Warner Wolf: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:03, 11 April 2007

Latest revision as of 17:10, 15 March 2025

(243 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|American sports broadcaster}}

[[Image:Warner_Wolf_WCBS_2003.jpg|thumb|Warner Wolf on WCBS in 2003 delivering his trademark line, "Let's go to the videotape!"]]

{{BLP sources|date=December 2010}}

'''Warner William Wolf''' (born [[November 11]], [[1937]]), is an [[United States|American]] television and radio sports broadcaster, best known for being a very popular local news sports anchor in [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[New York City]].

{{Infobox person

| image =

| image_size =

| name = Warner Wolf

| caption =

| birth_name = Warner William Wolf<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UY1cXTcka5kC&q=%22Warner+William+Wolf%22&pg=PA20 |title=Let's Go to the Videotape: All the Plays and Replays from My Life in Sports |first1=Warner |last1=Wolf |first2=Larry |last2=Weisman |page=20 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |year=2000|isbn=9780759523357 }}</ref>

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|11|11}}

| birth_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = [[Sportscaster]]

| spouse = Sue

| children = 2

| parents = Jack Wolf<br>Rosemary Wolf

| years_active = 1961–2016

}}

'''Warner William Wolf''' (born November 11, 1937) is an American television and radio sports broadcaster, perhaps best known as a local news sports anchor in [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[New York City]], and for his catchphrase "Let's go to the videotape!" He was also known for referring to the “foul pole” as the ”fair pole.”<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lookoutlee.blogspot.com/2004/06/warner-wolf.html?m=1|title= Warner Wolf - Same Old, Same Old | website=WTOPTV.COM }}</ref>

==Early life and career==

Wolf began as a radio broadcaster in 1961, doing news, weather, and sports for [[WLSI-AM]] in [[Pikeville, Kentucky]]. He then moved on to radio jobs in [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]] and [[Washington D.C.]] at [[WTOP-AM]] before landing a sports television role in 1965 at [[WUSA-TV|WTOP-TV]] in Washington. There he became very well-known and popular as the news sports anchor; he also did play-by-play announcing of local college and professional basketball, football, and baseball games.

Wolf was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Rosemary and Jack Wolf. His father, an actor and comedian who briefly worked as a member of [[Ted Healy]]'s "[[Ted Healy#Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen|stooge]]" act, was Jewish and his mother [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scftXupyA9kC&q=%22Warner+Wolf+is+the+three-time+Sportscaster+of+the+Year+who+coined+the%22&pg=PA172|title=Matzo Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish |first=Alan |last=King |page=172 |quote=Chp "Never Too Late to Become a Bar Mitzvah" &mdash;Warner Wolf <br />Warner Wolf is the three-time sportscaster who coined the catchphrase 'Let's go to the videotape!' Wolf was bar mitzvahed in 1986, at the age of 48. |date=2005 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=0743260740 }}

</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Jmba5SLuciwC&pg=174 Matzo Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish]</ref> His earliest experience in broadcasting was on the intercom system of [[Calvin Coolidge High School]] in Washington, D.C., in the 1950s. His upbeat, entertaining patter that was to become his trademark made his sports report a welcome treat for the kids.{{whom|date=January 2022}} During this period he worked part-time at Baker's Shoe Store downtown, as a salesman. Many customers must have been puzzled at the ballpark hawker's refrain of, "Get your hot dogs, get your hot doggies here" coming from the back storeroom. He was simply entertaining the staff and the customers, something he was to continue throughout his long career.

Wolf began as a radio broadcaster inon April 1, 1961, doing news, weather, and sports for [[WLSI|WLSI-AM]] in [[Pikeville, Kentucky]]., under the name Ken Wolf. He then moved on to radio jobs in [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]], at [[WEPM]], and [[Washington, D.C.]], at [[WFED|WTOP- (AM)]] before landing a sports television role in 1965 at [[WUSA-TV|WTOP-TV]] (now WUSA) in Washington. There he became very well- known and popular as the news sports anchor; he also did play-by-play announcing of local college and professional basketball,sports. footballHe retained his job as sports director at WTOP (AM) throughout the 1960s, andeven baseballannouncing games.occasionally on radio broadcasts of [[Washington Senators (1961–71)|Washington Senators]] games.

In 1975, Wolf gained an [[ABC Sports]] network role, working on ''[[Monday Night Baseball]]'' telecasts and as a host for coverage of football and the Olympics. Wolf's reception in those jobs was mixed, and he decided that he was best at the local news sports anchor role.

==ABC Sports==

He thus returned to that position with a job at [[WABC-TV]] in New York in 1976, and then in 1980 moved to rival New York station [[WCBS-TV]]. His move to WCBS resulted in a lawsuit, A''merican Broadcasting Co. v. Wolf'', in which ABC alleged that Wolf failed to negotiate in good faith and sought [[specific performance]] of their contract which would have kept Wolf off the air for two years. The [[New York Court of Appeals]] rejected ABC's argument, although they permitted ABC to seek relief in the form of monetary damages. He also broadcast live sports reports for [[Israel]]i television during the 1991 [[Gulf War]].

In 19751976, Wolf gained an [[ABC Sports]] network role, working on ''[[Monday Night Baseball]]'' telecasts<ref name=ykykuk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I4BIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gm0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2385%2C1883855 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Abrams |first=Al |title=Does yuk-yuk Uecker stand a chance? Tune in... |date=March 18, 1976 |page=14}}</ref> and as a host for coverage of football and the [[Olympics]]. Wolf's reception in those jobs was mixed, and he decided that he was best at the local news sports anchor role.

==WABC-TV and WCBS-TV==

He went back to [[WUSA-TV]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] as the sports anchor, replacing [[Glenn Brenner]] in June [[1992]]. He was dismissed in August [[1995]]. Between 1996 and 1997, Wolf was the guest host of ''The [[Tony Kornheiser]] Show'' on Thursdays on [[WTEM-AM]] until he moved to New York as a substitute sports anchor on ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' when the regular sports anchor, [[Mike Breen]], was away. Because of his work on ''Imus in the Morning'' and [[Don Imus]]' recommendation on the air continuously, Wolf went back to [[WCBS-TV]] as the sports anchor in [[1998]]. He stayed there until May [[2004]].

HeStill thusunder contract with ABC, Wolf returned to thatlocal positionsportscasting with a job at [[WABC-TV]] in New York in 1976, and then in 1980 moved to rival New York station [[WCBS-TV]]. His move to WCBS-TV resulted in a lawsuit, A''mericanAmerican Broadcasting Co. v. Wolf'', in which ABC alleged that Wolf failed to negotiate in good faith and sought [[specific performance]] of their contract which would have kept Wolf off the air for two years. The [[New York Court of Appeals]] rejected ABC's argument, although they permitted ABC to seek relief in the form of monetary damages. He also broadcast live sports reports for [[Israel]]i television during the 1991 [[Gulf War]].

==Return to WUSA-TV and ''Imus in the Morning''==

During this time he also continued to do some work in radio, giving sports reports on the nationally syndicated ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' program. Indeed Wolf broke the news of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the ''Imus'' show, since he saw the [[World Trade Center]] on fire from his [[lower Manhattan]] apartment. Wolf also covered the story for [[WCBS-TV]].

HeWolf went backreturned to Washington as the sports anchor at [[WUSA- (TV)|WUSA]], the former WTOP-TV, in June [[Washington,1992 D.C.in television|1992]]. asWolf the sports anchor, replacingsucceeded [[Glenn Brenner]], who died earlier that year and had replaced Wolf back in June1977 [[1992]].when he joined ABC Sports. He was dismissed in August [[1995]]. Between 1996November 1995 and 1997December 1996, Wolf was the guest host of ''The [[The Tony Kornheiser]] Show]]'' on Thursdays on [[WTEM-AM]] untiland sometimes he movedalso flew to New York as a substitute sports anchor on ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' when the regular sports anchor, [[Mike Breen]], was away. Because of his work on ''Imus in the Morning'' and [[Don Imus]]' recommendation on the air continuously, Wolf went back to [[WCBS-TV]] as the sports anchor inon February 3, 1997 (the most recent of his replacements at WCBS, Bernie Smilovitz, had returned to [[1998WDIV]] in Detroit after having been caught in WCBS' infamous 1996 mass firings). HeDuring stayedhis theretenure untilat MayWCBS [[2004]]he began uttering his famous phrase "Let's go to the videotape!" on a regular basis to switch to a video of the game he was reporting on.

During this time he also continued to do some work in radio, giving sports reports on the nationally syndicated ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' program. Indeed Wolf broke the news of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the ''Imus'' show, sincewhen he saw the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on fire from his [[lowerLower Manhattan]] apartment. Wolf also covered the story for [[WCBS-TV]] (where he was working at the time).

Wolf is legendary in the sports broadcasting business for his use of [[catchphrase]]s, including:

He stayed there until May 2004, returning to [[WABC (AM)]] in 2006 as the sports reporter for Curtis and Kuby, and continuing, with a two-week hiatus, on the ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' program following [[Don Imus]]'s arrival at WABC (AM). He served as Imus's sports contributor until November 3, 2016, when Imus decided to replace Wolf with [[Sid Rosenberg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/sportscaster-warner-wolf-booted-imus-morning-article-1.2858810?cid=bitly|title=Sportscaster Warner Wolf booted from 'Imus in the Morning' show|first=Don|last=Kaplan|work=New York Daily News|date=November 4, 2016|access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref> Wolf sued Imus alleging [[age discrimination]].<ref name="NYPostAgeDis">{{Cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2018/02/15/warner-wolf-suing-don-imus-for-age-discrimination/ |title=Warner Wolf suing Don Imus for age discrimination but subsequently lost|date=2018-02-15 |work=New York Post |access-date=2018-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

*[after someone does something dumb] "Give me a break!" or "Come on!"

*[on a ball that hits the foul pole] "It hit the fair pole! It has to be the ''fair'' pole because it's a fair ball!"

*[after a one-sided defeat by, say, 40 points] "If you had <that team> and 39 points ... ''you lost''!"

*[for a unpopular sports figure] "A Boo of the week!"

*[after playing an unexciting sound bite from an athlete]: "Thanks for stopping by."

*[when commentating on a basketball videotape] "Swish!"

*[discussing a poorly-performing team] "Change the rule: if you can't win two games in a month, you're out of the league!"

and most of all:

*[when introducing a highlight clip] "Let's go to the videotape!"

==Departure from WCBS-TV==

On [[May 27]], [[2004]], Wolf was fired by [[WCBS-TV]] Generalgeneral manager Lew Leone who was eventually fired himself for mismanaging the station, which included the firing of Wolf. He was forced out without being giving a chance to say goodbye on air, three months before his contract expired, and replaced by a much younger anchor, [[Chris Wragge]]. The day after his firing, his picture covered half the front page of the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' with the other half being covered by the headline "WOLFWolf FANSFans RAISERaise Aa HOWLHowl".

A few months after his firing, which generated much public outcry, Wolf was hired by radio station [[WABC- (AM)|WABC]] and can behe heardappeared weekday mornings with [[Curtis Sliwa]] & [[Ron Kuby]] as well as [[Mark Simone]]'s Saturday morning radio program. When ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' returned to WABC in December 2007, Wolf hostswas not the sports anchor: Tony Powell took that position. But after several weeks Wolf returned to his old position and continued as the morning sports anchor for the ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' show. Wolf also hosted a Saturday sports talk show on [[WEPN (AM)|1050 ESPN Radio]]. Wolf modified his trademark "LetsLet's go to the videotape!" to "LetsLet's go to the audiotape!"

Wolf's final day with the Imus show was November 4, 2016. He stayed at WABC until December 3, when his current contract expired.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/sportscaster-warner-wolf-booted-imus-morning-article-1.2858810 | title=Sportscaster Warner Wolf booted from 'Imus in the Morning' show | work=NY Daily News | agency=4 November 2016 | access-date=8 November 2016 | author=Kaplan, Don}}</ref>

Wolf played himself in the film ''[[Rocky IV]]'' and has made several other [[cameo]] appearances. He is the author of the books ''Let's Go to the Videotape'' and ''Give Me a Break''.

==Arrest==

On his mother's side he is a distant cousin of [[Abraham Lincoln]].

On February 7, 2019, Wolf turned himself in and was [[arrest]]ed after he broke letters off a sign at the entrance of Classics Plantation Estates in [[East Naples, Florida|East Naples]], [[Florida]], according to deputies at the [[Collier County, Florida|Collier County]] [[Sheriff|Sheriff's]] Office. Wolf, a resident of the community, expressed his opinion at [[homeowners association]] meetings that the word "[[plantation]]" was [[racism|racist]]. [[Surveillance]] video on November 30, 2018, showed a man matching Wolf's description removing the word "plantation" from the sign with a tool. Wolf faced a [[felony]] charge of [[mischief|criminal mischief]], according to the arrest report.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lieu |first1=Amy |title=Sportscaster Warner Wolf arrested for removing 'plantation' letters from Florida community's sign |url=https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/crime/2019/02/08/sportscaster-warner-wolf-charged-criminal-mischief/2815587002/ |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=Fox News |date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Jessica |title=Sportscaster Warner Wolf arrested, accused of taking 'Plantation' off East Naples sign |url=https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/crime/2019/02/08/sportscaster-warner-wolf-charged-criminal-mischief/2815587002/ |access-date=9 February 2019 |work=Naples Daily News |date=8 February 2019}}</ref> Wolf told a radio talk show audience the following month that prosecutors "likely felt the intent was not criminal" so only required that he pay restitution for damages.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Botte |first1=Peter |title=Legendary sportscaster Warner Wolf wins legal and 'plantation' fight|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/legendary-sportscaster-warner-wolf-wins-legal-and-plantation-fight/ |access-date=11 July 2020 |work=Fox News |date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

==Other appearances==

Despite rumors to the contrary, and a similarly receding hairline, Warner is ''not'' the son of former [[Three Stooges]] comedy troupe member [[Larry Fine (actor)|Larry Fine]]. His father was Jack Wolf, another employee of [[Ted Healy]], the man who founded the Stooges.

Wolf played himself in the film ''[[Rocky IV]]'' and has made several other [[cameo appearance]] appearancess. He is the author of the books ''Let's Go to the Videotape'' and ''Give Me a Break''. Wolf is currently heard Mondays at 7:35 am on "Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning" on WOR AM-710 in New York.

==Books==

* {{cite book |first1=Warner |last1=Wolf |first2=William |last2=Taaffe |title=Gimme a Break! Warner Wolf on Sports |publisher=McGraw-Hill |date=1983 |isbn=0-07071-537-8}}

* {{cite book |first1=Warner |last1=Wolf |first2=Larry |last2=Weisman |title=Let's Go to the Videotape: All the Plays and Replays from My Life in Sports |publisher=Warner Books |date=2000 |isbn=0-44652-559-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780446525596 }}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Portal|Biography}}

* [http://wabcradio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=23829 WABC Radio]

*{{cite web|title= Warner Wolf Biography |url= http://www.wabcradio.com/common/page.php?pt=Warner+Wolf+Biography&id=811&is_corp=0 |date= December 10, 2012 |work= WABC Radio |access-date= March 1, 2014}}

*{{IMDb name|nm0937961}}

{{Major League Baseball on ABC|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Warner}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Warner}}

[[Category:1937 births]]

[[Category:American radio personalities]]

[[Category:Jewish American journalists]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:MajorAmerican Leaguesports Baseballradio announcerspersonalities]]

[[Category:New YorkAmerican television anchorssports announcers]]

[[Category:NewJewish YorkAmerican televisionsports reportersannouncers]]

[[Category:AmericanMajor sportsLeague announcersBaseball broadcasters]]

[[Category:Washington,NBA D. C. television anchorsbroadcasters]]

[[Category:NFL announcers]]

[[Category:New York (state) television reporters]]

[[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]]

[[Category:Television anchors from New York City]]

[[Category:Television anchors from Washington, D.C.]]

[[Category:Washington Senators (1961–1971) announcers]]

[[Category:Washington Capitals announcers]]

[[Category:American21st-century radioAmerican personalitiesJews]]

[[Category:Jews from Washington, D.C.]]