PODCAST: Interview with Broadcaster Mike Eisgrau

MANATEE--Mike Eisgrau was a news reporter and anchor for one of the greatest radio stations in the history of broadcasting, WNEW 1130 AM in New York. Ask anyone who grew up in either New York, New Jersey, Connecticut what station they listened to and most likely they will tell you WNEW was one of their favorites.

Eisgrau was part of a radio news team that sadly doesn’t exist anymore in the industry. Cutbacks and consolidation of station ownership caused all but a few all-news stations to forego local staffing of its news departments. WNEW was unique because it was a full-service radio station. It played the great songs of the American Popular Songbook which included Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett. It also carried NY Giants Football games, NY Rangers hockey games  and NY Knicks basketball games.

WNEW went off the air in December 1992. The voices of its announcers still linger on in the minds of the station’s former listeners these many years later. Mike Eisgrau was one of those voices who brought them the news every hour at the top of the hour as one of the stations lead reporters.

One of Mike Eisgrau’s greatest assignments was covering Woodstock, the seminal rock and roll event of 1969 in upstate New York. In the attached interview (in three parts), he talks about that wild weekend at Max Yasgur’s farm and what he saw and told the WNEW listening audience.

Mike Eisgrau lives in Englewood, FL during the fall and winter and is active in the Florida Broadcaster’s Club and Media Roundtable.