Here’s another veteran of the Boston sports media scene…
Mike Dowling has been with WCVB-TV channel 5 since 1985. During that time, he has been the principal sports reporter for the station, while also serving at the weekend sports anchor.
Before coming to WCVB, Dowling worked at WBZ-TV in Boston as weekend sports anchor. He had begun his career at KBYU-TV in Provo, UT, in 1980, where he covered Brigham Young University (from which he is a 1976 graduate) athletic events. He also worked at WANE-TV, Fort Wayne, IN, as Sports Director from 1981 to 1984, covering Big Ten and Notre Dame football and basketball.
Dowling has won three Associated Press Awards for Best Sports Feature of the Year.
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{democracy:63}
Boston Sports Media Watch 
Besides copying Ted Sarandis’ hairstyle, I have no major issues with Mike Dowling. He seems like he’s a notch brighter than most copy readers. His opinions on the Patriot shows are made without screaming, drooling, or farting, so he has the New England Tailgate show beat. Has to put up with Mike Lynch’s no sock stench so he either has poor ofactory senses, or he’s tougher than we know. Survived the split of Chet and Nat without too much emotional damage, and can finally look at Susan Wornick without thinking about Lobel and laughing hysterically. Secretly can’t stand Jorge Quiroga, but has never let it interfere with their strong working relationship.
APPROVE!!!
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Come on people!! We are left with only a few of the members of the “golden age” of Boston television. I always thought Mike Dowling was top notch and I for one am glad he is still around.
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Approve – Seems like a really decent guy, but in case I’m wrong, I give him even a stronger Approve for not blowing his cover and by spending a lot of time on the radio. It amazes me how many of the Sportscasters who I previously had neutral to positive opinions of, appear on the radio and expose their true personalities by showing that they’re miserable (John Dennis), not smart (Steve Burton), or both (Butch Stearns, Bob Halloran)
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what he said
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No Gunt, no Jowls, No Turkey Neck, No Man boobs. Who does this guy think he is?
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Looks like a homeless man when standing next to snazzy dresser Mike Lynch. DISAPPROVE!
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I vote approve, seems like a nice guy. Has the best gig in the world, these ‘principal sports reporters’ don’t break news or do in depth stories. They stand on the first baseline between 5 and 6:30 pm for their 20 second live shots and say “Cardinals are in town, should be a good series. Look, I even got a few comments from Tony LaRussa(along with every other Boston reporter – he has to do it) saying he enjoys coming to Fenway. Back to you Liz”
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I generally disapprove of ‘Lifers’ like Dowling and Lobel and Lynch. If you’re a young journalism student entering the industry, you have these folks to thank for keeping you at bay. They just suckle at the bosom of Boston TV news stations and don’t let go. You would expect Steve Burton will still be leading WBZ sports by the time we build our first colony on Mars. But I digress. I disapprove of Dowling primarily for the reason above, and also because he tends toward the ‘smarmy’ side of behavior with a sneering, aloof demeanor. But I will qualify my opinion by saying that he is just on the ‘disapprove’ side of the tipping point for me; not way on the FULL DISAPPROVE end like a Massarotti or a Shaughnessy or a Stearns would be.
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I am also impressed that Dowling has won three Associated Press Awards for Best Sports Feature of the Year. Those must be awfully hard to get :::roll eyes::: in such a self-congratulatory industry as his.
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He seems like a decent guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously (thus his lack of a sports radio presence). I believe he is the brother of Brian Dowling, former QB for Yale and the Patriots.
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Disapprove for simply being a dinosaur. Who under the age of fifty watches the evening news, let alone the 5 minutes of sports (chopped up into 3 segments to ensure that only the same, superficial information is given)? It was obvious that this was the state of things to come over a decade ago, yet the guy sticks around?
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Makes you wonder how much coin he pulls in.
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Used to have Clemens on his speed dial but other than that doesn’t do anything to offend me. Staying away from the radio side is a big plus also.
Approve.
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How do you do the snoring sound on the keyboard?
KKKKKKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR……ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
He gets the worst rating of all. Nothing. I just don’t care one way or the other about this guy.
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I accidentally hit the “Disapprove” button instead of “Approve”. I guess the mouse is faster than I am (good thing I’m not a cat). Anyhow, debit the Disapprove column by one a credit “Approve”. I like Mike.
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A seemingly nice, if somewhat innocuous guy who has somehow leveraged a pleasant demeanor into a lengthy,comfortable career despite the fact that he has almost nothing to offer by way of insight or knowledge.
Mild disapproval based on the princple that if you are going to take the paycheck, you should a least do a tiny bit of work.
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Approve.
Frankly I just don’t care about this guy. Seems like a good guy though. I like the fact that flyies under the radar and doesn’t appear on every media outlet available in the Boston area.
He knows his stuff and does a decent enough job over there on WCVB.
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All the approves here are remarkably lukewarm. This guy is pretty bland and unappealing to watch. I disapprove just to even up the score a bit.
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….DISAPPROVE….Dowling reminds me of the LOCAL Sports Anchors we have here in Rhode Island, which is to say BLAND with a CAPITAL B…..anybody from Rhode Island knows what I’m talking about……anybody for a little Ken Bell?
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disapprove
typical network boob. master of the obvious. nothing to see here
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Lazy underacheiver who settled into an easy gig and coasted thru a forgettable career … has done nothing of note and will not be remembered the day he retires … keeps himself in decent shape, but then again, has 23.5 hours per day to exercise.
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Well put. An unforgettable career. Vanilla. Disapprove. He is so under the radar, he must have blackmail photos of those who run channel 5.
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Is tight with Danny Ainge (BYU buddies), which has led him to many Celtics scoops.
APPROVE
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Um…Why? If you watch the local news to get your sports info, YOU get a disapprove, not this guy. That profession is just about dead.
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Mike Dowling ran a good CYO offense. We beat St.Julia almost every year. And St.Tarcisius when we played them. With the moon ceiling. Either you know it or you don’t. Approve.
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I just want to say that I love my best friend Drew, whos happens to be Mike’s son, so I got nothin but love this man.
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sub-par anchor……clearly doesn’t have the enthusiasm of a one Bob Lobel…..or the stylist of a Chet Curtis….the old Patsy of the news world, though clearly not as wealthy…guys a bum….. .Disapprove…family picnic’s with the Hurst’s anyone…?
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sub-par anchor……clearly doesn’t have the enthusiasm of a one Bob Lobel…..or the stylist of a Chet Curtis….the old Patsy of the news world, though clearly not as wealthy…guys a bum….. .Disapprove…family picnic’s with the Hurst’s anyone…?
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