George Michael

Those of you who have been around awhile may have recognized the name. George Michael passed away during the holidays, and the guy brought back memories.

Many of you know him for his weekend sports show "Sports Machine" but I remember him as the afternoon drive deejay on WABC in New York. Back in the day, 770 on the AM dial was the place for top 40 music, and Michael was one of the hyperactive guys doing talk ups to hot records.

I liked listening to him while driving home after work, and the guy would frequently kick off his Friday shift with Redbone's "Come and get your love." His way of launching date night.

When Michael moved from radio to TV, radio lost a classic voice but it was television's gain.

When I attended my first RTNDA convention I looked at the list of seminars and saw that Michael was giving one on sports. As expected, the room was packed, and Michael was as energetic in person as on the air. He did a hilarious talk about interviewing jocks who weren't exactly Rhodes Scholars, and what to do if you get a sound bite without a verb in it. He had everyone in the room howling.

Michael was an original, and broadcasting won't be the same without him.