Sean Hannity
Dave Ramsey
Category: Sports
Identifying the Bad Will Help You Be Good
Dan Sileo
Talk Show Host
WDAE, Tampa
TAMPA – So many talk show hosts spend their time and energy trying to figure out what will sound good on the radio. I’m here to tell you the first place to start is by taking a lesson from what sounds bad on the radio. That’s right – identify the bad! And from what I hear, there is plenty of bad to go around. (And I’m not limiting this observation to sports talk.) This might be painful for you but I’m not known for messin’ around when it comes to speaking my mind. It reminds me of the auditions on “American Idol” when the contestants are told by the judges they suck. The people get soooo offended when they are told they stink or that they are not connecting with the audience. People get over yourselves.
I believe my first job as a sports talk host seeking to do good radio is to pinpoint bad radio. You see, I hear hosts on the air today whose shows I can’t take because I bore too easily and, believe it or not, when it comes to reacting like a typical listener, hey, I’m your guy! I hear hosts conducting interviews that never seem to end. I hear hosts putting callers on the air who have no right being on the radio. This kind of all-too-common host believes his show “is all about the fans” or is “caller-driven” radio. Wrong!
Here are two quick pointers that help make my show a ratings success: First, I interrupt people I interview without hesitation if I think their answer is boring or is taking too long. People have the attention spans of gnats these days and if a segment is going nowhere, I fix it immediately by interrupting and getting them to the point. Second — this may sound like heresy to some — I believe the most boring radio is that in which all the host does is take calls. It’s termed “caller-driven radio” in the business. To me it’s “callers drive radio shows into a ditch!” Most callers destroy show segments! Your show is not driven by the callers. If you have anything to say at all, it’s driven by you the host, plain and simple. If you have nothing to say, get out of the driver’s seat and off the air.
Spend some time practicing talk host job #1 – pinpointing crappy radio. Start with others. I call it pre-emptive maintenance. Chances are you’ll hear some boring, difficult-to-listen-to radio. Now, make sure you’re not doing the same thing. Lesson over!
Dan Sileo is the morning drive talk host on WDAE, Tampa. He can be e-mailed at dansileo@620wdae.com
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Dealing with Habitual Callers
By Richard Neer
TALKERS MAGAZINE
Sports Editor
NEW YORK –– Consider the fate of the habitual sportstalk caller –– those who phone in on a regular basis, often several times daily.
They develop a sense of entitlement over time, as if they are featured players on the show. Indeed, some may harbor beliefs that they are more important contributors than the host. They bristle when they are placed on hold for long periods awaiting their turn at bat, and complain about how they are treated if they don’t feel they are accorded sufficient time to make their point. Frequent callers believe they have a personal relationship with you and feel betrayed if you don’t reciprocate.
A sports talk host can have ambivalent notions toward regulars. One one hand, you are thankful for their devotion when calls are slow, yet resentful when they pose an obstacle to continuity if they attempt to muscle in ahead of those more worthy.
Certainly there are regulars who consistently add value to the program –– they may represent a contrarian point of view that spurs heated response or even offer greater expertise than the host on a given subject due to their singular devotion to a particular sport or team. But for every one of these assets, there are those who merely love the sound of their own voice on the radio and/or whose opinions contribute nothing to the program’s entertainment value.
The sports talker is also a managing editor. Your main charge is to entertain a (hopefully) vast audience, not to kow-tow to a small coterie of regular callers.
As a human being, it is hard not to empathize with these callers. Consider how frustrating it is to call a merchant with a vital issue and have to wade through 10 minutes of menus before being placed on hold to speak to a living person. You then are dispatched summarily if you don’t have your order number handy. Calling a popular program can be a similarly unnerving experience, especially if the respondent feels a kinship with the host.
A good producer should help. If a regular wants to talk tennis in the middle of a heated NFL debate, a kindly request to call in at another time may suffice. Or the familiar, “We’re experiencing a heavy volume of calls,” when the point they are trying to make is better expressed by others. It’s a delicate balancing act to keep the steady callers satisfied while not compromising the quality of the program. To quote Nick Lowe, your producer may need to be “cruel to be kind,” and not accede them air time whenever they choose to pick up the phone.
Perhaps you can judiciously wean out the sense of entitlement and still remain on good terms. In some cases however, a clean break is the best solution. It will cause hurt feelings, but your first priority must be to the greater audience.
Richard Neer is a sports talk host at WFAN, New York, an anchor on A Touch of Grey, and sports editor of TALKERS magazine. He can be e-mailed at novelistcafe@windstream.net.
Penn State Scandal Tests Host Skills of Sports Talkers
By Dan Sileo
WDAE, TAMPA
Talk Show Host
TAMPA –– The recent sex abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse University illustrate the importance of a sports talk host being able to step outside the confines of the games themselves into the realm of social issues.
I think there is no question that there are a few topics that make some sports talk radio hosts hide –– categorically those involving race, religion and politics. To my mind, these cases are a great way to see how good a sports talk radio host can be without sounding, if I can be frank, like an ass. There are a number of sports talk hosts who can’t handle these types of topics and they should stay away from them. But a sports talker’s ability to come out of his box and handle a difficult subject –– a dark, often-hidden aspect of our country’s culture such as sexual abuse –– will impress a program director and the host’s audience.
Sexual abuse is not supposed to be a part of the sports world and I think that is what makes this story so hard to cover for most. I believe a radio guy has to be able to handle social issues and weave them into his show to demonstrate to his audience he can connect on relevant issues that aren’t solely about sports. After all, should a host just stay away from a topic like this? How can you?
I have critics who get on me for covering issues that involve race, religion or politics, but covering box scores and down-and-distance is not my cup of tea. Remember my fellow radioheads: We are not just sports talk radio hosts, we are radio hosts!
Dan Sileo is a talk host at WDAE, Tampa. He can be e-mailed at dansileo@620wdae.com.
The 10 Most Talked About Stories on Sports Talk Radio in 2011
By Richard Neer
TALKERS MAGAZINE
Sports Editor
Like any list, this one comes with qualifications. What constitutes a major story in New York might get precious little attention in Chicago. Although we talk in terms of “national pastimes,” the truth is that for the most part, sports interest is local. With that in mind, the following is the TALKERS list of the most talked about sports stories of 2011.
1. Penn State Scandal. This story dominated sports talk radio throughout the late fall. A legendary coach is fired and shocking testimony is unveiled — documenting unspeakable acts against minors. The Syracuse basketball program is rocked in a similar case, but as of this writing, the alleged perpetrator has escaped legal action.
2. The Green Bay Packers’ NFL Championship. When two of the country’s most popular teams square off for the title, interest was intense. Aaron Rodgers achieves iconic status, eclipsing predecessor Brett Favre in the hearts of Packer fans. Ben Roethlisberger is forgiven his personal scandals to become popular in Steeltown again.
3. The World Series. Although the huge market teams fell short, the Cardinals and Rangers put on a Fall Classic for the ages, especially in Game Six where twice, the eventual winners were one strike away from elimination.
4. The NFL Lockout. Although it didn’t cost the league any games (save the meaningless HOF tiff), fans were petrified that the nation’s favorite sport might be absent from their autumn Sundays.
5. September 28, 2011. Arguably, it was the most exciting day of baseball ever. As the Red Sox and Braves collapsed down the stretch, the Cards and Rays overcame enormous odds to capture playoff berths, with matters in doubt until deep into the night on the regular season’s final day—five hours of high drama.
6. NBA Dream Team. Struggling to find chemistry the early part of the season, the Miami Heat bulldozed to the NBA Finals, only to be knocked off by Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks. The Heat remain the odds-on favorites to win it all in 2012.
7. Baseball Hot Stove. Major players … Pujols, Reyes, Wilson and Fielder on the move. The Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels spending sprees shock the market, while the traditionally big spenders remain silent. Red Sox lose their manager and their GM exits for Chicago. Two large market teams, the Mets and Dodgers face major financial woes, but a new CBA is ratified ensuring labor peace for the foreseeable future.
8. College Sports. Coaches changing venues and the continued debate about a playoff system in football. Major schools penalized for infractions. Many fans unhappy over the upcoming BCS rematch of LSU-Alabama to decide the championship. The UConn men win the Division 1 NCAA basketball title, and the great Pat Summit of Tennessee reveals that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimers.
9. NBA Lockout. Most fans didn’t seem to care that the NBA didn’t begin its season until Christmas. Perhaps they were tired of discussing the financial battles of the rich versus the richer. A great deal of enthusiasm did greet the first week of games, and fans didn’t seem to hold the stoppage against the league.
10. Tim Tebow. The Tim Tebow saga continues to be one of the most compelling human interest stories to come down the NFL pike in years. Tim makes for great copy and I suspect his story will carry over well into the new year and perhaps far beyond.
Richard Neer is a sports talk host at WFAN, New York, an anchor on A Touch of Grey, and sports editor of TALKERS magazine. He can be e-mailed at novelistcafe@windstream.net.
Ex-jock hosts: Another view
By Richard Neer
NEW YORK –– In last month’s TALKERS column, Dan Sileo took the position that more sports talkers should come from the ranks of former players. Allow me to disagree.
The notion that one needs to have had hands-on experience has been discredited in any number of professions. An oft-cited extreme example would be: Does a defense attorney actually need to be a serial killer to defend one in court?
Very often, the best players are the worst coaches and managers. Many of them rely on superior talent to accomplish their amazing feats, and can’t understand why lesser players can’t duplicate their success. They make lousy teachers because they can’t explain how to replicate skills that come to them naturally. Executing and explaining are very different skills –– athletes can be consumed by boring minutiae that is meaningless to the average fan as opposed to colorfully illustrating the overview.
The Portable People Meter is making me a better talk host
By Dan Sileo
WDAE, TAMPA
Talk Show Host
TAMPA –– I must admit that when I heard Arbitron’s Portable People Meter was coming to the Tampa market I didn’t give it too much thought one way or the other. But a funny thing happened to me on the way to the party. I got it! Being forced to become a student of this new audience measurement system really made me evaulate how I do my show and now, not only has it raised my ratings within the small universe of morning drive sports talk, but it has made me a player in the Tampa market among all stations.
Using my talk show host skills along with the PPM tools I have acquired working with my bosses, I have taken my show from 16th place to 3rd place in Men 25-54 and, in my favorite demo –– Men 35-44 –– to 2nd place with a 10 share!
Some thoughts on game audio
By Richard Neer
NEW YORK –– Play-by-play is a vital aspect of sports talk. Most stations will grab rights to all the local teams they can, and often look to pick up syndicated national packages of college sports, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Very often stations have no say in the production of the games. The team or network presents a full package. You may be able to make suggestions, but in the end, they make the call. But there are instances where you do have some control over the final product.
Unlike television where the pictures tell the story and the announcers only contribute marginally to the success or failure of the broadcast, on radio the voices are vitally important. Different markets favor different styles, but there are some universal elements.
We need more jocks in sports talk radio
(and I don’t mean former disc jockeys)
By Dan Sileo
WDAE, TAMPA
Talk Show Host
TAMPA –– I know what I am about to say will be unpopular with a large percentage of people who read this publication –– especially those who are employed around the country as radio sports talk show hosts. But what the hell… here goes.
I know I say some crazy stuff –– but this kills me more than anything in sports talk radio. I present the following question: Should NON-sports guys be on the radio hosting shows? By “non-sports guys” I mean non-former athletes. There are so many non-qualified people on the radio it drives me CRAZY!
How can a guy comment on a sports story if he’s never played sports? It would be like me commenting on brain surgery and telling you what a doctor is feeling and doing just because I watched him perform the surgery?
Interview tips for sports hosts
By Richard Neer
Sports Editor
NEW YORK –– Interviewing techniques vary widely. Larry King used to say that he never read the subject’s book or delved deeply into their background prior to speaking with them. He preferred to approach each guest armed only with his native curiosity, feeling that this led to more revealing answers than the typical researcher generated questions. The guest is well prepared for these and/or has already answered them a hundred times, he felt. Whereas I doubt that King was quite as unrehearsed as he let on, there is great merit to listening to what the subject has to say and following up accordingly.
The opposite approach is to pre-script a list of questions and ask them by rote. We’ve all heard interviewers who ask and answer their own question in the same lengthy paragraph, leading the respondent with nowhere to go. Quite often the interviewee has already answered the question as part of a previous statement. Prickly subjects will point this out and likely blow off the rest of the chat with perfunctory responses.
CBS Aggressively Leads Sports Talk
Invasion of FM
By Mike Kinosian
Special Features Correspondent
When alternative-formatted WKRK-FM, Cleveland (“Radio 92.3”) transitioned to “The Fan” on August 29, it marked the eighth time in just shy of four years that CBS Radio placed an all-sports format on a top 30-market stick. On September 6 CBS will drop rock on WYSP-FM, Philadelphia and begin simulcasting WIP, Philadelphia on the 94.1 frequency as “SportsRadio 94 WIP.”
Format changes begin with underperforming properties and in the case of “Radio 92.3,” the station never managed to crack the top ten (6+) ever since Cleveland began utilizing Arbitron’s electronic Portable People Meter ratings measurement in October 2009. It ranked eleventh in January 2011 (4.2); June 2010 (4.3); April 2010 (4.1); March 2010 (4.3); and January 2010 (4.4 –– its highest 6+ PPM mark).
If nothing else, “94 WYSP” has been a model of ratings consistency in Philadelphia with an average 6+ share of 2.27 over a 10-survey period (November 2010 – July 2011). This only goes to illustrate that even consistent performers are subject to this type of format change because rock is a much more difficult sell than sports talk.
Sports fan’s ultimate outlet
In terms of installing all-sports stations on FM, CBS Radio executives four years ago weren’t thinking of any facilities other than Detroit’s WXYT-FM.
Bad Callers Will Kill Good Radio
By Richard Neer
Sports Editor
NEW YORK –– The late, great Jerry Orbach was not only famous for his Lenny Briscoe role on TV’s venerable “Law and Order” series, but he was a talented song and dance man on Broadway. Among his many roles, he starred in “Promises, Promises,” –– a musical written by the hugely successful team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. One of the top numbers was a catchy ditty called, “Knowing When to Leave.” Although the song was ostensibly about the end of a love affair, it can have applications in many phases of life.
Allow me to take some liberties applying it to sports talk.
Communication earns respect
By Richard Neer
Sports Editor
NEW YORK –– The recent dustup between longtime catcher/DH Jorge Posada and the New York Yankees was instructive on many levels –– lessons that can be applied to our business, especially when it comes to handling egotistical talent.
For those who didn’t follow the story, Posada had been struggling throughout the early season, batting only .165 after the first six weeks. Last fall, he was told in no uncertain terms that he would be a designated hitter in 2011, and nothing more than an emergency catcher. With one year left on his contract, the emotional Posada had been given an ultimatum that couldn’t have sat well with this proud athlete, but he had very little choice in the matter. The issue came to a head on May 14, when manager Joe Girardi informed Posada that he was being demoted to ninth in the batting order.
Listeners Need Reminders
By Richard Neer
Sports Editor
NEW YORK –– “Hey Steve, How ya doin’?”
Grrr!
“Not Steve, it’s Richard. What’s on your mind?”
That’s the usual polite reply when a caller mistakes you for another host. Your gut reaction may be somewhat different.
Who is this clown anyway? I’ve been doing this same shift for twenty years. This idiot has been on hold listening for the last 10 minutes. Doesn’t he hear the other callers refer to me by my proper name? Didn’t my screener instruct him on protocol?
