Andrew Pollin (born August 3, 1958)
is an American radio and TV personality. He currently co-hosts, with
Rob Long
Robert Long is an American writer and television producer in Hollywood. As a screenwriter and executive producer for the long-running television program ''Cheers'', he received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in 1992 and 1993. Long created th ...
, about half of the episodes of The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report on
MASN
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is an American regional sports network owned as a joint venture between two Major League Baseball franchises, the Baltimore Orioles (which owns a controlling 77% interest) and the Washington Nationals (which ...
. He helped launch
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
sports talk station
WTEM
WTEM (980 AM) is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Washington metropolitan area as the flagship station of the Washington Wizards. WTEM is also the co-flagship st ...
in 1992 and held the title of Sports Director until being let go in January 2017. He joined WJFK 106.7 The Fan in February 2017 and now hosts The Andy Pollin show with Thom Lovero For 13 years, Pollin co-hosted ''The Sports Reporters'' with Steve Czaban, until getting sacked in July, 2013. The last "Sports Reporters" aired July 31, 2013. He acted as sidekick on ''
The Tony Kornheiser Show
''The Tony Kornheiser Show'' is a sports podcast talk show out of Washington, D.C., hosted by Tony Kornheiser, which was originally a sports radio talk show appeared on WTEM from 1992 to 1997; on ESPN Radio between 1998 and 2004; back on WTEM f ...
'' between 1992 and 2006. He also co-hosted ''GameDay'' with
Mel Kiper Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks.
Career
Kiper said th ...
on
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN" ...
between 1998 and 2004.
Biography
Pollin grew up in
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place ( Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in t ...
and graduated from
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a State school, public High school (North America), high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is named for two of the towns it serves; it also serves Kensington, Maryland, Kensington and Silver Sprin ...
in 1976. After enrolling in
American University he became involved in that school's radio station and left to start his radio career in Beaumont, Texas. He later graduated from
Trinity University in San Antonio.
Pollin served as reporter for sports talk radio pioneer
WFAN
WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
from its inception in 1987 until leaving for WTEM. Prior to that he reported for the
UPI Radio Network in Washington, D.C. (1983–1987), and WFAA-AM in Dallas (1981–1983).
Pollin is the co-author of ''The Great Book of Washington, D.C. Sports Lists'' with Leonard Shapiro.
When Pollin was with ''
The Tony Kornheiser Show
''The Tony Kornheiser Show'' is a sports podcast talk show out of Washington, D.C., hosted by Tony Kornheiser, which was originally a sports radio talk show appeared on WTEM from 1992 to 1997; on ESPN Radio between 1998 and 2004; back on WTEM f ...
'' on
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN" ...
, he was nicknamed "Andy Polley." A listener angered by Pollin's comments about baseball player
Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. H ...
had called the show and mispronounced Pollin's name, screaming, "Andy Polley, you are an idiot!" Show producer Denis Horgan Jr. recorded the "Andy Polley"
soundbite
A sound bite or soundbite is a short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full length piece. In the context of journalism, a sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence ...
and the staff often aired it when Pollin spoke.
The nickname stuck, and the gag was later extended into a now-defunct website,
ww.andypolley.com which featured photos and comments about Pollin often related to current Kornheiser radio shows. Polley evolved into a full character, who drives a beat-up old Honda, with orange juice on the leather seats.
Andy Polley's rules:
* AP Rule # 1: All computers are different.
* AP Rule # 2: Big screens skew the TV ratings. Big screens = lower rating with more people watching one TV
* AP Rule # 3: Leather seats in your car are a waste of $$.
* AP Rule # 4: $200 a year for his clothing allowance.
Although no longer hosting a program of his own, he is working for ESPN 980 (formerly WTEM) as a summer fill in for Kornheiser.
Pollin was moved to WTEM's sister station,
WSPZ 570AM, and is doing a solo show from 6am to 9am on weekdays.
On January 20, 2017, Pollin left WTEM when his contract expired. Pollin wrote an article in ''The Washington Post'' to reflect his 25-year sports radio career on the Washington D.C. airwaves.
Pollin now hosts a show with Thom Lovero on 106.7 The Fan DC on Saturdays and Sundays.
In July 2019, Pollin left 106.7 The Fan to be ESPN 630's morning update anchor during the station's broadcasts of ESPN's “Golic & Wingo Show” weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. while also providing features for the station.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollin, Andy
American sports radio personalities
20th-century American Jews
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
1958 births
21st-century American Jews