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Cleveland's Best Local Talk Show

V

vjm

Just wanna see what y'all think is the best local talk show on Cleveland radio.

2 rules:

1. These shows talk about topics all across the board--not just sports.

2. Any FM shows on the list are primarily talk and rarely (if at all) play music.

Here's the candidates--

WKNR - The Really Big Show with Tony Rizzo
WTAM - Wills and Snyder
WTAM - The Mike Trivisonno Show
WTAM - The Bob Frantz Show
WNCX - The Maxwell Show
WMMS - Rover's Morning Glory
WMMS - The Alan Cox Show
WMJI - Lanigan and Malone
 
My take is this:

We live in market in the Top 30 in the entire country. 1.7 MILLION people over 5 counties, and that is all we get to choose? 8?

Rizzo=good host, lousy support cast
Wills= traffic cop> intros next service element
Triv= dumb down>news weather traffic service support act
Franz= who?
Maxwell=stern clone's clone
Rover=Stern clone
Alan Cox = adolescent content from 40+ year old
Lnnigan= good. Dick Goddard of radio

Outside of Lannigan, slim pickens ::)
 
Agreed. Based on ratings, revenue, and I'll toss in longevity with high ratings, Lanigan is tops. All fall below him.
 
I'll apologize in advance for violating the rules, but I have a natural problem with respecting authority..:)

Other than the Trivisonno show, which I can't stand at all, (his "stupid guy who thinks he know it all" shtick just grates on me)-- all of them have their place and are extremely mediocre.

It's a sad state of affairs that I find the "best" local talk show on Cleveland radio to be the brokered Tom Kelly show on WHK. (And I don't really consider Tom Kelly a "big league" talent either.)

As far as being the best of your nominees-- I'd would probably go with Wills, but I totally agree that the show is basically a News/ Service element show-- not personality based. IMO, If/ when Bill Wills decides to retire, he could be replaced with just about anyone who buys into the shows format.
 
How weird is it that Akron has better choices in local talk? We've got WNIR which is local from 5:30am to 11pm, Jim Albright on WHLO, Ray Horner on WAKR and Ken Carman on WARF. Howie Chizek and Albright are legendary, and I enjoy listening to both, even if Howie tends to raise my blood pressure.
 
zrl said:
I'll apologize in advance for violating the rules, but I have a natural problem with respecting authority..:)

Other than the Trivisonno show, which I can't stand at all, (his "stupid guy who thinks he know it all" shtick just grates on me)-- all of them have their place and are extremely mediocre.

It's a sad state of affairs that I find the "best" local talk show on Cleveland radio to be the brokered Tom Kelly show on WHK. (And I don't really consider Tom Kelly a "big league" talent either.)

As far as being the best of your nominees-- I'd would probably go with Wills, but I totally agree that the show is basically a News/ Service element show-- not personality based. IMO, If/ when Bill Wills decides to retire, he could be replaced with just about anyone who buys into the shows format.
Click to expand...

There are 2 shows I could have added to the list but didn't--

WHK - Kelly and Company
WERE - America's Workforce w/ Ed "Flash" Ferenc

Both shows are only an hour long and are brokered.

Kelly's actually been around awhile, doing shows on WERE (when it was still at 1300), and WRMR (right before WKNR moved to 850 in 2001, and even after the switch, he actually did mornings on WKNR until Bruce Drennan took over later in the year) but the fact he's brokered takes something away from it.

And Flash's show is a thinly disguised hour long AFL-CIO informercial with a little weather, a traffic report and the rare non-labor guest.

Best Bets for WTAM--

Matt Patrick is next in line for AM Drive post-Wills, and Bob Frantz is the heir apparent for Triv.
 
Actually, we should probably be grateful that's there's eight people on the list. Cleveland's been depressed as a source for talk radio ever since the old WERE/1300 gave up the ghost (and its' current urban talk incarnation on 1490 is bereft of any local, non-brokered hosts since Basheer Jones was let go).

Wills is and always has been the "traffic cop" of an all-news block. The show has its' place, but is nowhere near a "talk show." And the more I think of it, 1100 generally never has had any talk-centric shows in morning drive for... well... ever (save for a brief period when then-WWWE aired Imus).

Rover and Rizzo are one and the same. Mediocre-to-decent host, dreadful-to-abysmal supporting cast. Sorry but people like Dominic Dieter, Shawn Street or Aaron Goldhammer don't deserve a third-shift slot on a small 1,000 watt graveyard signal in a rural town. (At least Fedor has potential, but he's simply surrounded by the wrong people.) That formula for both shows is an automatic turn-off.

Maxwell is a decent show, but stuck in the wrong timeslot on a station with an incompatible format.

Triv has seen better days.

The comparison of Lanigan to Dick Goddard is rather apt. He's still the best - head and shoulders above everyone else in the market, and when it's time for Lanigan to leave, he'll do so of his own accord.

I agree with vjm: both Matt Patrick (who currently already hosts a morning drive show in South Bend) and Bob Frantz are seemingly being groomed to take over for Wills and Triv, respectively (with Nick Camino or Andre Knott taking over for Frantz). And at least WTAM has some weekend talent with Bob Becker, Patrick, Ken Lanci and Dave Ramos.

Have never listened to Alan Cox, so I can't directly comment.

Ken Carmen is, without a doubt, the best sports host in the entire region (which says a lot about how awful the sports talk roster is in this town as well). I actually don't feel my intelligence insulted whenever I listen to him. Runner-up would have to be Greg Brinda, if not for his utter longevity in the market and grumpy disposition. ;)
 
Nathan Obral said:
Actually, we should probably be grateful that's there's eight people on the list. Cleveland's been depressed as a source for talk radio ever since the old WERE/1300 gave up the ghost (and its' current urban talk incarnation on 1490 is bereft of any local, non-brokered hosts since Basheer Jones was let go).

Wills is and always has been the "traffic cop" of an all-news block. The show has its' place, but is nowhere near a "talk show." And the more I think of it, 1100 generally never has had any talk-centric shows in morning drive for... well... ever (save for a brief period when then-WWWE aired Imus).

Rover and Rizzo are one and the same. Mediocre-to-decent host, dreadful-to-abysmal supporting cast. Sorry but people like Dominic Dieter, Shawn Street or Aaron Goldhammer don't deserve a third-shift slot on a small 1,000 watt graveyard signal in a rural town. (At least Fedor has potential, but he's simply surrounded by the wrong people.) That formula for both shows is an automatic turn-off.

Triv has seen better days.

The comparison of Lanigan to Dick Goddard is rather apt. He's still the best - head and shoulders above everyone else in the market, and when it's time for Lanigan to leave, he'll do so of his own accord.
Click to expand...

Amen brother on all this...well said.
 
Nathan Obral said:
Actually, we should probably be grateful that's there's eight people on the list. Cleveland's been depressed as a source for talk radio ever since the old WERE/1300 gave up the ghost (and its' current urban talk incarnation on 1490 is bereft of any local, non-brokered hosts since Basheer Jones was let go).

Wills is and always has been the "traffic cop" of an all-news block. The show has its' place, but is nowhere near a "talk show." And the more I think of it, 1100 generally never has had any talk-centric shows in morning drive for... well... ever (save for a brief period when then-WWWE aired Imus).

Rover and Rizzo are one and the same. Mediocre-to-decent host, dreadful-to-abysmal supporting cast. Sorry but people like Dominic Dieter, Shawn Street or Aaron Goldhammer don't deserve a third-shift slot on a small 1,000 watt graveyard signal in a rural town. (At least Fedor has potential, but he's simply surrounded by the wrong people.) That formula for both shows is an automatic turn-off.

Maxwell is a decent show, but stuck in the wrong timeslot on a station with an incompatible format.

Triv has seen better days.

The comparison of Lanigan to Dick Goddard is rather apt. He's still the best - head and shoulders above everyone else in the market, and when it's time for Lanigan to leave, he'll do so of his own accord.

I agree with vjm: both Matt Patrick (who currently already hosts a morning drive show in South Bend) and Bob Frantz are seemingly being groomed to take over for Wills and Triv, respectively (with Nick Camino or Andre Knott taking over for Frantz). And at least WTAM has some weekend talent with Bob Becker, Patrick, Ken Lanci and Dave Ramos.

Have never listened to Alan Cox, so I can't directly comment.

Ken Carmen is, without a doubt, the best sports host in the entire region (which says a lot about how awful the sports talk roster is in this town as well). I actually don't feel my intelligence insulted whenever I listen to him. Runner-up would have to be Greg Brinda, if not for his utter longevity in the market and grumpy disposition. ;)
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Wills I think could be a good pure talk host if given the time.

Both Rizz and Rover need better backup. We all know the deal with Hammer, and I think Ned would be better on a pure nuts and bolts sports show like Afternoon R & R (Reghi and Roda)...he gets lost when TRBS veers off sports.

I think at this point, both Lanigan and Triv have reached Goddard/Tait status...they go when THEY wanna go (Tom Hamilton better have the same thing).

Maxwell would be better off on 92.3...it's more his style over there (I can hear the promos..."Maxwell in the morning...non-stop rock all day!"). Maxwell to Bill Louis is a huge change of pace. (still say NCX should go with "Bob and Tom"...they would mesh well with Bill Louis, Micheal Stanley and the "mullet rock".)

Alan Cox fits in well to the "man-cave" motif at the Buzzard.
 
vjm said:
Just wanna see what y'all think is the best local talk show on Cleveland radio.

2 rules:

1. These shows talk about topics all across the board--not just sports.

2. Any FM shows on the list are primarily talk and rarely (if at all) play music.

Here's the candidates--

WKNR - The Really Big Show with Tony Rizzo
WTAM - Wills and Snyder
WTAM - The Mike Trivisonno Show
WTAM - The Bob Frantz Show
WNCX - The Maxwell Show
WMMS - Rover's Morning Glory
WMMS - The Alan Cox Show
WMJI - Lanigan and Malone
Click to expand...

Interesting topic.

Rizzo's show is terrible. He isnt ever prepared and he lets the kiddies run it. He says he is in charge, but if you listen to it, everything that happens is what the kiddies want to happen and he goes along with it. Its just nopt good radio, hardly ever.

Wills and Snyder is a good show. Very well done for their slot and lot in this market.

Triv is a blow hard. Thinks too highly of himself and talks down to his audience too much.

Bob Frantz is still on the air?

Maxwell is terrible, too. Laughing too hard at themselves and at eachother. Sounds very forced and fake. Totally overwhelmed in that time slot. They are getting killed in it and its no suprise.

Rover is OK, I guess. Not my cup of tea. The whole flap about he and Duggi being a couple really hurt his cred. The whole thing is an act, a scripted act. Thats OK, I guess, but dont try to pass it off as real or your real life when its a scripted act. Scripted like a network television show.

I enjoy Alan Cox but can see that he is a niche host. You have to be "in on the joke" to really enjoy the show. He is smug and overly liberal and opinionated, but with some 13 yr old boy potty humor thrown in. I think they do pretty well, for what they are trying to do.

I havent listened to Lanigan in years. Given the other choices, I should probobly give him a chance. Last I rememberd, it was the same schtick and bits as 1989 ov er there. Not sure if its been updated or still the same.

Good topic, though. Interesting discussion.
 
WKNR - The Really Big Show with Tony Rizzo (rizzo's great, the supporting cast blows!)
WTAM - Wills and Snyder (old school. not my cup of tea though)
WTAM - The Mike Trivisonno Show (Triv is an asshole and his show is garbage)
WTAM - The Bob Frantz Show (Bob's soild. I like him a lot)
WNCX - The Maxwell Show (worst show on the radio. Maxwell is awful. Stansbury is overratted)
WMMS - Rover's Morning Glory (It continues to dominate)
WMMS - The Alan Cox Show (Very, very good. Alan and Chad are talented)
WMJI - Lanigan and Malone (What can you say, they've been around forever!)
 
vjm said:
Both Rizz and Rover need better backup. We all know the deal with Hammer, and I think Ned would be better on a pure nuts and bolts sports show like Afternoon R & R (Reghi and Roda)...he gets lost when TRBS veers off sports.
Click to expand...

Neither one will happen... or would take a massive leap of faith.

Rover's putrid sidekicks all have iron-clad contracts, a consequence of Rover's defection from CBS to CC. They also are protected from ANY budget-cutting at CC's end - or so Rover boasted on his show once. (I think it was the same day Rado, Marty Allen AND Brian & Joe were all canned.) Then, of course, there's the scripted personal asides (Rover dating Duji? Figures...) that figure prominently into his show.

And, of course... Rizzo's hand-strung with Goldhammer and Fedor in perpetuity by virtue of the station's ownership (i.e., the Karmizan-Goldhammer connections). He probably lost caring about the show because he'll never get Goldhammer fired or Fedor reassigned. By that alone, I gave up on tRBS a long time ago... it didn't take the Fourth Hour EPIC FAIL.

vjm said:
I think at this point, both Lanigan and Triv have reached Goddard/Tait status...they go when THEY wanna go (Tom Hamilton better have the same thing).
Click to expand...

Agreed.

vjm said:
Maxwell would be better off on 92.3...it's more his style over there (I can hear the promos..."Maxwell in the morning...non-stop rock all day!"). Maxwell to Bill Louis is a huge change of pace. (still say NCX should go with "Bob and Tom"...they would mesh well with Bill Louis, Micheal Stanley and the "mullet rock".)
Click to expand...

It will never happen. 92.3's signal is too much of a liability - it's too short-spaced between Toledo, Bellvue and Alliance to really make the same level of coverage that Q104, WDOK or WNCX can. Consequently, it's the red-headed stepchild in the CBS Radio Cleveland chain, so it makes sense to be just a simple jukebox with no personalities whatsoever. Putting Maxwell there would be a disaster.

As has been said before, Bob&Tom have failed multiple times in this market, so that's a no go. And I'm not bullish on WNCX's "mullet rock," i.e., a playlist unchanged since 1988. Was putting Maxwell on there a smart move? Not really. But WNCX will soon suffer a clear aging problem that's not going to get any better any time soon.
 
Ron Lee & Nathan

Man you two really hit it! Great analysis. The about Rizzo being stuck the kids running the show is right on.

Loved both of your last critiques. !
 
I understand the Goldhammer connection to the station, but Mr. Fedor does not have any of that. Could be that good, hard work got him where he is today.
 
johnbasalla said:
I understand the Goldhammer connection to the station, but Mr. Fedor does not have any of that. Could be that good, hard work got him where he is today.
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Honesty, if T.J. Zuppe or whomever were in Fedor's slot on tRBS, they'd get the same amount of criticism. Fedor is simply stuck on the wrong program, and people like Goldhammer hurt his future in the long run.

I'd rather Fedor just be assigned to co-host "Gamenight" on WKNR and be a sidekick on Reghi/Roda, but that won't happen as long as tRBS is seen by management to be the best show on the station. Which, truthfully, it isn't and never was (that honor went to Rome).
 
johnbasalla said:
I understand the Goldhammer connection to the station, but Mr. Fedor does not have any of that. Could be that good, hard work got him where he is today.
Click to expand...

Maybe. More likey his background makes for bonding. He's a silver spoon kid too ya know. Father's a doctor. He relates well to the other trust funds kids running that radio playground.
 
Nathan Obral said:
johnbasalla said:
I understand the Goldhammer connection to the station, but Mr. Fedor does not have any of that. Could be that good, hard work got him where he is today.
Click to expand...

people like Goldhammer hurt his future in the long run.
Click to expand...

No.Goldhammer is Fedors future. Fedor hitched on to the Goldhammer wagon. Same age. Rich parents. Sense of entitlement.
Mels kid takes care of Goldhammer.Goldhammer takes care of Fedor. Even Stevie Wonder can see that.
 
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