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Conference 7.286::sports_90

Title:OURGNG::SPORTS - Digital's daily tabloid
Notice:Please review note 1.83 before writing anything.
Moderator:VAXWRK::NEEDLE
Created:Thu Dec 14 1989
Last Modified:Fri Dec 17 1993
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:438
Total number of notes:50420

230.0. "All-sports radio in Boston?" by SAGE::ROSS (Quarantined) Mon May 07 1990 18:26

Do you think Boston could support an all-sports radio station like
WFAN in New York?   I've grown to enjoy listening to the station on
the way home from work.  It's really come a long way since its early
days.

Perhaps with the Celtics purchase of a radio station {WEEI?} this
could happen?    What seems to be the right formula is:

	a)   A non-sports DJ for drivetime in the morning 6:00 - 10:00 a.m.
        		Don Imus fills the role at WFAN
			Matt Segal {KISS} might fit here

	b)   Plenty of local coverage with call-ins from all
	     the local coaches, players, at both the pro and
	     college level

	c)   Sports call-in programs from 10 in the morning until
	     6:00 the following morning.   WFAN does have a guy named
	     Bill Mazur who does a show every day at lunchtime directly
	     from Mickey Mantle's restaurant in NY.   Mazur interviews
	     athletes at the restaurant... but he's awful.  Sounds like
	     he's 80 uears old and has no clue as to what's going on
	     today.

	d)   Hosts who can talk about sports intelligently 

		WFAN has Mike Francessa and Chris "Mad Dog" ??? in the afternoon
                and they do a great job.... FAN used to have a guy named Pete
		???? who loved to berate people and tell everyone how smart
		he was.  That doesn't work.

	e)   Play-by-play of at least one pro team per season.  
		FAN does the Knicks and Mets, I believe.

If ESPN works and WFAN seems to work, could it work in Boston as well?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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230.1Denver has oneCOOKIE::SIMONMon May 07 1990 18:544
    There is an all-sports station in Denver with a nearly-identical format
    to .0;  it seems to be doing well (don't know the ratings numbers), but
    I'd say that if Denver could support an all-sports station, so could
    Boston.
230.2News > Sport :-)JUPITR::MOKCharles P. MokMon May 07 1990 19:039
    The Celtics management committed to keeping an all-news format for
    WEEI.  I would be really disappointed if WEEI will become all-sport,
    not that all-sport is not a good idea, but WEEI is the only decent
    all-news (in fact, only about 80-90% news/sports, there is a little of
    non-sports/news programming) station in Boston and I would hate to see
    that go.  Before Boston gets an all-sport station, I would like to see
    (or hear) a true all-news station first.
    
    Charles 
230.3No chance, unless it was stupid enough and hired AndelmanHOTSHT::SCHNEIDEROh+Mon May 07 1990 19:0525
No, I doubt it.  The current radio shows are real light-weight affairs here in
Boston.  John Karlson doesn't know much about sports and tries to make
up for it with double talk and good connections with local teams.  Eddie
Andelman wins ratings with personality.  Neither program goes out of
its way to cultivate "good callers" who would appeal more to the true sports
fan as opposed to housewives who think Mike Greenwell is cute.

There is the makings of some decent stuff though.  If it could be done (which
it can't) I'd get Mike Shalin, Bob Ryan and a few others and start a real
show.  There's some round table which goes on Ch. 38 which has some
decent people.  There's enough other talent in the area, such as Sean
McDonough and the Pats announcer (a little light, but well-rounded) who
could help such an endeavor.

And then there's the callers.  95% of them are die-hards, yet not the
most sophisticated people in the world.  Something would have to get 
people to look further than the Red Sox for a topic.

I'd try to hire some of the above talent and go for a 4-12 slot for a while,
with a game from 7:30-10:00 usually.  I'd carefully screen the callers, and
make sure the show doesn't get too parochial.  And I'd probably fail
miserably because Eddie Andelman would be commanding too much of
the crowd, no matter how dumb 75% of his show is nightly.

Dan
230.4FSHQA1::JHENDRYJohn Hendry, DTN 292-2170Mon May 07 1990 23:219
    Pete Franklin is the guy who used to be on WFAN.  Dale Arnold is
    the Patriots announcer.
    
    I gave up on radio talk shows in the late seventies and early eighties
    when I realized 90% of the callers were blaming Steve Grogan for
    everything that was wrong with the Patriots, which told me everything
    I needed to know about their intelligence level.
    
    John
230.5CAM::WAYSeize the day!Tue May 08 1990 10:0621
I think you tend to get a lot of highly opinionated, less informed
fans on those call in shows.

In Hartford, Arnold Dean does a sports call-in show on WTIC-AM 1080,
and during hockey season, right after the Liut trade, there were people
calling in like mad.  The night he had Eddie Johnston on, the fans
really made fools of themselves.  While public opinion was running
strongly against the trade, Johnston was talking facts and realities
of NHL busniness.  

A rational, somewhat intelligent person could see at that point in time
what I think has been born out...that the trade was a good one.

Personally, when I'm coming home late night and catch a talk show (usually
if I can't find metal on the dial) I like to listen to talk-net or whatever
it is, where the dupes of the world call some guy to ask about a problem
that five minutes worth of commons sense would solve.....8^)


Gotta love those fans,
'Saw
230.6DECXPS::BRULETue May 08 1990 12:056
    I thought I read in one of the Boston Rags that WEEI was staying
    with all news until 6 PM then going to all sports until Midnight.
    Next year both the Bruins and Celtics will be on WEEI so it will
    make a lot of sense to do this. 
    
    Mike
230.7I'd like to see "Sportscope" back on the air4159::NAZZAROWe're the Dead Beat ClubTue May 08 1990 17:566
    I also remember reading the sports talk from 6PM on, once the
    Celtics take over WEEI.
    
    BTW, WIP (610 AM) in Philadelphia is another all-sports station.
    
    NAZZ
230.8JUPITR::MOKCharles P. MokTue May 08 1990 18:375
    All sports at night is not a bad idea, but 6 pm may be a bit early
    since people may still want to catch some news on their way home.  But
    then again, maybe they want to start at that time to catch the
    commuters and those with car phones.  It sure beats those "golden age
    of radio" old stuffs.
230.9FSHQA2::JRODOPOULOSWed May 09 1990 11:505
    Can someone tell me of a morning sports show in the Westboro/Boston
    area ?  I have a 45-50 minute commute in the mornings and would
    love to listen to some sports other than the 10 second blurp during
    the news.  Thanks for your help