On Sports Media | 'Machine,' but not Michael, saying goodbye

George Michael fondly remembers the days he was making $16,000 a year working in Philadelphia radio, living in Cherry Hill and having the time of his life as a WFIL "Boss Jock."

Times have changed for Michael since he left WFIL in 1974 after an eight-year stint, but he'll never forget his time here before he hit the national stage.

In 1980, Michael was working as a sports anchor in Washington and debuted The George Michael Sports Machine, showing highlights of games around the country plus interviews with athletes and coaches. The show prided itself on telling the story behind the story.

This was a SportsCenter type show before SportsCenter picked up momentum.

At 12:05 a.m. Monday, Michael will host the final half-hour show on NBC10, closing the books after 27 years. The show was launched locally in Washington in 1980 and syndicated nationally in 1984.

At 66, Michael is not ready to retire, but says it's time to move on. He resigned as a sports anchor at Washington's WRC Channel 4; his last day was March 1. WRC is an NBC affiliate and is where he taped his syndicated show.

Michael said there was a difference in philosophy with the parent company of WRC, NBC Universal. He had a staff of 22 and had to lay off 14, and figured it was time for a change. Michael said he would leave with no bitterness.

"It's been a great run," he said in a telephone interview.

Michael also broadcast college and high school games for Channel 6 and WFIL radio during his time in Philadelphia. One of his analysts was former Phillie Bill White, who became the National League president.

"The eight years I spent in Philadelphia were the best ever," Michael said. "We started with nothing, and WFIL truly became one of the country's all-time-great radio stations."

Michael's newsman at WFIL was a young reporter named Larry Kane, who became one of Philadelphia's best-known television anchors.

And one of Michael's engineers at WFIL was a young sports fan named Howard Eskin, who now rules talk radio on WIP-AM (610).

"I used to tell Howard that he had to get the courage to leave his job as an engineer and go on radio," Michael said. "He obviously made the right move."

Michael also takes pride in breaking in many announcers. He gave The Inquirer's David Aldridge his first television job on Sports Machine. Aldridge is now TNT's basketball insider and reporter.

In Washington, Michael also started a program called Full Court Press, with Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post. It is still on.

From that show, Wilbon and Kornheiser were hired by ESPN, where they host the popular Pardon the Interruption.

"Full Court Press has launched a lot of careers," Michael said.

After leaving Philadelphia and before heading to Washington, Michael worked in radio in New York and was also the play-by-play announcer for the NHL's New York Islanders.

Michael said he would remain the moderator of Full Court Press, which can be seen Saturday evenings from January through Memorial Day. He also will continue to host Redskins Report during the NFL season, and said Fox had asked him to be part of NASCAR broadcasts.

Michael never thought of himself as a pioneer when he began Sports Machine, simply because he didn't envision the show's being around so long.

"I originally signed a three-year contact and hoped I would be able to survive for a while," he said. "It's been great, and even though I'm leaving this job, I'm having too much fun to retire."