Ben Maller

Benjamin "Big Ben" Maller (born April 29, 1975) is an American sports radio host for Fox Sports Radio where he hosts a weekday overnight sports radio show. Maller is also credited as being one of the original sports bloggers, with his now defunct website breaking several stories over the years. In addition, Maller joined the NBC Sports Network as a regular contributor to NBC SportsTalk in late 2011 until the spring of 2012. Maller is highly noted for his determination and thus losing 200 pounds over the course of 62 weeks through diet and exercise. Since January 6, 2014, Maller has occupied the weekday overnight hours of Fox Sports Radio and broadcasting 2 AM-6 AM ET 11pm-3am pacific.

Maller grew up in Irvine, California and attended Irvine High School. Maller began to fall behind in school and consequently was placed in S.E.L.F. (Secondary Education Learning Facility, now known as Creekside High School), the city's alternative education program. Nonetheless he managed to play high school football for the town's University High School while enrolled at S.E.L.F. Aside from playing football, Maller also had an interest in sports journalism and broadcasting. After finishing high school, Maller enrolled in Saddleback College in the nearby city of Mission Viejo. He continued his interest in sports broadcasting doing Saddleback College Gauchos men's basketball and football games on KSBR before landing a job as an AM sports radio journalist.

During the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Maller was able to get live reports from nearby the disaster, through a caller named Donald. Donald had attempted to call into the weeknight broadcaster, JT The Brick. Ultimately, JT The Brick decided not to put Donald on the airwaves. The next night, Donald called The Ben Maller Show and, thanks to producer Miranda Moreno, was put on the air right away and was able to provide live updates about the events in Fukushima.

In May 2010, Maller led a march at Staples Center with fellow Los Angeles Clippers fan Clipper Darrell in an unsuccessful attempt to help lead the push for free agent LeBron James to join the Clippers via free agency. In the end, LeBron James ended up signing with the Miami Heat as part of a historic team headlined by "The Big Three.'

Over the course of his career, Maller has had multiple menu items named after him in various restaurants around the United States. Former items include the "Malzone," in Syracuse, New York "Ben Maller Chicken Fingers in Kansas City, Missouri and the "Maller Pizza," in Grand Rapids, Michigan The only existing menu item is the "Maller Chicken Tender Sandwich" at the Sportsbook Bar and Grill in Denver, Colorado.

Some of his career highlights include being a reporter for XTRA Sports 690am in San Diego in the mid-1990s and co-hosting the Ben & Dave Show on XTRA Sports 1150 in LA (late-1990s) and the host of Dodger Talk from 1996 to 2000. Maller joined Fox Sports Radio for the launch of the network in August 2001 as an update anchor weekend morning co-host.

Maller also hosted UCLA Bruins post-game football talk show after they lost a ten-point fourth quarter lead against Miami, FL on December 5, 1998 losing 49-45 as Edgerrin James ran for 299 yards and UCLA missed out on the BCS title game.

In 2003, Maller signed a contract to be the "sports gossip guy," for Fox Sports, providing daily sports rumors and notes. Maller was credited with helping the website overtake ESPN.com in unique visitors for the first time in February 2007.

On January 20, 2009, Maller and the rest of the Third Shift staff was fired as part of Clear Channel Communications' layoff of 1850 employees. He was re-hired on August 11, 2009. Maller claims to be the first person to report his firing as it was happening on Twitter.

Maller became the first Southern California broadcaster to host a show on Boston's WEEI, when he filled in for Mike Adams on "Planet Mikey," in June 2009.

Maller joined NBC Sports Network in November 2011 as a regular contributor to the daily "NBC SportsTalk" program. Maller traveled from Los Angeles, California to Stamford, Connecticut each month to broadcast from NBC's studios until the Spring of 2012.