All things Sports Talk Radio - DMV (met)

[@DCGoldPants]

55 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

I have been an avid listener of local sports talk radio for 15+ years now and I have to say: Lynelle Willingham is by far the worst radio personality in the history of 980 and its not even close. Good god he is the perfect combination of arrogant, annoying, and stupid.

 

 

It's funny you mention that. I saw a tweet of his and realized it like 2 likes and no replies. Then I looked at his feed and he posts all the time with very few people interacting. Worst that being hated on like Russell. People simply don't care about Willingham. Indifference is deadly in that business.

 

Check his feed. 

[Thinking Skins]

2 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

I have been an avid listener of local sports talk radio for 15+ years now and I have to say: Lynelle Willingham is by far the worst radio personality in the history of 980 and its not even close. Good god he is the perfect combination of arrogant, annoying, and stupid.

 

That's what sports talk radio goes for. The age of Ken Beatrice (is that before your time) is over. 

 

I remember when I was a kid (old man story coming). I would call into Ken Beatrice's show and talk about the Skins. This was before Extremeskins. And It was right after Gibbs retired and either during 94 or 95, that era, when it started. So it was a hard time. So I would sit and wait on hold for a long time and listen to him talk to callers about all kinds of stuff and he knew stuff and could talk about stuff from the 70s or current day or compare events and greats and how the game has changed and what's different and whats to love about it and all thiese things but not make you feel bad about it. Anyway, after my wait I'd ask my little question and I'm sure it was a stupid question like Why isn't Norv Turner higher on Gus when he clearly beat him out in camp? And Ken would answer my question and talk to me for about 2 or 3 minutes and tell me something like to do my homework and be nice to my teachers and then he'd hang up. I do this about a dozen times calling into the show. 

 

Fast forward a few weeks or actually a few years (so we're talking late 90s) and I can remember calling into the Tony Kornheiser show. I hate that show. You know why?  Same situation, I sit on hold for about the same amount of time, to ask some question that most other fans have in their heads. Anyway when I get on the air first thing that comes out of is "hello, how are you" Its just instinct because thats how I was raised. Unfortunately Tony has some unheard of rule that you can't say hello on his show and whoever says "hello" gets "banned from the Tony Kornheiser show" with a gong and sound bite and everything. I don't think I ever tried to call back.

 

And Tony HATED Ken. 

 

But most of the DC Media, while they respect Ken's legacy, pattern themselves after Tony and try to make a name for themselves by (1) embarrassing their guests and (2) making outlandish takes and just cartoonish wagers like "I'll quit my job if..." 

[@DCGoldPants]

1 hour ago, Thinking Skins said:

That's what sports talk radio goes for. The age of Ken Beatrice (is that before your time) is over. 

 

I think this can be true AND the shows currently on in this town are pretty bad in comparison to some other eras. When the football team sucks, who cares if the radio sucks too? It's all hate-listening anyway. The challenge will be if the team gets good, how can these stations take advantage of success and provide a better product for more listeners?

[ixcuincle]

Tony didn't like Ken and Tony didn't like callers which is why the later iteration of the show that wasn't on ESPN Radio (more 980 and 570) didn't have callers

 

people were instead encouraged to watch on "NewsChannel 8"

[@DCGoldPants]

I know having callers allow listeners to interact. But they are hands down the worst part of most shows. 

 

Fun fact that I mentioned before, in the 90s I went with a friend to go see the Greaseman do his show live (and get some pita pockets). Something nobody knows is that during the breaks he took the calls and was recording them. Then the one he liked the best, he would play like it was like......and then break into one of his bits. I'd like sportstalk to do something different. Almost like PTI used to do where they would play a voicemail of somebody asking a question. Have a number where listeners can leave up to a 30 second comment or question. Then the producer picks the best ones to play so you don't get someone with a terrible connection first asking "Am I on?" and then "Thanks for taking my call, I'll make this short......" before talking way too long. 

 

 

Edited January 19 by @DCGoldPants

[spjunkies]

The world takes all kinds. Personally, it irritates ,e to no end hearing a host drone on for 2-3 hours talking to themselves, I like callers adding different perspectives even if some are buffoons l

[@DCGoldPants]

6 minutes ago, spjunkies said:

The world takes all kinds. Personally, it irritates ,e to no end hearing a host drone on for 2-3 hours talking to themselves, I like callers adding different perspectives even if some are buffoons l

 

Well, a few things. #1. The single host show I don't like. I don't care how good you are. I think you need at least 2 to have a conversation and when they lean on the producer too much ,it just means the station is cheap and is making that person do two jobs. #2. I want to hear guests more than anything. Both local and national ones. That's the best part of a show for me if the host(s) can interview or have a conversation with that guest. #3. No show needs to be longer than 3 hours long and for most, 2 hours is plenty.

[spjunkies]

2 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

Well, a few things. #1. The single host show I don't like. I don't care how good you are. I think you need at least 2 to have a conversation and when they lean on the producer too much ,it just means the station is cheap and is making that person do two jobs. #2. I want to hear guests more than anything. Both local and national ones. That's the best part of a show for me if the host(s) can interview or have a conversation with that guest. #3. No show needs to be longer than 3 hours long and for most, 2 hours is plenty.

 

I input 2-3 hours because it covers the full spectrum. They also run out of guests, nobody would want to hear the same people day after day or some randoms ramble on. Like I said everyone has their preferences thankfully we love in a time where there are plenty of options. 

[@DCGoldPants]

4 minutes ago, spjunkies said:

 

I input 2-3 hours because it covers the full spectrum. They also run out of guests, nobody would want to hear the same people day after day or some randoms ramble on. Like I said everyone has their preferences thankfully we love in a time where there are plenty of options. 

 

yeah, now we just need about 90% new shows/hosts. 

[Thinking Skins]

33 minutes ago, spjunkies said:

The world takes all kinds. Personally, it irritates ,e to no end hearing a host drone on for 2-3 hours talking to themselves, I like callers adding different perspectives even if some are buffoons l

I love sports radio for the callers. I don't need to hear the Chris Russell or other disk jockeys. The callers give it life. Especially when it's more than the same 5 callers. 

[Thinking Skins]

2 hours ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

Well, a few things. #1. The single host show I don't like. I don't care how good you are. I think you need at least 2 to have a conversation and when they lean on the producer too much ,it just means the station is cheap and is making that person do two jobs. #2. I want to hear guests more than anything. Both local and national ones. That's the best part of a show for me if the host(s) can interview or have a conversation with that guest. #3. No show needs to be longer than 3 hours long and for most, 2 hours is plenty.

While this is true, I still say that the callers give a show life. True there are the ones who don't know how a talk show operates "am I on yet" "can you hear me" "is that me" "turn your razor l radio down" but for most of those your get an original theory that is worth listening to. Unfortunately the hosts get unruly and hang up too soon and won't let them finish because they have to get through the calls. 

 

But what makes a good host anyway? Just having an opinion? Having a voice? Being able to answer calls? It's frustrating to hear callers tell hosts better opinions than the hosts (especially the junkies). And they'll just entertain it briefly and move on. 

 

Like I said. I like the callers, and it's why I came to tsn and later es to talk with the callers more. 

[@DCGoldPants]

48 minutes ago, Thinking Skins said:

While this is true, I still say that the callers give a show life. True there are the ones who don't know how a talk show operates "am I on yet" "can you hear me" "is that me" "turn your razor l radio down" but for most of those your get an original theory that is worth listening to. Unfortunately the hosts get unruly and hang up too soon and won't let them finish because they have to get through the calls. 

 

But what makes a good host anyway? Just having an opinion? Having a voice? Being able to answer calls? It's frustrating to hear callers tell hosts better opinions than the hosts (especially the junkies). And they'll just entertain it briefly and move on. 

 

Like I said. I like the callers, and it's why I came to tsn and later es to talk with the callers more. 

 

We few more things. I have no issue when a host drops a caller with a bad signal or is rambling. Again, I don't care what jerks like me think. I already know what I think.

 

What makes a good host? Here is what I feel is needed and not required enough anymore:

• Training - This means that you are trained in how to speak professionally and/or are working on getting better. My Dad was a TV and Radio journalist for 50 years. In his earlier days, he practiced starting on the school radio station at PSU. Then I believe got training and practiced to ditch his Philly accent. But when he spoke professionally, he did so by speaking in a clear voice, with correct grammar, and in a practiced tempo. As much as I got tired of what Czabe was saying..... he's trained. Chris Russell isn't and doesn't seem to care to get better because his bosses don't value that. It's the same with Brian Mitchell, who has been doing shows for too long not to improve.
   
• Knowledge - Meaning, I want guys who are at least able to speak on two different sports with knowledge of how that sport works, its history, and what is going on right now. Pick your 2. NFL and...... whatever. It's how Al Kolken did so well on the John Thompson show. He could talk about football, hockey, and the hoops. A few guys can do that right now. Sheehan, who I am tired of, can do College Hoops. Grant can do MLB and NHL but I actually find his football takes tired and basic. Hoffman can do the NBA. Meanwhile, Doc can barely do football, and anything else will be learned from a SportsCenter highlight. I'm not saying they need to be experts. But prepare. Even Tony K. still reads the paper and makes notes for different stories to talk about on his show. Even for his 1-hour show. Read the sports page or the athletic for articles or wherever.
   
• Timing - This is knowing how long to speak before pausing and how to allow the other person to speak or guest before speaking next. How to spread out your thoughts into something the listener can follow, and not to go so slow the listener wonders if the signal cut out. JP does this a lot. He'll pause and be collecting his thoughts or looking for a word, and then all of a sudden, it's 5-10 seconds later with dead radio, and you're wondering if it cut out. Now, when things get heated and people are going at it and cutting each other off. That's fine. In general, when JP has a guest caller, and they can't finish their sentence before he talks over them, they pause to process what he said to either stop and say "yeah" or just to continue. That's rough. I'm like "Finish your thought!"
   
• Last I guess would be variety in the voices. I know they tried a female host before with Carol Maloney, and it didn't work out. But I think too many similar people are hosting different shows, and it would be nice to evolve a little there. The same goes for former athletes who are going into radio. We don't have any former MLB, NBA, NHL guys doing regular shows here. You know there are some who are done playing and looking for that next career. 

 

That's me, I'm in the minority here and not the audience these stations want anymore. However, I should be in their target for demographic by age and available income to spend on their sponsors. 

[hail2skins]

On 1/18/2024 at 1:07 PM, Thinking Skins said:

Fast forward a few weeks or actually a few years (so we're talking late 90s) and I can remember calling into the Tony Kornheiser show. I hate that show. You know why?  Same situation, I sit on hold for about the same amount of time, to ask some question that most other fans have in their heads. Anyway when I get on the air first thing that comes out of is "hello, how are you" Its just instinct because thats how I was raised. Unfortunately Tony has some unheard of rule that you can't say hello on his show and whoever says "hello" gets "banned from the Tony Kornheiser show" with a gong and sound bite and everything. I don't think I ever tried to call back.

Thanks for saying this. Tony always struck me as an ass because of the attitude he had toward a basic societal nicety.

 

I'm on your side about the callers being the lifeblood of the show. Again, best sports talk I listened to in my life was in Philly in the late 70s, early 80s, first with Steve Fredericks on WCAU and then Howard Eskin in his pre-WIP days on WWDB. I don't listen to sports talk much anymore, but the guys I mentioned above were well versed in all the pro sports in the city. These days, which hosts down here are knowledgable across the sports? Sheehan? Are Grant and Danny? A few years ago the Nats traded for someone and Pollin was on later that day and didn't seem to have a clue about the player. You would think as part of his jobn, he could at least research the guys position and some stats. Nah. And then I was listening to the Junks on my white knuckle ride home and they were talking about the Caps and EB says "I'm really just a casual fan." Dude, isn't it your job to be a little more than a casual fan.

 

But these guys go back to the excuse of "we never get any callers when we talk about anything other than the Redskins."

[samy316]

1 hour ago, hail2skins said:

Thanks for saying this. Tony always struck me as an ass because of the attitude he had toward a basic societal nicety.

 

I'm on your side about the callers being the lifeblood of the show. Again, best sports talk I listened to in my life was in Philly in the late 70s, early 80s, first with Steve Fredericks on WCAU and then Howard Eskin in his pre-WIP days on WWDB. I don't listen to sports talk much anymore, but the guys I mentioned above were well versed in all the pro sports in the city. These days, which hosts down here are knowledgable across the sports? Sheehan? Are Grant and Danny? A few years ago the Nats traded for someone and Pollin was on later that day and didn't seem to have a clue about the player. You would think as part of his jobn, he could at least research the guys position and some stats. Nah. And then I was listening to the Junks on my white knuckle ride home and they were talking about the Caps and EB says "I'm really just a casual fan." Dude, isn't it your job to be a little more than a casual fan.

 

But these guys go back to the excuse of "we never get any callers when we talk about anything other than the Redskins."

 

I'm the complete opposite when it comes to sports talk callers calling into radio shows.  I can't stand about 90% of the callers into these shows.  They're the dumbest people on earth, and what's worse is that a lot of these callers call in so much, that the radio hosts make time for them, and they're basically uncredited contributors to the talk show.  The only local radio show I listen to now is the Kevin Sheehan Show, but I limit my listening to when he talks, and when he has guests on like Standig, Nicki Jhabvala, John Keim, etc.  I switch off his show when he gets to the callers, or I fast forward the podcast version of his radio show whenever he takes calls from the dumbasses that call in everyday. 

 

Most of the callers are terrible, but one in particular that makes me want to blow my brains out is that idiot caller obsessed with the former QB Taylor Heineicke named Sabah.  She is horrific, and the perfect example of why sports talk shows shouldn't take calls.  She's loud, unintelligent about football and has an unhealthy obsession about TH, to the point that she brings him up every time she calls, even though Heinicke has been gone from the team for a year.  Sheehan must be trolling to entertain her calls, but it's turned me off of him as a sane talk show host.

Edited January 19 by samy316

[purbeast]

I believe it is Dr. Sabah...

 

Get it right!

[youngestson]

2 hours ago, hail2skins said:

Thanks for saying this. Tony always struck me as an ass because of the attitude he had toward a basic societal nicety.

 

 

When Tony got on the radio I went from finding him a mildly amusing writer to deep aversion. Unbearable donkey.

[Thinking Skins]

On 12/15/2023 at 2:52 PM, justice98 said:

I was never a Junkies guy.  It's a rough listen for me.  Probably the worst 15 minutes in local sports radio are the segments every week with the Capitals coach.  Nobody cares.  I almost fell asleep just typing about it.  lol

I wasn't a Junkies guy either at first. What I remember is them coming on I think it was 106.7 in the evenings against Ken Beatrice, and it was total different type of an audience. So I catered towards Ken. 

 

What's interesting is that I am more of a fan now of the Junkies. I'm not really a fan of their sports takes and that's cool because their show isn't really a sports show. Sure they talk sports, but they have just a bunch of stories. But they have things to remind me to do things like shovel snow and defrost my car (my old car) in the mornings before going to work, and to check the traffic before leaving. And I would listen to the stories about their kids getting older because I have kids now and so that's something that I'm interested in.

 

I think it was Lurch who gave some good advice in 2018 or 2019 and it was Don't just take pictures because you'll enjoy the pictures but you'll miss their voice, so record videos too. For a show that's always on the most comical of the set of shows between 106.7 and 980 and all the podcasts, this has easily impacted me the most as I try to record a lot of moments and conversations with my loved ones. 

 

Then I hear EB (the real EB) talking about his life as a travel parent (is that what they're called sports parent) and I'm preparing for that. I was doing it last spring and probably will do it again this spring. 

 

But yeah, their sport knowledge is some of the least in the city. You talk about the Caps coach. I remember they interviewed Barry Sanders. Imagine that. And Lurch who I just praised for some good advice, but he asked Barry to sign a jersey. And not something he had on him. That'd be one thing. Something he had to ship to Barry and Barry would ship it back to him. I don't think he ever got it back. 

[@DCGoldPants]

"Me Three" on not being into the Junkies. Hate they are on both stations in the morning. When I need to drive somewhere there aren't local options expect podcast.

[SkinsHokieFan]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:31 AM, Warhead36 said:

I have been an avid listener of local sports talk radio for 15+ years now and I have to say: Lynelle Willingham is by far the worst radio personality in the history of 980 and its not even close. Good god he is the perfect combination of arrogant, annoying, and stupid.

 

 

How on earth is that dude on radio? Awful 

On 1/19/2024 at 9:13 AM, Thinking Skins said:

I love sports radio for the callers. I don't need to hear the Chris Russell or other disk jockeys. The callers give it life. Especially when it's more than the same 5 callers. 

 

I still wonder what exec at 980 has said "we need to give Chris Russel 3 hours at lunch time to talk about running the ball" 

[@DCGoldPants]

10 hours ago, SkinsHokieFan said:

 

I still wonder what exec at 980 has said "we need to give Chris Russel 3 hours at lunch time to talk about running the ball" 

 

I imagine it's corporate saying "you have a below minimal budget for a show in this slot. Fill it." 

[Ball Security]

I don’t listen to much sports talk. I have the dial on 106.7 and catch some BMitch and Finlay daily when I run errands at lunchtime. But last week I had to go somewhere in the morning and the Junkies were on. They were talking about Morris, but none of the four knew whether or not he coached on the SB Rams team. This wasn’t when his name first came up. He had been in the cycle for a bit.

 

Tonight, VA Tech had a game, so I tried 980. Craig Hoffman was emphatic that they have to interview Glenn tomorrow to meet the Rooney Rule. But they interviewed Morris and had Weaver’s interview today.

 

How do these guys not know these things?

[hail2skins]

You guys going to the Battle of the Stations thing at Bethesda Theater on Friday?

[purbeast]

My brother is going to go.  I would have gone but I got a work related poker tournament thing on Friday at Maryland Live.

[Riggo#44]

11 hours ago, Ball Security said:

How do these guys not know these things?

Sports radio is lazy. Just say dumb ****, get idiots stirred up to call in. Have you seen The Screaming Idiot on Twitter this week? Just making up **** to scream about.

[Ball Security]

49 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

Sports radio is lazy. Just say dumb ****, get idiots stirred up to call in. Have you seen The Screaming Idiot on Twitter this week? Just making up **** to scream about.

It doesn’t really surprise me that the Junkies are unprepared. They probably couldn’t name half of the playoff teams until someone placed a printout of the final standings in front of them. But Hoffman carries himself as someone who actually puts work in and is smarter, more logical than the listener. To not know that the Rooney Rule would be met prior to the Glenn in-person interview is somewhat surprising.