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Is it me or does Sports 56 stink?

L

longleggs

Guest
I have always liked sportstalk radio but I can't help but notice how bad it is in Memphis. I like the guests on George Lapides show (though there is way too much talk about clothes and where George likes to eat) and I think the Sportsbar is okay, but most of the shows are repetitive. I may be in the minority but I don't want to hear about the SEC all day on every show. I like a variety of sports including other college conferences, the NFL, NBA, etc. I think you can like everything and talk about everything, not just limit talk to one or two sports.

I also contend that playing trivia all day shows you are ill prepared. There is always enough going on in sports to talk for two hours a day on a variety of sports topics.

John Rainey has the worst show I have ever heard. All it is is atwo hour commercial for his gambling service. How many cohosts has he had? Rainey actually comes across as knowing nothing about sports.

Your thoughts?
 
You mean you don't like the Fishin' Show, the Soccer Fix, the Monday morning "bomerang" or the boxing show on Friday morning? Personally, I get sick of hearing so much Grizzlies talk. I know it's the only major league team we have, but enough is enough. Every one of their hosts and callers is a GM. The draft is over, the summer league is done....Please give us a break from the Griz until the season starts back. It'll soon be "Football Time" in Tennessee, U of M, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Starkville etc.
 
Yes, Sports 56 sucks. Their people are also jerks.

I know that Rainey pays for his show and I think Lapides pimps products so much because his is also paid for via those places of business. Not sure about the others.

I've been an ESPN disciple since it started in Memphis what, 8 years ago? It went from 56 to WTCK (1030AM) to 790 to 730 in that time.
 
560 hasn't been listenable to me since 1979, except for the heavy metal days....and then it was kind of like a horrible car wreck. Disgusting, but you just HAVE to look.
 
Memphis has become a major league sports town..However they need to recruit some major league sports hosts. I think the problem is that it does not pay in memphis. So no real talent wants the job. I am dont mean to sound so negative. I am sure their is one good host on some station. But mostly its really sad and annoying sports jabber.
 
Aren't WHBQ's local shows all basically paid informercials?

Also, of the 3 national sports networks, Sporting News is by far the weakest. They would be better off getting ESPN or FOX.

Signal will keep 730 from ever being a player in Memphis radio.
 
megastar said:
Memphis has become a major league sports town..However they need to recruit some major league sports hosts. I think the problem is that it does not pay in memphis. So no real talent wants the job. I am dont mean to sound so negative. I am sure their is one good host on some station. But mostly its really sad and annoying sports jabber.
Click to expand...

Chris Vernon has become a really good sports voice. He's got a few crutches that I'd rather he took care of, but who doesn't?
 
Interesting a WHBQ post comes up because rumor is some changes are around the corner. Lapides announcing Friday his cutting back on his show and pending retirement could just be the start.

No, by no means are all local shows on WHBQ paid programming. However, Rainey does purchase his time.

If programmed right, this town is ripe for a FM sports talker. That means NO Rainey, NO Whinerberger.

Vernon's show has grown on me, although he & Gary Parrish can be a little juvenile at times. I must admit his billboards scattered around town will draw a listener or two if they can get the signal.
 
I personally think there is too much SEC talk on all the show too. It gets very repetitive. I would like to see a larger variety of stuff on the station. I actually have no problem with a little boxing, fishing, soccer talk. It may not be my personal preference but it is something different than hearing just about the SEC or Grizzlies.
 
I have to agree with longleggs. I get sick of nothing but SEC talk as well. I have always contended if you are a true sports fan you can like a variety of things. Everytime someone tells me they only follow the SEC then I tell them, "in other words you really only like one thing so you actually aren't a sports diehard just a one conference and everything else sucks kind of fan." If you don't like the SEC there is no place for you on 56. Having the same repetitive type of shows hour after hour on sportsradio is just as bad as the repetitive playlists we gripe about on commerical music radio.
 
Personally, I used to really enjoy Jack and Jeff. I know everyone complained about Jeff and loved to argue with him but you have to admit it made for entertaining radio. Jack and Jeff played the good cop bad cop to perfection. I miss it. The afternoon show is too crowded now and boring.
 
RoyBoy said:
Just curious. What crutches have you caught Verno using?
Click to expand...

His entire intro...
"HERE WE GO!! On 730 ESPN, the <enter date here> edition of the Chris Vernon SHOW! Welcome, welcome, welcome. <run down guest list>. And in the 4 o'clock hour, Gary Parrish joins us as he does each and every day from CBS Sportsline.com."

Those are his crutches...if there is a regular segment or regular guest, he introduces them in exactly the same way EVERY day/week/whatever. I get using phrases to be able to think about how to say the next thing, but I think it's Verno's biggest weakness, that there's no variation. Otherwise, I absolutely enjoy him and will run from the car to turn on the radio at home (when I'm at home in the afternoon) to keep listening.
 
OK - I was thinking more along the lines of cliches that announcers use over and over again to give themselves time to think about what they really want to say. Mike Fleming on WREC is the quintessential example.
 
As I'm sure most of you are aware, you play to your listeners. If they want to talk SEC, then - that's what you do. There are several specialty shows on 56 that really do try to expand the listenerbase - but they can only do so much. Where Rainey is concerned - he buys his time for broadcast - and if he ever misses he'll get yanked. But it's pretty much guaranteed money, and it would be stupid from an economical aspect to dump him while he still pays.

Lately the sports bar has been trying to expand with different topics, but you can only bait an audience so much, and if they don't bite - you move on. Several folks here have ideas, but there's only so much time available for shows.

Ya know - if ya'll wanna talk about sports - call in. It's not hard - I'm sure they would appreciate a 'fresh' topic for a change.

And as far as an FM sports/talk station - it would NOT last 6 months. There's barely enough local sports for the 2 AM stations.
 
I agree with that. You do play to your listeners. I don't have a problem with a lot of the programming being tailored to the SEC. However, there is more to sports than just one conference. That is what bugs me. Every show is the same only with different hosts. The problem with 56 is the hosts provide little guidance. I think you have to take the bull by the horns and say this segment we are going to dedicate to college baseball. If anyone wants to chime in great but this is the current topic. It make take a little while but eventually the listeners will buy into it. The problem is I have heard the same three callers call into EVERY show and say basically the exact same thing. I find it ridiculous that say a Tennessee Vol fan calls in several times a week to say they exact same thing about the BIG game with Florida. It is one thing to call once and have your say, but to call numerous times about the exact same subject isn't cool. In fact, it is kind of sad. Do none of these people have a job?
 
Oh don't get me wrong, sometimes you do have to try to lead listeners into topics. BUT - lets as you say devote an hour to college baseball. Hosts come on - set the topic and then .......... nothing.... no calls.... etc.

So what do you do? Waste that hour? Drive away what listeners you HAVE?

No. You placate to 'em.

Now if you were to promote the fact that you have a 'college baseball hour', it is possible that you would get a few callers. But you would need to run promos for at least a week, IF not more.

Face it, Memphis may be in C-USA - but the majority of the mid-south is considered SEC country. And since 56 has affiliations with an SEC team (Ole Miss) and not the local C-USA team, why drive listeners to the Tigers broadcasts and shows?
 
I guess that is part of my problem with sports 56 which is supposed to be the LOCAL affliate. There is a little bit of Tigers talk but it always is behind the SEC. The Tigers and Grizzlies (who get plenty of talk on certain shows and virtually none on a few of the shows like Rainey when he actually does talk sports) should be number one. The Riverkings were ignored forever and now they dropped the Memphis name after being treated like crap. You won't find anything more exciting than a Riverkings game. Other Tiger sports other than basketball and football are completely ignored.

I guess what gets me is they will ignore things in Memphis completely but spend a week on the British Open. It is all so isolated. I know a ton of Titans fans in this area who travel to Nashville all the time. I don't know that the station shouldn't dedicate a few minutes to Titans and even the Nashville Predators since they are in the state, but put the focus on Memphis and not on what is going on at Georgia or Alabama.

Rainey gets on my nerves big time, as does the Morning Rush. Stats Norsworthy guests on a lot of shows and is knwoledgable but shuts up fast if he doesn't like a particular sport. I wish the Memphis listener actually knew a little bit more about ALL sports and not one team or conference.
 
Longleggs wrote:

"I find it ridiculous that say a Tennessee Vol fan calls in several times a week to say they exact same thing about the BIG game with Florida."

You got that right, most of the time WHBQ sounds like a private club. Same callers are on everyday talking about the same thing. Lapides and Calkins are the only show that seems to attract some different callers.

This is a problem with talk radio in general in Memphis. Listen to the Andrew Clark Senior show on WREC on Saturdays and Sundays, you will hear the exact same callers every week. Andrew seems like a great guy, but on Saturdays he'll invite the caller to "call me tomorrow and we'll pick this back up." It is literally the same callers every weekend mainly talking about racism.
 
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