LcoalSports Talk Radio Who do you like and who do you hate

That's fine, Rufino, good on you, but too many talk shows I (used to) listen to are just brainless. Worse, they're designed to be brainless for the sake of ratings.

If some aren't taking deliberately provocative opinions, many others are masters of the obvious. Others are blatant fanboys. Much of it is loud and/or rudely presented.

Nearly all of it is designed to elicit a reaction, which isn't honesty or insight, it's showmanship for the sake of ratings. I don't give a fuck about ratings, I want to be enlightened.

Just once I'd like a host to come on and try to see the middle of an issue. Any issue. Most of the time, you get hosts taking the extreme side of an issue, screaming down those who disagree.

Like I said, the way this format has evolved, it applies to the lowest common denominator. I'm glad you're trying to do it the right way, but I don't think that's the rule, it's the exception.

I'll say this, one show I do enjoy very much is Baseball Beat on XM. It has the right mix of levity, insight and intelligence. It's what a good talk show should be.

 

Sports radio varies so much from market to market and even time of day. Dan Cole, a fine host on KFAN in Minnesota who was mentioned earlier in this thread, was unsuccessful in mornings but is the perfect fit for middays. Just as the KC Star has different styles of columnists with Whitlock and Joe Posnanski, both of whom are excellent at what they do, most stations don't feature identical hosts all day. That's why people who paint my entire branch of the media with one brush irritate me so much.

Sometimes what kind of show you do depends on what market segment you're looking to target. If you're in a market with an FM "guy talk" format, you may do more straight sports than if you're facing mostly political talk. In the end, the label "sports radio" is a misnomer. The actual format is male targeted talk radio with a substantial helping of sports content as part of the programs.

 

I'd rather have a railroad spike hammered into my colon than listen to sports talk radio.

 

Outside of Charlie Pallilo, there's no one worth listening to in Houston, where the top-rated station fills time with home improvement and public interests shows. I still listen to Rome, but not as much as I used to since I got Sirius. I do like Arnie Spanier and Todd Wright on Sporting News Radio.

 

I don't like any of it, but I hate talk radio in general.

 

I like the afternoon duo in my town, but the guys who preceed them in midday make me want to put an icepick in my eardrum.
They have to improve to be clueless.
I particularly love the live spots... "The burgers at Hanburger Heaven are awesome. You got your mustard, your ketchup, your mayo, you got mustard AND ketchup AND mayo..."

 

All Bets Are Off With Bruce Drennen on SportsTime Ohio.

Yeah, it's technically not a radio show, but Bruce is a radio guy and it's run in a radio format.

 

In New York, here's my take on the situation and I listen a lot.

WFAN
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10p-1p - Benigno and Roberts - Can be entertaining, especially with a Benigno rant about something. Last week Benigno was going off on Carlos Beltran and Roberts was trying to talk him off the ledge. They do get decent guests and can pack in the guests. They also don't spend the whole show on one topic, (that's more during the winter sports season). And they are decent to the callers even when they don't agree.

1pm-6 Francesa and Russo - Arrogant, everything people say they are. (on the air, i don't know if they're like that off-air) They do make me laugh with some of the things they do, although being rude to callers who dissent is a big minus for me. They do have a lot of good segments with authors, other broadcasters.

Postgame of the Mets games - Steve Somers - I'm sure he's a nice enough guy, he seems that way to the callers, but his schtick is tiresome. He was really good and funny as "Captain Midnight" underneth the covers schmoozing sports, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Overnights - Tony Paige - A really nice guy, who sometimes has lapses on the sports knowledge. (hey it happens at that hour, it's late). extremely friendly to the callers. has theme shows like callers discussing their best memories of going to a ballgame. Plus he talks boxing, which works for me since I like the sport

Marc Malisius - has gotten better, first came of as a russo and francesa clone with cutting off callers (he was their producer at some point). it also doesn't help him that many of the callers at 3 am on a weekend are drunk. Has the most corniest intro I've ever heard.

Richard Neer - longtime vet of the radio biz, very nice to callers, runs a fairly normal talk show, although i've read on the NY radio messageboard that he broadcasts via an ISDN line

ESPN RADIO

Brandon Tierney - extremely nice guy from the few times i've met him. decent show whenever he's not preempted by something (Jim Rome, NBA games), good with the callers, gets good guests (especially with the knicks). makes good use of getting ESPN guests.

Michael Kay - it's a decent show, another guy for the most part is good to the callers. Has very strong opinions, but hey that's needed on afternoon drive. Can be a screamer from time to time, but that's part of afternoon drive also. Gets good guests.

It's not perfect, but it's not as bad as people make it to be. You want to talk bad, then how bout John Sterling's call of the Jose Molina go-ahead double from Sunday.

 

Love 'em all, hate nobody.

Or is that the other way around?

 

Disagree with Colin and he'll shoot you with his index fingers.

 

I know many hate sports talk radio, but I'm not going to sit in my cube and listen to classical music all damn day. Sports radio is the only thing that helps my day go fast.

There are only a handful of national guys I listen to consistently: Siciliano, Czabe, Rome, Cowherd, and Todd Wright. Yes, most of it does end up on the sophomoric level, but they offer interesting points, a few chuckles, and it gets me going each day. Czabe and Rome would be classified as juvenile adult comedy, but clearly nowhere in the category of Mark Madden or JT the Brick, who are downright boorish, arrogant, and rude to any caller who attempts to offer a different opinion.

I listen to the local guys as well. They are nowhere near the national level, but it's listenable and for the most part, very smart and level-headed. KNXO show hosts like Larry Cotlar (6am EDT-10am) and Jon Miller (3pm EDT-5pm) are the most enjoyable because their shows are well-rounded and never stoops to downright stupidity.

Marty and Miller (5pm EDT-8pm) are the exception for the most part because Marty Tirrell tries to go the Russo and Francesa route with his antics and thinking he knows more about Iowa and Iowa State than the coaches do, but Ken Miller, bless his heart, is the only guy who can put up with Marty and if not cut off by Marty every second in the show, can give salient thoughts.

Personally, I like my local guys better. I'm not going to get any news about Iowa Wrestling from Colin Cowherd, or UNI baseball from Tony Bruno. The local yokels can give me that and treat their callers with dignity without shouting them down.