Howie Chizek

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Howie Chizek

Born	June 09,1947
Station(s)	WNIR
Time slot	Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Time slot	Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Country	United States
Website	www.wnir.com

Howie Chizek is an American radio personality and former public address announcer.

He currently hosts the number-one rated radio show in the Akron, Ohio market on WNIR FM-100.1 Since 1972, Chizek has had the longest running radio show in America. Throughout that time, the show has included a listenership of over 300,000. It runs six days a week, from Monday through Saturday. The Saturday show airs live (via telephone) from the Klaben auto dealership in Kent. Chizek also serves as Klaben's main pitchman.

Chizek is a registered member of the Democratic Party. He considers himself a conservative-moderate who stands for family values and morals. Chizek has stated his program was the first in the U.S. to employ a no-guest format, meaning he has no guests on it other than himself and anyone who calls in. His style is polite, deliberate, and often humorous. He has described his show as "a slice of America in reaction to what's going on in the world".

After graduation from Cleveland Heights High School in 1965, Chizek received a bachelor's degree in communications from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

Chizek is also the former public address announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association where he served throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s. He was known to energize the crowd at the Coliseum at Richfield, and later at Gund Arena, with his unforgettable calls when three-pointers were made.

[edit] Memorable quotations

Chizek's radio show has often been considered shocking, due to typical on-air exchanges. For example: Caller: "I'm so worried, Howie, because abortion and the gays are gonna make the population decrease!" Chizek: "Now, now, the population isn't going down, but not because people are having babies, but because all these illegal Mexicans are coming over here. The only thing you have to worry about is all of us looking like a bunch of Pancho Villas."
As a Cavaliers public address announcer, Chizek announced in a unique way. For example, when three pointers were made by star player Mark Price, Chizek would shout: "Maarrk Priiiice (in monotone, followed by a pause)... for (another short pause)... thaaaaaaa-reeeeeeee!"
According to the official NBA website, Chizek is given credit as having one of the most memorable quotes in NBA history: “Larry Bird just throws the ball in the air and God moves the basket underneath it.” [1]

Preceded by Paul Porter	Cleveland Cavaliers Public Address Announcer 1984—1995	Succeeded by Jeff Shreve

During the late 1960s, Howie formed a rock band in Cleveland Heights, Ohio called "Howie and the Runaways", scoring a top 40 hit in the Home of Rock and Roll with a song titled, "She's a little runaway". The group disbanded when Chizek enrolled in Communications College at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio where he later played "Woody the Woodsman" on a children's show for a local TV station. Chizek graduated Ohio U in 1970 and he took a radio position in Youngstown, Ohio, where he worked with Dan Ryan until he began with WKNT(now WNIR) in Kent, Ohio.