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Eddie Andelman, Pioneer of Boston Sports Talk, Dies at 89

He pioneered Boston’s live call-in sports-talk format that became the template for modern sports radio.

Overview

  • His three sons announced his death Monday on the Phantom Gourmet social account, confirming Andelman was 89.
  • Andelman launched The Sports Huddle in 1969 and built a 42-year broadcasting career that moved between WUNR, WBZ, WEEI and WHDH before he retired at the end of 2010.
  • The Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame credits him with roughly 13,000 radio broadcasts and more than 1,200 television commentaries.
  • He created the Hot Dog Safari in 1989, a long-running fundraiser that helped raise more than $5 million for the Joey Fund and cystic fibrosis research.
  • Colleagues and local outlets remember his blunt, improvisational on-air style and influence on Boston sports culture, with current coverage centering on archival tributes and his lasting impact rather than any new institutional changes.