Erik Dobratz has been a part of Sports Team 8 for more than 20 years. He can be seen during News 8’s 6pm and 11pm newscasts.
Erik joined News 8 back in 1998 as a writer for the news department. He went on to produce the noon and then the 5pm newscasts. In 2002, he was asked to produce Pilot Pen sports coverage for News 8. When the tournament was over, the Sports Department came calling.
Erik worked as a sports producer for several years, until he made the move to sports reporting in 2011, where he has been working with Sports Team 8 ever since.
Erik’s years of behind the scenes access to Connecticut’s biggest sporting events made him a natural addition to the on-air team. He has traveled to Atlanta and New Orleans to cover UConn for the Women’s Final Four. Erik has also produced numerous golf and tennis specials for News 8, as well as the Emmy nominated production of Huskies All Access, Inside Huskies Football, and the MyTV9 High School Football Game of the Week. In fact, he made his on-air debut with Sports Team 8, doing color commentary for the MyTV9 High School Football Game of the Week.
Prior to joining News 8, Erik worked for WLIS/WMRD radio in Middletown and the CBS Radio Network in New York City. He has a degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Connecticut. Erik currently lives in Hamden with his wife and two children.
You can send Erik a story idea at erik.dobratz@wtnh.com and you can follow him on Twitter @erikd25.
