Well we have a ‘new’ sports talk station in the Triad! Really? No not really, much like The Ball the New ESPN 980 promises to be nothing more than filler. Then again what else is to be expected from GHB. In the three plus years The Ball has been on the air it has shown zero ability to really entertain sports fans in the Triad. So why should GHB’s most recent foray into this genre be any different?
It does not matter how good the nationally syndicated programming might be, and both FOX and ESPN have their pluses and minuses, if you do not have something local to anchor the ship the ship will drift aimlessly. In the days of The Ticket they had outstanding local personalities with Matt & TJ and later Tom Small. When I was at 1590 we had Big Mo, and no matter what you may think of the man (and I do think quite a lot) he understood what was important and he could be entertaining in his strange way, then again the sad fact of the matter is that 1590 station manager Bill Madden had farts that traveled further than the signal. But at least 1590 always made the effort, and for the most part, especially when yours truly was part of the scene, 1590 got it right. The Ball however just never has gotten this part of the equation and until they do get it right 790/980 will continue to struggle. The Ball has always done a great job by using live bodies for the updates but again the local shows have always lacked the special something that previous stations in the genre in this market have been able to deliver.
Not that The Ball hasn’t tried, Mark Amazon was tolerable but just never seemed to connect. Bill Kimm was better than I thought he would be, but Bill was in a slag time slot which left him without the ability to really find an audience. Since Bill’s departure late in 2006 The Ball has tried to get by with just doing The Saturday Blitz. Brad Hines was OK, Cabell Philpott is better, but again the same problem exists, the show is just not going to be able to garner the buzz needed to be viable, and without the viability of local programming sufficient enough numbers will not be drawn to the national programming.
Now I am not trying to hate on The Ball or their staff, all of these guys seem to be good people, all seem noble and honest. But what this area needs is someone who will stir the pot, who will not be afraid to be controversial, and who the area already knows. There is only one man who I know that fits said description, and that is former British Woods resident John Renshaw. Of course John would have to be wooed from his current perch in Louisville, but assuming that could be done there is truly no one who would be a better fit for this market than John.
The Freak understands what is important in this part of the country but also who knows what to talk about nationally as well. Also John is someone who has always been ahead of the curve in terms of the energy he brings to his show in terms of style and substance. Remember this, John and Scott Ferrell invented the guy/sports talk genre that was such the rage in the mid 1990’s. It was this style that not just John and Scott bought to their own shows, but which Matt & TJ brought to their which made The Ticket something that has been so fondly remembered by many in this market even though the station has been defunct for almost a decade.
The sad fact is that GHB I do not think has the testicular fortitude to bring someone like Renshaw back to this market. Heaven forbid someone would be on in this market who would actually say something that might raise a few eyebrows. Heaven forbid someone would be on in this market who would be willing to take some chances. Heaven forbid this market would have a sports talk show hosts who knows how to be compelling and creative. Heaven forbid that GHB actually bring someone to the table that might garner enough buzz to get a few advertisers on board. Heaven forbid The Freak comes back home.
Finally someone that gets it. Great article and I agree they need to bring in Renshaw.
Bob Poole Jr.