Pete Franklin - WWWE in Cleveland

WWWE in Cleveland

The zenith of Franklin's career came when he hosted Sportsline on 50,000-watt Cleveland AM station WWWE ("3WE") 1100-AM (eventually renamed WTAM) from 1972 to 1987. Arguably the most popular host on the station, Franklin was popular based on his extensive knowledge, his opinionated attitude, his gruff demeanor and his rude banter toward callers. Among his trademarks were playing the sound of a flushing toilet after hanging up on a caller, playing of funeral music when he deemed the Indians' season to be over (giving them a "proper burial", usually in mid-summer given the poor quality of the Indians' team during that time), his running series of the winner and the loser of the day, and boasting that his station’s nighttime signal could be heard "over 38 states and half of Canada" (a claim still stated on-air by hosts on WTAM to this day).

His caustic personality was a primary reason why "3WE" lost its status as the flagship station of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in 1981 when he developed a feud with team owner Ted Stepien. Franklin and Cavaliers' radio voice Joe Tait openly questioned Stepien's ability to operate the team following a series of poor trades, unwise free agent signings and a depletion of talent. Franklin went so far as to continually refer to Stepien by his initials, "T.S.", which Franklin said stood for "Too Stupid." (Ultimately, the NBA itself agreed with this assessment, seizing operational control of the franchise from Stepien on the grounds he was destroying its financial viability, and instituting what would be known as the "Stepien Rule".) Stepien retaliated both by canceling WWWE's radio contract and firing Tait.

Franklin popularized several regular callers by giving them nicknames like "The Swami" and "Mr. Know it all." The latter went on to become Franklin's full-time replacement and today his show is known as the "Mike Trivisonno Show".