Jeanne Zelasko Bio: Early Life, Relationship, Career & Net Worth

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The super talented and literally beautiful Jeanne Zelasko is an American sports journalist and analyst currently based in Los Angeles County, California at Fox Sports West and “The Beast” AM980 KFWB.

Jeanne Zelasko is a prolific and versatile journalist in athletics, a genuine pioneer for women athletes, and “one of the most recognizable women employed in athletics” on sports television,” says the Los Angeles Times, with her broadcasting and radio career spanning almost three decades.

Jeanne Zelasko, Reporter
Jeanne Zelasko

She has been selected by industry titans such as the NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, and the MLB Network, represented by FOX Sports, ESPN, and the MLB Network.

NCAA College Football, Basketball, and Softball with her extensive and intuitive knowledge of collegiate and professional sports players, coaches, records, results, organizations, and the intertwined past behind today’s happenings.

Jeanne Zelasko: Quick Facts

Full Name Jeanne Zelasko
Birth Date October 26, 1966
Birth Place Cincinnati, Ohio
Known as Jeanne Zelasko
Religion Unknown
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Education San Diego State University
Horoscope Scorpio
Father’s Name Unknown
Mother’s Name  Unknown
Siblings Unknown
Age 58 Years Old
Height 167m*
Weight 58 kg*
Build Curvy
Body Measurements NA
Hair color Blonde
Eye color brown
Profession Sportscaster
Active Years  2000-present
Marital Status  Married
Spouse  Curt Sandoval
Children  2
Net Worth Under Review
Social Media Twitter
Last Update December, 2024

Who is Jeanne Zelasko? Early Life And Education

Zelasko was born in the United States of America on October 26, 1966, in Cincinnati, Ohio. In New Jersey and San Diego, California, she spent her childhood growing up.

From an early age, Zelasko was passionate about journalism and later attended San Diego State University to fulfill her dreams.

During her college days at San Diego State University, Zelasko began her broadcasting career by doing metro traffic updates and then hosting a talk show on KCEO-AM radio.

Her television career started in 1993, anchoring the weekend newscasts at KDCI-TV News in San Diego.

Young Jeanne
Young Jeanne

The information about her parents and their names is not available to the public. Although she is a T.V. personnel, she keeps her personal life to herself and doesn’t like to talk about it. She seems to be a private person, yet the public loves her.

Jeanne Zelasko | Career

Zelasko co-hosted the pregame San Diego Padres show for Prime Sports West, a regional sports network in Southern California (now Fox Sports Net West), early in her career.

She covered several sports, including the NFL, NHL, college basketball, and auto racing, while serving as an assignment reporter for the network.

Zelasko’s long tenure with FOX Sports saw her as a studio host, anchor, and analyst, as well as a FOX NFL Sunday sideline reporter covering the Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Orange Bowl broadcasts.

On-field
On-field

She was hired initially by Ed Goren, former FOX Sports Vice Chairman, as a member of the broadcast team anchoring FOX Sports Net’s National Sports Update, who had been a fan since her days on XTRA Sports 1150AM where Steve Hartman and the late Chet Forte again kept their own.

Goren also slotted Zelasko as the first female pit reporter to cover NASCAR, which made her the first female sportscaster ever to work for the Daytona 500. Goren said of this versatile sportscaster, “Whatever was thrown at her, she did exceptionally well.”

Fox Sports

As part of the original broadcasting team anchoring the newly founded Fox Sports Net’s National Sports Study and a sideline reporter for Fox NFL Sunday, Zelasko was recruited by Fox Sports in 1996.

Zelasko joined NASCAR on Fox as a pit reporter in February 2001. The Fox network canceled the Major League Baseball pregame show (as a cost-cutting measure) after the 2008 season.

In 2001, Goren promoted Jeanne Zelasko to replace Kevin Olbermann alongside Kevin Kennedy as host of the Emmy-Award-winning MLB on FOX studio pregame and postgame shows.

Goren said, “There was no doubt that she was rock solid. She doesn’t just read a script; she knows what she’s talking about.

Jeanne and Co-host
Jeanne and Co-host

Named by the L.A. Daily News, a “Superanchor,” this pioneering position made Zelasko the first woman to host a Major League Baseball show for a broadcast network in more than a decade.

From the National League and American League Titles in the regular season to the All-Star Games and World Series, Jeanne Sandoval has led FOX’s Major League Baseball coverage for nearly a decade.

MLB Network

Zelasko took several roles on MLB Network in April 2009, including special assignments for MLB Tonight; on May 20, 2009, she made her MLB play-by-play debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making her the first woman to play for a Dodgers game play-by-play.

Zelasko worked alongside Mark Sweeney, the former Dodger, who acted as an analyst. Zelasko made her MLB play-by-play debut in 2009 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which made her the first-ever woman to do so for the organization.

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She also took on several roles and special assignments for the MLB Network and its MLB Tonight. As well as for the DogersWIN Network, alongside former Dodger Mark Sweeney, who serves as the analyst.

Jamie McCourt, Dodger Chief Executive Officer, said of Zelasko when he hired her, “We’re delighted to welcome Jeanne into the Dodger family. Her record of track and game experience speaks for itself.”

ESPN

As co-host of the Home Team, Zelasko joined The Beast 980AM, a popular morning-drive sports talk radio program sitting alongside five-time NBA All-Star Marques Johnson, following a stint covering ESPN’s NCAA Softball Tournaments. 

Johnson was replaced by longtime Los Angeles Times Columnist Bill Plaschke, and the show was renamed Plashke and Zelasko.

The show, which debuted in 2014, continued for two years before the radio station was finally sold to a foreign-language station.

Most recently, you can catch Zelasko on Clippers Live, the pregame and postgame show for Los Angeles Clippers broadcasts, as a rotating host for FOX Sports West.

Clippers Live keeps fans updated and entertained with player and coach interviews and exclusive features all season long.

Films

Multi-talented and versatile, in feature films, primetime, and syndicated television shows, Zelasko has also starred.

On the CBS series Diagnosis: Murder, she had a guest appearance. In 2002, in the Swiss motion picture Birdseye, she had a cameo as an Anchorwoman.

Studio work
Studio work

In the sports comedy film Juwant to Mann, she played herself, and in the hilarious motion picture Fever Pitch, she also played the part of a sports reporter. Zelasko played a court reporter’s role in Judge Joe Brown’s syndicated television series for many years.

Career in glance

Zelasko began her college career at KDCI-TV News in San Diego, hosting a talk show on KCEO-AM and anchoring the weekend newscasts.

It didn’t take very long for Zelasko to get heard, and on FOX Sports Net West, she soon went on to co-host the San Diego Padre’s pregame show.

She covered several sports, including the NFL, NHL, college basketball, and auto racing, while also working as an assignment reporter for the network.

Jeanne Zelasko | Relationship

With a fellow sports anchor and reporter, Curt Sandoval, Zelasko tied the marital knot. Sandoval works for KABC-TV, a Los Angeles station owned by ABC, and is also a triathlete who has completed an Ironman in Hawaii.

They married in 1998 and currently have two children. On December 30, 2007, it was revealed that Zelasko was being treated for thyroid cancer.

With her partner, former ABC7 Eyewitness News Sports Anchor and Emmy Award-winning journalist Curt Sandoval, along with their two children, Jeanne Zelasko resides in a suburb outside Los Angeles.

Jeanne Zelasko With Husband Curt And Their Kids
Jeanne Zelasko With Husband Curt And Their Kids

At various points in their lives, both Jeanne and Curt have fought cancer and are now cancer-free with the help of their families, friends, legions of fans, and the professional sports community.

These committed parents shuffle their highly athletic teens into work, games, and tournaments when they are not on the air.

They also dedicate much of their time and energy through their church to raising money and funds for cancer-related causes and to community outreach.

Jeanne Zelasko | Net Worth & Salary

Jeanne Zelasko has a large amount of money as a journalist and sportscaster. Well, she’s also worked in the broadcasting industry for several years. And has been part of numerous newscasts during her career.

While the exact sum of her net worth is under examination, it is clear that she has acquired millions of fortunes from her professional career. As of 2019, some outlets have reported that Zelasko has a net valuation of at least $2 million.

As of now, Zelasko is working as a news anchor for The Beast AM980 KFWB and Fox Sports West. But the real wages and sales amounts are just up to her.

Also, the average wage for a radio show host at KFWB is $40765 per annum, as per the pay scale.

Post-match interview
Post-match interview

On the other hand, the annual salary ranges from $41,512 to $107,419 a year at Fox Sports. Furthermore, for a long time, Jeanne has worked at ESPN, and the total salary of reporters working for that channel is about $85,000. 

Thus, as she has a lot of experience in the area, Zelasko’s salary might be greater than average. Besides, Rachel Nichols is ESPN’s highest-paid sports journalist, with a $10 million net worth.

Jeanne Zelasko | Social Media Presence

Zelasko’s social media scope is not as great as one might expect of someone with a reputation like hers, despite being a popular media personality.

The 51-year-old is typically not active on social networking sites and only has an official account on one of many popular sites, i.e., Twitter, at the moment.

She is available on the web at @JeanneZelasko and only has 2.8 thousand followers. In May 2009, she entered the platform and had tweeted over 4 thousand times so far.

She is not available on Instagram and Facebook, but we can find many hashtags to connect with her.

Jeanne Zelasko | FAQs

Who is Jeanne Zelasko’s husband?

The sportscaster is married to seven-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Curt Sandoval. 

What is Jeanne Zelasko’s net worth?

Zelasko’s net worth is estimated to be around $2 million. 

Is Jeanne Zelasko on Instagram?

No, Jeanne is not on Instagram. 

What is Jeanne Zelasko’s age?

Since the journalist was born on October 26, 1966, she is 54 years old as of now.

Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

Expertise:

Sports Analysis Content Creation

Highlights

  • Aaditya has consistently delivered insightful analysis and captivating content across various platforms.
  • From in-depth match reports to thought-provoking opinion pieces, Aaditya's versatility shines through in his ability to tackle diverse topics

Experience

Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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