Entercom announced the launch of “BetQL Audio Network.” The network, which follows the Company’s recent acquisition of sports data and iGaming affiliate platform QL Gaming Group, will feature sports gambling programming heard across Entercom’s robust portfolio of sports stations, which combined reach over seven million listeners per week1, as well as the RADIO.COM app and digital platform.
The network will be headlined by two widely popular daily shows – “You Better You Bet” with Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley, which received an average of over 670,000 monthly downloads since the start of the 2020 NFL season,2 and “BetQL Daily” with Joe Ostrowski and Ross Tucker, which was launched in September 2020 and formerly known as “BetSweats.” Network programming will also initially include “BetQL Countdown to Kickoff,” which has run throughout the NFL playoffs, with future programming expansion announced at a later date. Available nationwide via RADIO.COM, the fastest growing digital audio platform in the U.S., “BetQL Audio Network” will also be accessible via the BetQL mobile application and desktop platform and on-demand where podcasts are found.
\As part of the network launch, KEZW-AM in Denver will relaunch as The Bet 1430AM, serving as a broadcast distribution channel for “BetQL Audio Network” content. The network will subsequently launch on 93.1 HD3 in Los Angeles. All programming will continue to be available in live and on-demand audio and video formats via RADIO.COM.
“With our acquisition of QL Gaming Group in November, we committed to leveraging our national scale to amplify the rapidly growing sports gambling landscape and deliver smart, data-supported sports-betting content to our listeners,” said Mike Dee, President of Sports, Entercom. “By combining the BetQL brand and our deep collection of expert talent, this new network compliments our industry-leading local sports broadcast portfolio and will further enhance our position as a leader for sports betting programming.”
“BetQL Audio Network” will be cross-promoted across Entercom’s portfolio of 39 all-sports stations across the U.S. which includes WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM (WFAN-FM/AM) in New York, SportsRadio 94WIP (WIP-FM) in Philadelphia and 670 The Score (WSCR-AM) in Chicago.
Top aides to President Biden began talks yesterday with a bipartisan group of at least a dozen moderate U.S. senators on Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Republican lawmakers are questioning the size of the package, particularly sending everyone a new $1,400 payment, while some Democrats are urging the president not to spend too much time trying to reach bipartisan consensus amid the coronavirus crisis, including the ongoing economic fallout.
Pres. Biden calls for more COVID-19 relief: ‘The COVID-19 package that passed in December … was just a down payment. We need more action and we need to move fast.’ pic.twitter.com/j6lQATvwmL
Independent Senator Angus King of Maine said there was, quote, "absolute consensus" during the talks that the top priority was speeding up vaccine distribution and expanding Covid-19 testing and contract tracing.
➤HOUSE SENDING TRUMP IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE TO SENATE TODAY, MORE REPUBLICANS OPPOSE: House Democrats will bring the sole article of impeachment that was passed against former President Donald Trump to the Senate this evening ahead of a Senate trial that is expected to begin in two weeks. That comes as a growing number of Republican senators are saying they're opposed the having a trial with Trump no longer in office, lowering the chances that enough Republicans would side with the Democrats to convict, or on a separate vote that would bar Trump from holding federal office again. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump on one charge of "incitement to insurrection" one week after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Threats Against Lawmakers: Meanwhile, AP cited a U.S. official as saying federal law enforcement is looking at number of threats aimed at members of Congress as Trump's impeachment trial gets closer, including talk of killing or attacking lawmakers outside the Capitol. That has led Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to say they want some of the more than 25,000 National Guard troops that were brought into Washington, D.C., ahead of President Biden's inauguration to remain. AP cited the Guard Bureau as saying all but 7,000 will have gone home in the coming days, and that their number will continue to go down in the coming weeks to about 5,000 guardsmen, who are expected to remain until mid-March.
➤CDC REVIEWING DATA SUGGESTING U.K. CORONAVIRUS MUTATION COULD BE MORE DEADLY AFTER ALL: Health officials have been saying that the new mutated coronavirus variation first seen in the U.K. and which has been detected in several places in the U.S. is more contagious, but not more deadly. But now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conferring with British health officials about a new report from the U.K. that now suggests it could be deadlier after all. However, the data is not conclusive.
Vaccine Supply Concerns: Top health officials in the new Biden administration expressed concern yesterday about vaccine shortages, but expressed optimism that the situation would be improve. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Fox News Sunday, "I think that the supply is probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on, and we’re really hoping that after that first hundred days we will have much more production." She said she hoped the supply problems would be eased by March as more vaccines get delivered.
Biden to Reinstate Travel Restrictions, Add South Africa: President Biden will today reinstate coronavirus travel restrictions on non-U.S. travelers from the U.K., Ireland, Brazil and 26 other European countries, and add South Africa to the restricted list because of a worrisome virus mutation that's shown up there. Trump is reversing an order former President Donald Trump issued in his final days in office that called for easing the travel restrictions.
➤THIS YEAR’S FLU NUMBERS ARE KIND OF STUNNING: There’s an upside to the pandemic you might not have considered: hardly anyone is getting the flu this year. Popular Science notes that in 2019 the US had 65,000 recorded cases of the flu between September and late December, and in 2020 that number dropped to just 1,000. All of the precautions people are taking to not catch COVID-19-- including wearing masks, increased hand-washing, social distancing, and avoiding indoor social activities—are also helping people avoid catching the flu. In addition, more people are getting flu shots than before. Researchers are studying the theory that there’s some type of complex interplay between COVID and the flu, and there is also a fear that the flu will come back stronger next season. The experts note that scary scenario could be avoided if people adapt COVID safety protocols more permanently, or perhaps make more of a point to get their flu shots. The flu typically kills hundreds of thousands of people annually worldwide.
➤PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO SOCIAL DISTANCE IF FRIENDS, FAMILY DO IT, TOO: It turns out we’re influenced by our friends and family when it comes to following social distancing recommendations during the pandemic. British researchers looked at data from thousands of people from hundreds of countries and found that those who thought their close social circle adhered to distancing guidelines were more likely to do the same. The influence of others even outweighed whether people personally thought distancing was the right thing to do. Researchers say using social media to let family and friends know that you’re following COVID-19 safety guidelines could encourage them to do the same, and also that public health messages from trusted people could emphasize collective values, such as doing things for the benefit of loved ones and the community.
➤FIVE KILLED, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMAN, IN INDIANAPOLIS MASS SHOOTING: Five people were killed in a mass shooting in Indianapolis early Sunday, among them a pregnant woman whose unborn child also died. Police responded to a report of someone shot just before 4 a.m. and found a "juvenile male" with gunshot wounds. They then got information that led them to a home less than a block away, where they found five people who'd been shot to death, including the pregnant 19-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, and an 18-year-old man. The other two victims, one male and one female, were both 42 years old. All the victims except the pregnant woman had the same last name. The juvenile is expected to survive. Police said it didn't appear to be a random shooting. They didn't as of yesterday have any named suspects, but said they believed more than one attacker could have been involved.
➤CHICAGO TEACHERS VOTE AGAINST RETURNING TO CLASSROOM, DESPITE DISTRICT ORDERS: The Chicago Teachers Union said Sunday that its members voted against returning to in-person classes over coronavirus concerns, despite district officials having ordered them to go back to classrooms and contending that refusing to return would amount to an illegal strike. Chicago public school officials wanted kindergarten through eighth grade teachers and other staffers to go back to schools today to get ready for some 70,000 students to come back for part-time in-school classes starting on February 1st. But the teachers' union said it's concerned about the health of its members, believing the district's coronavirus safety plan isn't good enough and that vaccinations should be more widespread before they go back. They therefore called on their members to continue teaching from home instead.
➤WHEEL FALLS OFF PLANE LANDING AT O’HARE AIRPORT, LANDS IN CHICAGO FAMILY’S YARD: You never know what might fall from the sky. The wheel of a small plane bound for O’Hare International Airport landed in a Chicago family’s backyard on Thursday evening (January 21st.) The wheel belonged to a single-engine aircraft operating Boutique Air flight 835, and luckily did not injure anyone in the neighborhood when it crashed down. The flight landed a short time later “without incident” at O’Hare, and all seven people aboard were uninjured according to the FAA. But the aircraft did send a “considerable amount of sparks” flying down the runway when it touched down. Those living in the home closest to where the tire landed said they initially thought the tire was just junk someone had dumped there, and neighbors said they heard it hit the ground with a “big boom.” The FAA says it will be investigating the incident along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB.)
🏈CHIEFS, BUCCANEERS TO FACE EACH OTHER IN THE SUPER BOWL: The Super Bowl teams are now set after yesterday's conference championship games, with the Kansas City Chiefs to try to repeat as NFL champions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Tom Brady, who'll be trying to win his seventh Super Bowl in his 10th trip to the championship game, but not with the New England Patriots this time. The Super Bowl will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on February 7th, making the Buccaneers the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
Chiefs Beat Bills: The Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the AFC title game, with Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, not showing any ill effects from the concussion he suffered last week, finishing with 325 yards passing and three touchdowns. The loss for the Bills came after reaching their first AFC title game since 1994.
Bucs Top Packers: The Buccaneers defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-26 for the NFC title, with Brady throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns, but also three interceptions, as the Packers gave up an 18-point lead. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times, and there was an instantly-questioned call by head coach Matt LaFleur with just over two minutes left to play. Tampa Bay was ahead 31-23 and the Packers were at fourth-and-goal from the eight when LaFleur called for a field goal, which they made, instead of going for the touchdown. He said after the game, "The way I was looking at it is we essentially had four timeouts with the 2-minute warning, we knew we needed to get a stop." But Tampa Bay ran out the clock.
🏀WIZARDS PLAY FOR FIRST TIME IN 13 DAYS: The Washington Wizards played for the first time in 13 days last night, with multiple games having been postponed after they had six players test positive for the coronavirus and three others having to miss games because of contact tracing. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs 121-101. Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzles had their scheduled Wednesday game canceled, after their games last night and tonight had previously been postponed because of Covid-19 concerns, and they now won't play until at least Saturday.
⚾CLOSER HAND AGREES TO DEAL WITH NATIONALS: Closer Brad Hand has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Washington Nationals, according to reports Sunday (January 24th). The 30-year-old led the majors with 16 saves during last year's pandemic-shortened season with the Cleveland Indians.
➤UNIV. OF MICHIGAN STOPS ALL SPORTS AFTER CORONAVIRUS VARIANT FOUND: The University of Michigan has suspended all sports after it had several positive tests for the new, more contagious Covid-19 variant in people linked to the athletic department. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks, according to AP. The school said the state's Department of Health and Human Services had called for a more aggressive strategy against the virus for the new mutation, however the department made clear Sunday that it had issued recommendations for the school, but not an order.
🏒HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER GEORGE ARMSTRONG DEAD AT 90: Hockey Hall of Famer George Armstrong, who was the captain of four Toronto Maple Leafs teams that won Stanley Cups in the 1960s, had died of heart complications, the team announced Sunday. He was 90. Armstrong played 21 seasons for the Maple Leafs, 12 of them as team captain, and is still the franchise leader in games played. He was also one of the first players of Indigenous descent to play professional hockey.
The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists is calling for “immediate changes” to CBS3’s managerial practices, culture and vetting after a Los Angeles Times article described a hostile working environment filled with racism, misogyny and homophobia created by executives at parent company CBS. according to The Philadelphia Business Journal.
The article, published Sunday, alleges that CBS Television Stations President Peter Dunn frequently referred to veteran CBS3 Philadelphia news anchor Ukee Washington as “just a jive guy,” said that the station’s choice for morning anchor was “too gay for Philadelphia” and that he “hated” the face of former anchor Rahel Solomon, who is also a Black Journalist now working at CNBC.
“A newsroom that racially degrades one of its hardest working Black journalists is a newsroom that mocks the integrity and trust of the communities it aims to cover," president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Ernest Owens said in a statement. “CBS3 and other news stations should not only aim to pander to Black audiences with inconsistent gestures, but actively work to make their actions speak louder than racist rhetoric.”
The Los Angeles Times story notes alleged hostile work environments at other CBS-owned news affiliates. The accusations in the article were based on court filings and interviews with 24 former or current CBS employees, including two identified former CBS3 executives:
Former CBS3 President and General Manager Brien Kennedy, who joined the station in from the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis in April 2015 and engineered a massive personnel turnover, which included parting ways with longtime news director Susan Schiller, sales director Bob Fein as well as three-fourths of the station’s night time anchor team— news anchor Chris May, meteorologist Kathy Orr (now with Fox29) and sports anchor Beasley Reece. Kennedy was terminated in 2019 and now works at a station in Buffalo, New York.
Former News Director Margaret Cronan, hired by Kennedy in September 2015 only to leave the station less than two years later.
CBS released the following statement to the Los Angeles Times:
“CBS is committed to ensuring an inclusive and respectful work environment for all its employees. In response to a CBS investigation in early 2019, senior management at the time addressed the situation with Mr. Dunn, and the company has not received any complaints about his conduct during the period since then.”
Peter Dunn
Dunn is president of the 27 owned-and-operated television stations CBS television stations, a position he has held since November 2009. He got his start at CBS by serving as president and general manager of KYW from 2002 to 2004.
The story emanates from the 2018 sexual misconduct scandal that led to the ouster of CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves and then longtime anchor Charlie Rose. CBS hired two outside law firms to investigate the claims against Moonves and to examine the company’s overarching culture. The law firms invited CBS employees to report any untoward behavior. The Times said Cronan was one of several women who sought the help of investigators to end alleged mistreatment at CBS-owned stations, largely created by Dunn and another senior executive, David Friend, but were ultimately disappointed by its outcome — and the fact that Dunn has not been removed from his position.
John Skipper and Dan Le Batard are seeking $10–$15 million in initial financing for their new venture Meadowlark Media, sources tell Front Office Sports.
Rather than one primary backer, the duo prefer a number of investors. They desire creative and financial freedom for their “creative-centric” content factory for story-tellers.
“Skipper would rather have 10 investors chipping in a million dollars apiece — than one investor giving him $10 million,” said a source.
Some of the cash for Meadowlark will come from a pending deal for Le Batard’s radio show and podcast. Possible suitors for his shows include Spotify, SiriusXM and iHeartRadio, said sources.
But the new outlet won’t be a consumer company; instead, they envision an independent business-to-business outfit that will sell premium sports and entertainment content to third parties.
That content could range from TV, radio, and streaming sports shows to podcasts, scripted entertainment, reality programs and sports documentaries.
Meadowlark’s products could find destinations everywhere from sports TV giants like ESPN and NBC/Comcast to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max.
With solid financing, Skipper and Le Batard can recruit A-list talent in front of and behind the camera.
Among the preferred talent on their wish list: Pablo Torre and Bomani Jones, who are still under contract at ESPN; and Kate Fagan, the former ESPN writer and host.
There are also plenty of ex-ESPN staff who previously worked for Skipper: Jason Whitlock — the first editor-in-chief of ESPN’s The Undefeated who recently left Outkick — Mike Golic Sr., Trey Wingo, Josina Anderson and Michelle Beadle.
Said a source: “Skipper wants to get his old ESPN band back together. These are the people who Skipper loves — and who love Skipper.”
Megyn Kelly believes that media outlets were partially to blame for the riot at the Capitol earlier this month because they “checked their objectivity” when covering Donald Trump, reports The Wrap.
“They hated him so much, they checked their objectivity, and it wasn’t just CNN. All of them did. They just couldn’t check their own personal feelings about him,” Kelly said in a recent interview with BBC Newsnight.
The former Fox News host then said “too many” journalists followed the “Jorge Ramos theory of covering Trump” by describing Trump and his behavior as racist, sexist and misogynistic.
"They hated him so much, they checked their objectivity."
Journalist @megynkellyon the US media's coverage of President Trump, adding that the destruction of trust in the media led to the storming of the Capitol earlier this month#Newsnightpic.twitter.com/qDEUN19fea
“He advocated, prior to Trump’s election, that we needed to cover him differently, that you needed to outwardly call him a racist, sexist, misogynist, all of it, and that that was important for history. And I think too many journalists agreed with that at their own peril,” Kelly said. “Part of the reason that we saw what happened on the Capitol here, two weeks ago, was because there’s been a complete lack of trust, destruction of trust in the media and people don’t know where to turn for true information. They don’t trust the media anymore, and it’s a major problem.”
Amy Anderson has joined the news team at News/Talk KMBZ 980 AM / 98.1 FM and will serve as co-host for Kansas City’s Morning News.
Amy Anderson
Amy is a familiar face and is well-known in her hometown of Kansas City, spending nearly 18 years working as a television news anchor and reporter for KCTV-5.
Before her considerable stint in front of the camera and behind the microphone in KC, she worked as a reporter in Joplin, MO; and in Orlando.
Amy brings strong news ‘chops’ and news sense to the KMBZ newsroom, and will form a power team with Will Sterrett, building on KMBZ’s tradition of delivering credible, factual news to listeners in Kansas City and beyond.
Amy says she is excited to make the transition from TV to radio! And thrilled she gets to continue to work in Kansas City. She and her husband live in the KC Metro with their two children and their giant, lovable, but poorly mannered dog, Archie.
Between the election and a global pandemic, it makes sense that Americans became slightly more interested in Politics, National News, Science, International News, and Business and Finance. And even though we couldn’t travel as much, our interest in Travel and Vacations basically held steady, according to YouGov.com.
The topics of interest that see the biggest declines are those centered around the social and self-expression aspects of our lives. These topics include Sex & Relationships, People and Celebrities, Beauty, Parenting, and Weddings & Brides – all of which see decreases in the double-digits. In the absence of a robust in-person social life due to pandemic-related restrictions, self-expression becomes less important and the data reflects this change.
In terms of our hobbies during COVID-19, the only substantial increase is in more people playing games on devices. It’s a good time to make sure gaming platforms are on your media plan, as these audiences are increasing. In a recent report, YouGov analyzed state of the video gaming sector that’s thriving amidst global crisis and uncertainty.
While declines in hobbies such as playing sports and the performing arts were to be expected due to restrictions on in-person activities, YouGov data shows there were also fewer people spending their spare time on solo creative pursuits like photography, arts and crafts, writing, and knitting/sewing too.
The U.S. advertising economy had its fifth consecutive month of expansion in December, rising 7.2% over December 2019, according to the final 2020 data generated by the U.S. Ad Market Tracker, a collaboration of MediaPost and Standard Media Index.
The data, which is based on actual media buys generated by the major agency holding companies, demonstrates U.S. ad demand has firmly rebounded from the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered a five-month advertising recession between March and July.
Not all media are benefitting evenly, however, as the national TV advertising marketplace actually saw a 9.7% decline in December 2020 vs. the same month in 2019. Digital media, by comparison, saw demand soar 30.7% year-over-year in December, supporting the notion that many brand marketers have shifted more of their budgets toward digital -- especially ecommerce and performance media buys -- during the pandemic.
The expansion also continues to be driven mainly by the biggest advertisers, as the top 10 ad categories surged 9.5% year-over-year gain in December vs. a relatively tepid 1.5% expansion for categories 11-plus.
Singer James Purify, half of the duo James and Bobby Purify, whose single “I’m Your Puppet” landed at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the R&B chart in 1966, died on Jan. 22. Purify reportedly died of complications of Covid-19 at age 76.
His death was confirmed by WEAR-TV in Pensacola, Fla., where Purify lived and passed away.
“I’m Your Puppet” was the first, but not the only hit logged by the duo, whose other member, Robert Lee Dickey, Purify’s cousin, died in 2011. It was followed by eight further charting singles, none of which reached the top 10. Of those, the most successful were a raucous cover of “Shake a Tail Feather,” which reached #25, and “Let Love Come Between Us” (#23), both in 1967.
Purify and Dickey, who was nearly five years older, began singing as a duo in 1965, The following year, they were signed to Bell Records, and released “I’m Your Puppet,” written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn and produced by Penn at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. It spent 14 weeks in all on the Billboard pop chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1967.
The pair also released two albums for Bell, neither of which charted. They continued to work together until 1971, when Dickey retired from singing professionally.
Purify continued to work, as a solo singer, until 1974, when he teamed with Ben Moore, a veteran singer, who assumed the name Bobby Purify. They continued to perform together until the 1980s, releasing a remake of “I’m Your Puppet” in 1976, among other songs.
Former radio executive Martin Greenberg has died from pancreatic cancer at age 79.
Greenberg was born April 6, 1941, in New York and started at WCMC as a trainee. He later for ABC stations in Detroit, Houston and Chicago.
In 1979, he moved back to New York as president of ABC’s FM radio group, overseeing a number of stations nationwide. In the early 1980s, he briefly worked for the Belo Corp. in Dallas as head of the company’s radio division. After that, he lived in North Texas until his death.
He was an executive at a number of other radio chains, including president of Emmis Broadcasting International, where he oversaw the company’s expansion into central Europe.
Greenberg held leadership roles in a number of regional and national industry organizations, including the International Radio and Television Association, the Greater Chicago Radio Broadcasters Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, and he served in multiple roles with the National Association of Broadcasters. He also was on the board of Dallas’ community cable network iMedia, North Texas Public Broadcasting and the University Park Public Library.
➦In 1910...Actress/dancer/radio personality Portland Hoffa was born in Portland, Oregon. After beginning a career in vaudeville she became known nationally as Fred Allen‘s wife and performing partner on his network radio series (1932-49). She died of natural causes on Christmas Day 1995 at age 85.
NY Times headline 1915
➦In 1915...Alexander Graham Bell in New York spoke to his assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco, inaugurating America’s first transcontinental telephone service.
Lead paragraphs of Times story
➦In 1916...radio/TV script writer Les Crutchfield was born. He became a prolific writer for Gunsmoke on both radio and television and wrote frequently for the CBS radio shows, Suspense, Escape, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Romance and Fort Laramie, popular during the 1940s and 50s. He died while still quite young Oct. 6 1966 at age 50.
➦In 1919...Radio, TV newsman Edwin Newman was born. He died August 13, 2010 at 91.
➦In 1920...radio/TV announcer Roy Rowan was born in Paw Paw, Michigan. He is best remembered as the warm-up guy and announcer for all of Lucille Ball’s TV shows over two decades, but is also fondly recalled as the announcer for “People Are Funny” and especially “Gunsmoke” on radio, and “I Married Joan,” “Rawhide,” “Simon and Simon,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Lonesome Dove” miniseries and “Dallas” on television. He died of heart failure May 10 1998 at age 78.
➦In 1937... the first 15-minute broadcast of the daytime serial “The Guiding Light” aired on NBC Radio; it holds the record as the longest-running story line in soap opera history. The show remained on radio until 1956. “The Guiding Light” began its long run on CBS-TV in 1952, and signed off for the last time in 2009.
➦In 1944...a black maid named Beulah (played by a white man, Marlin Hunt) joined the “Fibber McGee and Molly” radio show for the first time. A spinoff show, “Beulah”, became a radio series in 1945. But it didn’t last long .. Hurt died a year later.
➦In 1961... just five days after his inauguration President John F. Kennedy held his first press conference at the White House. It was the first such event to be broadcast live on radio & TV.
➦In 1964...the Beatles reached the #1 spot on North American music charts, as their hit single, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, grabbed the top position in “Cash Box” magazine.
➦In 1999…Radio, TV announcer/radio newsman Ted Mallie died at age 74.
Mallie started at WOR-Mutual Radio in New York in the mid-1940s. There, he announced on such programs as John Steele, Adventurer and I Love a Mystery. He is perhaps better-known to old-time radio buffs, however, as the final announcer for The Shadow during its last two seasons (1953–1954) on the air.
Following the end of WOR's affiliation with Mutual in 1959, Mallie remained with the station as announcer, handling such duties for, and occasionally serving as newsman on, the Long John Nebel and Jean Shepherd shows. After WOR's FM outlet (now WRKS-FM) launched its progressive rock format on July 30, 1966, he even served a spell as a disc jockey for a time, due to a strike by its regular disc jockeys that lasted until October of that year.
Not long afterward, Mallie gravitated towards the station's TV outlet (now WWOR-TV), where he handled station identifications, promos, bumpers and program introductions, most notably for their long-running Million Dollar Movie and horror-movie series Fright Night. By the time Channel 9 moved its studios to Secaucus, New Jersey in 1986, three years after they transferred their city of license there, he and Phil Tonken were the last of the WOR radio announcers from the old-time radio era to still be employed at the station. His last major announcing duties for channel 9 included handling voice-overs for the children's show Steampipe Alley, and announcing for The Richard Bey Show.
Mallie's announcing career at WWOR ended in 1994.
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Country singer Claude Gray is 89.
Actor Leigh Taylor-Young (“Peyton Place,” ″Soylent Green”) is 76.
Actor Jenifer Lewis (“The Preacher’s Wife”, “The PJ’s”) is 64.
Actor Dinah Manoff (film’s “Grease,” TV’s “Empty Nest”) is 65.
Mia Kirshner is 46
Drummer Mike Burch of River Road is 55.
Singer Kina (Brownstone) is 52.
Actor-TV personality China Kantner is 50.
Actor Ana Ortiz (“Devious Maids,” ″Ugly Betty”) is 50.
Drummer Joe Sirois of Mighty Mighty Bosstones is 49.
Guitarist Matt Odmark of Jars of Clay is 47.
Actor Mia Kirshner (“The L Word,” “24”) is 46.
Actor Christine Lakin (“Family Guy,” “Step By Step”) is 42.
Singer Alicia Keys is 41.
Actor Michael Trevino (“The Vampire Diaries”) is 36.
