Strong parenting and nightly family discussions around the dinner table prepared Bill well for a broadcasting career more successful than even his mother could have imagined. From his teenage business mowing lawns, Bill graduated to house painting and lifeguarding. His lifelong interest in sports began in childhood also, when he revered star athletes like Joe Namath and Willie Mays. As he grew, Bill played goalie for his high school ice hockey team, switched to football in college where he played as quarterback, punter, and place-kicker, and even enjoyed a brief career as a semi-pro baseball pitcher.
Bill earned a degree in History from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He also studied abroad, spending his third year of college studying at the University of London. Upon graduation Bill became a high school teacher in Miami, Florida, where he taught for two years. Bill began his pursuit of a broadcasting career upon enrollment in Boston University's Broadcast Journalism program, from which he obtained a Masters Degree.
Armed with his new Broadcast Journalism credentials, Bill began his television-broadcasting career in Scranton, Pennsylvania at WNEP-TV. His hard-hitting reporting style and non-stop work ethic allowed him to work his way up the broadcasting ladder in following years. Bill worked at WFAA-TV in Dallas, TX, KMGH-TV in Denver, CO, KATU-TV in Portland, OR, WFSB-TV in Hartford, CT, and eventually wound up back in Boston, MA at WCVB-TV.
In 1980 Bill really began to break away from the pack when he was recruited to WCBS-TV in New York City to anchor his own program. His success there soon resulted in Bill becoming a correspondent for CBS News. His correspondent work was wide-ranging and included covering the wars in El Salvador and the Falkland Islands.
ABC News liked Bill's style enough to hire him in 1986 to join them as a correspondent for The World News Tonight. During his three years as part of the team at The World News Tonight, Bill earned two Emmy Awards and two National Headliner Awards for Excellence in Reporting. He appeared on Peter Jennings' program more than 100 times.
Inside Edition called in 1989 and recruited Bill to become a Senior Correspondent and backup Anchor for the nationally syndicated television show. Bill succeeded David Frost as Anchor of that show within three weeks of his arrival. Bill's six years of hard work and outstanding reporting helped propel Inside Edition to become one of the highest rated "infotainment" programs in the USA.
Bill left Inside Edition in 1995 to pursue a Masters Degree in Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Upon graduating from Harvard, Roger Ailes, Chairman & CEO of the then startup FOX News Channel, hired Bill to create and anchor a new television show called The O'Reilly Factor.
The O'Reilly Factor (Mondays through Fridays on Fox News Channel) has since grown to become the most-watched program in cable news. Bill's trademark "No Spin Zone" has consistently promoted accountability among our public officials and discussion of issues important to our society.
Expanding from his television base, Bill recently launched "The Radio Factor" radio show through the Westwood One radio network, as well.
Success has attended Bill's efforts as an author, too. The O'Reilly Factor and The No Spin Zone, Bill's non-fiction books, have both reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list. Mel Gibson's Icon Productions also has optioned Bill's novel Those Who Trespass for the motion picture screen.
A family man, Bill continues to live on Long Island where his best friends are guys with whom he attended first grade. His personal interests include sports, travel, and collecting historical documents. Bill's favorite pro sports teams include the New York Mets and Jets, the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and New York Islanders. His professional and personal travels have taken him to 58 countries, as well.
