Before there were podcasts, there was radio. And not just the radio we have now – all news, sports, and ones focusing on a specific music genre. At one time, radio, not just NPR, featured intelligent, insightful, and meaningful interviews with newsmakers in government, entertainment, and sports. And no one did those interviews better than Bob Costas. Although he is now recognized for his 29 Emmy Awards mostly for his work on NBC, in his early career, Costas built up an impressive number of radio interviews. Those broadcasts, “Costas Coast to Coast,” which ran from 1986 to 1996, have now been gifted to the Paley Center for Media so fans can listen to his interviews with sports icons like Wilt Chamberlain and Mickey Mantle, as well as with other well known personalities.
On Tuesday, December 9, Costas came to the Paley Center to sit for an interview with the broadcast journalist, Budd Mishkin, no stranger himself to conducting interviews with interesting personalties. Mishkin, a familiar voice on NY1 and 1010WINS, is the host of the podcast, “Before the Cheering Started.”
Costas grew up on Long Island where he attended Commack High School South. He told Mishkin that after he failed to make the school’s baseball team, the coach suggested he pursue becoming a sports broadcaster because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the game. And although Costas has reported on many sports, he still considers himself a “baseball guy.”
He attended Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications where, as soon as he hit the campus, he began working for WAER, the student run radio station. He dropped out of college in 1974 to pursue his radio career. His first professional radio job was with KMOX radio in St. Louis where his salary was $11,000. “I would have worked for nothing,” he said, noting that he had the opportunity to work alongside the iconic Jack Buck. Costas recalls that Buck’s son, Joe, then a child, often came into the station and soaked up the radio environment. Joe Buck, of course, has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a well known sports broadcaster.
Costas’ first interview with Mickey Mantle came about after Tony Kubek, one of Mickey’s Yankee teammates who was announcing baseball games with Costas, intervened. Kubek assured Mickey that Costas would conduct a fair interview. Costas went on to numerous interviews with Mickey, hosted him at his St. Louis home, and eventually gave the star baseball player’s eulogy. Costas recalled some of his times with Mickey, including an emotional moment when Mickey compared himself to Stan Musial, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Mickey, known for his humility and honesty, told Costas that he was as good a player as Musial but “not a good man.” Mickey, who struggled with addiction, was harder on himself than anyone else. In a radio excerpt, Mickey talks about a prank he played on another fellow Yankee, Billy Martin. (You can listen to it on YouTube.)
Mishkin conducted a lively, entertaining interview, following Costas’ often repeated advice: “You have to be simultaneously well-prepared and spontaneous.” Mishkin, obviously a sports fan himself, was well prepared, but allowed Costas to fully answer questions, allowing for spontaneous moments of humor and emotion. In other words, “they hit it out of the park.”
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Top photo: Woman Around Town
