While attending Saint Louis University, he worked as a Midwest promoter for several record labels such as Scepter and Motown. It was also during this time when he made his radio broadcasting debut on a one-hour Sunday night show at midnight on WIL, which invited individual SLU students to be the hosts every week. He earned a full-time job as a disc jockey at the station after he was judged to be the best of the group.
His first radio appointment outside of his hometown was in 1962 at WRIT in Milwaukee, where he worked the 6-to-10 pm shift until he was reassigned to 5-to-9 morning drive time in early 1964. His next stop was at KBTR in Denver later in 1964, working under the name "King" George Michael for the first time. He earned the nickname due to his success in "ruling" evening radio.
George Michael following Johnny Donovan on George's first WABC show from Monday night, September 9, 1974. [ LISTEN ] (12:53)
George Michael was Bruce Morrow's replacement for the nighttime "teen shift". George was a star at WFIL in Philadelphia before he agreed (somewhat reluctantly) to come to WABC. He had worked with Ron Lundy and Dan Ingram as a record promoter at WIL in St. Louis
He became one of the original Boss Jocks at WFIL in Philadelphia when its new Top 40 rock and roll format debuted in September, 1966. He served as music director and evening deejay for the next eight years. WFIL, which was known as "Famous 56" after the transition, ended WIBG's listener ratings dominance and became the city's most popular station by the summer of 1967.
Michael was the first Philadelphia rock and roll radio personality to read the scores of local high school football and basketball games on the air. He also helped to start the career of Howard Eskin by hiring him to be his engineer. Decades later, Eskin would be a contributor to The George Michael Sports Machine.
Michael, noted for his energetic style, was hired by WABC in New York City; his first on-air stint there was on the evening of September 9, 1974. Michael now not only was entering the nation's largest media market; he also succeeded "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, who had jumped to WNBC.
George was on-the-air at WABC on October 21, 1976. [ LISTEN ]
Even though he was reunited with Dan Ingram and Ron Lundy (colleagues from his WIL days in St. Louis), Michael's time at WABC, which ended on November 17, 1979, was mostly frustrating because he was no longer a music director who had any influence on a playlist which was much shorter than his more familiar lists. One of the highlights during his time at the station occurred when he anchored its coverage of the New York City blackout of 1977 after the music format was temporarily suspended for the night.
His first experience in sports broadcasting also came in 1974 when he was a television announcer for the Baltimore Orioles on WJZ-TV. He declined an offer to work for the ballclub full-time in order to accept the WABC position.
Engineer's view working with George.As part of the deal to bring him to New York, Michael also worked for WABC-TV as the weekend sports anchor and a color commentator on New York Islanders telecasts for several seasons, paired mainly with Tim Ryan. He served as an occasional substitute on ABC American Contemporary Network's Speaking of Sports show whenever Howard Cosell, the primary commentator, was on vacation or assignment.
George is playing records at WABC on February 28, 1977. [ LISTEN ] (10:12)
These are the pre-disco days of the 1970s. Sure, a few stiffs are sneaking in, like The Sylvers – Hotline, but this is real Top 40 variety, with a generous dose of Jam jingles, Dan Ingram voiced imaging, and that rockin' reverb.
Sports MachineAs the primary sports anchor at WRC-TV from 1980 to 2007, George was easily one of the most popular media personalities in the Washington area. He devoted extensive coverage to and was considered a significant influence in the popularity of NASCAR, broadcasting interviews with famous drivers such as Dale Earnhardt well before that sport became immensely popular.
An avid equestrian, Michael also broadcast segments on bull riding and rodeo. He was the play-by-play announcer for most of the Professional Bull Riders's Built Ford Tough Series NBC telecasts during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, including the final day of the PBR World Finals each year. Michael was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2006 for his coverage of the matchups between rider Lane Frost and the undefeated bull Red Rock called the Challenge of the Champions.
WRC/NBCIn November 2005, Michael was seriously injured in a horseback riding accident. He broke several ribs and injured his wrists during the mishap at his Comus farm in upper Montgomery County, Maryland. He resumed his duties in December 2005.
George left his role as WRC-TV's daily sports anchor on March 1, 2007, following a dispute with WRC-TV over layoffs of his staff imposed company-wide by NBC Universal. The George Michael Sports Machine was aired for the final time on March 25, 2007.
First diagnosed with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2007, Michael died at Sibley Memorial Hospital in The Palisades neighborhood of Washington, D.C. on December 24, 2009. He was 70 years old.
WHERE DID GEORGE WORK? Here is the list: KICN, WRIT, WFIL, KLIF, WFIL, WABC, and WRC.
Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Musc Radio 77, California Aircheck.
