Raj Mathai
BornMarch 28
Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Alma materSan Diego State University[1]
OccupationAmerican television journalist
EmployerChannel 11, NBC Bay Area

Raj Mathai is an American television journalist. He is the primary news anchor at NBC-owned KNTV in the San Francisco Bay Area.[2]

Career

Mathai anchors the 6pm, 7pm and 11pm newscasts for NBC Bay Area KNTV[3] and hosts the series The Interview.[4] The series sets Mathai with newsmakers such as Kamala Harris,[5] California Governor Gavin Newsom,[6] and General Colin Powell.[7] In 2013, Mathai conducted exclusive interviews with John McAfee about his life and his legal troubles.

Mathai field anchors KNTV's breaking news and big event coverage including the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami, 2019 Gilroy mass shooting, 2017 Inauguration of Donald Trump, 2017 Las Vegas massacre and the 2016 San Bernardino shootings. He led KNTV's coverage of the 2013 Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco International Airport. He was on the air for seven consecutive hours and was the first journalist to interview a survivor of the crash.[8] Mathai is also a moderator for the Commonwealth Club of California and a guest lecturer for the Stanford School of Business. Mathai is a 3-time Olympic torch bearer and has reported on-location from the Olympics in Tokyo, London, Vancouver, Turin, Athens and Salt Lake City.

Prior to his news career, Mathai was a sportscaster for NBC Bay Area (1998–2010). During his time as sportscaster, he personally retrieved a Pat Burrell home run ball. Pat was not amazed. [9] In 1995 he became the first Indian sportscaster for a network affiliate in the United States when he began at KYMA-DT.[10] He worked for NBC affiliates KNSD in San Diego, KYMA-DT in Yuma, AZ, and KSEE in Fresno, CA.[9] He was an Olympic torch bearer in 1996, 2002, and 2008.[2] Mathai co-hosted Sports Sunday[9] along with Jerry Rice, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jeff Garcia and Ken Norton Jr.[11][12] He was part of the NBC broadcast team for the San Francisco Giants from 2008–2012 along with Jon Miller and Mike Krukow.[13]

Awards

Mathai is a 12-time Emmy Award winner,[2] including regional Emmys for "Best On-Camera Talent" in 2016 and 2015, "Breaking News" in 2016 and 2013, Dwight Clark Documentary in 2018 and “Outstanding Cultural Program" in 2012 for his coverage of the London Olympics.[14] He also won regional Emmys for sports coverage in 2011, 2002 and 1998.[9]

Personal life

Mathai was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. He lived in Mumbai until age 7, when he moved Palo Alto, California.[10] He comes from a family of journalists and writers, including his father TJ Mathew who ran magazines in India in the 1970s, and his uncle T. J. S. George, who founded Asiaweek.[15]

Mathai is the cousin of best-selling authors Abraham Verghese and Jeet Thayil. He is also the nephew of Thomas Kailath, noted Stanford Professor.[15]

Mathai attended Los Altos High School[10] and San Diego State University where he graduated with a degree in journalism and political science in 1993. Prior to his career as a broadcaster, Mathai was a public relations assistant with the San Diego Chargers.[16] He was also part of the Super Bowl staff for the National Football League in 1993 and 1994.

Mathai is on the Board of Governors for the San Francisco Symphony and Board Member for the Asian Pacific Fund.

References

  1. ^ Malhotra, Jawahar (21 February 2013). "Desis Fill In San Francisco's TV News Channels". Indo American News. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Raj Mathai Is A Four Time Emmy Winner Who Has Traveled The World For NBC Bay Area". NBC Bay Area (KNTV). Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  3. ^ Okanes, Jonathan (19 April 2011). "NBC Bay Area To Use CSNBA To Provide Content On Nightly Sports Segments". The Oakland Tribune. HighBeam. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  4. ^ "The Interview With Raj Mathai". NBC Bay Area (KNTV). Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  5. ^ Raj Mathai & Kamala Harris (3 December 2012). The Interview: California Attorney General Kamala Harris (Television). NBC Bay Area (KNTV).
  6. ^ Raj Mathai & Gavin Newsom (8 June 2012). The Interview: Gavin Newsom (Television). NBC Bay Area (KNTV).
  7. ^ Raj Mathai &Colin Powell (31 August 2013). The Interview: General Colin Powell (Television). NBC Bay Area (KNTV).
  8. ^ Benjamin Levy, Jon Schuppe, & Raj Mathai (31 July 2013). Flight 214 Survivor Describes Normal Flight That Went Suddenly Wrong (Television News). San Francisco, California: NBC.
  9. ^ a b c d "Meet Raj Mathai, Bay Area NBC's Sports Director". Blog Talk Radio. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Cowan, Marlene (24 April 2013). "Raj Mathai: LAHS Grad Shares Secrets To TV Success In LA Rotary Club Talk". Los Angeles Town Crier. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  11. ^ Ryan, John (7 September 2006). "Amping Up Coverage". San Jose Mercury News. HighBeam. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  12. ^ Staff Report (11 October 2009). "Airwaves: Mathai An Ideal Host For Postgame Show". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  13. ^ Souri, Ranjit (2 July 2009). "In The Dugout and On The Air". India Currents. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  14. ^ "NBC Bay Area Leads The Winners At The 42nd Annual Northern CA Emmy Awards". NBC Universal. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  15. ^ a b Vivek (29 November 2009). "Raj Matha – USA's First Indian Sportscaster Talks About…Well Sports & Some More!". Indian Entertainment. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  16. ^ Del Grande, Dave (6 November 2007). "Mathai Getting Ready For Giant Change". The Oakland Tribune. HighBeam. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2013.

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