Exclusive: D.C. sports radio veteran Andy Pollin is off the air
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Courtesy of Samantha Pollin
Andy Pollin is out at ESPN 630 DC. The host tells Axios that today's 9am show was his last for the station.
Why it matters: Pollin has been a fixture in D.C. sports radio for more than three decades. He helped launch The Team 980 (then 570) in 1992, spent close to 25 years there, and was a longtime sidekick to Tony Kornheiser.
- Pollin earned credibility for his honest takes on Washington football even when former team owner Dan Snyder owned the radio station.
- He freelanced for WTOP and WJFK before joining his last stop, owned by Cumulus Media.
- He hosted shows with NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. and local personality Steve Czaban.
Zoom out: Cumulus has laid off employees in several markets.
- Pollin said he was on vacation last week when he found out the company parted with San Francisco sports radio host Greg Papa, who was recovering from leukemia.
What he's saying: Pollin said his news came as a surprise, but not a shock.
- "As soon as it ended, the general manager came in and said that was it," Pollin said.
Pollin said he did his show Monday and today as usual, talking about the Laremy Tunsil injury and Commanders training camp. He would have liked to prepare a farewell show, but he didn't get tipped off.
By the numbers: The 68-year-old said he was hoping to retire on Feb. 18, 2028, which would have given him 50 years in radio.
He started in student radio at American University in 1976.
- Midway through his sophomore year, he got offered a job in Port Arthur, Texas. He finished school at Trinity in San Antonio.
- He returned to D.C. for United Press International and later went to New York to help launch WFAN, the first 24-hour sports radio station in the U.S.
When asked about career highlights, he said: "Everything about the last 34 years in D.C. in radio. I don't think I could have asked for anything else."