You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting

Product Description

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.

Review

“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

Review

“That NFL Today Show was simply the greatest pregame show of all time. And everybody for the last 40 years has tried to copy it.”
—Tony Kornheiser, host of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption
“Hiring Phyllis was a bold, gutsy brilliant move. The result was the gold standard for pregame shows.” –Howard Katz, former president of ABC Sports and member of the ports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
“CBS and The NFL Today set the template. They invented the form. They have pioneer status. They got it right on their own terms first.”
–Bob Costas, member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
“You Are Looking Live! is great fun, loaded with wonderful stories about the show’s birth and growth. With first person authority and a knack for rich detail, Rich Podolsky reveals how much TV sports has changed, but also how the ingredients of a great studio show have not.” — Chris Fowler, legendary host of ESPN’s College GameDay
“Rich Podolsky has captured the rollicking, personal stories of everyone involved in The NFL Today. We get to know the people, the time, and how television worked. We also get to see how the big name personalities moved through their careers to unite on such a legendary show.”–Lesley Visser, a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a former panelist on The NFL Today.
“The term ‘studio chemistry’ was created by Brent & Irv. They were magical together!The Show became the standard by which all live Studio shows would be measured. In America’s heartland fans were changing times they worshipped and hurrying home to see it. There’s not a Studio show on any Network today that doesn’t owe The NFL Today a debt of thanks.” Tim Brando, first host of ESPN’s CollegeGameDay, current play-by-play voice for Fox Sports.

About the Author

Rich Podol