Biography
One of the most passionate and recognizable conservative voices in the nation, Steve Malzberg is now in his 30th year in Talk Radio. Most recently Steve was heard in afternoons on WOR Radio and his show was also syndicated into 75 cities on the WOR Radio Network. While at WOR, Steve regularly outperformed legendary broadcaster, Sean Hannity. Since leaving WOR, Steve has been filling in on the Salem Radio Network, Fox News Radio and on stations around the country including WMAL, KLIF, WBAP, KTSA, WFTL, WBT, and KMOX. He’s also made numerous TV appearances on the Fox Business Channel, Fox News, CNN, and as a paid contributor on MSNBC. Prior to WOR, Steve spent 24 years at WABC Radio where he began his career in sports and made the transition to the political talk.
Steve Malzberg has lots of fiery and controversial opinions, but don’t let that fool you — the New York City-born talk show host is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
“I love when folks disagree. As long as they want to have a conversation and not get on a soapbox, I prefer it,’’ says the host of “The Steve Malzberg Show’’ which airs daily on Newsmax Live. “Of course, the soapbox is reserved for me.’’
Malzberg has been a popular broadcasting fixture in the New York metropolitan area for more than three decades, having spent nearly 25 years at radio powerhouse WABC as a sports commentator, political talk show host and afternoon drive personality.
In 2007, he joined the nationally-syndicated WOR Radio Network, where his no-nonsense views on news, politics, sports and entertainment delighted, outraged and entertained listeners.
And it’s not hard to figure out where Malzberg got his spunk. While he now lives in the suburbs of New Jersey, our man is a bona fide, dyed-in-the-wool New Yawker!
“I was born and raised and spent first 40 years of my life in Brooklyn,’’ Malzberg explains. “Loved the Yankees, hated the Mets. Loved the Jets, hated the Giants.’’
He attended Lafayette High School, which boasts such illustrious graduates as Larry King, Sandy Koufax, Fred Wilpon and Vic Damone, before moving on to Brooklyn College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in radio and television communications.
Malzberg made history when, while working as a sportswriter for Brooklyn College’s school newspaper and sportscaster for its radio station, he became the first college student to obtain press credentials for Yankees games.
He was also the only student reporter to be allowed into the court hearings for David Berkowitz, the notorious “Son of Sam’’ serial killer.
“I always loved radio,’’ Malzberg says. “I played deejay with the cord from the kitchen blinds acting as my microphone, according to my mom, when I was four or five.
“WABC and WMCA were the music stations of choice, and I would wind up working at both!’’
The radio bug first bit Malzberg as he attended grade school.
“Cheri Spector, the daughter of WMCA ‘Good Guy’ Jack Spector, was my classmate and when WMCA switched from music to talk, Jack got a sports talk show,’’ Malzberg explains.
“Not only did he have Cheri bring a group of us the autographs of his big-name guests each day, but he brought me up to the studio to watch him do his show several times.
“I fell in love with the mic, the red light, the whole thing. He was a great, great man — Vietnam vet, big tall man, glass eye from the war, big smoker died on the air while playing records at Long Island station.’’
As a teenager, Malzberg became mesmerized by such talk show giants as Bob Grant and Barry Farber, who were always pushing the boundaries with their discussions of controversial topics, and with sports gabber John Sterling.
“ I wound up with an internship at WMCA in 1979, and working as Bob Grant's producer in 1980, before landing at WABC in 1981, as a producer for Art Rust Jr.'s sports talk show,’’ Malzberg says.
“I remained there for 24 years, doing everything one can do in sports, AM drive, sports talk, hosting the pre-, post- and half-time shows of the Jets, Yankees and Devils before making transition to politics in 1995.
“I have been blessed to spend my career in the number one market in the nation. My family is here, my roots are here.’’
And while his roots are firmly planted on the East Coast, Malzberg has opinions about everything, from Obama Administration to great TV shows and rock ‘n roll bands.
“Is the country in good shape? No, we are headed over a social cliff where our rights will continue to disappear, and there may be no turning back,’’ Malzberg says.
“We are going to have an Obama Supreme Court soon and it will last 40 years unless the Republicans say NO, and they won't. The ‘media’ is now a Soviet-style joke. Otherwise, all is ok!’’
On the subject of pop culture, Malzberg has his faves: “The Odd Couple’’ is his top TV show all time; The Who, the world’s greatest rockers; and “It’s a Wonderful Life,’’ the No. 1 movie.
On the sports front, “I only really care about the New Jersey Devils these days,’’ he says.
“I was lucky enough to be there and do a post-game show from the arena the night they won their first Stanley Cup. My son and I are big Devils fans and of course, we hate the Rangers!’’
If there’s one major hero Malzberg can point to in his life, it’s Ronald Reagan, who “was everything he's made out to be and more. I was with the Mets at the Rose Garden in 1986!’’
Asked if he had the opportunity to meet anybody in history, Malzberg says he would choose Abraham Lincoln.
“I want to know the truth about him, his personality. There is such revisionist history surrounding who he was and what made him tick,’’ he says of the nation’s beloved 16th president.
“I would want to know from him what [the American Civil War] did to him, American against American.’’
Malzberg is excited to be joining Newsmax, where he has been a longtime contributor.
His opinions and commentary, his sense of fairness, his compassion, all make for compelling radio and television — not unlike watching a highly-skilled lawyer make his case in the courtroom.
In fact, if Malzberg was to have chosen any other profession, it would have been the law.
“Where else can you take center stage, make your arguments and battle against the other side, verbally, of course,’’ he says. “Just like radio.’’
Steve Malzberg — every day — on Newsmax Live.