George Ofman began his broadcasting career on phones in 1977. On Tuesday, he’ll bring it full circle.
Ofman, who worked at Sports Phone before becoming an anchor and reporter at The Score and WBBM-AM, will launch his first podcast, “Tell me a Story I don’t Know.” Ofman interviews sports personalities with a Chicago connection. His purpose is in the title, and he succeeds.
“Every one of these people is great because when you start talking about history, the light goes on,” said Ofman, who has secured sponsorships from Paulina Market and Vienna Beef. “Part of this is that every single person is genuine. They’re refreshingly candid. I’d like to pick some athletes, but that’s hard. Most of them are either writers or broadcasters because they talk for a living.”
The premier episode features Chicago native and ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon, who talked about growing up in the city, his sports fandom and his show, “Pardon the Interruption.” Mark Giangreco, Sarah Kustok and Steve Stone are among the guests in the first of three 13-week seasons. The shows will be available via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to subscribe.
After Sports Phone – a call-in service that provided a recorded report of scores and news and spawned the careers of many broadcasters – Ofman was a freelance reporter for 13 years. After a stint at WMAQ-AM, he had a memorable run at The Score from 1992 to 2009. He joined WBBM in 2010 and was let go last July.
“I was chatting two weeks after I was let go, I want to do these interviews, storytelling, connected to Chicago,” Ofman said. “They’re all evergreen. I have to go in a different direction. Other podcasts are daily. I’m offering something a little different that’s a really well-produced interview history, and hopefully people will keep listening.”
“There was a great quote from Wilbon at the end of his interview: ‘This was cathartic.’ That’s exactly what this is. It’s fun to remember.”
