Story highlights Franklin was a fixture on New York radio and TV for more than 60 years

He also played himself in films like "Manhattan," "Ghostbusters" and "Broadway Danny Rose"

(CNN) Longtime New York City radio and television personality Joe Franklin has died. He was 88.

"Joe went unexpectedly and passed away Saturday night," friend and former producer Steve Garrin said.

Franklin was a fixture on late-night radio and TV in New York, working at WJZ and WOR, and recently at the Bloomberg Radio Network.

"The last two weeks were the first time he ever missed a broadcast in over 60 years" Garrin said.

Though he never broke onto the national scene, Franklin was "in many ways, the pioneer of the modern TV talk show format," according to his website , which says he interviewed more than 300,000 guests.