Latest / Sid & Friends In The Morning / Mark Chernoff | Longtime WFAN Program Director | 06-29-26

Transcript

Mark Chernoff | Longtime WFAN Program Director | 06-29-26 · Sid & Friends In The Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It all started here in New York two thousand. I
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: was done with wwey W didn't go well, started with
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Scott Kaplan, ended with Craig Carton, and I was making
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: my way over to one of these tents at the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Rockefeller Center. I don't know it was the World Series.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: It was the Mets versus the Yankees, that Subway series,
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  Speaker 1: and I met a guy named Mark Jonoff and a
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  Speaker 1: terrific guy, and a few other people I met. I
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: think I met Lee Davis that day, E B. Connie Fitzgerald,
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, but that's where my whole way and
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  Speaker 1: interactions started. Then I had some lunch with Steve Cohen.
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  Speaker 1: So long story short. When I was done with WWEEW
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  Speaker 1: and about to move back to Florida and basically scrap
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  Speaker 1: my radio career, I was told by Cohen that wa
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: N wanted to give me a chance. Mark Chonoff, and
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  Speaker 1: he was the guy that made that decision. And here
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  Speaker 1: we are, twenty six years later. I'm headed to the
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  Speaker 1: Hall of Fame, and he is certainly one of, if
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: not the most important people in what I've been quite
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: the journey, quite the journey. So here he is everybody,
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  Speaker 1: and we don't know him. He's a legend. He's you
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: know that worn't legend. We throw it around all the time,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: but he is legitimately a legend. The great Mark turn
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  Speaker 1: off journey, Good morning, how are you?
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: I'm good? Said, you are absolutely the comeback kid.
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  Speaker 1: I love that. I do love that because I listen journey.
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  Speaker 1: I remember, like yesterday, being on the George Washington Bridge
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: heading from Tenafly to Astoria with Danielle to beg you
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  Speaker 1: beg you to keep me at work, and you did
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  Speaker 1: the best you can. I never blamed you. You you
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: did the best you can. Every time I was fired
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  Speaker 1: from any job anywhere, and there were a lot. There
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: were a lot between New York and Florida. I'm accountable
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  Speaker 1: for all of it. It broke your heart, I know
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: it did. You didn't want to have to do it.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: You were there for those days.
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  Speaker 2: The lowest point was clearly the day you missed the
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  Speaker 2: Giants pregame show at what was then called Giants Stadium.
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  Speaker 2: I saw your dad in the parking lot, who was
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: waiting for you to host the pregame show, and I said,
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  Speaker 2: where's Sid And I remember he put his hands over
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  Speaker 2: his face, he said and where you were was down
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  Speaker 2: in Atlantic City, and if I remember correctly, you had
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: an agent, Mark Ledzelter, and I did see Mark and
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  Speaker 2: you guys were supposed to come back together, and he
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  Speaker 2: just looked at me and said, sid didn't make it back.
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  Speaker 1: And you did warn me, you know, you warned me
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  Speaker 1: not to.
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  Speaker 2: Go, and I said, don't go. I said, nothing good
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  Speaker 2: is going to come out of this. If somebody owes
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: you money, let them pay you, give your check books,
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  Speaker 2: do not go to Atlantic City.
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  Speaker 1: You are right, so was Danielle. And you know, my dad,
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  Speaker 1: this Thursday, July first, will be six years to the
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  Speaker 1: day that we lost Harvey. He loved you, by the way,
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  Speaker 1: your dad.
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  Speaker 2: What a great guy he was. He was funny too.
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  Speaker 1: He was thank you. So he's not here to see
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  Speaker 1: this now, But I just I'm curious when you met
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  Speaker 1: me and saw me outside of that tent in Rockefeller Center.
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  Speaker 1: At the time, I was really doing the only sports
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  Speaker 1: show in the mornings because you are the great eye
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  Speaker 1: miss and me and Scott were all silly a little
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  Speaker 1: video show. What was it that that said to you,
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  Speaker 1: let me give this guy a chance.
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  Speaker 2: And maybe it was because you were wearing a Rangers Jersey.
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  Speaker 2: I knew you were in any Wu and it was
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  Speaker 2: part of the company, and I knew you were talented,
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  Speaker 2: and I knew you were funny, and you were a
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  Speaker 2: little bit off center, which is I said, Okay, that's
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  Speaker 2: not a bad thing, that's a good thing. And I said,
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  Speaker 2: you definitely deserved the chance. And Steve Cohen was a
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  Speaker 2: big fan of yours and said, yeah, you know, I
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  Speaker 2: think he's talented. I think he's good. I listened to
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  Speaker 2: some of your stuff and I talked to you and
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  Speaker 2: I said, it's definitely worth giving you a shot. And
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: and you're on airwork. Never disappointed, never disappointed. It was
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  Speaker 2: just you know, your your personal stuff at the time
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  Speaker 2: a lot. And and as you say, you were to
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  Speaker 2: blame for your own stuff, and I have to agree
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  Speaker 2: with that. But you were able to come back from
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  Speaker 2: all of that horrible stuff. You straighten things out and
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  Speaker 2: now look at your New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
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  Speaker 1: I know, it's pretty amazing.
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  Speaker 2: What an honor. I mean that that that's fabulous. The
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  Speaker 2: way as I say, you are absolutely the comeback kid.
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  Speaker 1: Are you gonna make me cry? John Off? The great
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  Speaker 1: Mark John Off? And are you on that Hall of Fame,
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  Speaker 1: because if you're not, that's ridiculous.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I got in a few years ago. Okay, maybe
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  Speaker 2: they'll put our plaque here each other.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, they should, they really should. You're the guy that
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  Speaker 1: you're the guy that said that's let's give this guy
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  Speaker 1: a chance. So you've been doing this a long time,
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  Speaker 1: and you've been around the old time great it's great
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: stories from Howard Stern. We're not going to share them now,
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  Speaker 1: but a couple of great stories. And obviously I missing
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  Speaker 1: Mike and the Mad Dog and other greats at W
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  Speaker 1: A N and other disc jockeys too that played music
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  Speaker 1: along the way that you're still friendly with. And what
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  Speaker 1: does it take Mark john Off, in your opinion, what
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  Speaker 1: does it take to turn somebody from a good broadcaster
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  Speaker 1: to somebody who one day I'm not saying I am,
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  Speaker 1: I'm not not arrogant, but one day some will consider
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  Speaker 1: one of the old time greats.
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  Speaker 2: It is hard to say, but obviously it's talent and desire.
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  Speaker 2: And if you have the talent and you have the desire,
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  Speaker 2: and look, I know it's tougher in the radio world
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  Speaker 2: and it's ever been. You know, I see one of
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  Speaker 2: the company's iHeart has been cutting people left and right,
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  Speaker 2: and it's sad for me to see all of this
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  Speaker 2: stuff going on that I worry about AI and I
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  Speaker 2: worry about companies downsizing. But if you have talent and
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: you have the desire, that's your best shot at becoming
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  Speaker 2: a success. It's hard to say what the specifics are,
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  Speaker 2: but in the sports world, you know, my my good
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  Speaker 2: buddy Eric Spitz always said, if you you know, if
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  Speaker 2: you if you have if you have talent, you know
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  Speaker 2: you've you You've always got a shot. And if you
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  Speaker 2: have an understanding in sports, if you have an opinion
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  Speaker 2: and you're entertaining, those are the kinds of things that will,
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  Speaker 2: you know, push you ahead. You've got to be in
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  Speaker 2: the right place at the right time if you're paired
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: with somebody, if you're a sports talk show host, you
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  Speaker 2: gotta hope you got the right partner. Look at Mike
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  Speaker 2: and Chris, you know each each one of them is
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  Speaker 2: talented and have had hugely successful careers, But will anything
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  Speaker 2: ever be as good the Mike and the mad Dog together. Again,
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  Speaker 2: this is not to diminish their talent in any way,
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  Speaker 2: because both as individuals are extremely talented, But that was
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  Speaker 2: one of a kind radio show, and you know, Mark
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  Speaker 2: Mason put those guys together. They partnered for you know,
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  Speaker 2: nineteen years and it was really some of the most
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  Speaker 2: amazing radio. They went through personal times where they did
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  Speaker 2: not like each other to say the least, but they
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  Speaker 2: muddled through that stuff. They were ups and downs personally
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  Speaker 2: for them, but as a as a as a team
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  Speaker 2: on the air, they were it was magic. And you
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  Speaker 2: know said when when you and Joe Beningo were together,
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  Speaker 2: that was great radio.
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  Speaker 1: You know, it's funny he was on early this morning
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  Speaker 1: and I talked about that, and thank you for saying that,
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  Speaker 1: because we was very good, lady. We had a really
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  Speaker 1: good time. And even before him, of course it was
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  Speaker 1: me and Jody Matt, but Benningo and I I thought
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  Speaker 1: could have been special. So I screwed that up, but
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  Speaker 1: we could have been special. But Mike and the Mad
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  Speaker 1: Dog the greatest of all time. There's no question you
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  Speaker 1: you know, you talked about Mark Mason finding Mike and
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  Speaker 1: the mad Dog. You found Boomer and Craig, And I
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  Speaker 1: think when you talk about the next generation of w
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  Speaker 1: f A N passed what I thought were the glory days.
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  Speaker 1: I still think that I miss Mike and the Mad
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  Speaker 1: Dog Joe and said, Steve Summers, you're not going to
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  Speaker 1: beat that station, not now, not ever. But you did
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  Speaker 1: find that next great morning show. And Craig was also
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  Speaker 1: a Hall of Famer. Has started out to be very special,
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  Speaker 1: so that one goes into your holster.
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  Speaker 2: He has. And you know, putting Boomer with Greg Jannati
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  Speaker 2: turned out to be a terrific pairing as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yep.
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  Speaker 2: And you know they're doing good things in the radio.
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  Speaker 2: And by the way, Hilu Rafina, I just wanted to
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  Speaker 2: say hi to you.
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  Speaker 3: While one of my favorite people of all time.
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  Speaker 1: And you know he's just so you know, he says
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  Speaker 1: that he's a real test. He says that when you're
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: not on the phone. Okay, No, he loves you. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: I don't know anybody I didn't like Journey, except of Mic.
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  Speaker 1: Sometimes I'd like to be like that. No, Mike loves them.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody loves you because you gave everybody a fair chance chance.
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  Speaker 2: You know, and you're you're nice to say that's not what's.
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  Speaker 1: True, I miss, I mean, what do you what do
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  Speaker 1: you miss the most when you look back at your
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  Speaker 1: career working with these old time grades, finding talent, working
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  Speaker 1: with the men's talent. What do you miss the most
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  Speaker 1: on a daily basis.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it was just the idea of being around all
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  Speaker 2: these talented people. You know, I I enjoyed this and
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  Speaker 2: I still do music shows, I think you know that,
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  Speaker 2: and I like doing it and I have fun doing that.
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  Speaker 2: But just the talent I've been associated with is just
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  Speaker 2: always been amazing to me. And to be around, you know,
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  Speaker 2: all these great legends radio, whether it's been at any
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  Speaker 2: w whether it's been at k Rock, whether it's been
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  Speaker 2: at san I mean, for me, it's like I can't
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  Speaker 2: believe I'm in the same world as all of these
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  Speaker 2: talented people. And even if it's been in a position
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  Speaker 2: where let's say I'm the boss, I've always felt like,
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  Speaker 2: you know, good people, talented people, They really in a
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  Speaker 2: lot of ways know how to manage themselves. So yes,
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  Speaker 2: I could look at myself as a as a director,
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  Speaker 2: but it was always what can I do to be
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  Speaker 2: helpful to you to continue your success. You think I
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: was gonna tell Howard Stern how to do radio? I
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: think I was gonna tell Donna I Miss how to
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  Speaker 2: do radio.
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  Speaker 4: No way.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, But here's the thing, but here's the thing with
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: you that I mean about a minute ago that made
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: you special. You treated all of us the same. No,
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: not everybody did. I'm gonna be honest. Program directors did
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: not do that. Sales managers, station owners. You found a
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: way to at least make the midday show feel every
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: bit as important as the other shows. Even though Eddie
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: SKAZERI wrote on the wall the number two with a fiddle.
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  Speaker 2: If you know what I always felt like. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's like my kids. You know, everybody was my kids,
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: and you know, you gotta be nice to everybody. And
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  Speaker 2: I always wanted to be to treat people the way
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: I wanted to be treated. You know, sid I always
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: said to people, if you have a family event, you
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: take care of that. Everything is, you know, with your
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: family is first and foremost. You know you can get
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: whether it's a support stare, whether it's on the air.
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: You know, do what's important, spend the time with your family.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: You'll get your work done, figure out a way to
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  Speaker 2: do it, but your family always comes first. And I
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  Speaker 2: still feel like that to this day.
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  Speaker 1: You're a special guy. You Sally, your sons, your grandchildren,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: the whole churn Off family. I can't thank you enough.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: I really can't for the opportunit that you gave me
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: twenty six years ago that has now translated into this
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  Speaker 1: And I've always loved you and you know, whether it's
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: a birthday or anniversary. One of the first texts I
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: always get still I'm long gone. Still you too, though,
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: is from Mark turn off so well, all love you,
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Journey, thank you for coming on today,
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: and thank you for the opportunity. We love you.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: Thanks mazletose Comeback Kid, thank you.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: I'm going to go with that and now on, I'm
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: gonna use that. Thank you, Chernie, I'm going to use that.
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  Speaker 1: That's my new moniker, the Comeback Kid. I like it.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Do you like it? Look?
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: Of course I do.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Turn off the Comeback Kid to come up with. He
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: is something else.
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  Speaker 3: He was to everybody, he really was and that's all
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  Speaker 3: of the crazy talent loved him, all of them because
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: they would sit with Mark and he did exactly what
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  Speaker 3: he did. He just guided, he said maybe you should
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: try this.
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: Maybe.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: But he never tried to be a boss.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: No, never, and he was so even keeled, unbelievable.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: All of the lunacy.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, there was a lot of lunatics in that place,
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: and he was even killed.
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: Favorite story is still after he came back from the
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: David Lee Roth thing. Oh he was trying to fix it. Yeah,
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: I'll always remember he came back.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: He came into the lobby, yeah, and her.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: Show, and I said, Mark, how's it going. Oh, he's
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: an idiot. He's not listening to a thing.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Forget it.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: I hope it fail. It's gonna fail, and I'm glad.
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: Well it did. He replaced on How It started a krock.
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: Thanks for listening to Sit in Friends in the Morning.
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: You can hear Sit and Friends in the Morning weekday
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: mornings at six. If you like the podcast, share it
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: with your friends and listen anytime at WABC radio dot
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: com and download the WABC Radio app. Get that subscribe
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: button on all major podcast platforms. Plus, follow WABC on
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: social on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X see you next
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: time for a new episode, so you never have to
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: wonder
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: What the heck is going on here.