Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou (Γιώργος-Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου) (born June 25, 1963), best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning English singer-songwriter who has had a career as half of the duo Wham! and also as a soul-influenced pop musician. He has sold over 85 million records worldwide, encompassing 12 British #1 singles, 9 British #1 albums, 10 US #1 singles, and 2 US #1 albums. His 1987 debut solo album, Faith, has sold over 15 million copies to date. This success has made George Michael the most played artist on British radio over the past two decades.
The George Michael Sports Machine was a long-running television show, syndicated by NBC. The show was hosted since its inception in 1980 by George Michael, a former DJ for Philadelphia's WFIL radio in the 1960's and 1970's and New York City's WABC radio and a then-sports anchor at the Washington, D.C. NBC-owned and operated station, WRC-TV. Sports Machine aired on local stations' Sunday late-night schedules, and was in the past distributed by syndicators such as ITC Entertainment and King World; it was last distributed by NBC Universal Television Distribution, an arm of the network, although stations of all affiliations (or none) could air it. First airing on WRC-TV exclusively, the station began syndicating the show in 1984.
Host Michael presented clips from the weekend's sporting events from across the U.S., and sometimes Canada, if a given league included teams there. Unlike newer sports-related programming, Sports Machine did not usually present commentary or criticism, just the weekend's highlights, and, often toward the end of the show, an in-depth story about a particular athlete. The show was also somewhat unique in its occasional coverage of remarkable high school sports footage, and its occasional coverage of sports largely ignored by other sports wrap-up shows, such as equestrian events.
The show was sometimes derided by critics for the large quantity of fake machinery on its set. Although the set changed throughout the years, the theatrics have basically remained the same: after introducing each of the highlights, Michael then "activated" the machinery to play the video clips. Michael and the producers chose the computer motif mainly because high technology was fast coming into the American consciousness at the time of the show's debut.
Another criticism of the show was the poor video quality of the highlights shown, the reason being to focus on the action of the games and take out the distraction of the digital on-screen graphics added by the networks. However, both ESPN and Fox Sports Net have also practiced this policy in the past in order to deny other networks de facto free ad time for their shows. Beginning in 2004, Michael had co-hosted the Sports Machine with former Speed Channel pit reporter (and fellow WRC sports anchor) Lindsay Czarniak; she became the official co-host of the program in September 2006. However, this arrangement did not last long, as Michael announced on November 16, 2006 that he would retire and Sports Machine would end its 27-year run in March 2007, citing that he would not want his contract renewed at the expense of WRC's sports staff, which would be reduced under the detail.nbc/corporate-20061019000000-nbcuniversalannoun.html" target="_blank">NBCU 2.0 network-wide cost reduction initiative. He will continue to appear on sports panel shows and _Redskins-related programs for WRC.
When the show premiered nationally in the mid-1980s, the only highlights available to sports fans on Sunday nights were those on late local newscasts and the original ESPN and CNN cable networks, creating an audience niche for Sports Machine to fill. By the later years of Sports Machine, however, the rise of numerous specialty cable sports channels (notably ESPN News) and expanded local newscast sports reports (often termed "Extra") had rendered the program somewhat superfluous, and stations began dropping it, often in favor of program-length "infomercials," felt to be a cheaper way to earn revenue during the lowest-viewed hours of the week.
The last episode aired on March 25, 2007. After thanking his co-host, sponsors, syndicators and staff, Michael said this at the end of the show: "I close every show every Sunday by saying 'Thank you for letting us be a part of your weekend.' Well tonight, for the final time, we say, 'Thank you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your life'. From everyone at the Sports Machine, have a great weekend everybody. We hope to see you somewhere down the road of life. Thank you."
Michael then walked off camera, and was heard to say "Last one out, turn out the lights!" as the show closed for the final time.
George Michael (born March 24, 1939), is a sportscaster best known nationally for his long-running American sports highlights show called The George Michael Sports Machine. Started as a local show in 1980 called George Michael's Sports Final and then nationally syndicated in 1984, the nationally broadcast show was distributed for syndication by NBC until it left the air following the March 25, 2007 airing. Michael won a Sports Emmy in 1985 for his work on The George Michael Sports Machine.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Michael has anchored the sports desk at WRC-TV (News 4) in Washington DC since 1980. Previously he was a WABC-AM disk jockey noted for his boisterous personality and energetic style. Several incidents from his radio stint at WABC in New York City have been chronicled in deejay "Cousin Brucie" Morrow's autobiography. George Michael replaced Morrow at WABC in 1974. Before that he was the popular evening deejay at Philadelphia's WFIL Radio (560 kHz) from 1966 until his move to WABC]. While in New York, he also served for several season as a commentator on New York Islanders telecasts, where he was paired mainly with Tim Ryan.
As a sports broadcaster at WRC, Michael is easily one of the most popular media personalities in the Washington area. Michael gets significant latitude in his programming, employing a bevy of segments some might consider old-fashioned, including his "Tuesday Replays" and "Wednesday Wrestling." He also has devoted extensive coverage to and is considered a significant influence in the popularity of NASCAR, broadcasting interviews with famous drivers such as Dale Earnhardt well before that sport became what it is today. An avid equestrian himself, Michael also broadcasts segments on bull riding and rodeo.
While some have criticized his interviewing as soft , Michael's affable personality has endeared him to the curmudgeonliest of local and national sports personalities and landed rare interviews. For example, Michael's team at WRC has been the only local sportscasters allowed to broadcast from inside the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field during the season.
In November 2005, Michael was seriously injured in a horseback riding accident. He broke several ribs and injured his wrists during the equine mishap at his Comus farm in upper Montgomery County, Maryland. Michael resumed his duties in December 2005.
Michael left his role as WRC's daily sports anchor on March 1, 2007 due to layoffs among his staff. He will continue to host weekend sports panel shows. The George Michael Sports Machine went off the air on March 25, 2007.
George Michael (born 1961) is an assistant professor of political science and administration of justice at the University of Virginia's College of Wise. He is the author of two books about right-wing extremism.
Michael gained his Ph.D. at George Mason University in 2002, where he studied under Francis Fukuyama, with a thesis entitled "The U.S. Response to Domestic Right Wing Terrorism and Extremism: A Government and NGO Partnership."
