NYC Radio: WOR Covers Ed Koch Funeral

Radio station WOR 710 AM took the extraordinary step of broadcasting Mayor Ed Koch’s funeral Monday, even though WOR is one of the few stations where Koch never hosted a show, according to David Hickley atnydn.com.

That decision underscored the mutual love affair between radio and Koch, both of whom loved the attention the other brought.

Koch had been out of Gracie Mansion for about 10 minutes in 1989 when WABC 770 AM program director John Mainelli hired him to do a daily 11 a.m.-noon show.

“It wasn’t long before he was No. 1 in his time slot,” recalls Mainelli. “For a few years Ed Koch, Rush Limbaugh and Bob Grant were all No. 1. Every time the ratings came out, the mayor called to see who was the strongest, asking, ‘How No. 1 am I?’

After WABC he moved on to then-WEVD 1050 AM from 1998 to 2002, when the station was sold to ESPN.

“I hope WEVD does not sell because I am not good at sports,” Koch joked. “But if I have to do the Yankees, I’ll do the Yankees.”

He didn’t. He went to Bloomberg’s WBBR 1130 AM, where he hosted a Friday show until this Jan. 18.

In later years he was a regular guest with hosts like Curtis Sliwa on WNYM 970 AM.

“As mayor he was no fan of the Guardian Angels,” said Sliwa. “But when I got shot in 1992, the first image I saw hovering over my hospital bed in ICU was Koch. I think he was disappointed I lived.

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