memorabilia from my childhood I wish I still had:
All the baseball cards I had in the spokes of my bicycle tires.
The superpower I wish I had in real life:
Flight. Don't we all want to fly?
Favorite app:
I'm assuming you mean appetizer here? Actually, I just downloaded my first app for star-gazing.
Favorite season:
Fall
Favorite ethnic food:
I love all food. Italian, Thai, Chinese — love it all.
I spend the most time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other:
None. I will follow Twitter for work purposes only.
The song I want played at my funeral:
A morbid question. “(I'm Still) Alive” by Pearl Jam?
Pick one: “Veep,” “House of Cards” and “Scandal”:
“House of Cards”
Show I have or want to binge watch:
My wife got me belatedly hooked on “24” years ago. I binge watched that for sure.
My favorite cable channel:
Root Sports
Movie I could watch every time it appears on cable:
“Casablanca”
The movie that always makes me cry:
“Schindler's List”
My favorite TV or movie villain:
Ramsay Bolton from “Game of Thrones”
The first band I saw in concert:
ZZ Top in Utica, NY, 1981, maybe?
The best concert I've ever seen:
Any Stevie Ray Vaughn concert. I saw a show with Dr. John, Johnny Winter, Albert King and Ray Charles that was as good as it sounds.
In high school, I was:
Enjoying myself
Celebrity crush:
Charlize Theron
If I was auditioning for “American Idol,” my song would be:
“Her Majesty” by The Beatles. It's only about 25 seconds long. It would save all involved some trouble.
Favorite guilty pleasure:
Ice cream
Pick one: Pirates, Penguins, Steelers or other:
All of them
My favorite Pittsburgh athlete:
All of them, past and present
Favorite lunchtime spot:
Gaucho Parilla
My favorite sandwich, plus fixings:
See above, plus the Primanti's cappicola. Everything on it.
My most embarrassing junk food:
More ice cream
My favorite Pittsburgh pizza:
So many choices! Mineo's, perhaps?
Pick one: Cheetos, Cheez-Its or Cheerios:
Cheerios
The most dangerous thing I've ever done:
Answer these questions
Best vacation ever:
Scotland and Costa Rica — a tie
Place I'd most like to visit:
Anywhere I haven't been. I love to travel.
In five years, I'd like to:
Have two children in college and remain happily married.
I wish I had more time to:
Play the guitar
My favorite thing about Pittsburgh:
All of it. The people, the natural beauty, the character of Downtown, the autonomy of the communities, the oneness of the city
Three people I'd love to have dinner with:
Meghan, Cooper and Schaefer (my family). Maybe Abe Lincoln could pass the peas.
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
The greatest athlete who ever lived. Am I running out of time?
If I could go back, I'd tell my teenage self:
Don't fear failure.
My first job:
Baling hay
My worst job:
Waiting tables
The person I'm most often mistaken for:
The guy from “Dirty Jobs”
My most treasured fashion accessory:
A full wallet
What you'll always find in my glove compartment:
I shudder to think.
If I wasn't an anchor for Root Sports, I'd be:
A reporter at Root Sports
I'm deathly afraid of:
Snakes. Anything reptilian.
The last book I read:
An Ian Rankin novel, I think. I usually have three to four books going at once.
My favorite website:
Pirates Prospects
The song that always gets me out on the dance floor:
“Brown Eyed Girl” — it's a song my wife and I have enjoyed over the years.
Happiness is:
A great family and great friends
My personal motto:
Laugh and the world laughs with you.
Favorite Pittsburgh-area landmark:
The inclines
Overused phrase I hate most:
Laugh and the world laughs with you.
People would be surprised to know that I:
Laugh, and expect the world to laugh with me.
