In life, things happen for a reason.
As another saying goes, timing is everything.
And for Marc Malusis, both of those sayings certainly apply when you think about what he’s gone through over the last five or six months.
It was back in December when WFAN Radio in New York announced a new lineup that would start right after New Year’s. Malusis was co-hosting Moose and Maggie middays on the station with Maggie Gray, but he was informed that the show would not be part of the new schedule. Gray transitioned to a full-time hosting gig on CBS Sports Radio while Tiki and Tierney became the new midday show on WFAN.
Malusis wondered where his next opportunity would be.
“When the decision was made, yeah you think to yourself alright what’s next?” said Malusis. “For sure there’s a little bit of a mourning process.”
That mourning process didn’t last very long as Malusis was named in February to be the new lead sports anchor at WPIX Channel 11 in New York. In addition to his anchor duties, Malusis has also hosted a Sunday night show called New York Sports Nation along with Yankees Nation and a basketball show during the NBA season.
He’s also doing an opinion piece called “Moose on the Loose” every weeknight during the 6:30 news show.
“It’s been great,” said Malusis. “It’s been unbelievable. They’re expanding and doing a lot more sports. It’s been an absolute blast.”
Malusis, who continues to have a presence at WFAN doing weekend shows and will also continue in his role as pregame, halftime and post-game host for Rutgers University football radio broadcasts, has been able to make a seamless transition from full-time radio host to full-time television personality.
It’s certainly a different type of sportscasting that he’s used to, but 14 years of experience working for regional sports network SNY in New York, including fill-in anchor opportunities, certainly helped him for this opportunity.
“Moose” has gone from the land of long-form discussions of sports to a whole new world on television.
“It’s completely different,” said Malusis. “Going from doing radio, where you have so much time to kind of pontificate and talk and hammer home your point and now you don’t so you have to be a lot more condensed. I’m having a blast. I’m in New York. I’m on TV five days a week. I’m still talking about New York sports. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience so far.”
How Malusis landed at WPIX is proof of how important networking is, especially in broadcasting.
A number of years ago, Malusis was doing some digital television work for CBS Local where he worked for Todd Ehrlich, now the Sports Director at WPIX. Over the years, Malusis stayed in touch with him and with the combination of departing WFAN on a full-time basis and WPIX looking for a new full-time lead sports anchor, Ehrlich reached out to him.
“He was looking for someone who had a New York name, that had established a rapport with the New York sports fan, and had built a pretty good following in the city,” said Malusis. “He connected the dots and said I’d love for you to apply for this job.”
And, as the line from Seinfeld goes, yada, yada, yada Malusis landed the job at WPIX.
Another difference from working as a sports-talk radio host to being a television sports anchor is the increased opportunity to do some reporting out in the field. TV sports anchors are often at big events and in his brief time so far at WPIX, Malusis has taken advantage of that opportunity covering events like the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and New York Giants OTAs.
It’s one thing to have fun working in a studio, but sometimes it’s literally a “breath of fresh air” to get out in the field covering events and games.
“It’s not work,” said Malusis. “It’s awesome. It’s an amazing experience. It’s something that I’ve not done on the radio. I’ve never really gone out in the field on a regular basis. It’s so much fun. It’s really great it’s an experience that I never did on the radio that I get to do now.”
It was not exactly a “Happy New Year” for Marc Malusis after his full-time departure from WFAN, but a short time later he landed on his feet with a great opportunity at WPIX. Now, he has the best of both worlds working full-time in television while also keeping his toes in the radio waters with WFAN and Rutgers.
Life is certainly good these days for the “Moose”.
“I’ve got no complaints,” said Malusis. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now. I’m enjoying the experience and everything that comes along with it at PIX 11. To think about all of the men and women sportscasters in New York and now to throw my name in the mix, it’s really great. I’m as happy as the day is long.”
And in New York, the sports days are more than long enough to keep Malusis busy with his new gig.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
