Pete Franklin Passes Away

Chunky

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Dec 10, 2004, 5:32:06 AM12/10/04

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Radio sports talk host Pete Franklin dead at 76

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pioneering sports radio talk show host Pete
Franklin, who worked in San Francisco, Cleveland and New York, has died
after a long illness. He was 76.

Franklin died Nov. 23 in California, KNBR in San Francisco said on Thursday.

Franklin was known for his rough treatment of callers, whom he would
sometimes abruptly dismiss with audio of a flush of a toilet.

"No one ever before had come onto the Bay Area airwaves like this," said
Bob Agnew, program director at KNBR. "He was like a grandpa off the air
and a tiger on the air."

Franklin, who used the on-air nickname "The King," worked at WWWE in
Cleveland in the 1970s and '80s before heading to New York as afternoon
drive-time host at WFAN, the nation's first 24-hour sports radio station.

Franklin later worked at KNBR and returned to WWWE briefly in 1998 when
the station landed the Cleveland Indians broadcasts, said Ray Davis,
program director at WTAM, formerly known as WWWE. Franklin ended his
career in 2000 at KNBR.

Franklin is survived by his wife, Pat, and two children.

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/sports-12/1102643347122730.xml&storylist=cleveland

waybel

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Dec 10, 2004, 9:14:44 AM12/10/04

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He was great in his day.PIGSKIN PETE PREDICTS.Could get WWWE way up here in
Ottawa at night.Used to listen to him in the 80's and got me hooked on the
Browns with Sipe and the Cardiac Kids.Wish the team was half as exciting
these days!!
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Daniel Miller

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Dec 11, 2004, 11:39:24 AM12/11/04

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I have a picture of him that I took outside Municipal Stadium around '77.
He winced at me and asked, "...why do you want a picture of me for?...".
Quite humble 'off the air'. That stayed with me all this time.

I loved how he referred to the town of the Steelers......PITTSPUKE!
Hilarious! And of course, Mike Trivisonno (Mr. Know-It-All, in those days)
has MUCH to be remorseful about.....Pete put him on the map!

God Bless and rest your soul, Pete!

Dan

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Elmer Pintar

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Dec 11, 2004, 9:48:24 PM12/11/04

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I used to call Pete in the early 70's a lot. And he would have the
all-night show on WERE before going to 1100. And on the WERE show, it
was open topic, and anything went.

Elmer Pintar

Chunky

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Dec 12, 2004, 2:22:06 AM12/12/04

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I remember him going to open topic on WERE after sportsline ended at 11
pm. I remember a really bad, fast approaching thunderstorm in early
July 1969, when several boaters got caught off guard on Lake Eire and
huge trees were knocked down. He stayed on the air well into the morning
hours, keeping folks advised. When he closed his show, he'd always
play a tune by Jimmy Derante. On WWWE, he'd have skits produced about
the local sports scene, whether Tribe, Cavs, or Indians. He'd always do
a great interview with Art Modell, although in those days, he'd always
defend Modell. He really went after Cavs owner Ted Stepien. He
probably would have been tops on the air here to the end, had he stayed
in Cleveland, and not decided to take the job at WFAN in New York.