Ping: DC Area Radio Listeners (Sports Talk 980)

[Subby]

interesting take from the DC Examiner...

Rick Snider: Red Zebra needs help to reach gallop
Rick Snider, The Examiner
Jul 19, 2006 5:00 AM (10 hrs ago)

WASHINGTON - Red Zebra is a red herring. Redskins coverage coming from team owner Dan Snyder’s stations is like listening to that Iraq minister swearing U.S. troops were being destroyed while the building behind him burned.

You really want to trust the owner’s station to provide the real skinny when any unfavorable coverage by other media outlets in the past led to numerous bullying tactics by Snyder? Maybe now you understand why some TV stations broadcast from the Redskin Park parking lot in the winter when others are inside the building.

If you want to trust someone named Snyder for Redskins coverage, try the one who spells it S-N-I-D-E-R that was following the team while the owner was playing with blocks.

Red Zebra’s morning promos on Tuesday sounded like “Welcome to the Red Pollution.” Took me four times to realize it was “Revolution.” The former may be more accurate.

With only four hours of local programming and 20 hours of ESPN, Red Zebra is hardly an all-Redskins station. Also, ESPN programming is nothing special. Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd are boring and Mike and Mike is only passable. That’s nine hours of yuck.

Red Zebra comes down to two major assets — John Riggins and Bram Weinstein. Riggins could have the best radio show locally if he remains untainted by Snyder’s money. I would have bet my mortgage that nobody would ever chain Riggo, but the latter was quoted by a crosstown paper saying Snyder was sensitive and misunderstood. Makes me wonder.

Riggo has the enormous charisma that we would all beg, borrow and steal to gain. He is the focus of any gathering. No Redskin has generated more off-the-field tales than Riggins, and they all end with the fan laughing about his encounter with one of the greatest Redskins ever.

Riggins has never failed to criticize Snyder before. But to give the owner a break, Snyder has learned to trust football people run his team while he builds new empires in radio and theme parks. Snyder has become less relevant so Riggins will have fewer opportunities to diss the boss. The question now is can he steadily criticize his old boss — Joe Gibbs?

Listening to Riggins has always been great fun, but we’ll see if he can carry 15 hours a week. And what if some caller suddenly asks a basketball question?

Weinstein was the best radio reporter to cover the Redskins in many years, if not ever. Bram is very knowledgeable and funnier than anyone in the room. He’s a big loss for WTEM and probably the star of the Red Zebra lineup.

The great upside of Red Zebra is listening to something besides WTEM, which has become increasingly lazy over the years as a monopoly. If you don’t like the sport being discussed, you can hit the other button even if you need three to find one of Red Zebra’s signals. It comes in clear down in southern Maryland so most Washingtonians should hear Red Zebra.

Riggo will steal listeners from John Thompson’s show, but WTEM should dominate Red Zebra otherwise. Sports talk thrives on being local and adding Brian Mitchell at midday was a smart move by WTEM. Red Zebra needs a local morning show.

WTEM’s Steve Czaban is the most unappreciated local broadcaster. Too bad he’s saddled with a blowhard of a sidekick who lost his ride with the guy headed to Monday nights. Czaban will carry the mornings for WTEM. Mitchell may split with Red Zebra’s Larry Michael from noon to 1 p.m. before listeners stay with Mitchell the next two hours.

For now, give Snyder credit for creating something new. Hopefully, it won’t be an infomercial.

[moriarty]

Rick Snider is an idiot. He's clearly a 980 guy for whatever reason.

[Subby]

Didn't seem all that complimentary of 980, actually *shurg*

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Subby

Didn't seem all that complimentary of 980, actually *shurg*

Really? Other than saying Riggo may steal a few listeners he basically said 980 would dominate them. He also said
a) the new channel was a promo for Dan Snyder's team (this may be true, but hard to state this definitively yet at this stage).
b) Czaban would dominate the morning program ... seriously, has anyone who's heard this program believe that this will dominate anything?
c) The new channel should get a local guy - um... like say another dreadful Czaban show instead of staying something with a decent audience like Mike & Mike? I'm not a Mike & Mike fanboy, but it's at least decent when they talk sports instead of typical ESPN skits.

[wade moore]

Jon - thanks for that info... it would be GREAT to get Skins games in FM, the AM station obviously just has clarity issues sometimes...

[cuervo72]

For anyone curious, most of my ride home I don't get 105.7 out of Baltimore, but 105.7 "The X" out of Harrisburg/York.

[gottimd]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

For anyone curious, most of my ride home I don't get 105.7 out of Baltimore, but 105.7 "The X" out of Harrisburg/York.

Cuervo, are you doing the Gaithersburg to Columbia commute home? 105.7 Baltimore, if you take the back roads, won't come in til you get near 32.

[cuervo72]

Oh, I'm in Frederick (moved from Owings Mills in '00). My commute is between there and Gettysburg.

[gottimd]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Oh, I'm in Frederick (moved from Owings Mills in '00). My commute is between there and Gettysburg.

I see. I remember earlier in the thread, you said G'burg. I thought since you were in MD, you were talking about Gaithersburg. Me dumb.

[cuervo72]

Ah, I can see that mistake.

[cuervo72]

Bump. The Air America thread reminded me of this. I have to say that I've done a 180 on the "Fox Sports Radio" morning show, that Czaban and crew have settled in, and have won the morning battle on my dial. I don't think I've listened to M&M in two weeks. I like the fact that Czaban has non-ESPN guests on, every call isn't insanely commercialized, there aren't as many stupid gags or overdone schtick humor, and there actually seems to be more sports talk. I've made the switch.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Bump. The Air America thread reminded me of this. I have to say that I've done a 180 on the "Fox Sports Radio" morning show, that Czaban and crew have settled in, and have won the morning battle on my dial. I don't think I've listened to M&M in two weeks. I like the fact that Czaban has non-ESPN guests on, every call isn't insanely commercialized, there aren't as many stupid gags or overdone schtick humor, and there actually seems to be more sports talk. I've made the switch.

Ah, you've seen the light, good man!

[Toddzilla]

Mike and Mike are Radio AIDS.

[gottimd]

I am still Junkies #1. I'll have to check this out though as PTI has been off for a week.

[QuikSand]

I've been driven away from sports radio, for the most part. Trying to make better use of the time, if I can.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by gottimd

I am still Junkies #1. I'll have to check this out though as PTI has been off for a week.

I still log more time with the Junkies in the mornings than anything else, but that's not really sports radio to me anymore.

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I've been driven away from sports radio, for the most part. Trying to make better use of the time, if I can.

I agree with you for the most part. Sports radio I can't listen to for more than when I'm running out in my car to go get lunch or something, otherwise I prefer other radio - Don and Mike, the Junkies, Penn Jillette, CT & Jivin, etc.

[cuervo72]

Bump.

Things have come full circle. Mike & Mike will be replacing The First Team in the morning, Dan Patrick gets booted *again*, replaced by Cowherd. Coach and the Sports Reporters survive, Riggins' show axed (from what I've heard, not apparent on the site).

http://www.sportstalk980.com/

Already the 980 site has turned into one big Redskins/ESPN hypergasm (hey eff you, Wizards, Caps and Nats. Oh wait, DC doesn't care about you guys anyway).

Thoughts? I for one am extremely thankful my wife got me XM some months back, as I will still be able to listen to First Team on XM 142. Also glad the Sports Reporters is staying, though one wonders how long it might take for another outfit to come along to lure Czaban away.

[Lathum]

First team is so much better then Mike and Mike it isn't even funny.

When it comes to Cowherd I am in the minority, I actualy enjoy him alot. His only problem is he is way to repetitive

[Subby]

Czabe seems happy about it:

"What The F*** Do You Think Is My Opinion Of It?"

Just call this my “What Do You Think Of Kingman’s Performance” moment in sports radio.

There’s a new lineup coming to Sportstalk 980 on Monday.

And my nationally syndicated morning show “The First Team On Fox” will NOT be part of it.

While I appreciate those you who have already sent me emails (sort of ahead of the actual news cycle on this one) asking for my “take” on what happened, etc. let me cut you off at the pass.

What do I think of it? What do I THINK of it? Well, that’s a helluva question, isn’t it? I mean, here I am in my hometown, beating the stuffing out of Mike and Mike with the only thing that should matter - the ratings - and I’m the show getting replaced?

You want my opinion of it? Go ask Lasorda his opinion of Kingman’s performance first, and then you can get back to me.

I’m going to refrain from going on a long rant here, because it’ll sound like sour grapes – and more importantly – anything I write CAN and WILL be used against me by my current employer locally.

Ahem.

But let me give you two things. The facts, and the “big picture.”

1. Fact.
The First Team on Fox was beating Mike and Mike by about a 2-1 margin in the key demo of Men 25-54 the last ratings period. Don’t let anybody’s posts or blogs try to claim otherwise. You can look that up. Now granted, neither one of us were tearing up morning drive. It’s a brutally tough daypart in radio, and I tip my cap to guys like the Junkies for performing so well. But head to head, I was winning. Period.

2. Big Picture.
ESPN controls everything in sports now. Everything. Their tentacles reach down into the local radio level, and they were all over this decision. Goes something like this. ESPN demands that RedZebra carry them on primary signal. ESPN demands that M&M get clearance, and minimum 2 more daytime hours (i.e. Cowherd). ESPN says if you don’t like it, we’ll shop ourselves to your (new) competitor in town (whomever). Local radio entity shivers. ESPN wins. Or to quote John Sterling: “Eeeeeessssspppppnnnnn wins!”

You can argue everything else about the new lineup amongst yourselves, because as you know, whatever I write in this space is likely to get me called into a meeting. (Groan.)

But remember the facts and the big picture.

As for my show, you can still hear it on XM 142. Not Sirius yet, for reasons that have never been made clear to me. Maybe when this merger goes through….

You can also listen to it streaming live at Fox Sports.com.

The re-loaded show goes from noon-3 p.m. eastern as well
Thanks to everybody who found a home with me in the mornings on Sportstalk 980. I appreciate it more than you’ll know, and more than I could say.

And just remember the next time a big, juicy, controversial sports radio topic comes up, and think about how hard we on the First Team would TEE OFF on it, fearlessly, and without worry about if it fits the unspoken ESPN sensibility of “(gasp!) you can’t say THAT!”

Then, if you are still listening, notice how those other guys will just yammer and yammer in circles without making a single point you can take with you to the bar at night.

I think the old saying was right. You can fight the machine. You just can’t win.

[lordscarlet]

M&M Suck. I grew up with the Junkies but I'm not sure they're as good as they used to be. The First Show is, of course, better than M&M.

[chesapeake]

The Post had the story over the weekend. The Danny bought Sportstalk 980 and its affiliates because the 3 stations he already owned had poor signals and, by and large, he was getting whupped in the ratings by 980 and its stronger signal. As anyone who follows the Redskins knows, if he can't beat 'em, The Danny will buy 'em. So he did.

Snyder's whole intent in buying into the radio market in the first place was so that he would control the Redskins game broadcasts and all the revenue that comes from it. In typical Snyder fashion, he screwed it up by purchasing 3 worthless stations above market value and is likely compounding it by purchasing 3 more stations, again at above market value, on the AM dial.

Czabe's take is on why his morning show is getting bounced is solid. ESPN said it shall be so, so it is.

M&M is (are) amusing about half the time, but the suits at ESPN seem to require all their hosts to be sycophantic towards their sponsors. So, they often get good interviews and they turn out to be just puff pieces.

If I had to pick, I'd probably take Czaban. But I'll probably just listen to more music and NPR. Get me some culture!

[JPhillips]

Czabe has been brutal on the Redskins for years. It's no surprise that Danny would ditch him. My bet is the Sports Reporters will either be gone or neutered within the year. Andy will stay, but my bet is Czabe will be off D.C. radio in less than a year.

[chesapeake]

To be honest, I would have axed the Sports Reporters already. Czabe and Andy jumped the shark a couple of years ago. They bicker a lot now, and I think they have gotten tired of one another.

I don't know if you were around for the show that preceded theirs on 980 during drive time. It had Kevin Kiley paired with an absolute asshat named Chuck Booms. They clearly hated each other and the show was mercifully short-lived.

The Sports Reporters has begun to sound a little too much like that show.

[Subby]

bump

Kornheiser back!

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcs...ady_for_r.html

Kornheiser Getting Ready for Radio Return

In case you haven't read enough about prominent local sports columnists getting radio shows this month, here's another, and it's the big one: Tony Kornheiser plans to bring his radio show back, in late mornings, on ESPN 980, in early September. The news was sort of broken on Twitter by Jim Zinzi, a longtime Kornheiser listener whose wife ran into Tony at the beach. So for the benefit of Tweeters, Tony spoke to me in short sentences this morning when I asked about a show on 980.

"Hope to, want to, plan to," he said. "I'm saying this is what I want to do, this is what I plan on doing."

On the day after Labor Day?

"That's a really good time," he observed. "They play football around here, and that's the beginning of football season, so that'd be a really good time, I think."

For two hours in the morning?

"Yeah, that's a good amount, a goodly sum," he agreed.

And Nigel, aka Marc Sterne, who now works at the station again?

"You absolutely have to have Nigel," Kornheiser said. "The way I would look at it, it's sort of the same show that for many many years was the lowest-rated longest-running show on Broadway. There are a variety of people who swoop in and out; that's the same. The last show that I did on the late-lamented 3WT radio station was the show that I enjoyed doing the most, so whatever I can do to come close to that show....

"Making sure that, as there always is, there's a sizable component of sports, which is what I've always done. It's that show. That's the show i want to do. Soft-core sports, is how I would describe it."

So this thing is on, now. Kornheiser would face either the Junkies or the Mike Wise Show, depending on his exact time slot, in a head-to-head battle of not-really-about-sports sports radio shows, and either would have a pretty juicy subplot. The TK-Junkies thing could would match the headliners for both local stations, while the TK-Wise thing would bring back a few moments from the early days of Wise's Post career. I did ask Kornheiser about working for a Daniel Snyder-owned station, which had been a hold-up in the past.

"I don't work for Monday Night Football, so I don't see that there's any sort of conflict," he said. "If I were doing Monday Night Football, I wouldn't work for somebody who owned one of the teams. I would think that's an overt conflict. I don't have that now."

So September now means Redskins games, Caps training camp, the Nats playoff push and the debut of a new heavyweight sports-talk radio show. Can't wait.

(I also asked Tony about breaking the news of his return to a fan's wife via Twitter. "If approached by wives of e-mailers, I always say hi," he said. "If approached by anyone who has ever liked anything I have ever done, I'll sit and chat forever. Happy to do that for anyone who likes and values the work. As we've seen in recent months, there are large institutions that don't like the work and don't value it at all."

Burn.)

By Dan Steinberg | July 28, 2009; 12:32 PM ET

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Tony Kornheiser

As we've seen in recent months, there are large institutions that don't like the work and don't value it at all.

This is a little different than him saying he wanted to get out due to the travel.

The show will be extrememly entertaining if he digs at ESPN all the time though.

[chesapeake]

Too bad they are talking about a late morning spot. I would love for ESPN980 to dump Mike & Mike during AM drive time and run Kornheiser.

[wade moore]

This should end the misery that is the Mike Wise show pretty quickly.

[cuervo72]

Bump. Apparently Czaban has been dumped by FSR...for Steven A. Smith.

Guess I have no reason to listen to FSR anymore.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Bump. Apparently Czaban has been dumped by FSR...for Steven A. Smith.

Guess I have no reason to listen to FSR anymore.

ugh.

[Subby]

According to dcrtv.com

Fox Axes Czaban - 12/7 - Steve Czaban (right) says his contract for his national sports show with Fox Sports Radio is not being renewed. He says there's new management at FSR and that he's been informally told he sounds too much like ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike. His last FSR show will be on 12/23, with Steven A. Smith replacing him. However, Czaban will continue to be heard during afternoon drive on ESPN 980, WTEM. More at czabe.blogspot.com.....

WTF? He is nothing like Mike and Mike.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Subby

WTF? He is nothing like Mike and Mike.

Eh, what little of Czaban I've heard, I can kind of see the comparison. Or at least I could until M&M turned into "how many silly ass contests, gimmicks, and other random crap can we pack into an hour".

[cuervo72]

Heh, the cancellation post isn't showing at his blog now.

M&M is way too much schtick. They're caricatures at this point. At the same time, it's also way too corporate ESPN. I think Czaban is less contrived, and the humor of the show has more of a bite than M&M.

[cuervo72]

Dola - Steven A. certainly will sound different though*. Czaban's show focuses mainly on the NFL, NCAA football and basketball. Baseball is pretty minor, NBA is minor, NHL is non-existent. I imagine Steven A. will swing MUCH more towards the NBA. Which makes some sense for FSR, which seems increasingly focused on LA, where the Lakers are huge and there is no NFL team.

Czaban also himself made the point that Smith likely is a big enough name to get syndicated in NYC and Philly (I think it was Philly).

* and he'll fit in with the rest of the lineup, which seems to be loud and obnoxious and constantly screaming. Outside of DP anyway.

[cuervo72]

Was thinking about this today...how has Steven A. been doing? FSR in general? I've not listened since the switch (and don't listen to ESPN Radio either).

[cuervo72]

I'm the only one with any remaining interest in this thread, but Czaban is back on the air "nationally"...on Sporting News Radio. Which is apparently on Sirius but not XM (grr), and who knows what terrestrial affiliates there are.

Steve Czaban Joins Sporting News Radio | Sports Radio Sports Talk

(website looks like it's straight out of 1998....)

[wade moore]

Saw this on dcrtv.com today. I need to see if he podcasts, I could use a sports show in my rotation since I've grown tired of the inconsistency with which WJFK puts up Sports Junkies podcasts.

[Subby]

And there was mighty rejoicing:

From DCRTV.COM

Rumors: Snyder Will Flip Talker WTNT To Sports - 9/9 - We're hearing about it from multiple local programming and advertising sources. Locally-based evening man Jeff Kuhner is even dropping hints about it on the air. DCRTV hears that there are rumblings that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is planning to drop the righty talk format from WTNT (570 AM) and install a sports format, via a relay of ESPN's national radio network, with Steve Czaban's new national radio show taking the morning slot. ESPN's Mike and Mike would remain in mornings on Snyder's sister Red Zebra sports talker WTEM, ESPN 980. And Czaban's local "Sports Reporters" show would continue in afternoons on WTEM. If WTNT drops its low-rated talk format, that would mean a host of nationally syndicated righty radio talkers would lose their DC perches, including Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, Phil Hendrie, Jerry Doyle, Lars Larson, and Ray Lucia. There is some talk that some of WTNT's talkers, particularly the DC-based Ingraham and the intense Savage, would move to other area righty talkers, including Citadel's WMAL (630 AM), Salem's WWRC (1260 AM), or CBS's WHFS-AM, The Big Talker 1580. Also, if Snyder does flip WTNT, he'd be removing "America's Morning News" from its flagship station. The show, launched in mid-2009, had been produced by the Washington Times, but recently syndicator Talk Radio Network has taken control of the program and moved it away from studios in the Times building. WTNT, which was included in the deal when Snyder's Red Zebra bought WTEM from Clear Channel more than two years ago, has never generated significant ratings. And those numbers have dropped even further, we're told, with a recent ratings rise by WMAL, which airs righty talk titans Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.....

[cuervo72]

Hmm, I need to see if I can pick up 570 up here (980 is ok - as long as the sun is up).

[chesapeake]

I'm not sure what I am reading here. Snyder is considering adding a 3rd sports station to the market, which will compete with one of his own stations? That can't be right.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

I'm not sure what I am reading here. Snyder is considering adding a 3rd sports station to the market, which will compete with one of his own stations? That can't be right.

That threw me as well.

Right now the two sports stations float around 25th across all demos. How does adding another station make sense?

[cuervo72]

Hmm. Well, it could make some sense if he is looking to get some additional teams on-board. WTEM recently picked up Terps basketball and hoops, and is broadcasting the Redskins games. They still hold the DC rights to the Orioles. AFAIK, Snyder DOESN'T have the rights to Nats games - those are on "Federal News Radio" 1500. So are the Caps, I think. The Wizards are on WJFK (The Fan, whatever they're calling it).

It really is weird with the whole Czaban thing though. Dump the morning show to partner with ESPN, which I'm sure helped speed along the show's demise. Czaban comes back, and then he picks up another outlet to run it (can't bump M&M of course, despite whatever their numbers may be).

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Hmm. Well, it could make some sense if he is looking to get some additional teams on-board.

This is better than anything I can come up with. Snyder would have to have an angle. Where football is involved, he stinks. Where money is involved, he is very sharp.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

This is better than anything I can come up with. Snyder would have to have an angle. Where football is involved, he stinks. Where money is involved, he is very sharp.

..unless roller coasters are involved

[cuervo72]

Well, this is interesting.

Don Geronimo to return to Washington radio with sports-talk show on 106.7 The Fan - The Washington Post

[cuervo72]

Did Dan Snyder Kill A Redskins Critic's Radio Show?

Yes, probably.

[QuikSand]

"For anybody to speculate there was any strategic evil play here, they're kidding themselves. They're not strategic with anything at Redskins Park. The evil they do is always reactionary."

Money quote.

[QuikSand]

...that show sounded like a train wreck waiting to happen, though, independent of its take on the local football team. Not a big fan of M&M but the promos for the new show were a major turn-off for me.

[Toddzilla]

"Dan Jazeera"

[Toddzilla]

Meanwhile, back at WTEM