OT: Lions Moving to WJR; Apparently Upset That 97.1 Criticizes Them So Much
The Lions are leaving 97.1 next season for WJR. The people at CBS Radio (97.1) are saying it's because the Lions are upset that the talkers on 97.1 criticize them so much. So it would seem the Lions hate Mike Valenti as much as we do.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/11/19/source-lio…
November 20th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
I've never been a huge Art Regner fan. I remember him going on and on about how much the 'Wings sucked after they had a key loss in the 90's. "They don't have any heart!" (Don't as me when). Anyway, a couple of weeks later he was interviewing a couple of guys from the Wings team and his nose was so brown it must have looked like a potatoe. When a caller asked "Hey Art, why didn't you ask them all those questions about heart like you were ranting about' he lost his crap on the caller. 'You have no idea how hard this job is!!!'
Whatever.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 11:15 AM ^
Moving to WJR is smart if for no other reason than the signal strength of the 50,000 watt blowtorch.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^
Maybe they even have a valid point in there somewhere. But having the games on WJR >>>>>>>>>>>> 97.1.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
When at Michigan, and when first married, they had Sports Wrap and a couple other decent shows. And I loved being able to get Michigan football anywhere. I was seriously bummed when I went to visit my Mom a couple years ago and I flipped on WJR and there wasn't UM. I just did it out of habit. I eventually got the game but also alot of static.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
On a clear night you can get WJR in Tennessee.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
This is great news for the Tigers. They no longer have to share air time and be bumped down to 1270/950 during football season.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
I think in that case, they claimed an unfair bidding process.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^
They chose to keep the Wings and Tigers over the Pistons. It sounds like the Lions were leaving for WJR all along and Valenti's agent is using the story to get him a new contract.
Valenti’s contract is up in March. A lot of this is self-serving. https://t.co/bZZa3i8KnQ
— Jeff Moss (@JeffMossDSR) November 20, 2015
November 20th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^
think the Lions leaving helps Valenti very much on the new contract front.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
Because it frees up money they were gonna use to keep the Lions. He already has a big offer from Philly so 97.1 will have to match it or pay him more.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
him walk. The station would be better for it.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
Sadly, he's the best thing they have on that station and he runs opposite Drew Sharp. He wins on every level by default.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
Not defending Valenti but the Lions need to be criticized.
November 20th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
Won't it???
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November 20th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
Supposedly Valenti's agent is out there with this interesting tidbit, found at the end of this tweet and in the Carin's article in the link. Mort Meisner - the agent - claims that the Lions would frequently call CBS' Detroit market manager to attempt to rein in Valenti:
Detroit Lions to switch radio flagship to WJR in 2016; agent said team demanded show host Mike Valenti's firing: https://t.co/ZcQwm2XwzC
— Bill Shea (@Bill_Shea19) November 20, 2015
November 20th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^
with Moss, it's levels of douchebaggery.
He is for sure connected and has inside sources, but his biggest issue is that he takes things too far. His stuff is 50% good / 50% this guy needs a beating.
he's the type of guy who was the smart ass in highschool who never got put in his place,
November 20th, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
Doug Karsch is really laying it out there with the 97.1 vs Lions thing. This is some good listening, I have to say.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
It would be great if TKA replaced the Huge Show with Karsch and Fithian.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
It'd be a step down for those guys.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
Valenti is terrible, of course, but I typically agree 100% with his Lions analysis. 50 years of losing breeds criticism and I'm glad he hasn't held back.
Valenti/Foster show aside, I do like Samuelson and Wojo quite a bit...they're good together. I hope Valenti leaves and they bump Jamie and Wojo up, especially since their shows are so often cut short by the Tigers/Wings.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
Under what basis?? I think he's pretty good.
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
Spewing hate at Michigan? I mean, he's good at that.
November 20th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
He’s a condescending hot take artist who hates any opinion that isn’t his. So, he’s probably the perfect sports talk show host.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
what do they want us to do lie> bull shit can not handle it get out of the ring. yup again can not stand mike either. do not listen anymore because of him
November 20th, 2015 at 12:24 PM ^
You're wrong. V&F get great ratings and are one of the top 10 radio shows in America. They're not a hinderance to the station - they carry it. Everyone here hates Valenti because he went to MSU and this is a UM blog. The rating suggest that Valenti is pretty damn good at his job. Personally, I think he's by far the best talent on the station.
November 20th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
On the other hand, I think Foster is TERRIBLE!!!!!!! God that guy sucks. Sounds like a great guy, but is just terrible at radio. He always thinks he's "speaking for the people", but he just sounds like an idiot. And never has any of his own takes, he just goes with what the majority are going with. I just think he is not fun at all to listen to and very underwhelming.
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
I think that Jamie and Wojo are extremely entertaining. They don't fight like terry and foster do, they're very positive and fun but still have good takes. I will admit that they get very off topic and silly sometimes but I think it's entertaining.
So my question is, why is Jamie and Wojo, who is a very well respected Detroit area journalist, in the 6:00 slot? Also, most of the time they're only on for an hour or so because there is a Tigers or red wings game on at 7. So how in the hell can they (mainly Jamie) keep a job only working those hours, and why aren't they utilized better?
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
I'm just hoping one day he runs into one of the caller he has insulted and they knock his teeth in.
November 20th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^
My stance on Valenti, I've proceeded with caution in regards to him for years. Take out anything involving Michigan/MSU and I find myself agreeing with him on most subjects. But he finds several instances a day to take a jab at Harbaugh and his "sheep," followers smack dab in the middle of ANY topic. So I don't even bother trying to listen to his show and I haven't for a while.
It's ironic the Lions are just now speaking up about this. Valenti has been shooting his big mouth off for a decade now.
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November 20th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
to the lions saying something now, that doesn't make sense to me either... i listened to him from 2005 to 2013 and he always bashed the lions, but granted i haven't listen to his show for going on 2 years now so i don't know if it has gotten more over the top than usual...
November 20th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
When Michigan loses, you can turn him off for a day or two. Otherwise, he's great listening. And hate the guy all you want, he knows a ton about sports. And he's hyper-critical of MSU when they suck.
And to those who say he's slipping and 97.1 is better off without him, his show is the 8th rated sports talk show IN THE COUNTRY.
November 20th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
Or stream their radio shows. They are freaking snooze fests. Detroit is pretty lucky to have such a strong personality during the middle of the day. He carries the station by himself.
November 20th, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
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November 20th, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
Really? Where in Toledo do you live? I live on the west side and it comes it perfect.