WFAN has had a handful of sports media legends that have come through their building. From Greg Gumbel to Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Mike Francesca. Steve Somers outlasted all those guys.
During Thursday night’s edition of The Keith McPherson Show, McPherson was joined by Somers, the man he succeeded in the nighttime slot. During their conversation, “The Schmooze” gave his younger successor a lot of praise for his burgeoning career and being the star of a new show on MLB Network.
Somers shared a realization he has had since leaving the airwaves.
“In the five and a half months that I’ve been off the air, I’ve realized one very important thing and I think I can sum it up this way,” Somers said to McPherson. “People may not remember everything you said, people may not remember everything you did, but people will remember how you made them feel. I’m still getting some response and reaction from fans and thank goodness it’s all been positive.”
Steve Somers started his over 30-year run at WFAN at the station’s inception in 1987. He was synonymous with the overnight shift, where he developed his reputation as one of the funniest personalities on the station. He eventually moved on to mid-morning and then evening roles
Whether it was creating colorful catchphrases like “schmoooooozing S-P-O-R-T-S” or calling his favorite baseball team the New York Mets by their full name, the Metropolitans, drawing out the parts as Metro-Politans, Somers created a long-lasting impression on many listeners.
Schmooze continued talking to McPherson about not just how he made listeners feel, but said it was a reciprocal relationship between him and the caller.
“So many people that either listened and or called made me feel good. It works both ways as you know. The bottom line is that connection is so very important because radio is personal, and radio can be personal and intimate and, you know, if you get into knowing people and them knowing you, then you are really getting done as a host with radio.”
