It’s official, Friday June 21st, is Bob McCown’s final day hosting Prime Time Sports on SportsNet 590 in Toronto and nationally syndicated throughout Canada. After a few days of rumors, SportsNet and McCown confirmed the report originally made by Toronto Sports Media’s Twitter account, @yyzsportsmedia.
After signing a “multi-year” extension in December 2017, McCown’s tenure will end a year and a half after agreeing to his most recent contract. SportsNet chose not to give any reasons as to why the iconic Bob McCown won’t be behind the mic for their afternoon drive show anymore, but the longtime host of Prime Time Sports made it clear he has no plans of retiring.
“Speculation concerning my imminent retirement are 100% inaccurate!” McCown said through his Twitter account on Thursday, adding “I’ll be back.”
“Bob is an icon in this business and a legend of our format,” SportsNet Program Director, Dave Cadeau said in a statement. “He built sports talk radio in Canada, and we are lucky to have had him on the mic and in the hallways over the last three decades. Bob will be missed but his legacy will remain with us for years to come.”
An iconic member of Canada’s sports media for over 40 years, McCown has been the primary host of Prime Time Sports since 1989, owning the areas top rated sports show for the larger part of three decades. Considered one of the best interviewers in the industry, the founder of sports radio in Canada has been known throughout his career for tenaciously challenging guests and callers, although his fiery style has toned down in recent years. Nicknamed the “Bobcat,” McCown would don a pair of sunglasses during his TV simulcast and used coined phrases such as “who gives a flying fadoo?”
“Bob McCown invented sports talk radio in Canada, period,” said co-host Stephen Brunt. “When a big sports story was breaking, when the home team was winning a championship or falling apart, everyone tuned in to Prime Time Sports to find out what Bob was saying.
“He’s an original. There will never be another one quite like him.”
Last year, Prime Time Sports, which broadcasts from 4 – 7pm retooled the show by adding John Shannon, Richard Deitsch and Stephen Brunt. Brunt previously served as McCown’s longtime co-host, but the two parted ways for a couple of years prior to their 2018 reunion. In an atypical radio format, Shannon would join McCown on Prime Time Sports during the 4pm hour only, with Deitsch and Brunt being brought into the studio to partner with the Bobcat from 5 – 7pm. With the show’s moving parts, the one constant for Prime Time Sports continued to be McCown, as he has been for 30 years.
In their statement, SportsNet 590 said they will use a variety of hosts on Prime Time Sports throughout the summer, with plans to unveil a new show for the start of the fall season.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.