Posted on 10/06/2022 9:07:47 AM PDT by conservative98
Legendary New York City radio host Bernard McGuirk has died at the age of 64 following a “courageous” battle with prostate cancer, his station announced Thursday.
McGuirk — who hosted WABC’s “Bernie & Sid in the Morning” with co-host Sid Rosenberg — died Wednesday night surrounded by family at a local hospital, the station said.
He had been on the air in the city since 1986 and was the executive producer of the nationally syndicated program “Imus in the Morning.”
In 2007, McGuirk moved to WABC with Don Imus, the late radio icon, and his “personality from day one dramatically improved the camaraderie and morale of the entire radio station,” the station said in a statement.
McGuirk had co-hosted “Bernie & Sid” since 2018, and his talents recently propelled it to the top-rated morning radio show in New York, after the station was bought by John Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Media Group Inc. in March 2020.
“We just started doing things the way radio was meant to be. We went back to basic formatics and we didn’t let big corporation thinking or corporation-type thinking where it was done for the money; it was done for what the product was and we invested in the product,” WABC president Chad Lopez told The Post about the show’s rise to the top of the ratings.
“We allowed him to be who it was and that’s a huge part of the success of the show,” he continued.
“He was able to just be himself and just do it and that’s what made that show number one. He was witty and didn’t mince his words and just spoke the truth.”
McGuirk left behind his wife, Carol, and two children, Melanie and Brendan.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The Bronx native and Nassau County resident will be remembered on the air next Tuesday in a day-long tribute that will resemble an “Irish wake,” WABC colleague Curtis Sliwa said.
“It will focus on Bernie the comic, Bernie the entertainer, Bernie the friend of so many people. It’s going to be a positive, uplifting day in which we remember the best of Bernard McGuirk, which goes back over years and years and years,” Sliwa told The Post over the phone from the WABC studio on Thursday morning.
WHAT DOESN’T BELONG AND WHY??? That was my FAV!!
My favorite parts of the Imus show was when McGurik played the cardinal.
Yup,heard that this morning. I loved hearing him with Imus! A funny,funny guy.
RIP Bernard Thanks for the laughs and the great political commentary.
Bummer, Bernie was one of us.
He was great radio and seemed like a solid person.
I listened to a lot of WABC in the late ‘80s, and he was already gone. Dave Dawson had the morning show for a while. Rush Limbaugh had the 10-noon local show. Lynn “The Fishwife” Samuels had noon-2PM. Bob Grant owned drive time. Others would pop in like Jay Diamond and Joy Behar after Rush dropped the local show. Barry Farber completely dominated when he shared the Samuels slot and Samuels completely lost it, causing her to lose her cool on the air and getting fired. Farber sounds so mild and measured and even slow, but once going he didn’t stop, and didn’t take a breath. She couldn’t take it anymore. Good times.
I always thought that Eileen Marchese was the cutest thing back in the day. Imus would be raunchy and she would somehow maintain her innocence while delivering the traffic report or weather or whatever.
RIP.
Rob Bartlett...fabulous as the “Godfather”!😀
If you haven’t already, get a PSA test as soon as possible. It’s only a blood test, super easy. It can save or prolong your life.
Which doesn’t belong and why ?
Bernie doing Ray “Chocholate City” Nagin impression: https://youtu.be/dTqfhVFo0bQ
Me too. Just thinking about makes me laugh. He was a real hoot in the morning. RIP Bernie! Thanks for all the laughs and memories.
Loved that!
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