Longtime Sportscaster George Michael Dies

George Michael, the longtime NBC4 sports anchor and friend of Elliot in the Morning passed away early Thursday morning at Sibley Hospital in DC. George had been battling cancer. He was 70 years old.



Known for his boisterous, energetic storytelling and sense of humor, Michael served as sports director for WRC-TV, NBC's D.C. affiliate, for 27 years. Started as a local program in the early '80s, "The Sports Machine" was syndicated in 1984 and aired Sunday nights across the country for more than two decades.

"George Michael was our friend and colleague for more than 25 years,” NBC4 said in a statement released Thursday morning. “He was a dynamic force around our newsroom and in the entire Washington area. George was a pioneer in sports broadcasting. He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller and one of the hardest working journalists out there. Our hearts go out to his wife, Pat, and his daughter, Michelle, both of whom also worked with us for many years, as well as the rest of his family.”

Michael also created and hosted the popular "Redskins Report" and "Full Court Press," the former co-hosted by former Washington Redskins greats Sonny Jurgensen and John Riggins. He launched the television careers of numerous national sports personalities, including Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.

And when it came to getting a Redskins coach to talk, Michael's access was unrivaled.

He brought unique life to his segments with coverage of sports like rodeo, professional wrestling and the terrier races.

A St. Louis native who graduated from Saint Louis University, Michael was a rock and roll disc jockey in Philadelphia in the late '60s and early '70s before moving to WABC in New York in 1974. He came to WRC-TV in 1980.

AUDIO:

George was last on Elliot in the Morning in April 2009, however, the following audio is from November, 17th, 2006 and is one of my favorites. George had just made his retirement announcement at WRC and Elliot called to talk with him about it.

As usual, Elliot and George spoke about everything else in between. Oddly enough, George commented about his November 2005 horseback riding accident in which he was severely injured. George said he, "Saw the other side and wasn't afraid."

R.I.P. George Michael

UPDATE:
EITMonline.com pays tribute to George Michael...

Let It Snow!

The white stuff is falling from Richmond to DC...



Have a safe and happy holidays ya'll! EITM will return on January 4th, 2010.

Stay tuned for my year-end wrap-up with audio and pictures galore!

On The Last Show of 2009...

This will be Elliot's last show of the year...



Brandon Noble will be on to cover Week 15 in the NFL.

Elliot will give away $500 when you hear Lou Monte's holiday classic, "Dominick The Donkey."

Though there is no Secret Santa again this year, Tyler and Kyle will perform their annual singing of "Christmas Shoes." Can't wait! Click here to listen to their Christmas 2009 performance.

"Elliot's Papa John's Pick 5" Nets $45,000!

This past summer Elliot launched his annual Papa John's promotion for charity...



Listeners ordered a Large Pizza with up to 5 Toppings for only $12.99 and Papa John's donated one dollar to Elliot and Mike Green "So Kids Can" Program. The promotion ended September 7th, but is still listed...



Thursday morning, Brian from Papa John's presented Elliot with a check. There was a total of 44,276 specials sold and Papa John's rounded up, bringing their entire donation to a whopping $45,000!

I think I contributed to at least 10 pizzas!

Tyler & Kyle's Annual Holiday Tradition!

Friday morning Tyler and Kyle will continue an annual holiday tradition on Elliot in the Morning...

They will perform "Christmas Shoes" at the end of the show, sending EITM off on holiday vacation.

Listen to the promo that's been running all week...



Click here to listen to their Christmas 2009 performance.

On Thursday 12/17/09...

Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind will be on the show.

Elliot also talked with Al Galdi from ESPN 980 about Vinny Cerrato's abrupt resignation from the Washington Redskins.

On Wednesday 12/16/09...

There are no scheduled guests for Wednesday's show...

Charity Hockey Is Back...

Join Elliot on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at Kettler Capitals Iceplex for the annual charity hockey game between the United States Secret Service and the FBI...



Face-off is at 2:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Win Elliot's Christmas Cash!

Chingedy-ching!



All this week, when you hear Lou Monte's holiday classic, "Dominick The Donkey," call in to win "Elliot's Christmas Cash" AND a case of Miller Lite...

On Monday win $100! The song was played at 8:51AM.
On Tuesday win $200! The song was played at 8:40AM.
On Wednesday win $300! The song was played at 8:09AM.
On Thursday win $400! The song was played at 9:20AM.
On Friday win $500!

In case you don't know the song, listen to it below...

On Tuesday 12/15/09...

John Basedow from Fitness Made Simple will be on the show.

More Technical Difficulties for EITM!

This seems to happen every few months...

Technical difficulties forced Elliot in the Morning to end the show early on Monday. It happened at 9:17AM as Diane was doing news. Her last words heard on-air were "VFW" before the broadcast went silent. Internet listeners may have been able to hear the show though.

Tyler tweeted soon after, "Done for the day. Sorry! Technical difficulties strike again."

No word yet if this will affect the broadcast for Tuesday morning.

On Monday 12/14/09...

Chris Cooley will be on to talk about the Redskins' win over the Oakland Raiders.

On Friday 12/11/09...

Brandon Noble will be on to cover Week 14 of the NFL.

Dirtwoman's 'Hamaganza' This Weekend!

Richmond's 14th annual Hamaganza is back and Dirtwoman will be there...



The event is the train wreck you can't help but watch, but it's to raise money and hams for the Central Virginia Food Bank. Don't miss the rock holiday show everyone will be talking about!

Friday Night: Friends and Family Night
Poe's Pub
2706 E. Main St.
From 9pm - Midnight
Admission: $5 or a Ham

Saturday Night: The Main Event
Capital Ale House
623 E. Main St.
From 9pm - Midnight
Admission: $10 or a Ham

Bring your friends and help Dirtwoman make this year the best Hamaganza ever! Click here for more info!

On Thursday 12/10/09...

Bryan Voltaggio from Top Chef: Las Vegas will be on the show.

On Wednesday 12/09/09...

Lisa Ling will be on to talk about her upcoming National Geographic special Narco State.

On Tuesday 12/08/09...

Former NHL player Theo Fleury will be on to talk about his book Playing With Fire.

DC101's Festivus Canceled!

DC101's Festivus featuring Weezer and Jack's Mannequin on December 9th has been canceled...



Weezer singer-guitarist Rivers Cuomo has been hospitalized for minor injuries after his tour bus skidded off the road in upstate New York over the weekend. The band has canceled the rest of their December tour dates.

Elliot made the announcement Monday morning. Ticket information will be announced soon...

Update from DC101.com:

"Weezer have cancelled the rest of their December tour dates after frontman Rivers Cuomo's tourbus skidded off an icy road on Sunday morning. Refunds for purchased tickets can be made at point of purchase. Tickets purchased online and by phone will automatically be refunded."

On Monday 12/07/09...

No tease was recorded for Monday...



Chris Cooley will be on to talk about the Redskins vs. Saints game on Sunday.

EITM's Guys' Night Out Pics!

EITM's Guys' Night Out took place last Monday at H Street Country Club and the Rock and Roll Hotel...








Click here for more pics from EITM's Guys' Night Out.

Related: [EITM's Guys' Night Out!]

Elliot Flips Mike Duco The Bird!

From the Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers game Thursday night...



Elliot greeted Mike Duco of the Florida Panthers with a friendly hello, as wife Jacquie looks on.

[Photo Source]

On Friday 12/04/09...

Brandon Noble will be on to cover Week 13 of the NFL.

On Thursday 12/03/09...

George McPhee, GM of the Washington Capitals will check in.

Jason Bitner will be on to talk about his book Cassette From My Ex.

On Wednesday 12/02/09...

EITM political analyst Patricia Murphy will be on to cover the Obama speech.

On Tuesday 12/01/09...

No tease recorded for Tuesday...



Author David Baldacci will be in-studio for his book True Blue.

On Monday 11/30/09...

EITM returns...



Chris Cooley will be on to cover the Redskins game.

Jesse Ventura will be on for his new show Conspiracy Theory.

Elliot will announce a new promotion with the Washington Capitals.

Tiger Down Under

Tiger came, he saw and he most definitely conquered. His trip to Australia was a success in every which way. It was as good a public relations as exercise as you could hope for. Everyone loved him, everyone behaved themselves and he won the tournament. Most importantly was that Tiger had a good time. It was his first trip back to Australia in 10 years and it was well worth the wait.

It was also a huge shot in the arm for Australian golf. In the 1970s the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player would go down under to play but in recent years not only have the international stars been avoiding going to Australia but many of the big name Australians haven’t been playing. This has meant that golf in Australia was suffering.

Australia loves its sports and loves to prove itself on the global stage. It hosted the 2000 Olympics which are one of the best games of the modern era. Brilliantly organized, they were basically flawless.

In addition to that, Australia hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2006 Commonwealth Games which took place in Melbourne. Australia is also looking to host the World Cup. Soccer betting isn’t sure what to make of Australia’s chances but the biggest sporting tournament of them all has never been to Australia and it deserves to.

Australia would make a great fist of it as it does with most sporting events that it hosts. The spotlight is going to be South Africa to see how it fares with the 2010 World Cup and Rio with the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

Before then, Vancouver has the 2010 Winter Olympics and London the 2012 Summer Olympics. Both of these games should be enjoyable as both of these cities seem to be well ahead in terms of planning.

The truth of the matter is that it is becoming harder and harder to host a huge international sporting event. Not only do you have to be able to host all of the athletes, but the spectators and media. You need the stadia to be big enough and you need transportation to carry the spectators to and from the sport. The days of Helsinki and St Louis hosting the Olympics seem to be well and truly over. Likewise you won’t think that Chile, Sweden and Switzerland won’t be hosting another World Cup, at least not by themselves.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about harness betting.

On Wednesday 11/25/09...

Last show before Thanksgiving...



Mark Steines from Entertainment Tonight will be on the show.

Brandon Noble will on to set up Week 12 in the NFL.

Wes Anderson will be on to talk about his movie Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Flounder will have people in to FRY A TURKEY!!!

On Tuesday 11/24/09...

Chris Cooley will be back on the show with an update.

On Monday 11/23/09...

Chris Cooley will be on to talk about the Redskins game.

On Friday 11/20/09...

Tyler fills in for Elliot...



Brandon Noble will be on to cover Week 11 of the NFL.

Eva Mendes will also check in.

On Thursday 11/19/09...

Mark Steines from Entertainment Tonight will check in.

EITM's Guys' Night Out!

Elliot has introduced EITM's Guys's Night Out...



Uh, let's try that again. Introducing EITM's Guys' Night Out! Hi Eric!



On November 30th, Elliot takes over H Street in DC for Food, Drinks, Ashton Cigars and a Round of Golf at H Street Country Club. You will also attend a private concert with Skindred at the Rock & Roll Hotel! You must be 21+ and a DUDE! No chicks...

Listen to win your passes for you and a MALE guest!

Click here for more info on EITM's Guy's Night Out!

On Wednesday 11/18/09...

Comedian and friend of the show Jim Gaffigan will be on the show.

The Kin will also play live in-studio.

On Tuesday 11/17/09...

Elliot is back...



Ty Burrell from Modern Family will check in with the show.

Quinton Aaron will be on to talk about his movie The Blind Side.

On Monday 11/16/09...

EITM returns from South Africa...



No tease was recorded, so please enjoy the EITM commercial above!

Chris Cooley will be on the show Monday morning.

Hail to the Redskins!

Happy Friday the 13th!

EITM Broadcasts Live From Africa!

Already tired of Best Of? You're in luck...



EITM will broadcast LIVE from South Africa on Thursday and Friday!

Diane Shakes It, African Style!

Diane was pulled up on stage while at a restaurant in South Africa...



Luckily for us, a listener traveling with EITM caught it all on tape!

See more pics and video from EITM's South African Safari trip here.

EITM Made It To South Africa!

EITM has made it safely to South Africa! Tyler gives us an update...



The show will be in "Best Of" on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. EITM will then broadcast live from the heart of Pilanesberg National Park just outside of Sun City, South Africa on Thursday and Friday.

Follow EITM's South African adventure on their Twitter page here.

November Reign

The year might be winding down but still there is plenty of top quality sport to be played. The big news at the moment is the World Series. The Yankees just clinched their 27th World Series title. They defeated the Phillies to break their nine year droughts

Elsewhere, the final phase of World Cup qualifying resumes after a bit of a break. There are playoffs in Europe to decide who the final four representatives will be. None of these playoffs are going to easy nor will the other ones which include New Zealand taking on Bahrain and Costa Rica playing Uruguay.
The final round of qualifying in Africa will decide their five representatives.

Rugby league may be finished in Australia, but the Australian side is in England taking on New Zealand, England and France. There may be no NRL until March but that hasn’t stopped the Melbourne Storm from being the favourite in NRL betting.

The Australian rugby union side is also in England. They are on their northern tour as are New Zealand and South Africa.

A new NBA season has just begun. The big question will be if Shaquille O’Neal can combine with LeBron James to bring a title to success-starved Cleveland. Will it be the LA Lakers again or will the San Antonio Spurs be up there? The season is very early but already the Celtics, Nuggets and Suns look the goods. Meanwhile the Nets and Pacers are struggling.
The NFL season is nearly halfway over. The Pats, Colts and Broncos look the teams to beat in the AFC. In the NFC the Vikings and Saints are the front runners. As always it will be an exciting finale to the season.

Tennis is winding down but there is still the Davis Cup final where Spain will host the Czech Republic. Apart from that there is the Paris Masters and the ATP finals to take place in London.

In cricket, everyone is heading to the southern hemisphere. England will be in South Africa while both Pakistan and West Indies will be going to Australia. As always it will be an interesting season in Australia. They are still nursing their wounds after the Ashes and will be keen to bounce back. They are still looking for a spinner as well as someone to replace Andrew Symonds. It remains to be seen what kind of opposition the two teams will pose for Australia.

David Wiseman writes about sport for this blog. When he isn't doing that he can be found greyhound betting.

The Class Leaves For Africa Today!

Elliot and The Class leave for Africa today...



EITM is taking listeners on a South African Safari all next week!

The flight will depart at 5:40pm from Dulles Internatioal Airport. They will arrive in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday where they will stay at The Commodore Hotel through Wednesday.

From there Elliot and crew will make there way to Johannesburg, South Africa where they will stay at the Bakubung Bush Lodge. While there, they will visit Sun City and go on two safaris.

EITM will play "Best Of" from Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, Elliot broadcasts live from the Backabung Bush Lodge.

Click here for more on EITM's African Safari with Ronnie Mervis.

On Friday 11/06/09...

A New York Yankees shirt fills in for Elliot...



Brandon Noble will be on to cover Week 9 of the NFL.

Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats will be on.

More African Safari details and a possible 'He Died, You Win'...

Elliot Reveals "Channel" Change! (AUDIO)

Yesterday, Elliot told his listeners that EITM would no longer be carried on Channel 104.3 in Baltimore. By 10am, the former alt-rock station had already flipped formats while Elliot was still on the air...

Below, is the last 30-minutes of Wednesday's Elliot In The Morning show which includes his entire Channel 104.3 announcement and also Diane's Dirt which Baltimore was unable to hear one last time:

Please let me know if you have any trouble hearing the audio. Enjoy!

Related: [Elliot's Last Day On Channel 104.3!] [Channel 104.3 Flips To Z104.3!]

On Thursday 11/05/09...

Peter Pocklington will talk about his book I'd Trade Him Again.

Mark Steines from Entertainment Tonight will check in.

Channel 104.3 Flips To Z104.3!

Channel 104.3 is now...er...uh...



When Elliot informed listeners Wednesday morning that EITM would no longer be heard on Channel 104.3, something didn't feel right. Elliot was still on-air when the plug was pulled in Baltimore...

Just after 10am, Clear Channel dumped the alt-rock format from WCHH, Channel 104.3 FM, in favor of soul oldies/urban adult Charm 104.3 "Baltimore's Best R&B"...

However, the first flip turned out to be a clever radio stunt...



Channel 104.3 is now contemporary hit radio Z104.3 "Baltimore's New Hit Music Channel." The station will be commercial free with 10,000 songs in a row for a while. The new website is Z1043.com.

Update:
Email from Channel 104.3:

Thank you for supporting Baltimore's Channel 104.3! Everyone at Channel 104.3 would like to take this opportunity to thank you for listening and supporting us since we came on the air in May of 2008. We couldn't have done it without you, nor could we have asked for more passionate music fans like you. Unfortunately, today we must say goodbye to Baltimore's Alternative - Channel 104.3 as WCHH makes way for a new Baltimore radio station at 104.3 FM. We hope that you'll check out the new station. Elliot In The Morning and your favorite Alternative music can still be heard in Baltimore on DC101. You can also listen to Elliot In The Morning, DC101 and other great music formats at iheartradio. Check it out here and download the free app to your iPhone or BlackBerry.

Update 2:
In industry news...

- CCR flips WCHH-FM/Baltimore to CHR as "Z104.3" [Radio Online]
- Alternative WCHH Now Top 40 Z104.3 [All Access]
- Clear Channel Launches CHR Z104.3 In Baltimore [FMBQ]
- CC Radio debuts CHR Z104.3 in Baltimore [Radio Business Report]

Update 3:
EITMfans looks back at Channel 104.3:

- May 23, 2008: Elliot In The Morning on "Channel 104.3"!
- May 25, 2008: Baltimore's New Home for EITM!
- May 27, 2008: It's Official!
- August 21, 2008: Channel 104.3 Rides The Bus!
- August 28, 2008: TY Joins Channel 104.3!
- November 18, 2008: Channel 104.3 In Jeopardy?
- January 26, 2009: Channel 104.3 Changes Signal!
- March 16, 2009: Fate Of Channel 104.3 Up In Air!
- May 22, 2009: Channel 104.3 Turns A Year Old!

Elliot In The Morning can be heard on DC101 and 102.1 The X.

Elliot's Last Day On Channel 104.3!

Breaking News...



Wednesday morning, Elliot asked a Channel 104.3 listener to call in. Bill from Baltimore was on the line when Elliot broke the news...

Elliot In The Morning will no longer be heard on Channel 104.3!



"Today will be the show's last day on 104.3 in Baltimore," Elliot said. He attributed the change to Channel 104.3's dismal ratings and that DC101 does better in that market. "The ratings suck...the good news is that DC101 has always covered Baltimore," he said.

Elliot said that he was furious about the news but asked that all of his Baltimore listeners switch back over to DC101.

Update:
Elliot played "No Way Back" by Foo Fighters after a commercial break. That was the first song played on Channel 104.3 after the flip to alt-rock back in May 2008. More as I get it...

Update 2:
Shortly before 10am, Elliot said, "Baltimore, I have a feeling that they will turn the plug at exactly 10:00 am, so I dont' know if you will hear us when we get back from break." He then urged all of his Baltimore listeners to tune in on DC101 tomorrow.

Update 3:
From EITMonline.com:

“I have a feeling that they will pull the plug at exactly 10:00 a.m.” Unfortunately, today was the show’s last morning on Channel 104.3/WCHH-FM in Baltimore. If you started listening to us on Channel or switched when Channel launched in May of ‘08, thank you very much. Hopefully, you’ll continue to listen on our flagship station, DC101/101.1/WWDC-FM, out of Washington, DC. Now, for those of you who are north of Baltimore or on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I realize that this is going to prove frustrating and next to impossible, but please remember that you can always listen to the show live at dc101.com or via the iheartradio app, which is now available for iPhone and Blackberry users at iheartradio.com.

Update 4:
Click here to listen to Elliot's announcement.

On Wednesday 11/04/09...

EITM political correspondent Patricia Murphy will be on the show.