-Back in the 1970s, John Sterling was the only game in town for sports talk on the radio in New York on WMCA. His approach was slightly abrasive, where he would be prone to hang up on callers (a style influenced by famed political talk radio host Bob Grant, who occupied the time slot before Sterling) with the phrase "Give it a rest!". Sterling did this show while also doing play by play for the New York Islanders and New York/New Jersey Nets (as well as earlier stints doing the New York Raiders hockey team of the WHA and the New York Stars of the World Football League).
-Very little of Sterling's talk show work survives. I have previously uploaded the program that aired after the Yankee game on the day Billy Martin was hired as Yankee manager in August 1975. Here is the program from the night after the Yankees won their first World Series since 1962 thanks to Reggie Jackson's three home runs. John takes calls in his inimitable style and later shifts topics to talk with Oakland Raiders executive Al Locasale (the Raiders were in town to play the Jets following Sunday). During the calls some interesting details come out regarding the fact that Vin Scully had refused to take part in the radio broadcast arrangements for the World Series which was why Ross Porter, the #2 voice on the Dodgers did the radio games in New York. The talk also reveals the hopes that the Yankees would continue their association on WMCA which dated back to 1971 but ultimately, the Yankees left WMCA over the winter and began doing their games the following year on all-news station WINS. The Mets would ironically fill the baseball void on WMCA by moving over from WNEW the next year.
-Sterling would soon leave the New York market for the short-lived Enterprise Radio Network in 1981 and then seven years in Atlanta with the Braves and Hawks before returning to New York in 1989 as the radio voice of the Yankees. Regardless of your feelings about him, he has made his mark in New York radio history and this program is a fascinating insight into how big he was back then, in the days when there was no such thing as WFAN.
-This unedited recording includes news and sports reports from Mutual. WMCA had previously been carrying news from ABC Information Radio but switched to Mutual starting in 1977.
Негізгі бет October 19, 1977- WMCA John Sterling Show (Day After Yankees Won World Series)
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