56 Goes Into Panic Mode

[sjs1959]

Per Kyle Veazey at the CA, lots of changes are happening on Mount Moriah. Brett Norsworthy leaves Wolo to move to 3-6 with Rob Fischer, Chris Hrabe moves to 6-8 with Peter Edmiston, and Jeff Weinberger and Will Askew are OUT.

I am not that surprised about Weinberger, rather stunned about Askew.

http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_memphis_edge/2012/07/more-program-changes-this-time-at-sports-56.html

 

[waxonwaxoff]

Definitely a major shake up. Here is my take and let me over a disclaimer. I don't know any of these people and this is not intended as any kind of insult or anything. I think people get real brave sitting behind a keyboard.

I am a sports fan so I love pretty much all sports from high school to the pro's. I fully understand you have to talk about what is in the area some, but my problem with Sports 56 is every show they have is pretty much the same. It is the same topic, some comments, there is no variety in the shows. It gets repetitive really fast that there are a few shows like Dave Woloshin, who I have interest in hearing.

I think that a real sports fan likes more than one thing. If you only like professional tennis, then you are not really a big sports fan, you are a one thing fan which is okay, but if it is a sports station you need to have a variety of things on your show. It can't be all SEC. With Memphis now in the Big East, there needs to be some Big East talk and I can't help but notice whenever I am around town there are plenty of NFL flags. You need to do more than 20 minutes a week on the NFL. You also need to do more with the NBA as a whole and educate fans on the entire league. There also needs to more devotion to Tiger football and their opponents. I know the team has not been that great but there are weeks when they barely get a mention.

I am actually surprised to see Weinberger go. I know he could be a little polarizing but he provided counterarguments which at least made for some debate. What always annoyed me about 56 as well was and I am not trying to put him down personally, but take the Rainman's show. It is only one hour a day and every day it is either going to be to sell his gambling business or trivia for the hour. That is not sports radio, it is an infomercial. Also, the trivia thing drives me nuts. A little bit is fine (like what George Lapides does) but when that is the entire hour that is not sports talk, that is just filling up time. There are plenty of sports things to talk about to fill up a show everyday. If there is a lack of sports news, I would much prefer someone throw out something you can debate like who was the most overrated manager in baseball or something like that.

My long-winded point is Sports 56 doesn't have much to hold my attention. Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with the SEC, it is great, but I don't want to only hear about the SEC. I can only take so much talk about one thing. That is why, and I think he is a great guy and very knowledgable, but I am not thrilled about the 3-6 WHBQ show. Stats Norsworthy tends to basically praise the SEC and puts down every other sport. I get that is what he loves but I can't take 3 straight hours of the SEC or bust. I want a variety of stuff which is why I probably will be listening to 92.9 most of the time when I want sports radio.

 

[radiotower40]

I believe that there are many markets that simply have too many all sports stations. I like to listen to sports, I just think its overkill.

There are plenty of things sports related to talk about, how many stations can do the format though?

With two new networks starting up next year, there will probably one or two more popping up in some cities.

The same can be said for other formats also, classic hits, how many times can I hear Jackson Browne a day before I want to throw the radio out the window? The worst part is it is usually the same song!

CHR, Gospel and Religious are other formats are the same.

CHR, Classic Hits and Sports attract the advertising due to the good demos they target. The pie can only be spread so far.

Now that corporations own most radio stations they would rather be safe and fight for scraps than try something new. This is not good for radio in the long term.

Cinccinati and Indianapolis are two other markets that have way to many sports stations. I like sports, I really think this is one instance where less would be better.

Another thing is that quite a few stations with other formats also do some sports, college and high school games and such.

As much as sports can make money, there is only so much advertising to go around. How about some stations that do sports and general talk together?

I just really think its overkill, and it is diluting the all sports format into a lowest common denomanator format, just like daytime court and talk shows.

Some sports stations are sounding like shock stations to me, in that there all so desperate to out do the other three sports stations that it makes for a product that is not quality. They are more about the politics of sports than about games and stats.

Does anyone else feel this when listening to sports?

Not to mention, like political talk, you get so many stations running second and third tier talkers, just to be in the "game" so to speak, that the programming is boring and a real turnoff.