George Michael, former WABC jock and 'Sports Machine' creator, praised

Remembering Michael/
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He literally made a name for himself with the self-titled “Sports Machine,” but before that happened, George Michael had success in radio, including here in New York.

Michael died on December 24 at the age of 70, following a two-year battle with leukemia.

In 1974, Michael was brought on board to replace “Cousin Brucie” Morrow with the evening shift at the mighty WABC-AM.

His colleague at the time, legendary morning man Harry Harrison says Michael didn’t feel pressure to take over for a New York radio icon.

“The guy was a pro. …It wasn’t a thing like we were taking somebody from some minor market,” Harrison recalled. “He stepped right in and he did very well.”

In fact, Michael was an established star in Philadelphia at WFIL.

Newly minted Program Director Glenn Morgan was summoned by his boss Rick Sklar to pay Michael a visit. As Harrison remembers, “[Michael] was really not that enthused about the job.”

Michael was planning to drop out of radio. He had accepted the TV play-by-play job for the Baltimore Orioles.

However, with some finessing, Michael was sold on the gig.

“Come to New York, WABC, and there’d be opportunities for sports jobs,” Harrison relayed Morgan’s comments from that initial meeting.

Sure enough, Michael was given weekend sports anchoring on sister station WABC-TV. He also was the Islanders TV color commentator, alongside Tim Ryan, during his five years in New York. In addition, he did fill-in work for Howard Cosell’s “Speaking of Sports” on the ABC Contemporary Radio Network.

Now listeners could experience what made Michael famous in Philly.

“One of the secrets that George had to a great success as night jock at WFIL [in Philadelphia] was [that] he would go to every high school football game, meeting the players, coaches, cheerleaders and fans, and would talk about them on the air,” veteran DJ Bill Rock remembers. “Most people think you can’t do that sort of thing in a major market. He was one of the first to prove to me that the best way to build an audience is one listener at a time.”

While Michael was getting some “brotherly love,” Rock was announcing in Altoona, PA. Both stations were owned by the same company---Triangle Broadcasting.

Another well-known voice credits Michael for being an influence. WCBS-FM afternoon jock “Broadway” Bill Lee says, “What I always got from George, was that you could sound energetic, enthusiastic and ‘announce’ without losing credibility or becoming fatigued listening.”

Lee, who called Michael “one of the best,” said WABC consultant Mike Joseph always thought Lee reminded him of Michael.

“He was great on the air as a DJ. … I remember he wanted everything to be perfect and it upset him if it wasn’t, Harrison concurs. “He was very intense.”

That intensity landed him the coveted “Best DJ in the United States” honor from Billboard Magazine.

Also during his tenure at WABC, Michael was reunited with stars Dan Ingram and Ron Lundy, all whom worked simultaneously at WIL in St. Louis in 1960.

At the same time that Michael was holding down the fort nightly at WABC, Peter Bush began an internship at the station that would eventually lead to his own on-air shifts in the final years of the “Musicradio” format.

“[Michael] was instrumental in shaping my on-air sound,” Bush admitted. “Every song was delivered as if his life at that very moment depended on it. He emanated cool on the air.”

Michael held down the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., except at certain rare times, like July 13, 1977--during the night of a citywide blackout. He stayed on the air with emergency generators, bouncing from newsman in studio to phone interviews, keeping the public informed and, most important---calm. It was a 12-hour shift during difficult circumstances, ending with the arrival of the “Morning Mayor” Harrison.

“He did a great job,” Harrison says.

By 1979, though, as the radio landscape was changing, Michael was out at WABC. He settled into his first love—sports-- when he took on the main sportscaster position at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Michael became big in the Beltway—not leaving the job for the next 27 years.

NBC syndicated his “Sports Final” highlight show in 1984 and added a “machine” to the studio. The rest is history…

“In the early days of the ‘Sports Machine,’ George was the ‘go-to’ Sunday night show,” longtime WNBC sports anchor Len Berman recalls. “For someone like myself who worked weekdays, Sunday night was a ‘must watch’ to see what happened over the weekend. …And if Cameron Diaz’s character in ‘There’s Something About Mary’ was talking about the ‘Sports Machine’ in the movie, it had to be a cool show.”

The “George Michael Sports Machine” ran for 23 years. Michael won an Emmy Award in 1985. Michael's top fill-in was Scott Clark, who joined WABC/Channel 7 in 1986.

But for all the popularity Michael attained in sports, Harrison’s fondest memory dates back to when they were on top of the radio world.

“He and I took our children to Great Adventure during those years. …I have photos with George and the children on the rides… really having a fun time. Even my kids felt very sad to hear [that] he passed away.”