A new team: Adam Crowley leaves iHeart Radio for The Fan
Adam Crowley recalled missing class at West Virginia University because he was at the school’s radio station.
“I would be there with my best buds, and we would be debating sports,” said Crowley, a broadcast journalism major who left iHeart Radio to accept an on-air/producer job with 93.7 The Fan. “I would look at the time and realize I just missed all my classes. That was such a fun time.”
He experienced a similar comforting feeling about the new gig, which reminded him of his college days. He will handle weekend shows and fill in for other talent, as well as take on producing duties. The 31-year-old from Mt. Lebanon’s first day is Monday.
He will make his on-air debut at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“I am thinking when I go in there I will want to be there all day because that is the atmosphere there,” he said. “It is important to know that I won’t be more popular than I am today, right now. Because once I give my opinions, half the people will like me and the other half won’t. So I am soaking it all up right now.”
He announced the move via Twitter.
Well, well, well… pic.twitter.com/Ra7X8xn301
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) March 23, 2022
One sport Crowley is well aware of is king is football.
“The NFL never sleeps,” he said. “In Pittsburgh, you can talk about the Steelers 24/7, 365 days out of the year.”
He said Pittsburghers wake up and read everything they can about the team so they can stay informed. He has been assigned pre-and-post-game shows for the Steelers.
“Doing Steelers post-game is like jumping out of a plane because you don’t know where you are going to land,” he said. “And you will probably take a few calls from people such as Donnie from Blawnox.”
Crowley admitted he’s not an athlete. He participated in rowing at Mt. Lebanon High School and was on the baseball team as a youth.
“I played terribly,” he said.
He married his high school sweetheart, Leanna. She often has to remind him to not take his shirt off or get his belly button pierced – which he did as pranks on his former show with iHeart Radio, where he worked for 12 years. He still plans to have a good time.
“There is a certain energy at The Fan,” said Crowley. “They have been doing a great job with social media and with videos. It is an environment I want to be part of. They care about sports.”
The Fan is always looking to add talent that engages fans on multiple platforms, said Michael Spacciapolli, senior vice-president and market manager for Audacy, which owns the station.
“Adam certainly does just that,” Spacciapolli said via email. “With his background, we were thrilled that he was so excited to join The Fan at a time when we are continuing to grow the brand every day.”
Crowley said he really wants his shifts to be entertaining.
“I don’t think we should take sports as seriously as we do,” he said. “We are not talking about ballistic missiles or Russia invading Ukraine. We are talking about games.”
Sports talk radio does involve planning, he said. A colleague told him it takes at least two hours of preparation for a show. He said he will often stop his car and pull over to make a note in his phone about a possible topic.
Although, one of his best programs wasn’t planned.
“I had the entire show laid out and the news about (former wide receiver) Antonio Brown leaving the Steelers dropped,” Crowley said. “It was my best show ever.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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