New York City radio host Bernard McGuirk dead at 64

Bernard McGuirk, a legendary radio host in New York city, has passed away at the age of 64. McGuirk passed yesterday after a “courageous battle with prostate cancer,” his station WABC announced.

“Mr. McGuirk, host of the Bernie & Sid in the Morning Program with co-host Sid Rosenberg, died on Wednesday, Oct. 5th, 2022″ the station said. “He leaves behind a wife Carol and two children, Melanie and Brendan.”

McGuirk was in the presence of his family when he died. He had a lengthy radio career that started in 1986 and he “entertained millions across the country working with Imus in the morning making you laugh one moment and making you think the next.”

WABC president Chad Lopez told the New York Post that McGuirk’s morning show was number one for a reason.

“We just started doing things the way radio was meant to be. We went back to basic formatics and we didn’t let big corporation thinking or corporation-type thinking where it was done for the money; it was done for what the product was and we invested in the product. We allowed him to be who it was and that’s a huge part of the success of the show. He was able to just be himself and just do it and that’s what made that show number one. He was witty and didn’t mince his words and just spoke the truth.”

His partner on the show, Sid Rosenberg, said the pair had a chemistry that helped catapult them to the top. “You had that perfect mix of politics and pop culture and sports and entertainment from two guys that worked together on and off for 23 years and genuinely liked each other,” he said.

The show was notable for being one of the first to feature then-President Donald Trump on the show after he was inaugurated.

“He was, remained fond of Bernie, and he’s known me for a long time, and the very first thing he said when he hopped on the air was ‘you know Bernie you’ve been a friend of mine for so long, and Sid you too, but Bernie even longer, so I’m happy to be here,’” Rosenberg said.

McGuirk didn’t get treated for his cancer until he started showing symptoms. His colleague Curtis Sliwa said his death could potentially have been prevented.

“In his memory, men should know and women who are with men should advise them: just get the blood test. It’s a simple prick of the finger, a PSA test. Had Bernie gotten that, he might well be alive today.” Sliwa said.