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Al Vitale
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Who is Al Vitale, and why would anyone possibly care?
Al Vitale began his broadcasting career in 1958 when he was the first play-by-play announcer for the Ft. Stanton Pigeons in Mamaroneck, New York. In 1958, there was no radio station in Mamaroneck, but Vitale wasn’t deterred; he simply called the action by yelling from the stands to anyone within earshot. Not only was this annoying for the parents, students also found him to be a real “ square”. However, as is the case with most radio hacks, Vitale quickly parlayed this quirky display into a weekend sports reporting job in the sleepy Upstate village of Otsego, “ The Radon City”, a bout 60 miles Southeast of the insomniac village of Oswego. In the decade of the fifties, the Ostsego “ Ot’s” defined Friday Night Fights. Each Fall expectations grew to the inevitable season ending melee between Otsego and Oswego; November 21, 1959 was just such a night. Screaming from the stands (even though he now had a microphone), Vitale was unceremoniously thrown off his press- box perch after mis- identifying Ostego’s cheerleading coach, Margaret Dix, as the varsity’s hefty center lineman. “How’d you like to take a snap from that young man when you aren’t expecting it?” With that observation, Vitale’s career took a sudden turn Westward. Leaving behind the storied tradition of Upstate New York high-school football, Al Vitale set his sights on bigger jocks, landing at Cincinnati’s soon-to-be legendary WEBN, to become The Lunatic Fringe of American FM’s Chief National Correspondent (even though several stories kept him out of the country for weeks at a time), interviewing potentates and dignatates from every corner of the globe. Decades before Nancy Grace was born Vitale became the “ Nancy Grace of radio”, and it wasn’t just radio, but FM radio. From Richard Nixon to Richard Tracy. Vitale’s probing interview of Warren Beatty (on the set of the actor/director’s cinematic homage to the legendary comic- book detective “Dick Tracy”), is still referred to as “pure, unadulterated bullshit”. Radio historian Dan O’Day noted, “is there a section of Beatty’s colon Vitale hasn’t seen up-close?” Still others claim that global warming can actually be traced to somewhere near Vitale’s constant venting.
Other notable “gets”:
When Sylvester Stallone left a Fool’s Parade party riding a motorcycle (!), it was Vitale right there behind him, on the bike’s seat; with arms firmly wrapped around Rocky’s narrow, yet muscular waist. At Howard Cossell’s deathbed interview (granted exclusively to Vitale), it was Al’s cassette recorder that died. The legend continues with Vitale providing off-color coverage for various Major Sporting Events and Celebrity Gatherings; with the Fools Parade sky box now empty, Vitale still manages to grab the biggest names in “the business”; for some reason the Stars come out when Vitale stops in for one of his penetrating interviews. Just to share his key-light is enough for most. (Others request a full isolated spotlight, even though it’s radio). As a talking-head expert analyst for MSNBC, CNN, FOX News and Nick- at-Nite, Vitale remains the go-to-guy in today’s digitally delivered speed-of-light infotainment universe.
Contact: AVitale@clearchannel.com
Al Vitale is represented internationally by DBA, New York City and Norwood, Ohio. |
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THE INTERVIEWS
click and play...
al and john b.
al and the very cute meg ryan
al and babs streisand
little davey shula
sylvester stallone
dr. laura "up close and out of focus"
bob knight: aka 'the general'
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on air...
rarely
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a JUMP INTO HISTORY
Sunday 05-25-2008 12:26pm ET
MASON, Ohio (May 24, 2008)- well, robbie 'kaptain' kenievel did it.... next to the opening day parade for the florence freedom that never got on the air, this was something that actually did make it on the air, and you can hear the evidence...me and meat, literally within 25 feet on the pavement from the launch ramp at kings island...test runs, pyrotechnics including flame throwers that singe eyebrows, and robbie. biggest crowd i've seen in a parking lot since christmas at the mall of america.   al calls 'the jump into history'draft coverage 2008
Wednesday 04-30-2008 2:52pm ET
Hi fans! Well, was that a great draft? I got totally wasted, didn't pay for a thing, and remember nothing. How about you? I was really surprised when I listened back to some of the reports... After my 3rd or 4th Tree Frog, I didn't taste much of anything anyway. If you missed WEBN's draft coverage, of if you want to hear it for the first time like me...you can get a taste here: SATURDAY REPORTS:
waiting for ocho cinQosaturday 01saturday 02 saturday 03saturday 04saturday 05SUNDAY REPORTS:sunday 01sunday 02sunday 03 sunday 04sunday 05blog update sponsored by TREE FROG DRAFT: "WHEN ALL THE REALLY GOOD STUFF IS GONE, AND THERE'S ONLY ONE CHOICE LEFT, DRAFT A TREE FROG; DRAFT;STILL DOESN'T TASTE LIKE MUCH...STILL GET'S YOU THERE FASTER!!" (Phoenix, AZ)
Friday 02-01-2008 10:26am ET
Well, hello from cactus country. You wouldn't believe how expensive hotels are. I am staying in my former employers remote van, and if he reads this I am screwed. So, I had a reunion with my pal C. Sanders... prime time w/daytimeBy the way, before I left Cincy Ken Broo gave me some pointers; in fact so many that there are two things... al w/kenny 01al w/kenny 02If you don't believe the hotel rooms here are EXPENSIVE, listen to my attempt to get a room: i need a room 01still need a roomomaha? today
Wednesday 11-28-2007 6:26pm ET
Hey! You!! Al here. I've had the guys at the IT department put a couple of old interviews from my incredible vault of "classic sound" on my blog. (By the way, what does the 'I' and the 'T' mean anyway? I don't know, but whenever I push the F1 key they show up). One bit of audio that I found particularly odd to hear again is a hidden microphone session with WEBN's BIG VOICE guy, John B. Wells. He's the one who says with such masculine authority "Thee Lunatic Fringe of American FM...". Makes those little hairs in my ears stand up.
If you want to hear it, you can find it over on the other side of the page...see <-
It really is something to hear that again...I forgot how much fun John and I had working together before I moved
to Fantasy Mountain. Those were the days...I wish I remembered them.
Write if you get work; hang by your thumbs.
Al
More laughs :-) with Coach Marvin
Tuesday 10-30-2007 9:14pm ET
I discovered many years ago that you don't need a press pass to get into a Marvin Lewis press conference at PBS (that's " Paul Brown Stadium", not the tv channel). In fact, you don't actually have to even be at the press conference. All you need is a microphone. I borrowed one, and now you may click here ->  , to hear my latest q&a with the coach of your (currently) 2-5 Bengals.
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© 2008