European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bob Costas from the cover. Fame Money influence a Costas had hit a Mother lode seam in the Gold mine of his career. But other riches compelled him away from these sue ceases by name Randy Keith and Taylor a his wife his son and his daughter Costas Cut Back on his professional workload for no reason than the Best one to As he unabashedly explains it a spend More time with my  a if the decision is to have a bigger career or a better life a Costas told people Magazine last year a then its a better life for  his statement is Worth considering for a moment a for its audacious Ness in our celebrity driven world its blasphemy in our Money mad culture its Calm subversive Ness in the pages of a Magazine dedicated to Fame ambition and Glamour. If Costas weren to arguably americans Best sports announcer or news announcer for that matter if he did no to possess just about everything a sports fan could want from an Anchor a brains wit savvy and a Complete understanding of the game whatever the game happens to be if he weren to so darned Good looking Well spoken and genial a in Short if Bob Costas weren to the embodiment of a kind of to perfection head be the sort of Guy pop. Culture tends to Overlook a intelligent industrious decent a Costas Hasni to turned his Back on his career just rearranged it so his work can fit into clusters of time with ample free time in Between. Though the work is based in new York the 42-Ycar-old broadcaster makes his Home in St. Louis where he found his first Jefe after attending Syracuse University. His wife is Fyrnn St. Louis and the couple was living there when he was hired by Abc in 1980. When he is working As  the networks Aba broadcasts or monthly correspondent for the Abc news Magazine program now he stays in a new York hotel suite for As Long As his duties require then returns Home. Though his work takes him away from his family for Days at a Tirifie a to new York and Houston for the Aba finals to Pittsburgh in july for the baseball All Star game to Atlanta in 1996 to Host the summer olympics As he did in 1992 in Barcelona a most weeks Costas schedule permits him to spend an average of four or five Days at Home. When he was asked on a new York talk show Why head left the hugely successful later Costas was characteristically Frank and self effacing. A was trite As it sounds a he told the Host a my kids Arentt going to be 7 and 4  his son has turned 8 since then. Costas agreed to talk to the stars and stripes. About his career his family and the balancing act Between them while he was in new York during the Aba playoffs. He was interviewed twice both times at the Abc studios on game Days Between his live anchoring of the halftime shows and related promos. The conversation ranged from fatherhood to family values to the challenges of celebrity resting occasionally on sports but not stopping there for Long. The stars and stripes when you were really Busy on the air All the time How much of your time is taken up by work and How much was and still is taken up by celebrity ? Bob Costas and you have to throw in travel. See by living in St. Louis which i want to do and Quot my wife a family is there my children have stability there they have their friends there they have relatives they have cousins they have an environment that would be very very difficult to replicate anyplace else so wanting to stay there you have to Factor in the travelling the packing the coming and going so that takes up a percentage. In a known As a Guy who tries very hard to be. Pre. Pared. Its not just when i show up at the studio. I do a lot of Reading and preparation and what not. But also when you become visible there Are a lot of requests for your time. Some of them i find very very easy to turn Down because Quot they re mostly just stoking the celebrity machine that does no to hold much Appal for me. But others Are difficult to turn Down. Someone wants you to come to a Charity event or someone. A a a. A. A amps Timothy Cachim Abc technicians flank the Aba pregame and halftime team of Julius erring Bill Walton and Bob Costas you went to High school or College with would like you to speak at thei r local h i Hsc hoofs sports banquet. You realize you re in a position to do something that would make somebody Happy or would be worthwhile. But if you fulfilled even a tenth of those requests then that would be a 365-Day-a-year Job and that a not just True of me its True of everybody who a visible. So you have to learn to say no in a polite Way that people will understand even then realizing that some people probably wont understand. Someone will say a gee  he have Given up one Day to do this a but if you Start adding up Al the a one Days together,.pret, soon you be Given up your w Hole life. On the other hand you want to do some of it so you be got to pick and choose carefully. Now i try to confine it to stuff in new York when i can make it dovetail with when i have to be Here or in St. Louis so that if i go to do a Charity thing at least i done to have to get on a plane. That s a Little better for me anyway because that Way i can be More directly in voted and i know what in a getting into. I can see it through and have More of a hands on involvement. But your questions Correct there is stuff that this generates. It has a kind of a Geometric aspect to it. For example when i did later a a Guy like Bill Mahar who does the politically incorrect show on. Cable to a he comes on the program he was a great guest now when he asks me to come on his show. What am i going to do say no it Isnit like in a looking for additional exposure. In a certainly not. But i like him and he did. Me a favor once and i need to return the favor so Boom i go on. Dennis Miller asked me to be on his show. I like Dennis Miller he a a Friend who you done to want to say no to and in a sure he does no to want to say no to me if i asked him to do something so there Are layers to this that you  anticipate until you Gento the Middle of it. A win to in Chicago the station that carries the cubs games asked me to  50th anniversary tribute to Harry Carey who started baseball broadcasting in 1945 this is his 50th season. Even though. It came at a time when my schedule was really bunched up the Aba finals starting i was running off to do a piece for now interviewing Ray Charles in los Angeles i almost can to say no to that because i grew up with a real respect and reverence for the old time baseball broadcasters and Harry started out in St. Louis and in a from St Louis and he was always very very Nice to me when i was jus Bej arting out. So How do you say no to that on the other hand in a the Guy you la never see at the celebrity fashion show or the Guy Likely to show up at the celebrity pro am Golf tournament. A amps is there any network pressure to do that sort of thing. Costas no. I have a very Good understanding with them. Abc is great to me. They know the kinds of things by and Large that in a interested in doing and that i think to most effective on and if there a any question in their mind they usually put it to me As a Choice a would you like to do this Quot if you want to do it go ahead. If you done to want to do it done to. A amps walkabout what you told people Magazine last year that if the decision was to have a bigger career or a better life you a take the better life. Costas you know that seems simple to me. F and it seems that if people arc impressed by that or taken by that its just a sad commentary on the Gen Cral values of the culture because that a not a Brilliant statement on my part of a heroic statement or a tremendous sacrifice. If it is its Only in contrast to a this bloated idea of celebrity and Success that people have where they think a i  possibly turn Down being on  not for the first time in your life a i can understand if someone had the Chance to do something head never done before. But a gee i  possibly turn Down doing this same thing for the 500th Lime in order to be Home a Little bit  you know id like to take the credit but in fairness in be been Lucky enough. In be come along at a time when if you re Lucky enough to get to a certain position in network broadcasting you re Well compensated for it. If i have any Wisdom at All its just to understand that there a less of a difference _ Between,1 million and 2 million dollars a year than there is Between $50,000 and $60,000. If you re making $50,000 a year that extra $10,000 is College Money for your kids. If you re Lucky enough to make a substantial amount of Money a year unless you be got some very Peculiar financial circumstances then the Only reason you need More Money is greed or ego. In a not being falsely modest. I just done to think its that big a Deal. A amps a lot of men would use a huge salary As Evi Denic of machismo virility a As an ego thing. But you Don t a 1 Costas actually i have ample ego but its directed differently than some people. I really want to do the Best work that i can do and i m a stickler and a perfectionist about the circumstances that i need to get that work done. I want to make sure i have the Best support personnel the proper control Over things that i do that i think that in be earned. And when i do something Well i definitely get a you.  be human if you did no to get a Little bit of a glow when you read something Nice about you in the newspaper or feel gratified when people recognize you not just because they recognize your face not because they re responding to some shallow idea of Page 4 sunday july 3, 1994