Meet 'a different kind of Eskin'

HIS REAL name is Brett Eskin, but ever since he first hit the airwaves on a Syracuse University radio station, he's been known publicly as "Spike." This year, the 38-year-old broadcast lifer, one of Howard Eskin's five children, has added three new tags: program director (at WIP sports talk radio), lifesaver (to Angelo Cataldi, whom he rescued from choking) and newlywed (last month, to Valerie DiBaggio).

Most of Eskin's career has been spent locally, first at WYSP, where he was a disc jockey and worked in programming - and where he met his wife-to-be. After a brief time in Chicago, again as a DJ and programmer, he returned to Philly as a blogger and reporter for several of the local radio and TV outlets owned and operated by the CBS network, including CBS3.

In addition to putting in 50 to 60 hours a week at WIP (more during Eagles season), Eskin continues to run SpikeEskin.com, where, among other things, he conducts his popular 76ers blog and podcast, "Rights to Ricky Sanchez" (a reference to an obscure former NBA prospect). He took time recently to chat with Daily News staff writer Chuck Darrow over lunch.

Q How did a nice Jewish boy get a nickname like "Spike"?

I was at Syracuse University working at the radio station. I did sports on Saturday morning, and I decided I wanted to do music as well. My student program director told me I couldn't use the same name for both, and I didn't have a nickname. At the time, I had bleached, spiky hair, and the receptionist where I got it done used to write me in as "Spike."

Q Because your father is a station employee, that makes you his boss. How does that work?

It sounds funny to say I'm his boss. I look at it more like I'm there to help achieve. I'm there to assist them and help guide them. It's rare with personalities as strong as ours - including my father - that you say, "You're gonna do this. You're gonna like it."

Q How weird would it be for you to have to discipline your dad for something he said on the air or did off the air?

If it was that serious an incident, for all parties involved it might be best to let Andy Bloom handle it.

Q Marc Rayfield, senior vice president and market manager for CBS' local radio station group, described you as "a different kind of Eskin." How are you and your dad different?

I would say he's easily excitable, and I am not anymore. I try to handle things in a rational, settled-down way. He is probably more emotional in how he works, I am more strategic.

I think one of my key skills is getting people to be their best by understanding who they are and what they do well. He gets the best out of people if they react well to him, and if they work as hard as he does. But most people don't.

And I'm a better dresser.

Q You made local headlines earlier this year when you saved Angelo Cataldi's life by administering the Heimlich maneuver after he choked on some food. What exactly happened?

GEICO had a Super Bowl commercial called "The Cheesesteak Shuffle." We were making our version.

One of the scenes had Angelo take a bite of a cheesesteak. He took the bite, and our videographer told Angelo the bite wasn't big enough and to take another bite.

Angelo takes this huge bite. I look over at him and he says to me - in a very hoarse voice - "Water. Can you get me water?"

I take him through a door and Angelo can no longer talk, and he's pointing to his throat. His face is red. And he looked at me and made the Heimlich motion.

I said to him, "Oh my God, I have to do this."

Q Where do you see yourself in five years?

I don't. Every time I make these long-term plans, there's always a boulder in my path.

Right now, WIP is the most important thing to me, and I would love a long, fruitful career as program director. Nothing would make me more happy than to make this station as great as it can be for an awfully long time.