NEXT PHASE FOR SPORTS TALK?

[saraswati]

so, what's next for sports talk?

regardless of your opinions on syndicated or local shows, the present climate is bleak and down right dismal. what is the current problem and what could make it better going forward? here's my two cents...

i was an avid sports talk listener for decades - a true addict - carrying my radio everywhere, waiting in the car for an update or a breakdown of a big game, arranging my day to catch a show or a particular segment. i woke up with local yellers or game recapers and fell asleep to the then new syndicated blend out of bristol, chicago or las vegas.

i had hoped that a new crop of younger, smarter sports talkers could carry the torch through this decade and into the 10's. maybe blending the blogosphere with a different kind of snarkiness or intelligence - no need for stats/box scores radio with google nor the tired screamers or long in the tooth retreads. maybe something i didn't understand at first but could learn to and then enjoy. however, that hope faded long ago.

nationally, mike & mike have blanded out and cleared the mornings with espn's help to such an extent that i view this as a dead time slot. give it over to other styles. i get my morning sports from podcasts and blogs now. the middays are even bleaker. cowherd is a sad aging yuppie who should slide out of sports into real estate or "divorced" relationship talk. his t.v. show is such a wreck that it doesn't even merit comment. rome needs to retire and concentrate on his t.v. or horse racing interests. steve czaban is excellent at times but now sounds tired of fighting and he's just x-ing out the calendar days before his deal is done. afternoon/drive and evening slots offer little hope. petros and money at least take some chances and can be entertaining and challenging at times. their mix works but suffers from socal myopia. imagine listening to miami heat talk in portland. mike salk had to bail out of bland bristol or was forced to move to seattle. he's good at times. ryen russillo was a ray of hope but i fear he'll be made more and more docile as he continues to work with scott van bore. its sad to hear the decline in van pelt. tirico must be a nasty virus that sterilizes any co-host. at least he's gone.

i heard the two deadspin guys host dan patrick a couple weeks ago and it had some moments but the format didn't allow for any zest or real flavor. satellite is better for that but now appears to be a retirement home for russo, farrell, wilson or syndicated stuff not cleared locally. i'm not even going ot mention the xm/sirius original programming. beyond boring. its probably a sad experiment that will fade in a few years - cb radios anyone?

so what's the next phase? is there hope? i wish for an implosion of the current monopoly of espn/fox. maybe a new birth of talkers will come from some source in an attempt to reach a larger audience. maybe someone with some new money will hire some talent from the podcasting, blogosphere, local college radio or elsewhere and start something fresh - handcuff free. the new money will allow for some growth (early espn, one on one) before co-opting with leagues, networks or local interests. remember when newspaper guys or ugly t.v. rejects migrated to radio. now we need ugly bloggers or younger folks with unique voices who aren't afraid to offend, challenge or entertain someone to find a new home on sports talk radio. hopefully at a national level.

maybe its pointless as sports talk radio will probably go the way of radio dramas, the grand ole opry or other old time radio shows...

 

[Leebo65]

We need some younger talent taliking about MMA. Lots of material to work with there. Give me a Sportstalk show that talks Football, MMA, and the NBA plus the show's host humorous. Thats all I need.

 

[Pratte4Life]

I'm not nearly as cynical as you are. In some markets sports talk radio has yet to arrive or has just arrived. It is still growing.

I do think the internet has changed talk radio in general. Why wait a half hour on hold to make your point when you can go on a message board and make the same points with no wait?

And the net has taken the immediacy away from radio. Unless your station has a round-the-clock staff, the story will break here faster than it will on the air.

What I see in your points is that you're not so much tired of sports talk, but tired of ESPN coverage. You mentioned Colin Cowherd and why his personality grates you- he does me as well. Thankfully I have alternatives to listen to him and I take advantage of them.

But I see Cowherd as the ultimate ESPN shill. ESPN doesn't have hockey, he puts it down. ESPN's baseball coverage often seems limited to the Yanks and Red Sox- he says those are the only teams that matter.

It somewhat proves that sports talk radio is best geared locally. I've heard sports talk radio do great things in a local community, from organizing efforts to help flood victims to keeping teams in town. Syndication and satellite can't and won't do this.

While few stations will be able to go 24/7 local the way WFAN does, not enough even have a daily radio show. ESPN is very, very protective of their airtime. Sports IS very local. When ESPN demands their Pittsburgh affiliate carry NBA games on the weekend, something is wrong.


Let's get more local, let's get them to embrace causes- whether it is to keep a team in town or fire a coach. Don't be afraid of taking journalistic stands.

Let's understand that entertainment is great, but not everybody likes the same entertainment. The Two Live Stews may be up on hip-hop jargon, but have they ever broken a story?

Let's not totally depend on callers- they won't always call- but let's not totally ignore them either. Callers add flavor and familiarity. WFAN hosts list their favorite callers on their bios. They don't insult them. Respecting an audience can go a long way.