Category Archives: Sports talk radio

Chicago news: Mike North to host Bears/NFL show on Sundays on WIND

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Hey Chicago sports talk radio fans, Mike North is back. At least through the Bears season.

The former WSCR-AM 670 star will host a Bears/NFL preview show on Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on WIND-AM 560.

“Not a day goes by where somebody doesn’t say, ‘We miss hearing you,’ ” North said. “This is an opportunity to talk Bears and the NFL for 17 weeks. We’ll have some fun.”

North currently hosts Saturday and Sunday night shows for Fox Sports Radio. He also writes a column for the Daily Herald.

The WIND show is being sponsored by PlaySportsLive.com, a new sports website that gives users the opportunity to create their own interactive football teams to play against others.

North will have a supporting cast for the show. “I’m not ready to say who yet,” he said.

“It’s not going to be your daddy’s pregame show,” North said. “It’s going to be a little bit irreverent.”

 

 

Jack Clark’s radio gig done in St. Louis: Pujols says he will sue over steroids remarks

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Is any publicity good publicity? That probably isn’t the case with the St. Louis radio station that now is regretting hiring Jack Clark.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the fallout has begun from Clark’s allegations that Albert Pujols used steroids.

Former Cardinals icon Albert Pujols said late Friday that he plans to sue former Cardinal Jack Clark, as well as those connected with the St. Louis radio station on which he appears, for Clark’s on-air steroids allegations about Pujols.

Then shortly after midnight Saturday morning, the company that has put Clark and co-host Kevin Slaten on the air abruptly announced they will not be returning — after just seven shows.

At least twice in the first week of a program that made its debut Aug. 1, Clark said that former Pujols trainer Chris Mihlfeld told him in 2000 that he “shot him up’’ with steroids. Both were working in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization at the time. Clark also has made other steroids allegations about Pujols, attributing them to comments Mihlfeld had made to him more than a decade ago.

Pujols’ statement:

“I’ve said time and time again that I would never take, or even consider taking, anything illegal,’’ Pujols said. “I’ve been tested hundreds of times throughout my career and never once have I tested positive. It is irresponsible and reckless for Jack Clark to have falsely accused me of using PEDs. My faith in Jesus Christ, and my respect for this game are too important to me. I would never be able to look my wife or kids in the eye if I had done what this man is accusing me of.

“I know people are tired of athletes saying they are innocent, asking for the public to believe in them, only to have their sins exposed later down the road. But I am not one of those athletes, and I will not stand to have my name and my family’s name, dragged through the mud. I am currently in the process of taking legal action against Jack Clark and his employers at WGNU (920 AM).

“I am going to send a message that you cannot act in a reckless manner, like they have, and get away with it. If I have to be the athlete to carry the torch and pave the way for other innocent players to see that you can do something about it, I am proud to be that person.

“I have five young children and I take being a role model very seriously. The last thing I want is for the fans, and especially the kids out there, to question my reputation and character.”

Clark is about to find out there is a big difference between saying something in private and saying it on a radio station. Probably not a good weekend for the person who hired him.

My Chicago Tribune column: WSCR winning ratings battle over WMVP

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In my Chicago Tribune column today, I write about the sports talk radio battle in Chicago. Here’s the link for Tribune subscribers. For those who can’t access directly, you can get the link here via my Twitter feed.

From the column:

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With the baseball teams floundering, the most interesting crosstown rivalry might be between the town’s two sports talk radio stations.

The Arbitron spring ratings were released Tuesday and, on one level, WSCR-AM 670 would appear to be as dominant over WMVP-AM 1000 as the Cubs were over the White Sox this year. However, unlike baseball, there are various ways to spin radio numbers to make them look more favorable.

In men ages 25-54, the prime advertising demographic for sports talk radio, WSCR ranked fourth in the market with a 4.7 share (percentage of Chicago listeners tuned into the station); WMVP was 16th at 2.4. WSCR ruled in morning drive, as “Mully & Hanley” were third at 6.8; “Mike & Mike” were 10th at 2.9 on MVP. In the afternoon, “Boers & Bernstein” were second at 5.2, while “Waddle & Silvy” were 16th at 2.6 in the first three months of their new time slot for WMVP.

The wide gap is a sharp departure from a long period when the stations ran neck-and-neck in the ratings, with WMVP occasionally coming out ahead. WSCR program director Mitch Rosen says his station was able to surge ahead in the last 18 months thanks to continuity in its lineup and a larger focus on Chicago sports compared to WMVP, which airs ESPN national programming from 5-10 a.m.

“We’ve stuck with the same lineup for several years,” Rosen said. “People get into habits when it comes to listening to stations. Continuity makes a big difference in radio.”

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Full disclosure department: I am the co-host of “The Scorecard,” a Saturday morning golf talk show on WSCR, and station personalities Mike Mulligan and Dan McNeil also are special contributors to the Tribune. Several Tribune reporters also regularly appear on WSCR as guests or as substitute hosts.

 

Previously forbidden, Blackhawks dominating sports talk radio in Chicago

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For years, the only time you would hear the Blackhawks mentioned on sports talk radio in Chicago was when their score (usually a loss) was reported during updates.

Program directors virtually forbid hosts, including my co-author Dan McNeil of WSCR-AM 670 (a huge pucks guy), to talk about the Hawks and hockey. They were ratings killers. Might as well chat about mahjong considering the low, low interest level.

Obviously, that isn’t the case anymore. In my Chicago Tribune column today, I write about the significance of the Blackhawks dominating sports talk radio in Chicago. Access the entire column via my Twitter feed.

From the column:

The hockey talk is a huge barometer in showing how the Blackhawks’ success goes beyond increased TV ratings for games. It is a sign the team has become more mainstream, keeping closer company with the Bears, Bulls, White Sox and Cubs.

“Now the conversation is going on with people who haven’t traditionally discussed hockey,” said Jim Andrews, senior vice-president for content strategy for Chicago-based IEG. “That’s what you want. It’s gravy on what you’d expect to get.”

WMVP’s Marc Silverman believes the Blackhawks bandwagon is much bigger this year than when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, judging from the response on his afternoon show. Timing, though, might be a factor.

“It’s the perfect storm for the Hawks,” Silverman said. “The Bulls are done, and nobody wants to talk about the Cubs and Sox. We’re just trying to build a bridge between the Hawks and the beginning of Bears training camp.”

Also, another barometer is how the Blackhawks are registering is in the youth demos:

Ratings growth in the coveted youth demographics might be the most significant development in the Hawks run. Hawks ratings on CSN were up 110 percent for men ages 18-34 and 109 percent for men and women combined in that category.

Young fans have the chance to become lifetime fans.

“It’s a great sign,” Andrews said. “In many sports, the big challenge is attracting younger viewers. You don’t see positive numbers with them. They’re more into the action sports, video games. So any time you see a positive jump (in young demos), it’s a big deal.”

 

Mike Francesa signs long-term deal with WFAN

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Forget about any talk about Mike Francesa riding into the sunset. The 59-year old plans to be around for a while after signing what is termed “a long-term” deal with WFAN today.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the contract runs through 2017.

From CBS Sports Radio:

Sports Radio WFAN (660AM/101.9FM) announced today it has signed a long term agreement with Mike Francesa, keeping the venerable personality as host of PM drive (weekdays, 1:00-6:30PM, ET) on the award-winning station for several years to come.  Francesa joined WFAN in 1987, the same year the station launched as the country’s first all-sports station, and boasts more listeners than any other local sports radio host.

As part of the agreement, Francesa will also bring his long running Sunday morning “The NFL Now” show to CBS Sports Radio beginning this fall.  The program is broadcast live on WFAN from 9:00AM-12:00Noon, ET and will be available to more than 250 affiliate radio stations nationwide.

“Mike has earned his place in radio history as a great broadcaster and we’re thrilled to continue our relationship with sports radio’s most celebrated host,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO.  “WFAN and Mike Francesa are synonymous with the absolute best in sports programming excellence.  These two powerful brands have endured the test of time, and remain a very relevant force in the industry nearly three decades after they first went on the air.”

Added Mark Chernoff, Vice President, Sports Programming, CBS RADIO and WFAN Program Director, “Mike represents the heart and soul of WFAN, and we’re proud he will continue to make the station his long-term broadcast home.  Like no one else, Mike can take a story to the next level and involve his listeners in thought provoking ways with topical and opinionated conversation.  He has set the standard for what represents an entertaining and informative radio program.”

“I’m very proud of what we have accomplished at WFAN,” says Francesa.  “I am also honored and thankful to CBS RADIO for its continued commitment, and most of all to the listeners for their enduring loyalty.”

Francesa has anchored afternoons on WFAN for more than 25 years.  He has been recognized with two NAB Marconi Radio Awards, and was voted top sports personality by radio industry publications Talkers and Radio Ink. In addition, he was the recipient of the inaugural Cynopsis: Sports Media Award for Best Radio Program in 2012.

 

Chicago radio shuffle: Cowherd show to air in morning on ESPN 1000; Waddle-Silvy to afternoons

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Colin Cowherd is coming to Chicago.

As expected, the lineup has been shuffled at ESPN 1000.

Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman are moving from mid-morning to the 2-6 p.m. afternoon slot. Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic will shift to the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. slot.

The new addition will be an hour of Cowherd’s national ESPN show. It will air from 9-10 a.m. Gone, at least in Chicago, will be Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Russillo, whose show currently airs from 1-2 p.m. on the station.

The changes are effective April 1.

ESPN appears to be making a push to extend Cowherd’s reach into more markets. It remains to be seen whether Chicago will embrace Cowherd.

Cowherd did some early romancing Tuesday, saying how he and his wife, a Michigan native, consider Chicago “their favorite city.”

“I never thought I’d get on in Chicago,” Cowherd said. “I’ve been on in New York and Los Angeles, so it’ll be great to be on there. Chicago has a pedigree as having a great radio market. There are talented people there (in sports talk radio). I know it won’t be easy. If you don’t bring your ‘A’ game, you’ll vanish in that market.”

Asked how he would describe himself to Chicago listeners who never have heard him, Cowherd said, “It won’t take long for people to know I drink a lot of coffee.”

“I take each segment very seriously,” Cowherd said. “I’m not saying I’m always right, but I’m going to come out with a ton of energy.”

The shake-up was expected after ESPN 1000 cut ties with Harry Teinowitz from the afternoon show a few weeks ago. The station is trailing its sports talk rival, WSCR-AM 670, in the ratings race.

ESPN 1000 knows it has to improve its numbers in the afternoon. In the January ratings of men 25-54 (the key demographic for sports talk radio) from 1-6 p.m., ESPN 1000′s afternoon show placed 17th with a 2.6 audience share.  Meanwhile, its main competition, Dan Bernstein and Terry Boers at WSCR-AM 670, was No. 1 with a 6.5 share.

ESPN 1000 is counting on the appeal of Waddle, a popular former Bear, and the chemistry he’s built with “Silvy,” to cut into that deficit.

As for the morning, there’s an interesting sidelight. Jurkovic now will be competing against his former ESPN 1000 partner and close friend, Dan McNeil, who teams with Matt Spiegel from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WSCR.

Stay tuned for more.

 

 

Big news in Boston: Ordway out at WEEI

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Chad Finn of the Boston Globe breaks the big story about Glenn Ordway, a sports talk radio fixture.

Finn writes:

A seismic shakeup at sports radio station WEEI is apparently imminent, with longtime host Glenn Ordway being replaced on its afternoon drive program by Mike Salk, a Boston native who has co-hosted a program on 710 ESPN in Seattle since 2009.

Ordway confirmed that he was leaving the show in the opening segment of Wednesday’s program.

Multiple industry sources have said that Salk, a Buckingham Browne and Nichols graduate with previous Boston radio experience at 1510 and the now-defunct ESPN 890, has been heavily pursued by WEEI to replace Ordway, a staple on the Boston sports radio scene since the ’70s, and that he will accept the job.

Salk did not respond to a request for comment. It is uncertain when the change will take place.

 

Is Dino Costa done at Mad Dog Radio? Suspended since last Thursday

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Dino Costa has been off the air since last Thursday. The Mad Dog Radio host explained in a post on his site after he received the news last week.

He writes:

On the other end was program director, Steve Torre.

The purpose of the call?

To inform me that I was suspended indefinitely because I accepted some money from a fan in Las Vegas to go to his Super Bowl party in Las Vegas.

I agreed to do this for the sum of $3500.

—>Plus airfare.

—>Plus hotel.

—>Plus a car service to and from the airport.

Torre told me I ran a ‘contest’.

No, I did not.

This was spontaneous, this was off the cuff, this was, in the end, radio genius.

I need not anyone at SXM to agree with me on this – it was radio genius.

End of story.

Apparently, Mad Dog Radio didn’t think it was genius, and Costa is on the sidelines. He did a post last night saying he hopes to hear something today. He also tries to make nice to Mad Dog Radio and Chris Russo.

He writes:

One way or another I’ll be finding out if I still have a future at SiriusXM Radio.

I certainly hope so — because in all candor — it would be difficult for me to not acknowledge that SXM has become almost like a second home and a second family for me these past several years.

I believe I have stated on the air many times – and here on this forum as well – that to be a part of something that has grown, and to be an asset that has assisted in fueling the growth of the Mad Dog channel — is something that gives me a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction.

Later, he writes:

Not only has management championed my style and allowed me tremendous leeway for my show’s — but in addition — I have come to understand that Chris Russo himself, has also both defended me at times, and he has stepped forward on at least two occasions to insure that The Dino Costa Show remained at SXM, where otherwise perhaps my show would have been cancelled possibly.

While Chris and myself have battled at times, taken shots at one another, there can be no question I believe, that he has also been in my corner in a quiet – yet convincing – sort of a way.

We are two very different people with two very different philosophies on how to do a talk radio show — but at this point there can be no denying that Chris himself, incredibly, has been somewhat a fan of my work along with many of you.

Sure to be more to this story.

 

 

 

 

 

An inside look at Francesa: Claims he wasn’t sleeping on air; Not a big fan of Internet

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Interesting piece on Mike Francesa by Joe DePaolo of SB Nation Longform. DePaolo gets into the essense of the WFAN personality by describing his self confidence/arrogance.

DePaolo writes:

This is a frequent criticism of Francesa – his aggressive treatment of callers. The critics say he talks down to callers and belittles them. To a certain extent, Francesa will plead guilty as charged. His every utterance on the air is governed by his unshakable belief that he knows more about sports than his audience.

“I don’t believe this idea that everyone knows as much as I do,” Francesa says. “If I go to the doctor’s office, I don’t think I know as much as the doctor. He’s spent his life learning his trade. If I go to my accountant, I don’t know as much about the tax laws as he does. I’d better not.”

Then there’s this passage:

Until you prove yourself, you get long, meandering answers. The man often repeats himself – a habit, one would assume, attributable to the fact that he must fill five-and-a-half hours of airtime daily. He doesn’t trust you to talk. Why should he? You simply aren’t as good at it as he is. So he’ll do it himself, thank you.

“I don’t lack confidence. I admit that. I know I’m good at this. If I don’t think I’m good at this, why would anyone else think I’m good at it?”

As for the sleeping on the air episode, Francesa says it didn’t happen:

“Honestly, I don’t think I had fallen asleep on the air. And I still don’t think I fell asleep on the air. I actually know I wasn’t asleep. I know what the video looks like, but if you listen to it on the radio, no one got anything out of it because I didn’t miss a question. I didn’t miss a beat in the interview. I was clearly nodding off, but I was listening to Sweeny the whole time. So I was still there. I was still conscious. That’s why, to me, I never really thought like it happened. I know what the video looks like. But I was still awake, even though it looks like I was asleep.”

The video of the episode went viral, giving Francesa, 58, yet another reason to sound off the new age of media.

If there is a media outlet that attracts more of Francesa’s vitriol than YouTube, it is Twitter. Francesa believes Twitter is the enemy of reason and pragmatism. The kind of extreme, profane opinions that are commonplace on Twitter are nowhere to be found on Francesa’s show. He is the rare sports talker whose takes are measured. He cautions that the potential ramifications for those who participate in these heated, nasty conversations on the social networking site are enormous – particularly if they are public figures.

“I did a very controversial rant on Twitter one day, and warned people about Twitter. I said, ‘It’s gonna get players in hot water. It’s gonna get broadcasters fired. It’s gonna get public people sued. It’s gonna cost people their jobs.’

“And we’ve already seen that since I said it,” Francesa added, referring to Exhibit A in his case against Twitter,  Scott Torgerson, a Columbus, Ohio, based talk show host. After tweeting that he wished Desmond Howard, a host of ESPN’s College Gameday, “would get fired or die so I could watch Gameday again,” Torgerson was fired.

If you’re interested in Francesa, it’s a good read.

 

 

 

 

Personnel moves: Return of Isiah to NBA TV; Jay Mohr to host daily show for Fox Sports Radio

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Isiah Thomas is returning to the analyst chair. Wonder what he will say about the Knicks?

From NBA TV:

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas will join NBA TV as a studio analyst, making his debut Friday, Dec. 21, during the network’s AutoTrader.com Pre-Game Show at 7 p.m. ET. He will make several appearances each month on the network and will also be a regular contributor to NBA.com. Thomas is a 12-time NBA All-Star and was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

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Jay Mohr is going to try the radio thing on a daily basis. Hopefully, somebody told him it is a little tougher than being an occasional guest host.

From Fox Sports:

FOX Sports Radio is pleased to announce the addition of actor, comedian and radio personality Jay Mohr as its new midday host.  Airing live on weekdays from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET/9 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT, Jay Mohr Sports will feature sports talk and entertainment highlighted by Mohr’s trademark comedic style and unique perspective as a multi-media star, in addition to conversations with top athletes and celebrities.  Originating from FOX Sports Radio’s Los Angeles studios, Jay Mohr Sports will debut on radio stations nationwide Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

“After spending the last 15 years guest hosting, I couldn’t be happier to get the opportunity to host my own show!” said Mohr.  “I’m looking forward to talking sports, connecting with listeners, and interviewing amazing guests every day, while being a part of the FOX Sports Radio family.  It was worth the wait.”

“Jay has done a great job guest hosting for Premiere Sports and FOX Sports Radio’s flagship station AM570 FOX Sports LA, and I know his sense of humor and extensive sports knowledge will provide just what our listeners are looking for,” stated Carl Anderson, Executive Vice President of News, Talk and Sports Programming for Premiere Networks.  “He’s a perfect addition to our leading, multi-platform, sports entertainment lineup.”