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Seminar Strategists Episode 6: https://soundcloud.com/jarett-leonard/seminar-strategists-episode-6-sports-talk-radio

I believe this seminar was important because it provided a different look at covering sports compared to what we’ve seen the past few weeks. Sports talk radio isn’t a bunch of beat reporters covering their team while trying not to step on anybody’s toes. It’s not PR people protecting the athletes on their teams from the media. It’s people who are paid to talk about sports and give their opinions, no matter what they’re about or how harsh they are. The harsher the better even. It’s all about engaging your audience to get them to listen, call up, and want to be involved. It definitely takes a certain type of personality to do this, which I think makes it all the more impressive for the people that do.

In a situation like the one with Tony Mazz and Shane Victorino, the host isn’t really able to defend himself. What is Mazz supposed to do when Victorino yells at him and then gives the phone to someone else? It takes a certain type of something to be able to swallow your pride and accept that you may never get to have your say with the athlete. He isn’t in the locker room every day so he probably wouldn’t be able to smooth things over. In a way, that’s also okay because since he isn’t in the locker room he doesn’t really need to smooth things over. Who cares if Victorino doesn’t like him? He doesn’t have to interview him. And it’ll probably just make people want to listen more since hearing something like that conversation is pretty unique.

I think it was Jimmy Stewart who said something in class about making listeners feel like the hosts are talking directly to you. And that’s what makes people call in and have a reaction to things because they feel like they need to defend themselves when Felger bashes the Bruins or Celtics. I think that is such a powerful tool to have, being able to engulf your audience and make them feel like they are that involved. I don’t think that happens with television sports shows. You just kind of watch Sportscenter, or Stephen A. Smith. Maybe you send out a tweet to tell someone they’re wrong, but that doesn’t take the type of dedication that an hour of waiting on hold does.

In the reading on blackboard labeled “Talk Radio,” (I’m not sure who it’s by since there’s no author listed) they make a good point about the culture of sports talk radio. “When you get together with your friends, are you constantly talking over them, yelling at them, making fun of their weight, and saying outrageous things to bait them?” It goes on to say that maybe this happens sometimes, but it’s certainly not the norm. So then why is it the norm for talk radio? I get what they’re saying because when I talk about sports with my friends, the conversations rarely get as heated as they do on the radio. But I think that’s exactly why people watch. The article also referred to talk radio being a type of “soap opera.” People like it because it’s entertaining, not necessarily because the conversations are realistic.

Sports talk radio is tough, tougher than people give it credit for. Radio broadcasters say things to stir the pot because it makes more people listen, or it “makes for good radio.” I’ve been interning and working in the radio industry since I was a senior in high school. While I’ve never worked for a sports station, the stations I work for have the same vendetta. All stations want to make good radio, whether that means playing the good guy or the bad guy.
Jimmy Stewart, the Executive Producer for Felger and Mazz, said that listeners call in and stay on the line for the drama that the show stirs up. The way they keep listeners is by causing them to get slightly fired up. To go off what Curtis said, it does take a certain person to be able to swallow their pride and let someone yell at you. Curtis explained that on the Felger and Mazz show, Shane Victorino yelled at Mazz, and he wasn’t able to defend himself. In order to survive in the radio industry you need to be able to allow the atheletes to speak however they want to you. You need to be able to “swallow your pride” because the radio host isn’t in the locker room. They don’t know what’s truly going on, they just know what they’re told by others.
In the article entitled “Thoughts on 98.5 – One Week In”, the author, who isn’t listed, says that “Felger is Felger. He loves to make stupid comments and take unpopular stands just to be a contrarian. That’s not good radio.” However, it’s worked for Felger over the years, and in the end, that is what makes good radio. If you have an unpopular opinion, it’s going to cause listeners to call in and prove you wrong; it’s going to cause a conversation. While working in radio, I’ve learned everything comes down to the number of callers a segment gets. If it doesn’t get a lot of calls, it’s considered a bad segment. Therefore, but taking the unpopular opinion, he’s creating a good segment because that would allow more people to call in and prove him wrong.

In a time where older venues of getting your sports fix either are losing popularity (ex: Sportscaster) or deteriorating completely (ex: newspapers) I can feel confident that sports talk radio isn’t going away anytime soon. The main reason is that what drives sports radio is the same thing that every major sports network is shipping out Brinks trucks for nowadays: personality. How else could Skip Bayless get 4 million (and that’s just signing bonuses) from FS1?

Jimmy Stewart and Jon Wallach both summed it up when they talk about the emotional connection they have with their local viewers. You see it on TV with local broadcasters like Jack Edwards and Tommy Heinsohn, and radio is no exception. Jim from Worcester doesn’t want to hear about sabermetrics or possession stats, he wants to hear about how Pablo Sandoval can’t hit his weight!

This isn’t to say that you can’t say intelligent things and be on sports radio. The problem is that in any entertainment industry, whether it be TV, radio, whatever, what the people want isn’t universal agreement, but rather conflict. Stewart went into an anecdote saying how on the rare occasion where both Felger and Mazz agree on something, he’ll just shout out a hot take to generate conversation because people want conflict.

Wallach gave anecdotes that basically echoed that point as well, although his examples- hanging up on Rick Pitino- were different than the approach of Stewart’s show, although the end goal, appealing to their target audience, is the same. What intrigued me the most about Wallach was how even though he really is in the background on his show relative to his other co-hosts, he considers himself ‘the sports guy’, whereas the other two didn’t really know much going in. While disheartening to those who are hoping their sports knowledge alone will get them that radio gig, they can’t be surprised to learn this is the case.

You can argue the merits of purposely generating conflict through hot takes and contrarian opinions, but you can’t deny the results. In any job, you’re trying to stay on for as long as you can, and in Felger’s case, he’s made a significant career based on saying inflammatory, probably incorrect, hot takes. If doing that really was bad for the business, then they wouldn’t be doing that job in the first place.

In regards to the job and the profession as a whole, my conclusion about it isn’t that different than most of the other roles we’ve heard about in past seminars. It’s a lot of hard work, and as Jon said “You really gotta want it”, but for those willing to put in the work it’s worth it. I can relate to Jimmy saying that he basically gets to do the same thing he would do anyway- watch sports- and get paid to do it, that’s the dream! It’s why I want to do it and it’s why so many others do. Maybe it doesn’t have the glamour, the money, the hours, or quite the fame. Yet to do what you love, and still make a decent paycheck for doing it, sounds pretty darn good to me.

Sports radio shows need to match the attitudinal climate of the locales in which they air unless the plan is to race to the bottom and flush out. Can you imagine an NPR Fresh Air styled Boston sports show racking up radio ratings? Maybe as a niche hour aired once or twice per week in an evening spot. But probably not during rush hour commute. Though there must be some exceptions around for many people maybe almost everywhere. Jim Rome was a fun listen, hosting solo and talking with the longest pauses. But typically, shows in these timeslots serve to inform and energize listeners between top-and-bottom of the hour news reports with hour-long discussions and debates between hosts, with guests and callers chiming in. Goes well with early-work and late-home drives. Many sports radio shows hype and rely on local college and professional teams.

Currently in Los Angeles, ESPN-710AM broadcasts Lakers games while the Dodgers can be heard on FOX-570AM, as well as the UCLA Bruins. Naturally, the Trojans and Angels air on ESPN.

When I was a person of elementary age, I had the dial frozen at 570AM. It was where I caught games of the Dodgers, Bruins and at that time, the Lakers. I most remember half-listening to hype shows in early-to-mid afternoon slots followed by pre-game talks, live-games, and post-game wrap ups. I mainly listened for live games and pre-and-post game shows. By high school I was out of the radio game.

I tuned back into talk-listening shows again when Podcasts sprung up. Not for sports games and related shows. But for talk entertainment not limited to sports, at least initially. When Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley teamed up for the 3-7 P.M. slot on ESPN radio, I returned to the radio, though sporadically. But the Max and Marcellus show was also available as podcast episodes after they had aired live. This on-demand availability was a blessing when I moved to Boston.

Sadly, Max and Marcellus are no more. Max left Marcellus in 2016 to team with Stephen A. Smith on First Take. Because ESPN Radio did not match the offer. Because not enough listeners tuned in to justify a match-offer. So the people of Los Angeles were at fault. This is what Max broadcasted to long-time listeners when his departure was announced and during his countdown shows. It was typical Max, at his emotionally-avoidant best. He played the role of Spock throughout the years, equipped with emotionally detached logical-reasoning. Marcellus shared the intellect but also used his heart and experiential insight as a former college and professional player. He roots for the Clippers, and Max did for the Lakers. They often took opposite sides on issues, and though it got heated at times, Max and Marcellus threw comical shade at each other, callers, and just about everyone. They were at their best when they threw around high-concept sports hypotheticals or theses. And they were also at their best when they seemingly forgot they were on air as employees with rules to follow and paid to entertain Los Angeles County sports fans. Max and Marcellus seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. They were relatable to L.A. listeners. Max often quoted his favorite lyrics spoken by Nas and Wu-Tang. Marcellus broke into freestyles on occasion, as did Max. They weren’t exactly kindred spirits, but they were as they (or Max) would often remind us, brothers from another mother with roots in Compton and Watts. They fit L.A.