UTICA-ROME — Ed O’Brien is hanging up his headphones for good, after more than half a century of sports talk radio in the Mohawk Valley. Confirmation comes to CNYRadio today from an official at ESPN Radio Utica-Rome (WRNY 1350), where O’Brien hosted his weekly show.
Some CNYRadio.com readers alerted us that O’Brien announced his retirement on the air during “In This Corner” this past Saturday, but we needed to get confirmation. At first, ESPN Radio program director Paulie Scibilia told us the station was trying to find a feasible way for O’Brien to continue the show remotely from his home, rather than coming into the studio. But today, Scibilia confirmed to CNYRadio that O’Brien has decided to retire.
Galaxy Media Partners dedicated the ESPN Radio Utica-Rome studio to O’Brien in 2024, according to the Daily Sentinel. At the time, O’Brien said he always liked to make sure younger, local athletes had some attention in the spotlight, rather than devoting his entire show to discussing big-time athletes at the national level. Doing the math from a previous CNYRadio article from 2011, O’Brien is now about 85 years old and has been working in local sports talk radio for 51 years.
Congratulations to Ed O’Brien on a long career in local radio! Our thanks also to the readers who tipped us off to O’Brien’s retirement announcement, and to Paulie Scibilia for following-up on the news (we tried to email back but we’re having an issue with outgoing email at the moment).
Covering the happenings at dozens of TV and radio stations in two markets is no easy task! We’re always grateful for your “official” station announcements and “unofficial” insider tips. Anytime you’ve got news to share about local radio or TV, use our Contact Form. You can choose whether to include your own contact info, or remain anonymous.
No comments yet. Leave a reply to start a conversation.