TURNER SPORTS
• Johnson will enter his 15th year as the studio host for Turner Sports’
2004-05 NBA telecasts. He hosts TNT's Emmy award-winning Inside The NBA with analysts
Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
• In 2002-03, Johnson was also a co-host of TNT's original series Listen Up!
Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, which aired every Thursday
before TNT’s exclusive NBA doubleheader.
• For the third consecutive year, Johnson will continue his role as host of
TBS College Football, along with analyst Charles Davis, play-by-play announcer
Ron Thulin and reporter Craig Sager. He also hosted college football games on
TBS Superstation for the 2002-03 season, dubbed Big Play Saturday. He was the
studio host for TNT’s NFL coverage from 1990-1994, and for the 1995 and
1996 season, he worked on site as game host.
• Johnson served as TNT 2004 PGA Championship host and play-by-play for the
sixth consecutive year, and will serve in this capacity for the 2004 PGA Grand
Slam of Golf as well. He also served as the hole-by-hole announcer for TNT’s
1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 PGA Grand Slam of Golf coverage.
• Johnson hosted and worked as a play-by-play announcer for TNT’s exclusive
cable coverage of the 2004 Open Championship from Royal Troon Golf Club, in
AyrShire, Scotland. He also worked for TNT’s coverage of the 132nd Open
Championship from Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, Kent in 2003.
• He hosted TNT's coverage of the 2002 Wimbledon Championships for the third
consecutive year.
• He worked in various roles for the 2001 Goodwill Games from Brisbane, Australia;
the 1998 Goodwill Games from New York; the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg,
Russia; the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France; and the 1994 Games
in Lillehammer, Norway.
CAREER
• He called Atlanta Braves games on SportSouth from 1993-96 with his dad (Johnson
Sr.).
• Johnson came to Turner Sports from WSB-TV in Atlanta, where he served as
weekend sports anchor and reporter from 1983-89. He joined WSB-TV in 1982 as
general assignment news reporter, named weekend sports anchor and reporter in
1983.
• He began his career while attending the University of Georgia as news and
sports director for WAGQ-FM, Athens, GA (1977-78). Following graduation, Johnson
joined WMAZ-TV, Macon, GA, as news anchor (1979-81). In 1981, he served as news
reporter for WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, S.C.
PERSONAL
• Recipient of numerous awards, including a 2001 Sports Emmy for Best Studio
Host/Personality; the 1989 Georgia-area Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement-Television
News Excellence/Sports Reporting for a special report entitled, "Braves
Fantasy Camp,” and "Dangerous Prescription," another special
report produced by Johnson, received a Georgia Emmy nomination in the same category.
The report garnered Johnson a prestigious Georgia Associated Press Award for
sports reporting in 1988. In 1984, he received a United Press International
Award for Sportscasting and in 1985, a Georgia Area Emmy nomination for his
series on "Drugs in Sports."
• Born in Milwaukee, WI, his dad is a former major league pitcher and long-time
Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer.
• A graduate of Henry Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia,
he was named Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1986.
• He is actively involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and has
worked with EA Sports, the company that produces sports video games. On the
videos, he hosted NBA games and provided the play-by-play voice for PGA golf.
