Bob McCown

Robert "Bob" McCown is a sportscaster and the host of a late afternoon/early evening radio talk show called Prime Time Sports. The program is broadcast from the Toronto-based studio of the Fan 590 (the flagship radio station of the Fan Radio Network) and is syndicated nationwide throughout Canada. Since 2004, this radio talk show has also been simulcast on television on Rogers Sportsnet.

Among his on-air trademarks on the show include his deadpan greetings to guests callers and his audience such as "Greetings! Salutations!", his constant use of rich vocabulary to describe things (referring to sportswriters as "ink-stained wretches"), his dry wit (which includes using such quips as "Who gives a flying fadoo?!", "He puts my feet to sleep." and "Bite me!", referencing the fictional hockey players Claude and Orest Themalfachuk, and likening someone who is impatient to "Sonic the Hedgehog, tapping his foot"), and a pair of sunglasses he wears during the television simulcasts of Prime Time Sports. McCown is often indifferent about the fact that his radio show is simulcast on television, often saying during his introductions "also simulcast on Rogers Sportsnet for those of you who do not own radios" or "simulcast on Rogers Sportsnet in lieu of other programming".

McCown also hosted a magazine program on Rogers Sportsnet called The Business of Sports.

During the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural season in 1977, McCown was the public address announcer for their home games. He was also the original host of Global TV's "Sportsline".

In 1992, McCown joined The Fan as the original host of Prime Time Sports. In 1993, he was re-assigned as the station's morning show host, relinquishing his PTS hosting duties to Dan Shulman. In 1995, The Fan fired McCown as their morning show host, but when Shulman left the station to join TSN, McCown was re-hired as the host of Prime Time Sports a month later. In 2007, McCown received a Sports Radio Award for "Air Talent Of The Year" at the 2007 Rick Scott & Associates Sports Radio Conference. [http://www.sportsradio.com/html/Events.shtml 1] In 2007, McCown published his first book, "" with co-author David Naylor.

Bob McCown has also been known for his 30 year standing bet with Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO, Paul Godfrey regarding an NFL team in Toronto. It was on a beach in the year of 1977 that the two sides debated long hours about the subject. Godfrey to this day supports that there will one day be an NFL team in Toronto while McCown guarantees there will not. Once a year or every so often, the debate is brought up again.

Also referred to by the nickname The Bobcat, McCown has maintained his residence between both Las Vegas and Toronto over the past decade, though he has settled in Toronto over the past few years. He also became a Canadian citizen in 2004, and revoked his American citizenship since 2006.

As an elaborate April Fools Day prank, in 2008, it was announced that Bob McCown had left The Fan 590 to become Liverpool FC's play-by-play announcer and marketing manager for the upcoming soccer season. This would be seen as a particularly surprising move considering his on-air position toward soccer was almost entirely sour. While filling in for a vacationing McCown, Mike Toth, in an overly melodramatic fashion claimed that this position taken by McCown was nothing more than an elaborate ruse in an attempt to play the devil's advocate for years. Toth claimed McCown actually loves soccer, so much as to become part of a major squad's tradition. Apparently, in the past he has hosted Toronto Blizzard and Miami Fusion games before becoming famous for his Fan 590 on-air personality.

External links

* [http://www2.sportsnet.ca/TBOS/ The Business of Sports]
* [http://www.sportsnet.ca/bios/bob_mccown/ Rogers Sportsnet bio]
* [http://www.fan590.com/station/staff/more.jsp?content=20080302_193518_2104 "Interactive Bob" game on Fan590.com]