Brian Cooley


Brian Cooley is an Editor at large for CNET and their senior pundit, seen frequently on CNN, ABC News, CNBC as well on the TV screens in most major tech retailers around the U.S. He also hosts CNET's Car Tech podcast, a common co-host of Buzz Out Loud, and a co-host of a number of other CNET TV programs.
In 1984 Cooley obtained a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and then matriculated to Northwestern University, where he pursued and obtained a master's degree in journalism. In 1986 the year he graduated from Northwestern, Cooley began his career in radio. He reported news and commentary for such stations as KFRC, KMEL and KPIX AM/FM in San Francisco and KKBT "The Beat" in Los Angeles. His deep baritone voice helped him land a job at the launch of CNET Radio in 1995. Cooley often adds his humor and tech insights to the Buzz Report on CNET TV and also hosts his own CNET TV show, Car Tech Video. He has a podcast called Car Tech Live, which he hosts with fellow Car Tech Editors Antuan Goodwin and Wayne Cunningham.
On August 1, 2009, Cooley began doing Car Tech segments on Car News with Dan Rosenberg on KFWB News Talk 980 in Los Angeles.
He is known to have been an early adopter of the Zune, and periodically mentions this. He is also a big fan of James Bond and is the current Chief of Staff for the Commanders Club.
Cooley is married, lives in the Bay Area and is always on the prowl for garages in which to store his collection of highly original Ford automobiles which he considers to be "examples of Detroit's last great era, the late 1960s."
As of May 2010, Cooley became the host of the CNET Top 5 show replacing Tom Merritt, until May 2012 when Donald Bell replaced him. He is currently the host of CNET on Cars, a video series dedicated to automobiles and car tech.