Bill Mazer, who was a fixture on New York sports talk radio and television for decades, has passed away at the age of 92.
According to Newsday, Mazer had been in poor health for the last few years.
In 1964, Mazer began hosting a sports call-in show for WNBC, which would make him famous. In a 2011 interview, he said, "The first call was a kid, and he said, 'I just want to ask you one question.' I said, 'Ok, go ahead.' He said, 'Who's better: Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle?'"
The popularity of sports talk prompted the creation of WFAN in 1987, which was the first sports talk radio station. Mazer was brought in and the station was a hit.
The New York Times reports that Mazer retired in 2009. Mazer spent 60 years of his life in broadcast sports. In addition to his time on WNBC and WFAN, he also was the host of Sports Extra on Channel 5 WNEW-TV.
He also provided commentary for a hockey game every week on CBS before the TV gig. In keeping with always talking sports, he held interviews at Mickey Mantle's restaurant in New York City for WFAN. He told Newsday in 1988, "I never think of it as an interview."
He continued, "I think of it as a conversation. I expose a part of myself, and I think that helps a guest open up.
After Mazer retired in 2009, he was moved to an assisted care facility a couple years later.