Callers of WFAN

The vast majority of WFAN programming that originates in studio makes listeners' calls an important facet of the broadcast. As a testament to this, Joe Benigno - a former caller himself - ends all of his shows with "I want to thank all the callers, great job as always; I couldn't do it without you." There are a number of callers who have earned a reputation over the years and become as familiar to listeners as the hosts themselves.

John from Sandy Hook
One of the most endearing and knowledgeable callers, especially with boxing insights and old classic baseball. Listeners called in condolences on learning of his death.

Bruce in Bayside
A retired high school history teacher, and Cleveland Indians fan, Bruce frequently calls in with trivia and other historical background on the topic at hand. He often tries to impress with his one-liners at the beginning of his calls, with limited success. Bruce can be heard in the opening sequence of the film Bad Lieutenant in a snippet of Christopher Russo's show that was used in the film.

Bruce from Flushing
Bruce is lifetime Yankee fan and was a long time caller of Joe Beningo in the overnights and Howie Rose in prime-time. Recently married, Bruce has taken a short hiatus from his daily calls to the FAN. He is still one of the most popular and knowledgeable callers, and both Marc Malusis and Rich Ackerman list Bruce as their favorite caller. Bruce claims that he was on hold, but never made it to the air, for WFAN's first show.

Bill from Brentwood
Arugably the most popular and knowledgeable caller to WFAN is Bill from Brentwood, more popularly known as "Bill the Baker", who has an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball, along with an unmatched ability to recall not only specific baseball moments in the past 50+ years, but the exact dates that those games were played. Although Bill calls the FAN (particularly Steve Somers, who jokes that he is his co-host) on an almost daily basis, Steve - along with his listeners - is so constantly in awe and impressed with Bill's baseball intellect that he often jokes that Bill "has to be looking at a book".

Jerome from Manhattan

Another cherished caller is Jerome Mittelman, widely known as "Jerome from Manhattan." A die-hard Yankees and Knicks fan, Jerome is famous for his on-air take-no-prisoners blistering rants and raves, as well as his unique take on the English language. One of his favorite exclamatory phrases is "frickin' frack!" He refers to the bullpen as the "ballpen", and once shouted that the Yankees are "....done! D-O-E-N , DONE!" His relationship status is intriguing enough for Steve Somers to once give Jerome $60 to take a lady out on a date, only for Jerome to keep the money and not go out on the date. Former host Sid Rosenberg once asked Jerome if he was upset that he was not taking his eagerly anticipated trip "....to Colorado?", and Jerome replied, "No, to Denver." He does "....not like jets. They make seasick." Unfortunately, Mr. Mittelman's health problems have kept him from the WFAN airwaves on his usual daily basis since late 2004, although he did call on March 31, 2005 to appease his fans; he is under doctor's orders to refrain from calling because his hyperactive on-air demeanor may further complicate his health problems. He recently called in on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007, when he called Steve Somers to talk about Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte's future with the team. Jerome had recently been hospitalized and when asked to describe his treatment in the hospital, he replied "crummy." Jerome called Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts from his hospital room on November, 8th 2007. Amongst other things, he complained about Brian Cashman not moving fast enough to resign Jorge Posada. He has been in the hospital for the past two weeks because of complications from seizures. His latest call in was just after 4 PM on Saturday November, 17th 2007 when he called Steve Somers.

Doris from Rego Park

Doris Bauer , more affectionately known as "Doris from Rego Park", was a die-hard fan of the New York Mets, and was loved by many WFAN listeners. Her knowledge of the Mets and baseball as a whole approached that of Bill the Baker, and she called the station almost daily since its first night on-air. Doris suffered from neurofibromatosis, and at least three different cancers; nevertheless, she kept the Mets and WFAN close to her heart until her premature passing at age 58.

Eli from Westchester

"Eli from Westchester" was another famous repeat caller. Citing racism as the underlying factor behind any number of sports happenings, he was occasionally banned from calling for periods of time. One of the most famous times he was banned was by former mid-day host Russ Salzberg. Eli claimed to be an ex college football player and know several pro stars. His shining moment was not on WFAN however, where he performed miserably during an on air tryout for the job which would eventually be Joe Benigno's. As a late night caller to the Lionel show on WABC, Eli fell asleep while waiting to go on air. Listneers were treated to a minute's worth of "Ellie"'s, as Lionel called him, snoring. Rumors were that this is Eli Strand from Tuckahoe NY, his college football was played at Iowa State and spent 2 years in the NFL, the last with the New Orleans Saints.

Jerry from Queens

"Jerry from Queens", aka Jerry Seinfeld, has called the station at many times over the years. An avid Mets and Steve Somers fan, Seinfeld has even appeared in-studio twice along with the Schmoozer.

Joseph Abboud

Joseph Abboud, a noted clothing designer, has been a regular caller to the midday show to muse about his beloved Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees' sworn rival.

Marc in the Bronx

Marc is known for calling usually during late nights, and mostly talks NFL Football. He is a die hard fan of the Denver Broncos, and is known for his angry rants about their performance after a loss.

Miriam from Forest Hills
Miriam is a blind New York Islanders and New York Mets fan from Queens. The first Islanders game Miriam ever attended became the topic of a Rick Reilly column in Sports Illustrated.

Kelsey from Summit, NJ

A bumbling caller who only calls into the FAN in the middle of the night to complain about the Mets. He is always noticeably intoxicated.

Chris from Middletown, NY

Chris was a frequent caller to WFAN in the early 2000s to the Midday and Overnight shows. Chris was a rabid Mets fan who occasionally got into verbal spats with Midday host Jody MacDonald over many topics, usually lamenting about former Mets' manager Art Howe. He was also the station's resident Lakers fan, taking offense to Steve Somers when he referred to them as "the Fakers".

Tommy from Brooklyn

Tommy was a frequent caller to WFAN in the early 1990s. He was known for his passion for hockey. He was a caller to Christopher Russo and would frequently assist Russo with hockey issues. Tommy is best known for his passion for not wanting Russian players to play in the NHL.

Short Al from Brooklyn
Knowledgeable old time Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Mets Fan. A longtime favorite caller of overnight hosts.

Vinny from Queens

Vinny was a frequent caller to WFAN in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Vinny was a passionate Yankee fan and a popular caller among the hosts. Vinny died in 1996 in a car accident.

Ira from Staten Island

Ira is currently a frequent caller to WFAN. He is well known for being a knowledgable and passionate fan of the New York Jets. He is also well known for being a blatant homer and apologist for the Jets organization.

Val in Brooklyn

Val is an older male who speaks with a noticable stutter. He often brags about his female friends, notably his chauffeur named Sandra in the summer of 2007.

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