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Huge piece here. YOOGE.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 10 2012 09:28 AM

Fantastic oral-history piece on the early days of WFAN at Grantland here. Bob Gelb (executive producer, "The Pete Franklin Show"): I told Lampley one thing: "Let's make sure the first call is a good one, maybe something about the format, not a basic question like, 'How are the Mets gonna do this year?'" The first call was a kid saying, "Hey, Jim, how are the Mets gonna do this year?" ... Ed Coleman (host, "Coleman and the Soul Man"): I did updates for Lampley. He had to go on the air at 1:05 and he'd get to the studio at 1 after having lunch somewhere. Jim had a lot of things going on in his life, probably a lot of liquid lunches. Sometimes he'd be a little bit late. Anyway, once Lampley had to go on the air at 1:05, or whatever, and he raced into the studio with no time to go to the bathroom. He's signaling to give him a cup. And we give him a large cup and he proceeds to take a leak right there while he's doing the monologue. I thought it was one of the greatest broadcasting feats I've ever seen. ... Pete "Old Acid Breath" Franklin: [Screaming.] Do I offend anyone? I'm not here to offend you, damn it! You suckas out there, I ain't there to offend ya! Screw you! Screw you all! What the hell are you calling for? WHY are you calling for? If you don't like what the hell you hear, dammit, don't call! DON'T CALL! DOOOOON'T CALL!! … HAAAAAAAAA HAAAAA! [No longer screaming.] Unbelievable. Unbelievable. In fact, I'm not mad at anyone today. I'm not. Even the people who put this building together, two weeks ago they had a flood in the bathroom and it flooded my room. You think I'm kidding. Today they got holes in the building where it's leaking because there was rain and they took my ash can out of the office [screaming again, but from the toes] and I GOT A FLOOD OUTSIDE THE DOOR! WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO ME HERE!? GIVE ME AN OFFICE THAT DON'T LEAK! THAT DOESN'T HAVE URINE IN IT! GIVE ME SOMETHING DECENT! Crying out loud. STOP APOLOGIZING FOR ME! SET ME FREE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! FIRE ME! ... Howie Rose: We were making it up as we went along. I went to P.S. 205 in Bayside, Queens, and at any hour of the day or night you could go down to 205 and there were guys there and everything revolved around sports. That's kind of what I wanted to bring to the air. I wanted to bring the schoolyard to life on the radio. But I'm not sure anybody who worked at that station even knew what a schoolyard was in New York, and it sounded brutal. Joel Hollander (sales director, Emmis Broadcasting): It was a huge failure the first year. Nine months in, everybody was ready to throw in the towel. Eric Spitz (desk assistant): You didn't know if this thing was going to last another week, another month. You had people coming in from all over the country that were wondering, Did I just make the biggest mistake of my career? Hollander: We lost $8 million in the first year of operation.

Mets – Willets Point Jul 10 2012 09:36 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

I remember "FIRE ME! FIRE ME!" Kind of set the tone for WFAN and sports radio in general.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 10 2012 09:39 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

I was a kid, so I just listened when I could, mostly during Met games. But did anyone, like, like Pete Franklin?

DocTee Jul 10 2012 09:43 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Pete was an ass. I remember, too, when Jody Mac kept berating some kid for what seemed like an eternity, all because the kid didn't start his question "correctly.' ("Jody Mac, do me a favor...")...treating customers/listeners like that is a sure way to go out of business, I thought. WFAN started, I think, at around the same time the all sports newspaper ("The Nation?) and I was surprised that they both didn't suffer the same fate.

Edgy MD Jul 10 2012 09:47 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Hard to imagine how you could go broke doing what they did, but I guess recycling insane institutional personalities like Franklin was one way. My friend Mark used to drive late-night hosts crazy that first year with incredibly elaborate punk-calls. Two years later, he was working for them. The other buddy laughing in the background with me ended up at The Nation(-al).

MFS62 Jul 10 2012 09:49 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

When 660AM first went to an all-sports station before they re-named it WFAN, I was the second caller. I spoke to Greg Gumbel (the brother of Bryant, ex of NBC, now of HBO). We talked baseball, pitching and his beloved Cleveland Indians. Over the years I have spoken to almost all of the WFAN on-air personalities. But I haven't called the station in the last 10 years or so. And yes, I spoke to Pete Franklin. While he cursed at or insulted most of his callers (I can understand how he might have scared a little kid), I actually got him to agree with me. (almost - he actually said "You might not be wrong") It was about Bill Mazeroski deserving to be on the Hall of Fame. I said he should be; Pete agreed. Later

Lefty Specialist Jul 10 2012 12:03 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Bill Mazeroski should not be in the Hall. Just sayin'.

Edgy MD Jul 10 2012 12:26 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Wow! Welcome to the Crane Pool, Mr. Jackson!

Frayed Knot Jul 10 2012 12:45 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Pete Franklin was an already established sports talk radio host (in Cleveland) before coming to WFAN. There was nothing new about sports talk radio when FAN started, only in a dedicated 24 hour station. Art Rust, John Sterling and others had done it for years in NY and there were plenty out of town as well. Sterling, btw, was the same "get off my radio you don't know what you're talking about!!" type as Franklin. FAN's main stumbling block with Franklin was that, after they announced his hiring but prior to the station going on the air, he had a heart attack which delayed his debut until after the station was up and running. Jody Mac's "Hey Jody, do me a favor" was a particular segment he would do from time to time, so it was during that time only where a caller not heeding to that format would be berated for not paying attention. Where FAN mis-stepped early on (maybe this is discussed in the attached article, I haven't read it yet) was that they were a local station which thought of themselves as national in scope, hence the addition of Jim Lampley, Greg Gumbel and Franklin while they were telling local up-and-comers like Francesa to either get in line or take a hike. It was once they realized that their strength was going to be in covering the local scene first and foremost and adjusted their sights accordingly that they started to take off.

soupcan Jul 10 2012 12:48 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

DocTee wrote: WFAN started, I think, at around the same time the all sports newspaper ("The Nation?) and I was surprised that they both didn't suffer the same fate. Not 'The Nation', it was 'The National' you knuckleheads. ...and I was really bummed out when it died. I loved it.

soupcan Jul 10 2012 12:55 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

And yeah I remember when WFAN started. Franklin was tough to listen to. One of my favorites was Bill 'The Amazer' Mazer. He knew EVERYTHING! Guys would call in to try and stump him with questions and goddamn if he didn't get the answer right 95% of the time. Didn't matter if it was 'who won last year's Cy Young award?' or some incredibly obscure boxing question. The 'Amazer' totally amazed.

Swan Swan H Jul 10 2012 12:58 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Here's a similar piece on The National from Grantland. [url]http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6629257/the-greatest-paper-ever-died

Edgy MD Jul 10 2012 01:02 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Bill Mazer (morning hosting on WNYC or something around 1992) once accused me of cheating. I answered a trivia question correctly, and he thought I was looking up the answer in an almanac or something. When he asked me in a followup what day the even occurred, I took an educated guess and was off by one day --- apparently confirming Mazer's suspicion as far he was concerned. He ended the call with "Stay on the line and tell them where to send your tickets to, but I'm sick of you cheaters ruining things for everybody else." Never has getting free Mets tickets --- and let there be no doubt, these were pretty sucky tickets --- been so joyless. Cut down on live radio by the fuckin' Amazin'. I did get to see the Mets debut of Shawn Hare, though. So there's that.

cooby Jul 10 2012 02:40 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Hard to imagine getting away with being so rude back in those days. Now it's a job requirement. Who's Mr. Jackson? I am at a loss Edgy.

Edgy MD Jul 10 2012 02:46 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Mr. Reggie Jackson, currently in hot water for arrogantly questioning whether his current and future Hall of Fame colleagues live up the standard he set.

cooby Jul 10 2012 02:54 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

oh, I get it :)

MFS62 Jul 10 2012 09:44 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

When I "stumped Bill Mazer" with a question, I got ... nothing. Later

Mets – Willets Point Jul 11 2012 12:27 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

My memories of the early days of WFAN mostly involve listening to games and Steve Somers, which is probably a reflection on how much of an insomniac I was.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 11 2012 04:27 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

I was away at college when the FAN launched, so I picked up only bits of its early history. First thing that really made an impression on me was hearing Russo do a weekend afternoon show by himself. It was ... oddly compelling. I've been on air 3 times: Once to discuss the Frank Viola trade the night it happened with Steve Somers (my dumb point was that it wouldn't matter unless it also "woke up" Strawberry; I was on hold for an hour drinking beer before I got on); once in 2000 or 2001 to argue with Fatso over whether the Mets should or should not hit-and-run with Ordonez. My point was that as a guy with a weak bat who didn't strike out a lot, it was a good idea generally. All nuance was lost with Mike who demanded I produce his actual strikeout figures. Dog was off that day. Last time was in 2005 when I called Richard Neer (subbing for Fatso/Fruitloops) to advocate Omar trade for Ray Durham (which I still believe gets us in the playoffs that year). Neer met this suggestion with his usual boring noncommitance, I never get the impression Neer really considers anything other than to perform for listeners who think he's "fair and balanced" and not "a crashing milquetoast bore."

Ceetar Jul 11 2012 07:36 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

I'm tempted to call sometimes, but I'm never in a place where I'm just chilling and listening and can leave the phone on hold for an hour. plus I despise the phone and speaking to people. I figure even if I did get in any point I could make would either be made, or go way over the hosts head. (heard this morning, a caller called in to suggest stat-based All-Star selection and Malusis and Kim Jones demanded he provide exact examples and then praised Jeter for a "It's not just about stats, I like to see how these guys play" quote) I started driving in '99 and that was the first time I started actively turning on Mets games on my own (my parents would turn them on if we were in the car previously, I never had to). One day I wondered "What's on the Mets station when the Mets aren't on?"

soupcan Jul 11 2012 09:17 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Ceetar wrote: ...I despise the phone and speaking to people. I started driving in '99... One day I wondered "What's on the Mets station when the Mets aren't on?" Not for nothing, I'm just taking notes.

Mets – Willets Point Jul 11 2012 09:23 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Ceetar wrote: One day I wondered "What's on the Mets station when the Mets aren't on?" When I was a kid, it was country music.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 11 2012 09:29 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Very few of these FAN beginnings pieces mention the "One-on-One" program on WFUV which I used to hear on Sunday notes and I thought WFAN was essentially ripping off/expanding in its format.

Edgy MD Jul 11 2012 09:33 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Late seventies when the Mets were on WMCA 570. If I occasionally left the dial there, I heard some wierdo named John Sterling hosting one of the first ever spots yakking shows. I was 11 and I wondered how people could stand it. All talk? What a dumb idea. I dreamed of an all-Beatles station, broken only by Mets games.

HahnSolo Jul 11 2012 10:03 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Very few of these FAN beginnings pieces mention the "One-on-One" program on WFUV which I used to hear on Sunday notes and I thought WFAN was essentially ripping off/expanding in its format. Did you hear me hosting?

HahnSolo Jul 11 2012 10:05 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

As much of an arrogant douchebag that Francesa is, I really don't have a problem with him not partaking in this. ESPN not allowing their people on to his program is kind of a dick move, and I don't have a problem with him telling ESPN to stick it when he can be of help to them.

Fman99 Jul 11 2012 10:24 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Great read. I grew up 100 miles north of NYC but after dark we could tune in to the FAN in the car. I used to listen to Mets games while driving. The rest of it - the talk and stuff, not so much. Windbags all.

Vic Sage Jul 11 2012 11:02 AM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

I dreamed of an all-Beatles station, broken only by Mets games. some dreams are worth dying for. I say we make Fatscessa die for this one.

Ceetar Jul 11 2012 12:19 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

HahnSolo wrote: As much of an arrogant douchebag that Francesa is, I really don't have a problem with him not partaking in this. ESPN not allowing their people on to his program is kind of a dick move, and I don't have a problem with him telling ESPN to stick it when he can be of help to them. ESPN exists only to remind me that WFAN could be worse whereas if they weren't complete imbeciles maybe they could challenge WFAN in a way that forced both stations to raise their game and that's win-win for the listeners.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 11 2012 01:06 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Yikes-- the last few years, this has been WFAN and ESPN on top of their game?

Frayed Knot Jul 11 2012 02:06 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Edgy DC wrote: Late seventies when the Mets were on WMCA 570. If I occasionally left the dial there, I heard some wierdo named John Sterling hosting one of the first ever spots yakking shows. I was 11 and I wondered how people could stand it. All talk? What a dumb idea. I dreamed of an all-Beatles station, broken only by Mets games. I remember thinking at the time that an all-sports format was a good idea. Doesn't mean I've always been happy with the outcome but it's certainly proved popular and profitable. The real gutsy all-talk idea was a few years earlier ('81-ish?) when 'Music Radio WABC', long a stalwart of the industry, sensed AM radio in its death throes as a music provider and switched to a politics version of all-talk radio. Sure, there were all-news stations prior to that, but their format was something different and THAT was a radical idea for its time and obviously a complete departure from their existing format, image, and brand-name.

metsmarathon Jul 11 2012 02:14 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

Ceetar wrote: HahnSolo wrote: As much of an arrogant douchebag that Francesa is, I really don't have a problem with him not partaking in this. ESPN not allowing their people on to his program is kind of a dick move, and I don't have a problem with him telling ESPN to stick it when he can be of help to them. ESPN exists only to remind me that WFAN could be worse whereas if they weren't complete imbeciles maybe they could challenge WFAN in a way that forced both stations to raise their game and that's win-win for the listeners. what does it say about me that most days, and at most times, i'd much rather listen to ESPN than WFAN? well, i think what it says about me is that i need to find somehting to listen to other than sports talk radio. that's what it says about me.

Ceetar Jul 11 2012 02:17 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

metsmarathon wrote: what does it say about me that most days, and at most times, i'd much rather listen to ESPN than WFAN? well, i think what it says about me is that i need to find somehting to listen to other than sports talk radio. that's what it says about me. I wish there was something else to listen to. I make a point to listen to the Mostly Mets podcast and that usually gets me through Thursday afternoon and Friday commutes. I think it's just a preference thing. ESPN recently took a nosedive imo with more Steven A Smith. He's one of the guys that's so full of it that I listen to WFAN commercials instead of him.

G-Fafif Jul 12 2012 11:12 PM Re: Huge piece here. YOOGE.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Very few of these FAN beginnings pieces mention the "One-on-One" program on WFUV which I used to hear on Sunday notes and I thought WFAN was essentially ripping off/expanding in its format. Was a loyal One on One listener for several years. Can't hear Michael Kay to this day without thinking, "I can't believe that Yankee asshole from 'FUV actually got a broadcasting job." Think of Nats announcer Charlie Slowes in the same context except I thought he was fine on 'FUV. I've always been fascinated by how 'FAN didn't succeed immediately and how it was always rumored to be near death until the frequency switch. Sports was big, radio was radio -- how could it not work, I wondered. I mean, yeah, it didn't have a real New York feel to it (except for Howie) and there were obvious growing pains, but all sports...wow! That sense of amazement wore off over time.