Andrew Pollin (born August 3, 1958)
is an American radio and TV personality. He currently co-hosts, with
Rob Long, about half of the episodes of The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report on
MASN. He helped launch
Washington, D.C. sports talk station
WTEM in 1992 and held the title of Sports Director until being let go in January 2017. He joined WJFK 106.7 The Fan in February 2017 and now hosts The Andy Pollin show with Thom Lovero For 13 years, Pollin co-hosted ''The Sports Reporters'' with Steve Czaban, until getting sacked in July 2013. The last "Sports Reporters" aired July 31, 2013. He acted as sidekick on ''
The Tony Kornheiser Show'' between 1992 and 2006. He also co-hosted ''GameDay'' with
Mel Kiper Jr. on
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
between 1998 and 2004.
Biography
Pollin grew up in
Chevy Chase, Maryland and graduated from
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in 1976. After enrolling in
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
he became involved in that school's radio station and left to start his radio career in Beaumont, Texas. He later graduated from
Trinity University in San Antonio.
Pollin served as reporter for sports talk radio pioneer
WFAN in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
from its inception in 1987 until leaving for WTEM. Prior to that he reported for the
UPI Radio Network in Washington, D.C. (1983–1987), and WFAA-AM in Dallas (1981–1983).
Pollin is the co-author of ''The Great Book of Washington, D.C. Sports Lists'' with Leonard Shapiro.
When Pollin was with ''
The Tony Kornheiser Show'' on
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
, he was nicknamed "Andy Polley." A listener angered by Pollin's comments about baseball player
Rafael Palmeiro had called the show and mispronounced Pollin's name, screaming, "Andy Polley, you are an idiot!" Show producer Denis Horgan Jr. recorded the "Andy Polley"
soundbite
A sound bite or soundbite is a short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full-length piece. In the context of journalism, a sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence ...
and the staff often aired it when Pollin spoke.
The nickname stuck, and the gag was later extended into a now-defunct website,
ww.andypolley.com which featured photos and comments about Pollin often related to current Kornheiser radio shows. Polley evolved into a full character, who drives a beat-up old Honda, with orange juice on the leather seats.
Andy Polley's rules:
* AP Rule # 1: All computers are different.
* AP Rule # 2: Big screens skew the TV ratings. Big screens = lower rating with more people watching one TV
* AP Rule # 3: Leather seats in your car are a waste of $$.
* AP Rule # 4: $200 a year for his clothing allowance.
Although no longer hosting a program of his own, he is working for ESPN 980 (formerly WTEM) as a summer fill in for Kornheiser.
Pollin was moved to WTEM's sister station,
WSPZ 570AM, and is doing a solo show from 6am to 9am on weekdays.
On January 20, 2017, Pollin left WTEM when his contract expired. Pollin wrote an article in ''The Washington Post'' to reflect his 25-year sports radio career on the Washington D.C. airwaves.
Pollin now hosts a show with Thom Lovero on 106.7 The Fan DC on Saturdays and Sundays.
In July 2019, Pollin left 106.7 The Fan to be ESPN 630's morning update anchor during the station's broadcasts of ESPN's “Golic & Wingo Show” weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. while also providing features for the station.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollin, Andy
American sports radio personalities
20th-century American Jews
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
1958 births
21st-century American Jews