Sports Phone set out to change the way scores and breaking news were consumed, ultimately setting the tone for the up-to-the-second updates we take for granted today. Among those who considered the service their launching pad were some of the most well-known broadcasters, reporters, public address announcers, and other prominent media figures. This group also includes individuals who have been successful in Hollywood and the music industry. A veritable breeding ground for these now-polished professionals, the dial-up platform that once handled 50 million calls in a year churned out talent at a level likely not seen before or since.
Brought to you by media veterans Scott Orgera and Sports Phone alum Howie Karpin, 976-1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground covers decades of relatively untapped history. The book features a treasure trove of stories from those who made Sports Phone tick, as well as from an eclectic group that often dialed those memorable seven digits. Among them is revered broadcaster Kenny Albert, who penned the book’s foreword.
With 75 years of collective experience between them, the co-authors interviewed more than a hundred people while creating a tome that offers something for everyone. Whether your genre of choice is sports, broadcasting, music, technology, feature films, television history, humor, or true crime, this book provides a rich exploration of an era that transformed how we engage with media and entertainment.
Order a copy of 976-1313 in one of multiple formats (audiobook, eBook, hardcover, paperback) from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or a number of other outlets including Target and Walmart as well as Audible and Spotify.
has worked in sports media for the past 45 years. He is a sports update anchor at SiriusXM and an accredited MLB official scorer. Howie has worked on numerous radio stations and has authored or co-authored 14 books. He is a columnist for nysportsday.com and a contributor to Baseball Digest. Howie worked at Sports Phone from 1980 to 1992.
is a sportswriter and statistician with 30 years of experience. He has covered MLB, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and pro soccer. His bylines include the Associated Press, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and Forbes, along with data-related efforts for STATS and MLB.com. He is a BBWAA member who has also written a thousand-plus tech articles and co-authored a children’s book.
I’m really grateful that I had that opportunity at Sports Phone. There is no question about it. That’s one of those chapters that helped mold my broadcasting career.
– Linda Cohn,
SportsCenter anchor for three-plus decades
It was unbelievable, to be a student in college and to [have] millions of people hearing you … It’s an experience that can’t be replicated in today’s world.
– Bob Papa,
veteran radio voice of the New York Giants
I’m representing half of the starting quarterbacks in the ’80s, so everything is monumental. … Sports Phone enabled me to have a much more intelligent and helpful discussion with players postgame.
– Leigh Steinberg,
sports agent and real-life inspiration for the blockbuster film Jerry Maguire
We all had the same goals. We wanted to be the next Marv Albert.
– Drew Esocoff,
19-time Emmy Award winning director of NBC’s Sunday Night Football
That’s all you need to know. That’s how important it was to me. I still remember the telephone number 40 years later. How about that?
– Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo,
ESPN, MLB Network, SiriusXM host; Radio Hall of Famer
It was a real high-pressured kind of a thing, and I think it definitely paid dividends down the road.
– Gary Cohen,
TV sportscaster and member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame
Sports Phone was before its time and certainly helped set the table for where we’ve come full circle, where now it’s instantaneous and it’s live with the press of a button.
– Eddie Olczyk,
longtime broadcaster and Stanley Cup champion
Nothing that’s happened in my career would have ever happened if not for that place.
– Don La Greca,
co-host of ESPN’s The Michael Kay Show, analyst and play-by-play announcer
You just think about ultimately the talent that ran through there… It was the first real job that I had out of college and look where it led me to, look what it did for me.
– Chuck Cooperstein,
radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks
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