I try to be as objective as possible with anyone/any show. I know I want the same luxury afforded to me whenever I do some type of work as well. I will admit I couldn't stand Steven A. Smith on ESPN/ESPN Radio, but I wanted to give his show a couple weeks so I have been listening as much as I can to give a fair assessment... to sum it up properly: HORRIBLE.
While I certainly haven't heard every minute of every show, I have only heard one segment about the NFL this week. Potentially one of the greatest games in NFL Playoff history occurred last Sunday and it was barely discussed (I listened to nearly the entire show Monday), so then what was discussed? THE NBA--with the primary emphasis being Gilbert Arenas--really? We're still discussing this issue? It happened weeks ago, I could sum up the topic in a few sentences, "He broke the law and now faces a maximum of five years in jail. This move could cost him eighty million dollars, what an idiot! That's all" Instead, we're hearing endless banter from Derek Fisher about the player's union and their response--to which they say "well, we're going to wait for an investigation" ...but segment after segment is spent on this issue. Occasionally Steven A. Smith throws everyone a bone and talks about Kobe Bryant for awhile--this certainly doesn't help the image that Fox Sports Radio is very LA-centric in their focus on sports.
I did hear a couple of segments about college football/Pete Caroll/Lane Kiffin/USC and minority hiring in the NFL... certainly news worthy but devoting the vast majority of your show to the NBA in January is kinda silly... particularly when you consider that the NBA is the 3rd most popular sport behind #1 football and #2 baseball in the U.S. (Or the NBA is #4 if you actually consider NASCAR a sport). In any event, this is one dynamic in which the Steven A. Smith show is a disaster--terrible discussion material.
Not much show prep either, it sounds like much of what is done is just rip-and-read with not a lot of investigating done by someone that has plenty of resources at his disposal to do so.
..and why have co-hosts if you wish to monopolize the conversation? Of course, when he does talk to his co-host is nothing but flirting anyway... this morning I thought he was going to ask Deb Carson (filling in for Eddie Garcia on updates) to sleep with him... could you attempt to be professional? ...and no, I'm not some prude or uptight person at all, I listen to Howard Stern and find him to be a pioneer of the industry, but each type of show/format has it's parameters. When I listen to sports talk, I generally want to hear about... sports--relevant to the time as well. In that vein it is almost impossble to hear MLB news on Fox Sports Radio this time of year, and forget about Hockey.
If Fox Sports Radio branded Steven A. Smith's show as "Around the NBA with Steven A. Smith" or something to that effect, then sure, the show would be quasi-acceptable (although still small/mid market sounding), but as it is now this show is a regrettable waste of the electro-magnetic spectrum.
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