About Earle Robinson

www.wkar.msu.edu

Earle Robinson
Sports Reporter and Host of AM 870 Sportstalk
WKAR Radio Programming.
Phone: 517 432-3120 extension 344
Email: Earle@wkar.org
Room: 259R CAS

Earle Robinson is host of AM870's weekday afternoon "Sportstalk" call-in program and reports on a wide variety of sporting events for the "Morning Edition" sportscasts.

Earle began working at WKAR Radio in 1974. He came to the station from WWWS Radio in Saginaw.

More About Earle Robinson

WKAR’s Earle Robinson Inducted into Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame
July 2004

Spend 20 minutes with Earle Robinson. You will leave feeling a sense of exuberance and know the passion he feels for sports is genuine. He sees himself as a lucky man doing something he loves, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

Robinson, host of AM 870 WKAR’ SportsTalk Listener Call-In program, was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame on June 23, 2004. Unanimously elected, he was honored for his dedication to sports in a career at WKAR that spans 30 years, 20 with SportsTalk.

“I was very honored, “ he says. “It’s the biggest recognition I’ve ever had and it was a real surprise.”

SportsTalk premiered on April Foods Day, 1985, with Robinson, who had previously hosted a WKAR program called Taking Care of Business, sharing the microphone with WKAR sports editor Jim Adams. The match endured until Adams’ retirement in 1993.

“They teamed us up and it just worked out,” Robinson says, explaining that he and Jim would have their “good guy/bad guy” roles, which provided balance to the show. “It was a tough transition,” he says, explaining how after Adams left, Earle had to take on both roles. “If someone calls with a question and I don’t know the answer, there’s no one to talk on-air while I look it up,” he says. “I just say ‘I’ll check it out and have the answer tomorrow.’”

SportsTalk has no shortage of fans, calls or e-mail. WKAR listeners hear the program on-air, and thanks to WKAR.org, Robinson hears from fans in China, Norway and Japan, along with regulars from Penn State and Arkansas, among others. Some are Spartan fans; others just found the show online and stayed with it.

Robinson has a rich album of memories made up of favorite interviews. “Ernie Harwell, he’s at the top,” he says, adding he has a great relationship with Spartan basketball coach Tom Izzo, whom he’s known since Izzo was an assistant. “I remember going to the Lions camp in the summer and waiting till Barry Sanders came out,” he says. “He was really shy, but spent a lot of time talking. That was good.”

While he doesn’t keep tapes of many of his interviews, one that is particularly meaningful is with Mike Singletary, now retired from the Chicago Bears and with whom Robinson spoke after a Lions game. “He talked about his playing career, pro football, his faith,” Robinson recalls, reaching for the tape at the top of his cluttered file cabinet. “I need to transcribe this one,” he adds.

Robinson was on the scene in 1979 when a youthful MSU basketball team, with hometown heroes Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Jay Vincent, won the NCAA championship. The following year, many members of the team – including Johnson and Greg Kelser – left for the pros. “I predicted the most games the team would win that year was seven,” he said, recalling Vincent being a bit put out by such a low prediction. Robinson was right on the mark.

“I’m pretty good at predicting,” he admits. “I’ve been pretty accurate over the years.” His method is simple, based on good sports observation. “I look at who’s coming back, the new players, and I’m able to judge how new players will fit in and how much slack they’ll pick up.”

He predicts the 2004 Spartan football team at 7-5 at best and 5-7 at worst. “When you lose a quarterback like Jeff Smoker, you need one of near caliber coming in, who can play the coach’s passing game,” he says.

Robinson covers all sports on his show, from high school to pro, and has learned to pick out future college players by how they stand out during regular season play and at sports camps. “High school athletics is the purest form of sports,” he says. “The kids are still playing for the love and fun of the game.”

He also notes that sports is second only to the government in terms of being a money-making industry, explaining that families who sign up a child for gymnastic lessons or sports camp or purchase athletic wear all contribute. “How do 16-year-olds with no university loyalty hear about colleges?” he asks, explaining that winning teams bring in more applications.

While SportsTalk covers all sports, Robinson acknowledges it’s often the “bread-and-butter” sports that get the most airtime. “It’s what people want to hear,” he says – and in a call-in format, some of the content is guided by callers. However, he also gives airtime to MSU baseball, softball and this season’s NCAA golf team.

Sports aren’t just a career for Robinson, but a hobby as well. He works out regularly and until being sidelined with an injury was a frequent marathon and long distance runner. He’s building back up and hopes to be running many races this summer.

A self-proclaimed “popcorn junkie,” he also looks forward to traveling in Northern Michigan during summer months and this summer hopes to spend time in Boyne City, a town that his relatives, the Morgans, helped build in the 1700s.

“When I came here, I never imagined I’d be here this long,” he says, saying one reason he stayed in the community was to provide stability for his then-young son. “People in this business get on this merry-go-round and go from city to city. I’m happy it’s worked out well here.”

When asked why he thinks his show has stood the test of time, Robinson pauses. “I don’t insult people, and I’m not abrasive,” he says. “Sometimes people say ‘I don’t know how you can be so patient with some of those folks,’” he says. “It’s sports. It’s fun. Don’t take it so seriously!”

Robinson says 30 years in radio – and now regular TV appearances with Tim Staudt – have brought him voice recognition, which sometimes catches up with him in grocery store lines. “It used to embarrass my kids,” he laughs.

So, as you travel through Northern Michigan this summer, or wait in the check-out line, listen carefully. You may get a great prediction or hear an inside scoop from WKAR’s Earle Robinson!

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283 Communications Arts & Sciences - Michigan State University - East Lansing, MI - 517 432-WKAR