Michael Smerconish

ichael Smerconish is the Philadelphia market's premier talk radio host and is heard daily on Infinity Broadcasting's Big Talker 1210 AM -- WPHT. His morning drive-time show is a lightning rod of controversy and spirited discussion. A Philadelphia lawyer turned political commentator, Smerconish is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and a regular commentator on CNN's Paula Zahn Now and Anderson Cooper's 360. Michael Smerconish keeps a hand in law and remains "of counsel" to the Beasley Law Firm in Philadelphia. Facts about Michael Smerconish: * Smerconish is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University with majors in government and journalism and a 1987 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is an active member in the Pennsylvania Bar. * He has provided current events and political commentary on a variety of national television programs, including the NBC Today Show, The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News, and Hardball on CNBC.. * Smerconish is a regular substitute host for Westwood One and has filled-in for Bill O'Reilly on The Radio Factor. * Smerconish is the author of Flying Blind: How Political Correctness Continues to Compromise Airline Safety Post 9/11. * In 2003, author Bernard Goldberg re-published one of Smerconish's Daily News columns in his book Arrogance, a follow-up to his bestseller Bias. * In January of 2002, he traveled to Cuba where he interviewed and dined with Fidel Castro. His reports on this extraordinary meeting were serialized in the Daily News. * At the age of 29 he served as a presidential appointee under George H.W. Bush as a Regional Administrator in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. * He has won numerous awards including Philadelphia Achievement in Radio awards for Best Talk Show Host and Best Evening Program; Philadelphia Magazine's 2004 Best Radio Talk Host; and was a 2003 nominee for Radio & Records best local talk host. * Born in 1962 in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Smerconish now resides in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Lavinia and their four children.