Howard Eskin is the original WIP sports talker. Eskin, dubbed the market`s "hardest working sportscaster" by local media for his eternal hustle on the job, started the sports talk revolution by hosting the very first sports talk show on Sportsradio 610 WIP in 1986. Since Howard has been on the air in Philadelphia he has broken more stories than any one person on TV and Radio in this market.
Today, Eskin hosts WIP`s sports talk show weekdays from 3-7 p.m., the highest-rated afternoon drive radio program among men in the market. In addition to his dominant radio presence in Philadelphia, Eskin, who has excelled as a multi-media personality throughout his career, also appears frequently on television as a regular co-host of the popular Sunday night sports show, "Sports Final" on NBC10 (WCAU-TV) and is a frequent guest on ESPN's "First Take" (formerly "Cold Pizza").
The Emmy-Award winning sportscaster first made the transition from radio to television in 1982 when he joined CBS 3 (KYW-TV). Having made a name for himself in radio by breaking stories and stirring public opinion with his commentaries, Eskin transferred those skills to television. One of his managers at KYW even credits the sportscaster with keeping the Eagles in Philadelphia by breaking the story in the `80s that the owner was trying to sell the team. "If Howard had not stepped in when he did, Leonard Tose would have snuck the Eagles out of town," says Frank Traynor. "Howard broke the Eagles story.... and by doing so, I believe helped to keep the team in town."
Eskin later helped launch Fox Station WTXF-TV`s "Ten O`Clock News" as part of its original anchor team from 1986 to 1991. Later, he rejoined KYW-TV in 1992 and then moved to WCAU-TV in 1996. He has also been a contributor to the "George Michael Sports Machine" on NBC, co-hosted a nationally-syndicated radio show, "Lets Talk Sports," written a column for the Philadelphia Daily News and has been called on for his opinions by such diverse programs as NBC`s "Today Show" and PBS`s "MacNeil Lehrer Newshour."
Eskin recently hosted his 5,000th sports talk show on September 20th, 2007, more than anyone else in the country, and celebrated his 25th year in television that same year.
Throughout his career, this Philadelphia native and Northeast High grad, has used his celebrity to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities, including more than $30,000 for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society through sales of his own signature bobblehead.
Among his many honors, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society named him "Man of the Year" in 2002 and the March of Dimes named Eskin its "Media Person of the Year" in 2003. This November, Eskin will receive the March of Dimes prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Achievement in Radio.
