Eddie Andelman
Encyclopedia
Eddie Andelman is an American sports radio talk show
host. He has worked over 40 years in sports talk radio in Boston
and has appeared on over 100 sports stations all over the country.
radio, to do a program called "Sports Huddle," along with Jim McCarthy and Mark Witkin. He remained at WBZ till mid 1971 when he and the show moved to WEEI
. He also began to do a television program for WNAC Channel 7 (Now WHDH
) in November 1972, a job he left in early 1976. He has also been a host on WCVB Channel 5, and in addition to his early work at WBZ
and WEEI, he has hosted talk radio shows on WUNR, WHDH
, and WWZN
.
He hosted a Sunday evening talk show called Sports Huddle on WTKK
retiring with his last WTKK show on December 26, 2010.
Andelman is credited by some wrestling websites as the creator of the World Wrestling Entertainment
King of the Ring
tournament.
Andelman is a graduate of Boston University
, and received his MBA from Northeastern University
. Prior to being hired by WBZ Radio, he ran his family's real estate development business.
His son David Andelman is the creator of The Phantom Gourmet
television show.
area for hosting Eddie Andelman's Hot Dog Safari. The event which he has hosted for the past 18 years raises money for the Joey Fund / Cystic Fibrosis
(CF) Foundation. The event started in 1990 when during his program Andelman declared the hot dog
the ultimate sports food and he and his listeners proceeded to debate on who made the best ones. After some time, Andelman decided to resolve the issue by organizing a bus trip for 200 people to visit certain locations to sample various hot dogs. As Eddie told his listeners: "We are on a Hot Dog Safari". The money from ticket sales went to benefit the Joey Fund. Since then the event has grown, and now includes local celebrities, members of the media and professional athletes and over the years has raised over a million dollars for the Joey Fund / Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
on September 11, 2001 and was named Honorary Fire Chief upon his visit to Ground Zero
.
He raised $50,000 to enable paralyzed jockey
Rudy Biaz to build ramps in his house.
Delivered baseball equipment to kids in the Dominican Republic
.
He and his wife Judith were made honorary Goodwill Ambassadors by the Aruba
Tourism Authority in honor of them having visited the island 53 times over the 35 years.
and Callahan
Show’ and ‘The Big Show
’. Reports say he was also unhappy when the station paired him up with co-host Dale Arnold
to form the ‘A-Team’. Though Arnold denies any personal problems existed, reports say that the two did not get along on or off the air. WEEI replaced Andelman with former television sportscaster Bob Neumeier
.
He pledged to start a movement called Fans Against Idiot Radio (FAIR) as an antidote to the "venomous" WEEI.
and Ryen Russillo
as on air talent. The station additionally paid for the rights to broadcast Boston Celtics
basketball games for five years. In the end, the station couldn’t compete with WEEI and sold its Celtics rights to WRKO
and ended all local broadcasts in October 2005 in favor of a nationally syndicated lineup.
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host. He has worked over 40 years in sports talk radio in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and has appeared on over 100 sports stations all over the country.
Career
His career as a sports talk radio personality began in 1970 when he was hired by WBZWBZ
WBZ may refer to:* WBZ , the United States' first commercial radio station originally broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, now licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
radio, to do a program called "Sports Huddle," along with Jim McCarthy and Mark Witkin. He remained at WBZ till mid 1971 when he and the show moved to 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...
. He also began to do a television program for WNAC Channel 7 (Now WHDH
WHDH
The call letters WHDH may represent:* WHDH : a television station in Boston, Massachusetts that currently exists...
) in November 1972, a job he left in early 1976. He has also been a host on WCVB Channel 5, and in addition to his early work at WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
and WEEI, he has hosted talk radio shows on WUNR, WHDH
WHDH
The call letters WHDH may represent:* WHDH : a television station in Boston, Massachusetts that currently exists...
, and WWZN
WWZN
WWZN is an AM radio station licensed to serve the Boston media market. Its programming is a time-brokered mix between progressive talk radio during the daytime , sports talk and religious programming in the overnight hours...
.
He hosted a Sunday evening talk show called Sports Huddle on WTKK
WTKK
WTKK is a New England commercial talk radio station, first broadcast out of Boston on 96.9 FM beginning in 1999. It can be heard in eastern Massachusetts, the northernmost area of Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine...
retiring with his last WTKK show on December 26, 2010.
Andelman is credited by some wrestling websites as the creator of the World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
King of the Ring
King of the Ring
King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event....
tournament.
Andelman is a graduate of Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and received his MBA from Northeastern University
Northeastern University, Boston
Northeastern University , is a private, secular, coeducational research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern has eight colleges and offers undergraduate majors in 65 departments...
. Prior to being hired by WBZ Radio, he ran his family's real estate development business.
His son David Andelman is the creator of The Phantom Gourmet
Phantom Gourmet
The Phantom Gourmet is a food-related television program with reviews of New England area restaurants from an anonymous critic. The show airs on WSBK-TV in Boston, Massachusetts and WLWC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island each Saturday and Sunday morning, with a half-hour episode composed of older...
television show.
Hot Dog Safari
Andelman is involved with many charitable organizations, but is best known in the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area for hosting Eddie Andelman's Hot Dog Safari. The event which he has hosted for the past 18 years raises money for the Joey Fund / Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
(CF) Foundation. The event started in 1990 when during his program Andelman declared the hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
the ultimate sports food and he and his listeners proceeded to debate on who made the best ones. After some time, Andelman decided to resolve the issue by organizing a bus trip for 200 people to visit certain locations to sample various hot dogs. As Eddie told his listeners: "We are on a Hot Dog Safari". The money from ticket sales went to benefit the Joey Fund. Since then the event has grown, and now includes local celebrities, members of the media and professional athletes and over the years has raised over a million dollars for the Joey Fund / Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Other charitable works
He is the creator of the New York/Boston Unity Fund, which raised over $135,000 after the terrorist attackSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on September 11, 2001 and was named Honorary Fire Chief upon his visit to Ground Zero
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
.
He raised $50,000 to enable paralyzed jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Rudy Biaz to build ramps in his house.
Delivered baseball equipment to kids in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
He and his wife Judith were made honorary Goodwill Ambassadors by the Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
Tourism Authority in honor of them having visited the island 53 times over the 35 years.
Recognition for works
- He has been named Jimmy Fund Man of the Year
- Joey Fund-Cystic Fibrosis man of the Year
- Big BrotherBig Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaBig Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
Man of the Year.
WEEI
Andelman worked at WEEI for ten years until abrupt departure in December 2001. Reports say that he was unhappy with the direction the station had taken towards more confrontational shows like ‘The DennisJohn Dennis (talk show host)
John Dennis is an American radio talk show host for WEEI, known for the Dennis and Callahan show.-Biography:...
and Callahan
Gerry Callahan
Dennis and Callahan is an American morning radio show on WEEI, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN from 6-9AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water...
Show’ and ‘The Big Show
The Big Show (sports radio show)
The Big Show is a sports talk radio program on Boston's WEEI 850 AM. Started in August 1995, the show is hosted by former Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Glenn Ordway and former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley...
’. Reports say he was also unhappy when the station paired him up with co-host Dale Arnold
Dale Arnold
Dale Arnold is a New England sportscaster who hosts Boston Bruins broadcasts on NESN. He is formerly the co-host of a popular midday sports talk radio show on WEEI and formerly the Bruins' play-by-play announcer on NESN...
to form the ‘A-Team’. Though Arnold denies any personal problems existed, reports say that the two did not get along on or off the air. WEEI replaced Andelman with former television sportscaster Bob Neumeier
Bob Neumeier
Robin "Bob" Neumeier is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports and Comcast SportsNet New England, specializing in thoroughbred horse racing. Neumeier is originally from Weymouth, Massachusetts and is a 1972 graduate of Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in television and...
.
Andelman Comments about WEEI since leaving the station
Regarding the current state of sports radio, including WEEI, Andelman states,- “I’ve been planning this show at WTKK for almost two years. Radio should be a theater of the mind, not screaming and stupidity.
- “WEEI has too many people who are not trained and not educated. They pay players and coaches to be on their shows. Then, they have to watch what questions they ask. I won't pay guests. Sports radio has become public relations. Everyone kisses ass.”
He pledged to start a movement called Fans Against Idiot Radio (FAIR) as an antidote to the "venomous" WEEI.
WWZN
In early 2002, Andelman joined WWZN in Boston, a direct competitor to WEEI. The station hired Andelman as part of its strategy to challenge WEEI as Boston’s sports talk leader. Andelman joined former Red Sox announcer Sean McDonoughSean McDonough
Sean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...
and Ryen Russillo
Ryen Russillo
Ryen Russillo is an American sports host. He has worked for ESPN Radio as the co-host of The Scott Van Pelt Show since May, 2009....
as on air talent. The station additionally paid for the rights to broadcast Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
basketball games for five years. In the end, the station couldn’t compete with WEEI and sold its Celtics rights to WRKO
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
and ended all local broadcasts in October 2005 in favor of a nationally syndicated lineup.