10 Questions with ... David Stein

NAME:David Stein TITLE:Host NETWORK:Sporting News Radio MARKET:National COMPANY:The Sporting News BORN:Philadelphia RAISED:Trappe, PA

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Started as Newscaster/News Director at a 500 watt flamethrower, WPAZ-AM in Pottstown, PA..then on to mornings at Y-102, Reading, PA for The Mike and Dave Show... then "On the Line with David Stein" (first all talk show) and then Fox Sports Radio (mornings until Nov. 2005) and then switched to Sporting News Radio to pursue a purpose. Along the way... stand-up comedian, comedy club owner, restaurant owner, blah, blah, blah.

1. You went from comedy to radio- what got you into radio and why?

Actually, it was the other way around. My entry into radio was an accident. True story, my Mom suggested that I get... cough... a job. So, I picked up the paper that day and there was a sales position available at WPAZ. When I got there, the position was filled. The GM asked, "Can you read?" I don't want to brag, but I said, "yes." The next day I was afternoon newscaster, and a year later doing mornings at Y-102. The stand-up really started that year when someone asked me to host a comedy show. It took off from there. Writing everyday for radio was a great way to always have new material for stand-up. I was blessed then, and I have been blessed along the way.

2. About what are you most passionate these days?

Working daily to be a better person than I was the day before. The show that I host is exactly how I live my life.being kind to others, paying it forward, and asking nothing more from listeners than I ask of myself.

3. You describe your show as a "celebration of life through sports," and it's as much a motivational and inspirational show as a sports show. How did that come about, and what role does sports play in helping people "get off the bench and on the court"?

I have always thought that the score of the game doesn't really matter and that it's the experience of sharing sports with family and friends that is important. It is amazing how sports can get family and friends (especially estranged ones) together. I chose to focus my show on issues surrounding sports and how they affect our lives. Because of a transformation in my own life at the time, this was a natural progression.

The commonality that we all have is threefold. We are human; we have hearts and we love sports. That commonality brings us together. From there, I ask listeners to open up about their lives and encourage them to look within and ask the question, "am I so wrapped up in whether or not my team wins that I miss the rest of what is going on in my life?" I try to create an awareness of just how vital one small act of kindness can be. Are people truly getting off the bench? And, if they are in the game, are they playing the right position? If they truly participate in the show, they will find they start to participate in their own lives. The stories of how people have gotten onto the court in life then have been amazing. Sports is a great jumping off point for people. They feel very comfortable opening up emotionally on the show. When someone asks what I do for a living, I jokingly reply, "I make grown men cry."

4. You ask this of callers, so... tell us something good in YOUR life.

Thank you for asking. My relationship with my parents and my family has been extraordinary in the past 2 years. Getting some bad things out of my life has been a great blessing. It has opened me up to an amazing way of life. Another good thing in my life is that people around the country are using techniques from the show in their everyday lives. For example, police officers in Chicago are asking people in potentially violent situations to "tell them something good in their lives." They have found it a great way to diffuse conflict.

5. You've had a lot of interesting and inspirational stories told on your show by callers- what's the most amazing story that's come about on or from your show so far?

Tough question. There have been so many hundreds of incredible stories. First I want to say that I am moved and inspired by every story that has included our men and women fighting for our country. Can I share two others?

Mike in Chicago called and was sharing a double Random Act of Kindness. He was at home one rainy night with his family when someone knocked on the door. It was a woman who had gotten a flat tire outside his house. She was with two little kids who were cold and hungry. Mike invited them in for pizza and cookies and went outside and changed the tire. About a week later his own car broke down on the freeway. Someone stopped to help and he stayed with Mike, let him sit in his truck for an hour and then drove him home after the tow truck left. Mike said he couldn't believe the man's kindness. That's when the guy told Mike that he had to stay with him because about a week earlier, someone was kind enough to change his wife's flat tire in the rain. Yes.wow.

The second one was about Darryl in North Carolina. During a conversation about youth sports, Darryl mentioned that because of a fight in a Pop Warner football game in which he accidentally knocked out his cousin (they were both playing in the game on opposing teams) the two families have not spoken to each other. I asked when that was. He replied 1982! Long story short.Darryl got a call from his cousin the next day after 24 years! It turns out his cousin was listening on another radio station in another city that night and heard who he thought HAD to be his cousin, Darryl. The families warmly got back together. This was just one of the many times I have been moved to tears on the show. I'm moved to tears just writing about this because this story gave me the impetus to call my cousins the next day get back together with them. I had not talked to some of them for 2 years because of something I was embarrassed about in my life.

6. Who are your heroes?

God, my parents, my brother, our servicemen and women and our first responders.

7. Of what are you most proud?

I respond to this question not with pride, but with great humility. Every day I go to work and I know that someone is going to hear something from someone (it doesn't have to be me) that is going to have a positive impact on their lives.

8. What do you do for fun?

Paying it forward by helping others and performing random acts of kindness. I will also spend time reading, eating healthy (most of the time), working out, keeping my kittens from destroying everything I own and watching re-runs of "The West Wing." I'm also trying to get over my Tiger Woods fetish.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.

...prayer. Also, Dunkin' Donuts coffee (I smuggle it back to L.A. when I'm in a DD saturated area), some type of exercise and most important.lots of laughter.

10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?

Best: Get out of the restaurant business! Actually, that's true, but the other best advice I've ever gotten has been to remain true to my talent and who I am. Be genuine. It sounds trite, but it is real. The worst advice? Open up a restaurant.