You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting

by Rich Podolsky

Overview

You Are Looking Live! is about the genesis, success and magic of a live television show that in 1975 captured the excitement of the country, and launched four magnetic personalities to stardom: Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross and Jimmy The Greek Snyder. It was truly a piece of Americana. It was the first NFL studio show to go live and the first to have both a Black and female co-host. Those four personalities battled each other and the competition, and America loved them for it. This is the story of how Brent, Phyllis, Irv and Jimmy got there, their drama and front-page headlines, and what happened to them after the magic ended. Those headlines included Brent and The Greek’s famous fight at Peartrees, Phyllis first marrying the man who produced The Godfather, then dropping him after two months for the next governor of Kentucky, and the shocking firing of Musburger on April Fool’s Day, 1990. America had never seen a show like this before. On the East Coast and the Midwest, people would literally rush home from church to hear what they had to say, and on the West Coast fans loved waking up to it. The NFL Today became so popular that it not only dominated the ratings, but also won its timeslot 18 straight years, from 1975 to 1993, until CBS lost its NFL package to Fox. And today, looking back, these four personalities, like any family, had their own battles, and became even more famous for them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493061419
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/15/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	599,162
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rich Podolsky has been an established writer and reporter since the 1970s, covering the Miami Dolphins and writing for The NFL Today. He has been a staff writer for CBS Sports, and has written for The Philadelphia Daily News, The Palm Beach Post, The Wilmington News-Journal, TV Guide and ESPN. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Keystone Press Award for writing excellence from the Pennsylvania Publishers Association. He has written about the business of sports on television many times and is a columnist for David Halberstam’s Sports Broadcast Journal. His passion for music of the ‘60s and ‘70s fueled his desire to write about it. In Don Kirshner: The Man with the Golden Ear (foreword by Tony Orlando), and Neil Sedaka, Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor (foreword by Elton John), he tells the inside story of their success.

Table of Contents

Foreword Jim Nantz vii

Author's Note ix

Chapter 1 CBS Sports: And That's the Way It Was 1

Chapter 2 Brent Musburger: The Natural 16

Chapter 3 Phyllis George: More Than a Pretty Face 25

Chapter 4 Bob Wussler: The Visionary 36

Chapter 5 Pearl and Fishman: They Made the Magic 50

Chapter 6 Jimmy The Greek: His Life and Times 62

Chapter 7 Irv Cross: Mr. Reliable 73

Chapter 8 On the Road: Live! from Miami 83

Chapter 9 Jayne Kennedy: The Greatest Talent Hunt Since Scarlett O'Hara 96

Chapter 10 The Fight at Peartrees 109

Chapter 11 AI Michaels's Wild and Crazy Year at CBS 121

Chapter 12 Phyllis Gets Married … Again 127

Chapter 13 The Greek's Luck Finally Runs Out 135

Chapter 14 The Firing of Brent Musburger 144

Chapter 15 Greg Gumbel: Filling Brent's Shoes 149

Chapter 16 Who Let the FOX In? 160

Chapter 17 Jim Nantz: The Future of CBS Sports Arrives 164

Epilogue: Where They Are, Where They Went 178

Notes 200

Index 209

Acknowledgments 224

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Hiring Phyllis (George) was a bold, gutsy brilliant move. The chemistry on the set worked wonderfully and the result was the gold standard for pregame shows.”
— Howard Katz, former president of ABC Sports and member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame

“CBS and The NFL Today set the template. They invented the form. They have pioneer status. They got it right on their own terms first.”
—Bob Costas, member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame


“In YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE! Rich Podolsky has captured the rollicking, personal stories of everyone involved in The NFL Today. We get to know the people, the time, and how television worked. We also get to see how the big name personalities moved through their careers to unite on such a legendary show."
—Lesley Visser, first woman enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a former panelist on The NFL Today.


"The NFL Today took network sports television onto a new playing field that not only changed the television game but altered the way pro football saw itself and adjusted to a changing landscape. Decades later, the influence of "The NFL Today" continues to reshape pro football's existence and its survival."
—Neil Amdur—former 15-year sports editor of The New York Times and CBS
Sports producer.

“The NFL Today had America’s great cross section of personalities connecting fans to a sport in a manner we had never before seen. In the 60’s, Studio shows consisted of one anchor with an index card reading scores. The NFL Today took us out for LIVE reports, followed by The Greek’s take, which was must see for gamblers and fans alike. The interviews conducted by Phyllis were unforgettable, whether it was Namath discussing his bachelor pad, or Captain Comeback Roger Staubach admitting, “I love having sex as much as Joe Namath, but with just one woman.” The term “studio chemistry” was created by Brent & Irv. They were magical together! The Show became the standard by which all adjunct Studio Shows to live sporting events would be measured. In America’s heartland and the Bible Belt football fans were changing times they worshipped and hurrying home to see it. There’s not a Studio Show on any Network today that doesn’t owe The NFL Today a debt of thanks!” 
—Tim Brando, 40-year sports TV veteran who was the first host of ESPN’s College GameDay, studio host for CBS’ College Football Today and current play-by-play voice of the Fox Sports One.

Editorial Reviews

"Rich Podolsky’s You are Looking Live! gives readers an opportunity to relive those golden years of TV sports and get fascinating first-hand looks behind the scenes; the in-fighting, back-stabbing and shenanigans." - Sports Broadcast Journal

"In the end, You Are Looking LIVE! is a tribute to a piece of television history that became the blueprint for broadcast sports journalism as Podolsky states, “In the first year, the show became so popular that people rearranged their church-going schedules to be home." Overall, a recommended read to those who want to relive and learn about a piece of American broadcast history that became a fall and winter Sunday backdrop to millions and generations throughout the United States." - Boxscore News

From the Publisher

"Rich Podolsky’s You are Looking Live! gives readers an opportunity to relive those golden years of TV sports and get fascinating first-hand looks behind the scenes; the in-fighting, back-stabbing and shenanigans."

Sports Broadcast Journal

"In the end, You Are Looking LIVE! is a tribute to a piece of television history that became the blueprint for broadcast sports journalism as Podolsky states, “In the first year, the show became so popular that people rearranged their church-going schedules to be home." Overall, a recommended read to those who want to relive and learn about a piece of American broadcast history that became a fall and winter Sunday backdrop to millions and generations throughout the United States."

Boxscore News