OT: Sports Talk Radio
I don't think we've ever had a topic for this, so i thought I'd start a discussion since it seems there's always a side topic on it in threads that are about "(Former Michigan player) on (sports radio show) at (this time)",. I am kind of a sucker for sports talk radio and listen to a lot of it when I can. What are your guys favorite shows and general thoughts on some of the main shows out there?
Shows I enjoy a lot:
-The Herd (he's kind of a douche but very entertaining)
-Freddy Coleman
-Jim Rome (sometimes can go off-topic and when I don't know what he is talking about, I am quick to change it. Still the kind of sports talk radio IMO and can be quite funny)
-John Kincade
-SVP
-Mike Franceska
Shows that are okay:
- Mike and Mike (sometimes they become to big of espn puppet-heads and they also think they're funnier than they actually are )
-West Michigan Local shows - I actually agree most of what Sean Baligian says and I don't think he is a Sparty slappy compared to most Sparty fans, but he's pretty annoying and makes up arguements against the invisble arguer, The Huge is kind of a hot-head but I like that he sticks up for Michgian/Detroit sports teams. For Bentley and Schuiling, I am a big fan of Ryan Schuiling and have always thought he had the best radio voice in West Michigan. Bentley can be kind of an ass-clown and such a UM-hater, though. I do believe the guy is truly nuts.
Shows that I'm not a fan of:
-Doug Gottlieb
-Dan LeBatard
Podcasts:
Dan Patrick
ESPN's Men in Blazers
Local (I'm in NC/RDU):
Adam Gold (WRAL)
I used to like Stony and Wojo, back in the day. Not sure what happened that station or show.
WDFN is definitely still round as a sports station of a sort (they mirror a lot of national broadcasts like Dan Patrick, I believe) and, until about five years ago, they were the flagship station for the Pistons. Sadly, Stoney and Wojo went off the air there in 2009, but both now do shows - Stoney in the morning, Wojo in the evening - on 97.1 WXYT here in Detroit.
A lot of people hate Huge but he usually sticks up for Michigan when MSU and Ohio mouthbreather fans call in. The Drive with Jack Ebbling is by far the worst. You'd thnk that MSU was becoming Alabama and Michigan would never be good again after listening to that. They said that some random MSU recruit would be just as good as Peppers.
The College Sports station on siriusxm 91. I could listen to it all day. The best show is the one hosted by Mark Packer. You can also listen to games on there. Ive listened to a few Michigan games on there. They have outstanding coverage, and it's even better since Finebaum is with ESPN now and is no longer affiliated with sirius radio.
give me Sam Webb all day long on repeat if need be.
I listen to Tiger games on 97.1 & forget to change station before turning off which results in accidently having to hear 30 seconds of asshat Valenti when I turn radio on the next afternoon.Last 3 times this has happened the topic of conversation was 1."Fireworks debacle" 2.Frank Clarks comments about msu 3.Frank Clarks comments about msu...talk radio is the equivalent of internet click bait and fuck that asshole.
I remember a few years back I got banned from his radio show's facebook page as I got in a big argument with him on it regarding recruiting because he was saying all this complete BS about recruiting rankings and had his facts all wrong.
When confronted with cold hard facts he just goes on the offensive & changes the subject.
http://detroitsportsrag.net/mike-valenti-huge-hypocrite/
I also love how much he cares about recruiting now that MSU has signed a couple of guys that Michigan wanted. Now all of the sudden stars matter...
lol who even cares about the fireworks?
John Feinstein is pretty good. The others I've heard are either uninteresting, annoying, infuriating or some combination of the three.
Those guys are good and I liked Jeff Defran when he was the air.
Feinstein is really the only sports show that I enjoy, as he actually talks all different kinds of sports and not just the NBA and the NFL. Plus who doesn't want to hear someone rip on Mark Emmert at any and all opportunities.
I used to like Rome when I first started listening to him, but now he doesn't really have many opinions that are either A) Insightful or B) original. I think the smackoff things are stupid (If I wanted to watch cheap, written, lame wannabe WWE promos being cut, I'd watch, well, present-day WWE). I like the HUGE show for the most part. He seems to be pretty fair most often when it comes to equal coverage of MSU and Michigan. SVP is pretty legit and I like Dan Patrick in the morning because it's usually entertaining. I stay away from the shows that are obvious MSU-homer shows except for sometimes I'll listen to Tim Staudt's radio show because they cover a lot of local sports.
BrewMom.
should we start a BrewMom Appreciation Thread?
I'm pretty sure for every one +1, there will be at least -1...but thanks.
Was just kidding anyway about the "appreciation thread"---I wouldn't want you to get the negative fallout that WolverineDevotee now gets. Ever since someone dedicated a thread to him several weeks ago, he seems to be much more a "lightning rod" for random negging (and worse yet, negative comments) than ever before.
Just as "TIMMMAAY" does, I like your posting style and I think a lot of others do, too.
"who's your favorite poster" thread and keep tabs on how many times her name comes up. My guess would be a lot.
Same here. I love Sam but really can't stand Ira. I now only listen during the recruting roundup and when Brian is on.
When I do listen to WTKA these days, it's pretty much only via podcast so I can FF if Ira becomes too irritating.
I agree - Ira is very annoying at best. He doesn't know when to shut up and talks way too long much of the time. Sometimes, less is really more. And I can't listen in the afternoon any more because of Blow Hard (alias Huge alias Bill Simonson). He's a huge ass-clown, has completely dumb-ass opinions on subjects, and spews forth an intolerable string of promotions all the time.
I don't mind Ira. Sam is clearly the more connected one and I appreciate his analysis, but I think they play well off of eachother and it ends up a pretty good show.
Very uncomfortable trying to listen to Ira try and get through that first segment before Sam comes on. He is not very good and has way too high of an opinion of himself.
Marcus Ray is really getting on my nerves as well. Just started turning it off when he comes on.
I couldn't stand Defran, he was the worst. Sounded like the Whiners on SNL if your old enough to remember that bit. (Doug and Wendy Whiner)
Dan Patrick is my fav. I like Jay Mohr quite a bit as well.
First and maybe last time I say this but thumbs up to ESPN (for getting Doug Gottleib off the air)
The Herd is the Howard Stern of sportstalk. He's a total douche but I do listen if I'm in the car and can't get Dan Patrick.
SVP is great.
Dori and Mel on ESPN Saturday morning is pretty good. I think Mel has calmed down a bit which is a good thing.
you live a sheltered life.
Nothing wrong with listening to it while driving.
NPR for me. I prefer intelligent conversation.
August 4th, 2014 at 11:17 PM ^
There are times when scanning the FM Radio Dial can bring some nice surprises, like the other day when I came upon NPR's Ask Me Another with a show called Smitten With The MItten State, broadcasting from Ann Arbor.
EDIT: There's an added benefit to listening. You will learn John U. Bacon's middle name, if you didn't already know it.
August 4th, 2014 at 10:59 PM ^
Hey Now!
August 5th, 2014 at 12:06 AM ^
I won't lie, every time I hear the local radio station doing the "tradio" segment, I think how funny it would be if Sal & Richard would call in. I haven't listened to Stern in 2 years or so, and I don't even know what's going on on there anymore. With 2 little kids, I just can't listen to it in the car. Even if they're not there, my wife absolutely doesn't get it. Since I can't listen to Stern, I got rid of Sirius/XM all together. I miss that show most of all.
I realized a few years ago that I never actually enjoyed sports radio, I just had it on because they mentioned Michigan. The problem is that aside from actual news reports, which are few and far between in the case of something like Huge or Rome or the Herd, it's just a random blowhard saying controversial things to get attention.
Between not listening to sports radio and not watching ESPN for analysis, I find I enjoy actual sports a lot more. If you enjoy it for its entertainment value, more power to you.
No one. When Wojo and Samuelssen are the most tolerable team on the radio, that's a problem. Too much non-sports talk on 97.1 and 105.1
I get it. Detroit sucks...you'd be crazy to live in that city. Saying package and boobies is funny. And there are some interesting top 10 movie countdowns out there. But I'd prefer to leave that stuff for when I'm bored in front the PC, not trying to enjoy 30 minutes on the ride to/from work with some local sports news.
I really don't understand why 97.1 does not pair Stoney and Wojo again. They were clearly the best sports talk radio show in Detroit. Valenti has talent but is way too biased(total MSU slappy) and Foster is just a complete joke. Put Stoney and Wojo in their slot and I would bet they would destroy them in the ratings.
August 4th, 2014 at 10:06 PM ^
WAG here, but my theory is that Stoney doesn't want to do drive-time radio anymore. His kids are a little older now, so mornings probably work better for him.
And Stoney and Wojo got VERY stale at the end, as did much of 1130 before they blew it up early in 2009.
I turned off local sports radio for the most part in 2008 or so. I haven't looked back,and I haven't missed it. What I have caught from time to time is virtually unlistenable.
that I'll finally get some local Sports Talk Radio---WSJM in Benton Harbor/St. Joe just announced they'll be changing to all-sports, all-of-the-time, starting August 21st.
WSJM-AM has been the local outlet for U of M Football and Basketball and the Tigers and Lions for years and will continue to do so, but they will now also carry syndicated sports programming, primarily FoxSportsRadio but also state-wide stuff like The Huge Show and more local content than before, when it was primarily news/talk during the daytime.
No more Rush!!!
I've on the fringe area of GR-area FM radio, so I can pick up 96.1 in my car and listen to Sean Beligian on the way home each afternoon, and can also pick up Huge on 1660-AM from Kalamazoo; either one is much preferable to anything and everything on Chicago Sports Radio, which was, until now, my only other choice.
I get it about Sports Talk Radio in general, though---because of that, 95% of it for me is consumed while driving. Once home, I seldom tune in to it.
I love The Starters for NBA and The Solid Verbal for college football. I also like a lot of the stuff that Grantland does. The Grantland NFL podcast is a must if you enjoy listening to guys that really know how to break down plays and analyze the numbers.
I don't love to hear about some other podcasts that don't come from sports talk radio.
As for Rome, I think his show is so bad and dumb that couch burning OSU fans might even find his show annoying.