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You Are Looking Live!

How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting

Rich Podolsky author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield

Published:1st Aug '23

£14.99

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You Are Looking Live! cover

You Are Looking Live! is about the genesis, success and magic of a live television show that in 1975 captured the excitement of the country, and launched four magnetic personalities to stardom: Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross and Jimmy The Greek Snyder. It was truly a piece of Americana. It was the first NFL studio show to go live and the first to have both a Black and female co-host. Those four personalities battled each other and the competition, and America loved them for it. This is the story of how Brent, Phyllis, Irv and Jimmy got there, their drama and front-page headlines, and what happened to them after the magic ended. Those headlines included Brent and The Greek’s famous fight at Peartrees, Phyllis first marrying the man who produced The Godfather, then dropping him after two months for the next governor of Kentucky, and the shocking firing of Musburger on April Fool’s Day, 1990. America had never seen a show like this before. On the East Coast and the Midwest, people would literally rush home from church to hear what they had to say, and on the West Coast fans loved waking up to it. The NFL Today became so popular that it not only dominated the ratings, but also won its timeslot 18 straight years, from 1975 to 1993, until CBS lost its NFL package to Fox. And today, looking back, these four personalities, like any family, had their own battles, and became even more famous for them.

"Rich Podolsky’s You are Looking Live! gives readers an opportunity to relive those golden years of TV sports and get fascinating first-hand looks behind the scenes; the in-fighting, back-stabbing and shenanigans." - Sports Broadcast Journal


"In the end, You Are Looking LIVE! is a tribute to a piece of television history that became the blueprint for broadcast sports journalism as Podolsky states, “In the first year, the show became so popular that people rearranged their church-going schedules to be home." Overall, a recommended read to those who want to relive and learn about a piece of American broadcast history that became a fall and winter Sunday backdrop to millions and generations throughout the United States." - Boxscore News

ISBN: 9781493073016

Dimensions: 223mm x 154mm x 18mm

Weight: 367g

240 pages