Bonnie Berko

Bonnie Berko is a real live Yankee Doodle Dandy, born in Washington DC on the 4th of July.

After graduating from Churchill High School, Bonnie studied journalism and TV communications at American University. In 1980, she joined a start-up TV network in Atlanta – Cable News Network (CNN) – operating a camera.

Bonnie was an eager student who mastered the control room: graphics, audio, switching, directing. The control room was also where she met Arty, a CNN sports producer, who would become her husband.

In 1984, Arty was relocated to the CNN New York office and Bonnie became a senior director in CNN’s New York Bureau. The two moved again in 1988 when Arty took a job with USA Today in DC. It was at this time that Bonnie began a long and successful stint as a freelance director, working for domestic and international clients with many of the leading production companies in the DC market.

In 2001, Bonnie was asked to consult with senior management at ESPN to help establish a home for a proposed sports talk show featuring Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. Bonnie embraced the project and joined the staff of the show – PTI – as associate director and prop-master. Since its debut in 2001, PTI has been one of ESPN’s consistently highest-rated shows and has won numerous Emmy awards.

Arty and Bonnie have two sons, Sam and Jess, and two grandbabies, Lyla and Archer.