The most famous teenage sportscaster in the country peered at his cell phone, smiled and let out a chuckle.

He’s interviewed cultural icons like O.J. Simpson and Muhammad Ali, sports stars like Terrell Owens and Barry Bonds and even Hollywood types like Nick Lachey and Shannon Elizabeth. So Graham Bensinger, a freshman broadcast journalism major at Syracuse University, couldn’t help but admit it.

‘Yeah, I do have a decent amount of numbers on there,’ Bensinger said about his celebrity contacts.

Only 19 years old, Bensinger spent his first semester of college bouncing between Owens’ cigar room, the hot seat on Jay Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’ and a new city seemingly every weekend – from Bristol, Conn., home of ESPN, to New York City. In between, he finds time to be a normal freshman.

Or at least as normal as a freshman who’s featured in Sports Illustrated can be.

Bensinger’s become a hot topic in the news after a Nov. 3 interview with Owens prompted the star wide receiver for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles to speak negatively about his quarterback, Syracuse product Donovan McNabb, and the Eagles organization. It was the final straw in a series of events that led to Owens’ eventual suspension. The interview was featured on ESPN.com and ‘SportsCenter,’ and drew considerable attention – both positive and negative – to Bensinger.

But the consensus was that the freshman is established in the business and, as his extensive contact list proves, he’s rising fast.

Six years ago, Bensinger sold baseball cards on eBay when he proposed to his parents the idea of a radio show on the Internet. His father, Scott, helped him set up a Web site (thegbshow.com) and Graham’s fate relied on his persistence. He sent out requests to various athletes, and his ambition was rewarded when Will Clark, a former Major League Baseball player, called the Bensingers’ home.

The contact list accumulated and Bensinger’s talent developed, creating a desire for the commercial airwaves rather than the Internet. Bensinger struck a deal with an affiliate of The Sporting News radio in 2003 and ESPN Radio soon after. He bought airtime and sold his own advertisements.

‘It wasn’t easy; along with doing school, producing shows and getting guests, I had to go out and get the advertisers,’ Bensinger said. ‘It’s a few hundred dollars a week. To get the necessary advertisers to cover that and make a little bit of money, it was a lot of work. But I wanted to get on air and I wanted to get the experience, so that was the way to do it.’

Scott Bensinger compared the experience to working two 40 hour-per-week jobs: school and radio. And while it helped him grow up, not being grown up helped Graham succeed in the business.

Bensinger’s youth has been advantageous throughout his career. When covering the ESPY’s, ESPN’s annual sports award show in 2002, he spotted Ali on the red carpet from the distance. Bensinger ran toward Ali, calling ‘Mr. Ali, Mr. Ali …’ and received the iconic boxer’s attention. He’s had similar encounters with other interview subjects where they see an ambitious journalist rather than a pestering reporter.

‘It helped me get my foot in the door because an athlete would see a young, aspiring broadcaster who’s working hard and trying to get by, and they’ll give them an opportunity,’ Bensinger said. ‘But beyond that, it’s up to you to show you’re working hard, developing the questions. That’s how I’ve been able to get repeated interviews with these guys.’

But because he learned on the job, he experienced some of the seemingly required rookie mistakes at a young age.

One of Bensinger’s first in-person interviews was with baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. Bensinger recited Schmidt’s career accolades and asked the third baseman, ‘What’s it like to be Mike Schmidt?’

Schmidt turned his head, glanced at Bensinger and responded: ‘That might be the dumbest fucking question I’ve heard in my life.’

Bensinger admits the response startled him at the time, but in retrospect it taught him a lesson: When interviewing celebrities, he needs to find a way to distinguish himself as a journalist and not ask the same, cookie-cutter questions.

He applied the lesson when interviewing O.J. Simpson in July. Bensinger asked the acquitted murder suspect if he ever talked to his children about the slaying of their mother. Bensinger didn’t know how Simpson would respond but insisted upon asking the sensitive question.

‘That was one of the more nerve-racking moments,’ Bensinger said. ‘A lot of times you have some idea how they’ll answer. I had no clue when I was interviewing (Owens) or when I posed that question to O.J. if he would answer it or shut me down. I asked the question. I wanted to get the answer. But if you don’t ask the question, that’s not good.’

The interview with Owens has drawn criticism from some saying Bensinger was used by the star receiver to get a message out. Also, because the aloof Owens has a mired relationship with the media, there was sentiment that ESPN exploited Bensinger, since he has a prior relationship with Owens and received the interview based on the relationship.

‘It wasn’t the type of thing where he was fed up and said, ‘I’ll use this kid to get my message out,” Bensinger said. ‘He’s blatantly honest. If you pose him a question, he won’t sugarcoat it; he’s not politically correct. He’ll tell you exactly how he sees it, and that’s what he did.’

ESPN’s ombudsman George Solomon independently examines ESPN’s programming and didn’t feel Bensinger did anything wrong.

‘The questions he posed to Owens seemed perfectly legitimate, and I had no problem with the production,’ Solomon said in his Nov. 10 ESPN.com article. ‘In fact, Bensinger certainly punched up his rsum, possibly to the envy of some staffers who wished they had landed the interview.’

The envy of others is the catalyst for the criticism. Particularly with the creation of his radio show, critics questioned the fairness of his funding. In a Dec. 3, 2004 article, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said older members of the media were reported as saying, ‘Oh, the rich kid whose parents fly him all over the country,’ and ‘It must be nice to have things handed to you.’

Scott Bensinger refutes the claim, insisting he does nothing more than any parent would do to help their child. He compared it to a father who sends his son to a hockey camp or helps buy sports equipment. Graham is unfazed by the criticism as well, insisting regardless how one gets his start, it’s the talent that will keep him in the industry. He’s learned what’s it like in the public eye and acts accordingly.

‘There are times that some people make comments that hurt,’ said Vicki Bensinger, Graham’s mother. ‘Somebody might make a little remark that’s a little slanted. But (Graham) tells me, ‘You know what, Mom: Don’t worry about it. This is the news; they say things.’ He just lets it roll off his back.’

Bensinger is simply chasing his dream. He receives e-mails from other students asking advice and tries helping as best he can. He conducts a radio show for ESPN Radio in Syracuse (620-WHEN) every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and he corresponds for ESPN. But between all the radio work, Bensinger says it’s difficult to keep up with school.

Bensinger arrived in Syracuse from Bristol, Conn. on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and found himself with five papers due Tuesday. Professors have been ‘more than accommodating,’ but his schedule is loaded – even too loaded for a much-desired social life.

‘I don’t know how much social life he has,’ Vicki Bensinger said. ‘I know he has friends and he does things with people. But he has schoolwork and a radio show and those things are important. He’s learning how to try to juggle all of it. Homework, friends, doing your laundry, making sure you’re up on time. By second semester, he’ll have it figured out.’

Graham insists that when you have lofty goals, you must make sacrifices. He admits he yearns for the college experience, but his ambitions of a daily radio show fuel his drive. He doesn’t know if sports are the direction he’s headed – Bensinger’s recent guests have included Lachey (whose interview with Bensinger was his last before his split with Jessica Simpson), the Rev. Jessie Jackson and NBC Nightly News’ Brian Williams – and is also interested in television broadcasting.

His success at a young age creates lofty expectations. Society is dense with teenage music, movie and sports stars who received considerable attention before fizzling out. Bensinger said the transition from a boy wonder to a respected journalist is already taking place. He’s serious about improving and he has his shows critiqued as he continues fine-tuning his craft.

Bensinger wants to get better. He wants to enjoy college. He wants to rise in the industry. In that regard, Bensinger’s no different than any other 19-year-old aspiring broadcaster – except a larger venue, more experience and a hearty contact list on his cell phone.

‘Everyone has a dream,’ Bensinger said. ‘It may be to be a doctor or lawyer. The difference between those that are successful are whether or not you have the guts to follow it. There are going to be people who say no and tell you, ‘You can’t do this and you can’t do that.’ But if you work hard, you can make things happen.

Published on December 4, 2005 at 12:00 pm