On The Air
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times
June 15, 2007
 
After waiting a year to launch a local morning show, then wasting almost another year by hiring a host who did not know or care about Philadelphia, Sports Radio 950-AM may have finally gotten it right by hiring hometown guy Michael Bradley for its morning show.

Bradley, in his second month on the job, said he knows about the Philadelphia sports fan because he is a Philadelphia sports fan.

“When I was 14 years old, I bought my first Phillies' season-ticket plan with my own money — a 15-game plan,” said Bradley, 45, a native of Wynnewood. “I grew up going to the Palestra, Sixers games, and have lived through all the miserable experiences throughout the years.”

After graduating from The Haverford School, Bradley wrote for the University of Michigan school paper where he managed to annoy late football head coach Bo Schembechler with some of his columns.

The veteran sportswriter honed his broadcast skills as a contributor to sports radio stations across the country for years. Today, Bradley contributes to www.cbssportsline.com, “The Sporting News,” and other publications. Bradley also has authored 15 books. His most recent, “Big Games: College Football's Greatest Rivalries,” was released in the fall.

As for his latest endeavor at Sports Radio 950, Bradley said: “Our goal is to carve out a niche. I have the credibility and the contacts. [Co-host] Glenn Foley also grew up as a Philadelphia sports fan and has credibility with the players because he was a professional athlete. We have a great new program director [Matt Nahigan]. I am optimistic about our station.”

Announcer Spurred to success

Philadelphia native Bill “Philly Billy” Schoening, the radio voice of the San Antonio Spurs, called his third NBA Finals in his six years with the team.

“I feel blessed. I admire Joe Tait, the radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finally made it to the NBA Finals in his 37th year. I made it to the Finals my second year,” said Schoening, a graduate of West Catholic High School and the defunct American Academy of Broadcasting in Center City.

Schoening has spent the last two decades in Texas, moving up the ladder from high school sports to college sports (University of Texas) to the professional ranks.

However, he doesn't forget home. His family still takes summer vacations to Wildwood.

No surprise

High school basketball promoter Jeremy Treatman isn't surprised that LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the NBA Finals. Treatman brought the former high school phenom James to town in 2002 to participate in “The Scholastic Play by Play Classic.”

“LeBron was beyond his years as a person and celebrity as well as a player,” Treatman said. “The way he took the league by storm with all that hype — and actually outlive it — is amazing. In one of my games, his team was blowing out Strawberry Mansion at the Palestra, and he realized the crowd didn't want to see a blowout. So he turned the game into a one-on-one event with Maureece Rice in the fourth quarter that has never been seen before and will probably never be seen again.”

Channel flipping

Congratulations to KYW 1060-AM commentator Bill Campbell and his wife Jo, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.... Rob Ellis moved from Sports Radio 950 to WIP 610-AM. Ellis, also a producer at Comcast SportsNet will host about three shifts a week on WIP.

E-MAIL: lauranachman@verizon.net


June 15, 2007 6:44 AM