Latest / Sid & Friends In The Morning / Lee Harris | Vice President of News for WABC Radio | 05-22-26

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Lee Harris | Vice President of News for WABC Radio | 05-22-26 · Sid & Friends In The Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Lee Harris, Hall of Famer, legendary iconic voice of ten
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: ten wins now our teammate here, colleague here, and we're
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: starting something this week. And we've been talking about and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: you folks have heard about it, the world Wide News Network.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: I don't know what that is. I'm not gonna lie
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  Speaker 1: to you, so I'm glad you're here to tell us. Lee.
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  Speaker 1: First of all, good morning, how are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm pretty good so far. But I will still be
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  Speaker 2: here twenty four hours from now. So this is going
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  Speaker 2: to be a push through to get the Worldwide News
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  Speaker 2: Network on the air.
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  Speaker 1: So you're not going to leave it all. You're not
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  Speaker 1: going to go home at all, or I will not
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  Speaker 1: twenty four stars hours. Yeah, well, that's pretty cool. You've
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  Speaker 1: done that before. I'm sure a couple of times, like
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  Speaker 1: nine to eleven. I know, guys like I miss I
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  Speaker 1: think he stayed on the air for twenty four straight hours.
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  Speaker 1: But this is important stuff. So why will you be
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  Speaker 1: here for twenty four hours? What exactly can WABC fans
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  Speaker 1: expect to.
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  Speaker 2: Hear at midnight tonight We're going to launch our national
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  Speaker 2: news network. Of course, you can hear WABC on the
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  Speaker 2: internet all over the world. But what we will be
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  Speaker 2: doing now is supplying news to other radio stations all
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  Speaker 2: around the country and eventually all around the world. It'll
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  Speaker 2: be three to four minute news capsule, depending on which
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  Speaker 2: station you're listening to, of world and national news. And
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  Speaker 2: what this is meant to do is to replace the
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  Speaker 2: CBS Radio network, which goes out of business tonight eleven
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  Speaker 2: thirty one pm after ninety nine years in the radio business.
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  Speaker 2: We both used to work for CBS. I think it
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  Speaker 2: was an okay company, pretty good back when we worked
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  Speaker 2: for it.
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  Speaker 1: I still like it. I think Barry Weiss is the future.
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  Speaker 1: She's our only hope. She's decided that it just not
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  Speaker 1: making any money. I guess I don't know why.
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  Speaker 2: Is also the issue they want to be in the
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  Speaker 2: subscription business. They want you to buy a season of Yellowstone.
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  Speaker 2: Rather than having to go out and chase advertisers to
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  Speaker 2: support the programming, they'll just sell it to you direct.
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  Speaker 2: They'll cut out the middleman and pass the savings on
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  Speaker 2: to you, in this case, the entire radio news division.
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  Speaker 2: So we're going to pick up that mantle. We think
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  Speaker 2: it's a good business this, We think people want it.
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  Speaker 2: On WABC, you will hear the national news for three
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  Speaker 2: minutes at the top of every hour, followed by local
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  Speaker 2: news here, so you'll get six minutes of news at
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  Speaker 2: the top of the hour to set up the talk
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  Speaker 2: shows like yours, so people know what's going on.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I'm not doing six minutes of news. You
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  Speaker 1: out of your mind. Well, nobody wants to hear that.
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  Speaker 1: They want to hear me. But the rest of the
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  Speaker 1: day it works.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, that's right, we have we have day partying considerations.
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  Speaker 2: In their case, it is actually different in the in
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  Speaker 2: the morning, it's different.
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  Speaker 1: But this is this is really cool. So you're telling
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  Speaker 1: me Lee the Great Lee Harris w Station, this is
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  Speaker 1: hypothetical in Dallas, in Miami, in Saint Louis, in Sacramento,
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  Speaker 1: that we're going to provide the news.
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  Speaker 2: For That is exactly what we will be doing.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, that's a big, big, big, big deal. And by
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  Speaker 1: no idea.
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  Speaker 2: By the way, we have hired many of the people
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  Speaker 2: that CBS just fired really to do the news. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: give me one name. Well, Michael will be on in
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  Speaker 2: the morning. Michael Wallace not to be confused with Mike Wallace.
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  Speaker 1: No, no, no, he's not gonna be doing news anytime soon.
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  Speaker 2: Bill, Raykoff, Cooper, Lawrence, Matt Piper. These are allers that
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  Speaker 2: you CBS Radio on that ricks and also you know
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  Speaker 2: a few others who have come in and are of
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  Speaker 2: that same network quality.
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  Speaker 1: So how many people have we hired to do the
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  Speaker 1: news for the network? I think we're up to eighteen,
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  Speaker 1: so no kidding.
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  Speaker 2: And have you been doing most of those highs? But
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  Speaker 2: each and everyone, yes, each and everyone. You know they
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  Speaker 2: have to go upstairs right off.
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  Speaker 1: John and chat. But any of your former ten ten
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  Speaker 1: Wins teammates, let's.
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  Speaker 2: See, I don't think yeah, no doubt.
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  Speaker 1: There are a couple who.
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  Speaker 2: I worked with at Wins at one time.
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  Speaker 1: Can you get John Montone back? I just like John Montone.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know why. I love that guy. I love
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  Speaker 1: them well.
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  Speaker 2: He was the best Wins ever had ever, not quite
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  Speaker 2: the sound I was going.
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  Speaker 1: I understand this is very exciting stuff. Lude. Did you
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  Speaker 1: realize this is a big deal?
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  Speaker 2: I I'm changing my plans tonight.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah no, but I'm serious that that we're actually gonna
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  Speaker 1: be providing news across the country.
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  Speaker 2: That's great, yes, and to big radio stations eventually, and
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  Speaker 2: also too small. We're not discriminating in that regard. If
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  Speaker 2: the station and Open Pants Nebraska wants to be an affiliate,
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  Speaker 2: we will sign them up.
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  Speaker 1: Open Pants Nebraska ever been there? Is that an actual town?
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  Speaker 2: It is not.
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  Speaker 1: How about Intercourse, Pennsylvania. There I have been Blue Balls,
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  Speaker 1: Pennsylvania not too far away. So it all kicks off
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  Speaker 1: at twelve oh one tomorrow morning, twelve o'clock, straight up,
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  Speaker 1: straight up, and you'll be hearing news from us all
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  Speaker 1: over the country.
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  Speaker 2: Michael Wallace, even though it's not his regular shift, will
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  Speaker 2: be coming in to do the midnightscast.
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  Speaker 1: And how many stations will we be on tonight when
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  Speaker 1: he kicks off?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I believe several dozen by the time done. Yes, well, congratulations,
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  Speaker 2: But most importantly, we will clear on a top rated
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  Speaker 2: station and the number one market in the country on
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  Speaker 2: day one.
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  Speaker 1: That would be this one amazing. I got to tell you, man,
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  Speaker 1: I had no idea how big this was. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: being sarcastic of being dead serious. Congratulations to you and
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  Speaker 1: John Katzmatitis and Chad Lopez and all the folks that
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  Speaker 1: put this together. This is this is a very big
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  Speaker 1: deal for us. All this does for us is show
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the world, how good we are and
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  Speaker 1: how we get deliver not just entertaining talk shows like
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  Speaker 1: this one, but straight up news all over the world.
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  Speaker 2: And John Katsimatidis wants to tell the story of America,
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  Speaker 2: the correct story of America, to the world, and eventually
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  Speaker 2: this will be done through the Worldwide News Network.
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  Speaker 1: The world Wise Worldwide News Network. I would imagine when
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  Speaker 1: it who were placed at BBC two right, Oh, yes,
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  Speaker 1: and by eventually I mean pretty soon, pretty soon. Well,
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  Speaker 1: congratulations a Voice of America.
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  Speaker 2: Radio Free Europe. Yeah, the outlets that used to tell
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  Speaker 2: the story to the world, and not in a propagandistic
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  Speaker 2: manner matter, just the facts.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I go to Europe all the time. I'm astonished by
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  Speaker 2: the things I hear from educated people there. What they
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  Speaker 2: don't know. They think that poor people don't have health
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  Speaker 2: care and die in the streets. They don't understand that
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  Speaker 2: New York City alone has twenty three hospitals for the indigent,
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  Speaker 2: and some of them you want to go to, depending
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  Speaker 2: on your problem, even if you can afford better. If
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  Speaker 2: you ever get a sucking gunshot, wounds of the chest,
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  Speaker 2: ask them to take you to King's County Hospital. They
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  Speaker 2: know what to do about that.
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  Speaker 1: They don't know You're right, well, they get a lot
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  Speaker 1: of Presbyterian not so much, right right, go there for
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  Speaker 1: other stuff. You're right. Are you going to do any
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  Speaker 1: of the news yourself? Because you still have the pipes?
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  Speaker 2: Man?
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  Speaker 1: You still sound great, great.
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  Speaker 2: I might have promised the management that I'd come on
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  Speaker 2: one time a day. I'm hoping they forgot about that.
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  Speaker 1: No, you should be on. I got a lot of
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  Speaker 1: admin works today, but you sound great still. You should
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  Speaker 1: be on a little bit and people know the name
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  Speaker 1: Lee Harris all over the country. I'll pop in now
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  Speaker 1: and again. All right, super well, congratulations. Honestly, this is
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  Speaker 1: a great, great job you guys have done, and it's
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  Speaker 1: exciting for WABC and all these affiliates around the country.
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  Speaker 1: Lee Harris, congratulations, like you said, means a lot coming
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  Speaker 1: from you. I love Lee Harris. My one year at
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  Speaker 1: ten ten wins, which I talked about many many times,
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  Speaker 1: Lee Harris was so good to me and I was
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  Speaker 1: so nervous. I was so nervous Lee and Judy DeAngelis
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  Speaker 1: and the whole crew, Ben Meverack, but he was terrific
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  Speaker 1: and he really is, or getting aside, one of the
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  Speaker 1: all time great news voices, walking and nervous with the
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  Speaker 1: Oh come on right, I mean, I'm doing sports my
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  Speaker 1: whole life. I'm walking into ten ten wins with these people.
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  Speaker 1: And what happened was they built this little thing from
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  Speaker 1: me in my den in Boca Raton, Florida. So I
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  Speaker 1: did the entire year on ten ten wins from Florida.
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  Speaker 1: I wasn't here to see them, No, I did. So
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  Speaker 1: they wanted me to start the first week by meeting them,
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  Speaker 1: and you know, when out for lunch, got to know
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  Speaker 1: him because, as you know, even though you're on the air,
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  Speaker 1: you have to kind of form that relationship. Yes, so
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  Speaker 1: my first week at ten ten wins, I was here
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  Speaker 1: the same building on Hudson Street, right down the hallway
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  Speaker 1: from w f A N. And I knew that that
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  Speaker 1: plays very very well. It's literally on the same floor. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: I've seen it. So I'm used to going left to
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  Speaker 1: talk sports. Now I make a right turn to talk news,
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  Speaker 1: and I was scared to death. Well there's the question,
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  Speaker 1: were they How were they to you? Very nice? Lee
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  Speaker 1: was great, Judy was great, you know, but it was
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  Speaker 1: still different from me, and I wasn't very good at it.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be honest, I really wasn't okay did they look
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  Speaker 1: at you and go like But they figured out very
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  Speaker 1: very quickly that A I had a huge loyal audience
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  Speaker 1: and B what I was able to do, which Ben
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  Speaker 1: Meverrock and Mark churn Off Love was bringing in money.
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  Speaker 1: Me you no disrespect to Mark Arne in that spot.
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  Speaker 1: But all of a sudden, New York business had started
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: calling and saying I want to hop on with Sid.
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  Speaker 1: So soda stream just started. Back then they hopped on
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  Speaker 1: and one eight hundred Flowers and Pajama Graham. So all
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  Speaker 1: of my sports updates were was sponsored and they were
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: making pretty good money. So the fact that I got
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  Speaker 1: a lot of stuff wrong, I told you this before,
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: I'd say, uh, And the Mets get set to host
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: of Pirates tonight. Now I'm in Boca. I get a
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: text two seconds later, No, Sid, they're in Pittsburgh. And
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  Speaker 1: I hate to tell you this, but you know want
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  Speaker 1: in New York. You need to know this. I'm like,
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  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Ben, And then I would do it again
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  Speaker 1: the very next day. But that's not like you. No,
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  Speaker 1: that's not like back then I was. It was different.
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  Speaker 1: It was you know. Now I'm a lot different. But
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  Speaker 1: back then I was, like I said, I was nervous.
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  Speaker 1: It was early in the morning. I'm my den in
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  Speaker 1: Boca all by myself on WINS on the way to
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  Speaker 1: uh someone in Miami to do my midday show, the
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  Speaker 1: actual local midday show. It was. It was a wild time.
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  Speaker 1: And I did all that because Turnoff thought that was
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  Speaker 1: the best way to get me back into the CBS family,
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  Speaker 1: to eventually get me back to w f A N
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  Speaker 1: which didn't happen. Oh no, tried, he tried, he put me.
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  Speaker 1: You know, the summer of twenty fourteen, for example, I
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: did forty shows. I practically lived here. I moved into
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  Speaker 1: my sister Ray Showian Albert's house and no basin. I
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: never went home for the whole summer. I was filling
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: in for Boomer and Craig in the morning with Kim Jones.
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  Speaker 1: I was filling in for Joe and Evan in the
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  Speaker 1: middays with Mark Meleusis. I even filled in a couple
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: of times for Mike Brancessa. I was there basically every day.
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  Speaker 1: There was one day, because I did my midday show
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  Speaker 1: in Miami from the epmey En Studios, there was one
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  Speaker 1: day where I did the morning show for Boomer and Craig,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: went into a different studio, hosted my four hour local
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  Speaker 1: show down in Miami, and then stayed that night to
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: fill in for Damon and Mendelara and do the night
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: show on the CBS Radio Network. Twelve hours of live
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  Speaker 1: radio in one day and still broke. Yes, not enough.
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  Speaker 1: We got to take a break. Thank you, Lee Harris.
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  Speaker 1: Congratulations again to John and Chad and WABC. I really
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: had no idea how big this thing is. It's a
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: big deal. It is a very big deal. The worldwide
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: news network all gets going midnight tonight here on WABC.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Sit and Friends in the morning.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: You can hear Sit and Friends in the morning weekday
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: mornings at six. If you like the podcast, share it
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: with your friends and listen anytime at wabcradio dot com
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: and download the WABC Radio app.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: Hit that subscribe button on all major podcasts platforms. Plus,
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: follow WABC on social on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: see you next time for a new episode, so you
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: never have to wonder what the heck is going on
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: here