Mark Pearson

Mark Pearson joined WNEM as the Sports Director in May of 2023.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mark loves being back in the mitten and closer to home.

He previously spent four years at WAND (central Illinois) and two and a half years at WDAZ (Grand Forks, North Dakota).

In central Illinois, Mark worked 16 months as the Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter before getting promoted to Sports Director in October of 2020. During his time at WAND, Mark closely covered the University of Illinois, traveling to Tampa, Florida to cover the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl and to both Pittsburgh, PA and Des Moines, IA for March Madness in 2022 and 2023.

He also enjoyed covering the Chicago Bears during training camp, traveling to Salem, VA for the Division III National Softball Tournament and of course, cruising around the area to cover high school sports! Mark was even on The Today Show to feature a local team during their Friday Morning Lights segment. Check it out here!

During Mark's journey in North Dakota, he served as the play-by-play announcer for several state championships and covered Super Bowl 52 in Minneapolis between the Patriots and the Eagles. He also followed the nationally ranked North Dakota hockey team, and traveled to Salt Lake City to cover March Madness.

Mark loves the atmosphere during a game and strives to capture the way sports connect a community. He hopes to share the moments that make people proud of their teams and hometowns.

No matter the experiences the job has given Mark, he'll still tell you April 21, 2018 is still the best day of his life—that’s when he got married to his wife, Kelly, who also works at WNEM. The two shared the anchor desk at their previous news stations in North Dakota and Illinois and have a calico cat named Stella.

When Mark is not at work, he loves spending time with friends and family, shooting hoops, playing golf, playing cards with his grandpa, watching sports, hanging out at Lake Michigan, being his wife's Instagram husband, and spoiling his cat.

Mark went to Butler University, where he played club basketball and did play-by-play for various sporting events. While in college, he interned for ESPN 96.1, the Indiana Pacers, WOOD TV in Grand Rapids and WTHR in Indianapolis. Mark graduated in the spring of 2016 as the school's first Sports Media Major, and minored in business and mathematics.

Mark went to Rockford High School where during his senior year, he and the Rams met up with Saginaw High School in the 2012 Class A Boys Basketball State Championship. The Trojans won 54-42. Mark is excited to not only cover Saginaw High School but all the local schools in the area.

If you have a story idea for Mark or would like to just say hello, feel free to email him at Mark.Pearson@wnem.com, or find him on Twitter @MarkPearsonTV or follow his Facebook page Mark Pearson - WNEM Sports.