Bonneville Phoenix has announced that acclaimed local sports columnist Dan Bickley has agreed to a deal to bring his columns and all written content to ArizonaSports.com starting April 23rd. Bickley has covered the local sports scene for 20 years as the lead sports columnist at the Arizona Republic and AZCentral Sports.
In addition, the award winning columnist will also expand his highly rated radio program with Vince Marotta to four hours per day. “Bickley and Marotta” have aired on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station weekdays from 12p-3p, but will soon move to 10a-2p.
“I’m ecstatic to join a team as talented and powerful as Arizona Sports,” said Bickley. “It’s a blessing to have an on-air partner like Vince Marotta; to work alongside the most engaging personalities in Arizona; and to bring my column to one of the fastest growing platforms in the country.”
“This is a win-win for sports fans in the Valley,” said Scott Sutherland, Bonneville Phoenix Vice-President/Market Manager. “Dan’s readers will now be able to access his content in a clean, easy to use, subscription free format on ArizonaSports.com. And his radio audience will have twice as much time to listen to Dan’s unique and entertaining perspective on radio.”
The only downside of making the move to expand Bickley’s presence is that it meant having to make additional changes to the radio station’s lineup. VP of Content and Operations Ryan Hatch confirmed that the station has parted ways with midday hosts Bertrand Berry and Mike Jurecki, adding they’ve been great teammates and he wishes them the absolute best moving forward.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
B train was great, then they added Jurecki who wouldn’t stop talking! Now 4 hrs of stuttering Bickley & giggling Marotta…NO THANKS!!! If 98.7 wants to do something positive, FIRE that egomaniac bigmouth Gambo!!! He needs to move back to NY anyways, he’s not a real fan of AZ sports teams!!!
If you think this change to the morning line up to 98.7 AZ Sports Radio is a change for the good think again! The Blitz with Bertrand Berry and Mike Jurecki was a fantastic show and a breath of fresh air. Having a show host that actually played professional football and a “Cardinal insider” like Jurecki added to the status of your morning radio line ups. This is a BAD move and I can now tune off 97.9 for at least 2 hrs a day.
Bickley and Marotta are entertaining, intelligent and informed radio talent. I travel all over the country and we are fortunate to have them locally. Good move for Arizona Sports, I will tune in two hours earlier now, well done!
I have been a loyal listener since I can’t remember when. Each program brings its own flavor and personality. My favorite, by far, is Doug & Wolf. I appreciated that Mike Jurecki found a new home after being dismissed by the competition. His pairing with Berry was odd at first but they seemed to make it work. The two hour time slot was the perfect length for their show. I feel the same way about Bickley & Marotta. I can take the two of them in small increments. Expanding their show by two hours will force me to find two hours of programming elsewhere. I understand that in order to land “big fish” Bickley you had to offer him more but having to endure him for two additional hours is just too much for me. I wish the best for Berry and Jurecki who were probably blindsided by this decision. They may not have been the best but perhaps giving them more time to gel as a team might have been prudent. They didn’t have the benefit of a year to work through it. We shall see how this all plays out.
I am all for the change. Two hours of B-Train made my head hurt, I turned it off everyday. Adding MJ did help, but still I just couldn’t listen. “I Holla” Really? Even if he knew his football, For the love of God, BB couldn’t sound/speak intelligently if he tried.
B train gone so am I nobody else worth listening to on this station now
I like Dan Bickley a lot. But I’m sorry to see MJ go. I’ve liked him ever since he was partnered with Dan on AM radio. I will also miss Dan on the sports pages.
I listen to many of the shows on and off from 98.7 while I drive but the ONLY show I download and listen to daily IS the Bickley & Marotta show from 12-2pm, it’s the funniest one with a lot of pop culture talk and all the sports insight I need so it’s no surprise to me this is the show being expanded. I am a little leary though of this show doubling it’s length, if I was the program director I would have tried to make it 3 hours (12-3) and then do Gambo & Burns from 3-6, leaving the B-Train & Jurecki show alone. Their show is football focused (most popular subject) so 2 hours was perfect for them. Basically, I disagree with other comments about some hosts inability but I do agree with them it’s a mistake to drop a show. This said, I have no idea what the ratings and download numbers are but obviously me downloading B&M daily and not the other shows is a common trend?
How disappointing. Bickley (it’s all about me) and Marotta do nothing but giggle and laugh at each other’s jokes. Sorry to see Bertrand Berry leave, as he was interesting and “real”. Big mistake!
Great move, these two are the only reason I listen to the station anymore. They are funny, witty, and entertaining and the best the show has had since I started listening 10 years ago.
Beckley and Marotta have a entertaining show with a wealth of information and good humor. My favorite show sports talk show was the blitz with Bertram Barry and Mike Jarecki. It’s hard to be the station thinks they’re better off without their show. Only time will tell, but I for one am not happy.
I am disappointed with the departure of B-Train. Bickley/Marotta are good, but B-Train gave a spin to the program, much like Wolf in the morning. I guess we should be happy you’re not plugging in ESPN in their place. You’re saving that for down the road, I’m sure.
Guess Jim Rome is a more obvious choice now. Use to toggle between Bertrand /Mike and Jim.
Long time loyal listeners should be provided a platform for their opinion. This moves comes down to a shift in casual listeners and casual sport fans vs. listeners who prefer details, content, strategies, and inside information from teams due to long lasting relationships built on trust. Details and content have been traded for fluff, trivia and opinions on rock bands. I’m just bewildered on how shallow we are. Scott Sutherland and the station ownership are clearly making a choice for the dollar $ and not for it’s listeners. Advertisers will have the last laugh gentleman, take notice.
I loved Bertrand Berry and the teaming with Mike Jurecki I thought worked well together. B Train added a refreshing perspective with his football knowledge and Cardinal insight. Disappointed with the decision and probably will not listen to four hours of Bickley & Marotta instead two hours is enough.
Did not care for Berry and his poor use of the English language. But don’t care for Bickley either. Did you hear him go on and on about eating a live dog today. He over does lots of things. Only one I really like is Gambo, he seems to come up with a lot of info before anybody else.
Listening to B-train and MJ really made my day. I’m hoping that they either will get another day time slot or another station will pick them up. For now my 2 hours that I listened to them will be tuned to another station. Bickley and Marotta are good but anything over 2 hours starts to get irritable fast. And those in the evening Burns & Gambo with his bad accent, tearing up simple words are horrible. B-train and MJ kept it real and knew how to relate to urban minority fan base.
I am so happy! Bickley & Marotta are the best of the best at AZ sports…B Train has no business being in broadcasting or public speaking of any kind. Glad AZ sports sided with intelligent commentary and polished broadcast talent. Thank you Bonneville!
Doug is a goof and his teases are terrible. He can’t hang with Wolf and tries to hard in an attempt to impress. Maybe slide MJ in but it would have been football heavy in the morning. B TRAIN was no loss. Notre Dame must be ashamed of his grammatical skills. Enjoy Bickley but I agree for hours of giggling is a turnoff. I will give it a shot.
Why not give Btrain a gig during football season. I really enjjoyed his football insight. Make him your Cardinal insider from training camp till the end of the season. Seems strange to see him go. Guess I’ll start listening to Colin Cowherd. How long before you dump that annoying Gambo.
I have been listening to AZ Sports for 5 years as I work throughout the day. I really like all the teams exept Ron Wolfely he is a absolute fool I often would just turn it off when I heard his voice. I followed B-Train from day 1 and when Jereki joined I thought now we have a great show gonna miss the show. Instead of axingthe Blitz should have been That fool In the Morning named w Wolf. Thanks
Am really disappointed with the departure of Bertrand Berry. Thought his insight to professional and collegiate sports was very informative. Don’t know who thought Bickley and Marotta could carry a 4 hour show. Could not even listen to a complete 2 hour show. They might be intelligent individuals but on the air they come across as a couple of buffoons. Going to go back to listening to music on the radio only. Will miss you B-Train!
Bickley is awful. When I heard he was leaving the AZ Republic I thought “Good riddance!” If anyone reads his articles, notice how many times he uses the phrase “to wit” predictable, repetitive and lame!
I will miss B train, I absolutely loved his show. Buckley is ok but not as good as the “Train”.. Bad decision imo!!
Four hours of any sports talk show can get tedious, but four hours of Dan Bickley is insufferable. After listening to him for awhile I just want to yell “grow up!” I enjoy Vince Marotta because he is knowledgeable and insightful, but when the two of them start giggling like 12 year old girls or making animal sounds the radio is turned off. Vince’s one big negative is that he is always complaining about being sick and comes off as somewhat of a hypochondriac. That ridiculous Mock my World segment is also a joke, so on Tuesdays my radio is turned off early. I would like to see Vince paired with someone who is there to talk about sports rather than someone whose number one goal is to promote himself. Nobody cares about your hair or your band, Bickley.