In most cities, you didn’t have a choice…one sports talk radio station was it…But here in Boston, thanks to some good hires, there’s competition…and the listeners are the benefactors…
Granted, much of it is local and that, in and of itself, narrows the scope of what’s covered, but two important things have happened to the “game”…Firstly, there’s less yelling!…thankfully….Secondly, you have radio hosts that have to know their stuff…There;s no hiding when you’re on the air for four hours…Your audience is more sophisticated than ever before and with the computer(internet) at hand, listeners can’t wait to correct your mistakes….
But most of all, listeners want someone they can commiserate with….they want to whine, kvetch and get a sympathetic ear…And to that point, I wondered if the talk show hosts have to root for the local teams…Surely their listeners do….At a recent Boston University sports journalism seminar, John Rish of WEEI and Tony Massarotti of 98.5, The Sports Hub weighed in…”Not at all” says Rish. However, if you come across as someone who dislikes the local teams, that will make you very unpopular very quickly.”…Added Massarotti, “Being critical is critical. But you can’t be stupid(about it). It’s human nature to express displeasure more than it is satisfaction.”
I like having a choice…somehow, it gives me a little more power as a listener…If i want to hop around, i can…And you can be sure, i do…It can only make for better programming, better hosts and better conversation…WEEI and NESN just announced a joint venture to telecast the Dennis and Callahan show…Methinks before long, you;ll have even more choices…
