Pete Franklin facts for kids
Pete Franklin (born September 22, 1927 – died November 23, 2004) was a famous American sports talk radio host. People called him "The King," "Sweet Pete," and "Pigskin Pete." He worked in Cleveland, New York, and San Francisco. Many people say he started the strong, direct, and exciting style of sports talk radio. This style is now used by many sports broadcasters. He also helped bring this type of show to a huge audience.
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Pete Franklin's Early Life and First Jobs
Pete Franklin was born on September 22, 1927, in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. His very first job in broadcasting was for Armed Forces Radio. Later, in 1952, he got his first job at a radio station in Oakdale, Louisiana. He once joked about his early days, saying he worked 70 hours a week. His main job was to get to the station early and hit snakes with a baseball bat! He also read farm news.
He later worked at radio stations in many other states. These included North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, California, and Texas. Often, he worked as a disc jockey, playing music. Before moving to Cleveland, he was in charge of operations for WOIO in Canton, Ohio. In 1967, he moved to WERE (1300 AM) in Cleveland. There, he hosted a sports talk show in the evenings. After that, he hosted a general talk show late at night.
Pete Franklin's Time at WWWE in Cleveland
Pete Franklin's most successful time was when he hosted Sportsline on the Cleveland radio station WWWE (1100-AM). This was from 1972 to 1987. The station was very powerful, reaching many states. He was one of the most popular hosts there. People loved him for his deep knowledge, strong opinions, and funny, sometimes rough, talks with callers.
He had many famous ways of doing things. He would play the sound of a flushing toilet to cut off callers he thought were rude. When the Cleveland Indians baseball team was doing very badly, he would play funeral music. This was his way of giving them a "proper burial" for the season. He also had a "winner of the day" and "loser of the day" segment. He often boasted that his station's signal could be heard "over 38 states and half of Canada."
His strong personality sometimes caused problems. In 1981, his station lost its deal to broadcast games for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. This happened because Pete Franklin argued with the team owner, Ted Stepien. Franklin and the Cavaliers' radio announcer, Joe Tait, openly questioned Stepien's decisions. They believed his trades and signings were hurting the team. Franklin even called Stepien "T.S.," saying it stood for "Too Stupid." Stepien then ended the radio contract and fired Tait.
Franklin also made some regular callers famous. He gave them nicknames like "The Swami," "The Prosecutor," and "Mr. Know-It-All." One of these callers, Mike Trivisonno, later became a radio host himself. He eventually took over Franklin's show.
Pete Franklin's Later Career Moves
In August 1987, Pete Franklin announced he was moving to New York City. He joined a new all-sports radio station called WFAN. He was hired to host their afternoon show. However, his style did not work as well in New York. Critics and callers there did not like his bossy way of talking. A newspaper writer, George Vecsey, said Franklin just insulted fans who knew more than he did. After many arguments and low listener numbers, he left in July 1989. He was replaced by the Mike and the Mad Dog show.
He quickly returned to Cleveland and WWWE. The station even held a special event to welcome him back. But the station management let him go after only a year. He then moved to the West Coast. From 1991 to 1997, he worked at KNBR 680 AM in San Francisco. He mostly hosted his own show there. He brought back his "Winners and Losers of the Day" and "Pigskin Pete Predicts" for football season. Later, he co-hosted a show called The King and The Kid with Bob Fitzgerald.
Franklin came back to WTAM (the new name for WWWE) for a third time in 1998. He briefly hosted Sportsline again, but from a studio in his California home. In 1999, he joined KNBR's sister station, KTCT 1050 AM. He finished his broadcasting career there in 2000.
He also wrote a book called You Could Argue But You'd Be Wrong, which was published in 1988.
Pete Franklin's Death
Pete Franklin passed away on November 23, 2004. He was 77 years old. He died in Nipomo, California, after being sick for a long time.
