OT - When Does Detroit Sports Radio Go Away?

Submitted by lilpenny1316 on

When I was at UM, I interned at WTKA and thought sports radio would be the sweetest gig. But Doug Karsch was my boss and he was awesome to work for. But once I saw how much these guys make, I said I'll get a real job.

It seems like Detroit radio -- what's left of it -- is filled with
print guys and dudes whose athletic peak may have been a hat trick in intramural Broomball from '96. People that are possibly cheap, affordable radio hosts. Why no former ball players that can actually give you a real perspective on things? It's Detroit for goodness sake. We should be stocked with former Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings on the radio. Even Chicago has Tom Waddle. DC has Brian Mitchell and John Thompson on the radio at different times. And they don't rant. They give real insight into different sports, not just the ones they starred in.

Maybe these stations can't afford a high priced former athlete or coach. But maybe ratings go up and advertisers buy in if people are tuning in to listen to a former respected player on the air. Right now I would even take Lomas Brown and his damn smoothie shops.

Am I wrong in thinking that former pro athletes would add validity and viewership to what's left of sports radio in Detroit?

lilpenny1316

December 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 PM ^

I had to correct myself a couple times with that. I forgot that last one. I guess to listen to the radio, you have to look at the radio at least once, even if it's to turn it on or off.

M.I.Sicks

December 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 PM ^

The old WXTY had a show with Kirk Gibson,Gary Danielson and Eli Zarret. That was the best sports radio show I've heard on Detroit airwaves. But as you said the pay scale is weak. You look at where Gibson and Danielson are now and you can see why it's hard to keep good talent around.

I argee with you though, I'd much rather get some perspective from a former pro athlete than some hack tabloid sports writer or some loudmouthed fanboy who think just because they hung out sniffing jocks in a locker room that they have a better perspective of the ins and outs of the game than the average fan watching it on tv.

m83econ

December 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 PM ^

Unfortunately, there appears to be an audience for the programming that is currently on display. The highest rated show on 97.1 for instance, consists of nothing but 2 hosts badmouthing local teams and their listeners. I have no idea why people want to listen or, worse yet, call in to the show only to get abused by the hosts. Don't expect to learn anything; there are seldom guests with in depth knowledge. It's not expensive to run, and as long as idiots continue to respond to the cheap sports radio gimmicks ("Your team sucks and so do you"), that kind of programming works.

acnumber1

December 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 PM ^

That show is horrible. I have my 1 2 3 buttons set to wtka, wdfn, 97.1 (am 1270). I punch another number when ads come on. Wtka is my fave mostly due to Sam and Ira and UofM knowledgable callers. Dfn prob second, mostly Rome, though he can annoy at times...30 minute rants unrelated to sports and the like...97.1 is often tough to stomache...seems always bitching without offering alternatives, criticizing teams/coaches/management/CALLERS/FANS and chuckling to themselves how moronic everyone else is.

(I realize nobody probably cares about my radio habits, but thought I'd post to support the position that the afternoon idiots on 97.1 exist to bash everything).

Don

December 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 PM ^

I was a fan of his when he was at WTKA, and still am. I like Dennis Fithian too, but I guess I'm a bit of an Ann Arbor radio homer.

lilpenny1316

December 23rd, 2009 at 2:41 AM ^

I guess I'll always be biased with those guys, but they were cool. They never acted like they were something special just because they were on the radio. One thing I'll remember about Doug was that he was always there to give me a ride back to campus if needed, and never looked at me as just an intern. And he seemed to get that he wasn't the expert, that the guys he interviewed were the reason he had a job. Those days were back in the ancient late 90s. I guess times have changed a bit.

Raback Omaba

December 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 PM ^

Relax guys....of course sports radio would be better with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Walter Payton hosting the shows.......

But it is what it is. I drive a great deal during the day and happen to really like 97.1 The Ticket. Sure, they aren't 100% right on when it comes to everything, and sure, some of the personalities are a bit annoying sometimes, but I happen to like Detroit Sports Radio. Terry Foster, Valenti, all those guys. I think they're entertaining and I do find myself calling in sometimes. It has a good local flair....and it's not always sports either, which is good.

At least we're not listening (or WATCHING for that matter) that asshat Colin Cowherd.

I can't watch SportsNation on ESPN without wanting to knock his weasel looking ass to the floor.

Maize.Blue Wagner

December 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 PM ^

I say the best insight comes from the reporters who are covering the teams day in and day out. The perspective of former players always seems to be how it was when they played. They can speculate about the current team, but unless they're playing an active role in management or coaching, they're just speculating like the rest of us.

For this reason, I've always been loyal to DFN for their steady diet of writers like, Tom Kowalski, Chris McCosky, and Angelique Chengelis. Also, I always appreciated Sean Baligian regularly interviewing national writers like Sean Deveney, Kara Yorio, etc. They offered a national perspective on their respective leagues that was different than what you get in an interview with a Bob Costas, Joe Buck type, where the interview is more about the personality than the content.

FWIW, when I moved to GR a year and a half ago, I learned just how good sports radio is in Detroit. Obviously, it's a much bigger market, but I'm still amazed that people are willing to listen to Bill Simonson's program.

toasterhands

December 22nd, 2009 at 11:30 PM ^

the pinnacle of Sports radio in Detroit IMO. They had a lot of fun, were funny, and never took themselves too seriously.

Great drops as well, quite possibly the best part of the show was the Pyramid game they did once a week.

Though I think the main focus of sports radio is basically to have a forum where passionate fans can come to blow steam and bounce ideas around. Sure, it would be nice to have insight from athletes who actually played at the highest level possible, but more than anything sports talk radio is really just to pass the time on the commute to and from work. Does anything ever get accomplished, heck no? As long as the hosts stay on top of the current news and make sure to cover the relevant sports and teams while still being creative in the process, is there anything more that can really be done?

Undefeated dre…

December 23rd, 2009 at 12:38 AM ^

You may want to forgive Detroiters, whose main experience with athletes on radio (besides the Zaret-Danielson show) was with former LION! Marc Spindler. Spindler was actually better than his co-host (John Lund), and sometimes had interesting things to say, but all too often it was junk.

I'm not sure if the typical athlete mentality is remotely close to the typical talk radio mentality. They may be better suited to guest spots or hour-long stints vs. regular hosts.

I always wished/hoped Robert Porcher would move to TV or radio, but he has other things he has to deal with.

EDIT: Tried to see where John Lund ended up. Well, he's here: http://1280thezone.com/. Click the link, look at the pictures of the hosts, and take no more than 2 guesses to figure out what market they work in. Hint -- at least one franchise in the 'Big 4' sports leagues calls the city its home.

Tater

December 23rd, 2009 at 7:55 AM ^

Everybody doesn't pay as little as WTKA. Good talent in a good market can make good money. The ones who become celebrities make large amounts of money if they leverage themselves properly.

littlebrownjug

December 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 AM ^

Dave Shand was hilarious, and it is a shame that he had such an acrimonious split with WTKA. He was by far the funniest guy I remember while in grad school at the UofM, and I think that Doug Karsch is also pretty solid. Most of the rest I could do without, but I always love listening to Valenti rant about how stupid Sparty is (Notre Dame collapse, the recent thuggery, etc...)

TomW09

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 AM ^

I got nothing against any of the hosts. There's times they'll say something I disagree with and times they'll make an argument which, in my opinion is invalid. But they're on there to give their opinions and moderate discussion.

Sports radio isn't about analyzing teams and formations and defensive schemes, etc. It's about what I said above: giving opinions on teams/players and issues around the area. Plus, there simply aren't going to be a ton of athletes that "have what it takes" to talk on sports radio for 4 hours a day. Can you imagine Pavel Datsyuk talking for more than 20 seconds?