Ben Maller
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Big Ben" Maller is an American
sports radio host, for Fox Sports Radio
where he hosts a program on weekend nights, and previously The Third Shift
. Maller is also one of the original sports bloggers, with his popular website BenMaller.com, Ben has broken numerous stories over the years.
and attended Irvine High School
. The young Irvine student began to fall behind in school and consequently was placed in S.E.L.F. (Secondary Education Learning Facility, now known as Creekside High School), the city's alternative education
program. Nonetheless the S.E.L.F. enrolled student managed to play high school football
for the town's University High School while enrolled at S.E.L.F. Aside from playing football, the S.E.L.F. high school
student also had an interest in sports journalism
and broadcasting
. After finishing high school Maller enrolled in Saddleback College
in the nearby city of Mission Viejo
. The Saddleback student continued his interest in sports broadcasting doing Gaucho men's basketball and football games on KSBR
before landing a job as an AM sports radio
journalist.
for the launch of the network in August 2001 as an update anchor/ weekend morning co-host.
Maller was the first local Los Angeles sports radio host to interview Mike Piazza after his trade from the Dodgers on May 15, 1998.
Big Ben read the starting lineup of the visiting Padres at Dodger Stadium before a Dodgers game with San Diego on June 24, 1999, when PA announcer Mike Carlucci was stuck in traffic.
Except for in 2009, Ben has been on the air at FSR during every Super Bowl since 2001.
Worked on the Dodgers pre/postgame shows during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Co-Hosted “Dodger Talk” with Ross Porter.
Maller has appeared in over 30 episodes of the "Sports List" on Fox Sports Net.
Ben is a supporter of Dale Murphy's, and Gorman Thomas' bid for the baseball hall of fame. He also supports Donald in Japan because Donald Murphy provided updates about the March 11th 2010 earthquake in Japan. Let it be known than Fox Sports Radio's JT the Brick was begging for calls from Japan about the earthquake. Donald contacted TY Eli to be able to give live updates. JT and Ty Eli chose to ignore the call. The next night, Donald called The Ben Maller Show and thanks to Miranda Moreno, was put on the air right away and Donald was able to provide live updates about the situation in Fukushima.
Ben's radio audience has picked his favorite NFL team since 2007. The record hasn’t been great, but they do better the following year. 2007 Titans (10-6), 2008 Jets (9-7), 2009 Chiefs (4-12) and 2010 Cowboys (6-10).
Maller hosted UCLA Bruins post-game football talk show after they blew a a ten point fourth quarter lead against Miami, FL on December 5, 1998 losing 49-45 as Edgerrin James ran for 299 yards and UCLA missed out on the BCS title game.
In 2003, Ben signed a contract to be the "sports gossip guy," for FoxSports.com, providing daily sports rumors and notes. Maller was credited with helping FoxSports.com overtake ESPN.com in unique visitors for the first time in February 2007, according to Nielsen Net Ratings.
In 2006, Maller became the host of The Third Shift
on weeknights to replace Jorge Sedano
, who left to do a show for WAXY
, a local FSR affiliate in Florida
.
On Saturday September 22, 2006, Ben, with Julio Flores, moved his Ben vs The Coin segment online, debuting with week 3 of the NFL on his MySpace
page. Nearly two weeks later, with help from his brother, he also started offering the segment as a podcast
, and on October 5 it became available through iTunes
.
Maller has hosted shows with Terry Bradshaw
, Jim Lampley
, Tony Bruno
, Jim Mora
, Chris Myers
, Dale Brown
, James Washington
, Tommy Lasorda
, Ross Porter, Kevin Kennedy
and many other sports stars.
On January 20, 2009, Maller and the rest of the Third Shift staff was fired as part of Clear Channel Communications
' layoff of 1850 employees. He was re-hired on August 11, 2009. Maller claims to be the first person to report his firing as it was happening on Twitter.
Maller became the first Southern California broadcaster to host a show on Boston's WEEI
, Boston's No.1 rated sports radio station, when he filled in for Mike Adams on "Planet Mikey
," in June 2009.
On July 13, 2009, Maller announced that he was hired to be the U.S. correspondent for Radio Sport
in New Zealand
.
On August 11, 2009, Maller announced that he was returning to Fox Sports Radio after six months and 26 days off the air. Ben's show re-debuted on the weekends during the times of 1-6 AM ET on Saturdays and 1-7 AM ET Sundays. Regular show features include Trivia After Dark, Sports Jeopardy, Insta-advice Line, Who Am I, and Radio Roast.
In May 2010, Ben led a march at Staples Center with fellow Clippers fan Clipper Darrell in an unsuccessful attempt to woo free agent Lebron James to the Los Angeles Clippers, as James took "[his] talents down to South Beach."
In December 2010, Maller announced to his fans that the Brooksider Bar & Grill in Kansas City, MO had named its chicken fingers after him. The "Big Ben Maller Chicken Fingers" are on the menu for $7.49. Then a few weeks later Big Ben reported the debut of the "Malzone," (a philly cheesesteak style Calzone) at Vito's Pizzeria in Syracuse, NY
On Friday Sept 2nd 2011, the official Maller Nation Tee shirts were available on E-Bay for anyone to purchase.
Today, Ben Maller & Steve DeSager work together on the show but DeSager is an updater for Fox Sports Radio.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sports radio host, for Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
where he hosts a program on weekend nights, and previously The Third Shift
The Third Shift
The Third Shift was a daily radio program broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Radio from 2–6 AM ET. The program was hosted by FSR's Ben Maller with Karen Kay. The show was produced by Greg Bergman...
. Maller is also one of the original sports bloggers, with his popular website BenMaller.com, Ben has broken numerous stories over the years.
Early life
Maller grew up in Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
and attended Irvine High School
Irvine High School
Irvine High School is a public high school located in the city of Irvine in Orange County, California, as part of the Irvine Unified School District....
. The young Irvine student began to fall behind in school and consequently was placed in S.E.L.F. (Secondary Education Learning Facility, now known as Creekside High School), the city's alternative education
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
program. Nonetheless the S.E.L.F. enrolled student managed to play high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the town's University High School while enrolled at S.E.L.F. Aside from playing football, the S.E.L.F. high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student also had an interest in sports journalism
Sports journalism
Sports journalism is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events.While the sports department within some newspapers has been mockingly called the toy department, because sports journalists do not concern themselves with the 'serious' topics covered by the news desk, sports...
and broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
. After finishing high school Maller enrolled in Saddleback College
Saddleback College
The athletic programs are supported in part by the Associated Student Body at Saddleback College. Revenue generated from attendance at athletic events helps support the entire student activities program.-On-campus media outlets:*The Lariat...
in the nearby city of Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo, California
Mission Viejo is a city located in southern Orange County, California, U.S. in the Saddleback Valley. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States, and is rivaled only by Highlands Ranch, Colorado, in its size...
. The Saddleback student continued his interest in sports broadcasting doing Gaucho men's basketball and football games on KSBR
KSBR
KSBR is a non-commercial radio station in Mission Viejo, California, broadcasting to the Orange County, California, area on 88.5 FM. KSBR airs a jazz music and smooth jazz format branded as "Jazz-FM" along with news programming.- History :...
before landing a job as an AM sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
journalist.
Broadcasting career
Some of his career highlights include being a reporter for XTRA Sports 690am in San Diego in the mid-1990s and co-hosting the Ben & Dave Show on XTRA Sports 1150 in LA (late-1990s) and the host of Dodger Talk in 1996 thru 2000. Maller joined Fox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
for the launch of the network in August 2001 as an update anchor/ weekend morning co-host.
Maller was the first local Los Angeles sports radio host to interview Mike Piazza after his trade from the Dodgers on May 15, 1998.
Big Ben read the starting lineup of the visiting Padres at Dodger Stadium before a Dodgers game with San Diego on June 24, 1999, when PA announcer Mike Carlucci was stuck in traffic.
Except for in 2009, Ben has been on the air at FSR during every Super Bowl since 2001.
Worked on the Dodgers pre/postgame shows during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Co-Hosted “Dodger Talk” with Ross Porter.
Maller has appeared in over 30 episodes of the "Sports List" on Fox Sports Net.
Ben is a supporter of Dale Murphy's, and Gorman Thomas' bid for the baseball hall of fame. He also supports Donald in Japan because Donald Murphy provided updates about the March 11th 2010 earthquake in Japan. Let it be known than Fox Sports Radio's JT the Brick was begging for calls from Japan about the earthquake. Donald contacted TY Eli to be able to give live updates. JT and Ty Eli chose to ignore the call. The next night, Donald called The Ben Maller Show and thanks to Miranda Moreno, was put on the air right away and Donald was able to provide live updates about the situation in Fukushima.
Ben's radio audience has picked his favorite NFL team since 2007. The record hasn’t been great, but they do better the following year. 2007 Titans (10-6), 2008 Jets (9-7), 2009 Chiefs (4-12) and 2010 Cowboys (6-10).
Maller hosted UCLA Bruins post-game football talk show after they blew a a ten point fourth quarter lead against Miami, FL on December 5, 1998 losing 49-45 as Edgerrin James ran for 299 yards and UCLA missed out on the BCS title game.
In 2003, Ben signed a contract to be the "sports gossip guy," for FoxSports.com, providing daily sports rumors and notes. Maller was credited with helping FoxSports.com overtake ESPN.com in unique visitors for the first time in February 2007, according to Nielsen Net Ratings.
In 2006, Maller became the host of The Third Shift
The Third Shift
The Third Shift was a daily radio program broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Radio from 2–6 AM ET. The program was hosted by FSR's Ben Maller with Karen Kay. The show was produced by Greg Bergman...
on weeknights to replace Jorge Sedano
Jorge Sedano
American Sports Broadcaster and Talk Show Host Jorge Sedano is the host of The Jorge Sedano Show on 790 The Ticket which airs from 6am-10am ET.. He's also currently a sports anchor at CBS4 WFOR-TV in Miami. He's also a contributor for the Miami Herald online Sports section...
, who left to do a show for WAXY
WAXY
WAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
, a local FSR affiliate in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
On Saturday September 22, 2006, Ben, with Julio Flores, moved his Ben vs The Coin segment online, debuting with week 3 of the NFL on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Nearly two weeks later, with help from his brother, he also started offering the segment as a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, and on October 5 it became available through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Maller has hosted shows with Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, Jim Lampley
Jim Lampley
James "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
, Tony Bruno
Tony Bruno
For Tony Bruno, the musician, see Tony Bruno Tony Bruno is an American sports talk radio personality in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Jim Mora
Jim E. Mora
James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...
, Chris Myers
Chris Myers
Christopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...
, Dale Brown
Dale Brown
Dale Brown is an American author and aviator, most famous for his aviation techno-thriller novels, with thirteen New York Times best sellers to his name.Brown was born in Buffalo, New York...
, James Washington
James Washington
James McArthur Washington is a former American football safety for the UCLA Bruins and in the National Football League. Currently he is a co-host of FOX Sports Radio's flagship morning show Out Of Bounds with Craig Shemon...
, Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda
Thomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
, Ross Porter, Kevin Kennedy
Kevin Kennedy (baseball)
Kevin Curtis Kennedy is a former manager in American Major League Baseball and a former television host for Fox Sports' baseball coverage. He was given the nickname "The Skipper" by Fox Sports due to his prior managerial career...
and many other sports stars.
On January 20, 2009, Maller and the rest of the Third Shift staff was fired as part of Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
' layoff of 1850 employees. He was re-hired on August 11, 2009. Maller claims to be the first person to report his firing as it was happening on Twitter.
Maller became the first Southern California broadcaster to host a show on Boston's WEEI
WEEI
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
, Boston's No.1 rated sports radio station, when he filled in for Mike Adams on "Planet Mikey
Planet Mikey
Planet Mikey is a sports talk radio program on Boston's WEEI 850 kHz AM. The show was officially announced on December 15, 2005 and runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. The host is Mike Adams, an experienced Boston sports talk show host...
," in June 2009.
On July 13, 2009, Maller announced that he was hired to be the U.S. correspondent for Radio Sport
Radio Sport
Radio Sport is a New Zealand sports radio network and the talkback sister network of Newstalk ZB. It has commentary rights for most cricket matches, international and domestic rugby union games, some NRL rugby league games, trans-Tasman basketball and New Zealand tennis tournaments. The network...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
On August 11, 2009, Maller announced that he was returning to Fox Sports Radio after six months and 26 days off the air. Ben's show re-debuted on the weekends during the times of 1-6 AM ET on Saturdays and 1-7 AM ET Sundays. Regular show features include Trivia After Dark, Sports Jeopardy, Insta-advice Line, Who Am I, and Radio Roast.
In May 2010, Ben led a march at Staples Center with fellow Clippers fan Clipper Darrell in an unsuccessful attempt to woo free agent Lebron James to the Los Angeles Clippers, as James took "[his] talents down to South Beach."
In December 2010, Maller announced to his fans that the Brooksider Bar & Grill in Kansas City, MO had named its chicken fingers after him. The "Big Ben Maller Chicken Fingers" are on the menu for $7.49. Then a few weeks later Big Ben reported the debut of the "Malzone," (a philly cheesesteak style Calzone) at Vito's Pizzeria in Syracuse, NY
On Friday Sept 2nd 2011, the official Maller Nation Tee shirts were available on E-Bay for anyone to purchase.
Today, Ben Maller & Steve DeSager work together on the show but DeSager is an updater for Fox Sports Radio.