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| Savran (1947-2023) |
Savran broke into the Pittsburgh sports scene as it became known as the City of Champions, made his mark as an opinionated anchor with a sharp wit and rose to prominence as the host of “SportsBeat,” the longest-running sports talk show in the market’s television history.
After nearly five decades on the airwaves, both in television and radio, Savran was considered the dean of Pittsburgh sportscasters. His gap-toothed smile gave an everyman appearance that was complemented by a blue-collar work ethic, although he took as much pride in his fashion sense as he did his encyclopedic sports knowledge.
“He was Google before there was Google,” longtime friend and co-host Guy Junker said. “I don’t know if a photographic memory is a real thing, but if it is, he had it. He had a very eloquent way of putting things. And he just had a few notes on a yellow legal pad.”
Savran continued to work until this past winter, when he was diagnosed with lung cancer and also lost his right leg to diabetes.
Born Stanley George Savransky on Feb. 25, 1947, in Cleveland, Savran took pride in playing high school football and serving as a bat boy for the Cleveland Indians before attending Miami (Ohio) University.
He shortened his name for a career in broadcasting, which began in Pittsburgh in January 1976, when he answered a blind ad for a radio station. Savran worked at WWSW-AM until the station switched formats, then moved to KQV. He was a reporter and anchor at WTAE-TV from 1981-91, also hosting a one-hour radio show that followed Myron Cope’s popular 6-8 p.m. slot on WTAE-AM.
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