Life has been busy for Patrick Johnson recently. In a span of just a couple of months, Johnson said wedding vows to the love of his life, as well as taking the plunge back into sports radio. An argument could be made on which is the more stressful of the two, but Johnson’s life has surely changed over the course of the summer.
There’s never been an area of radio that Johnson has discriminated against. In fact, he’s served many roles behind the mic, including news, sports and calling play-by-play for numerous sports. If anyone can be considered a ‘Swiss Army Knife of Radio’ that dubious distinction may belong to Johnson and all his past experiences in the business.
Most recently with WPTF News Radio 680 in Raleigh, Monday was Johnson’s first day on the air at 94.3 The Game in Greenville, NC. No matter how many ‘first days’ you’ve had, it’s never easy to walk in on day one and come out feeling you put best show together. That’s how Johnson felt after his inaugural show on The Game. However, he seemed to be alone in the opinion that the first edition of The Patrick Johnson Show wasn’t a huge success, judging by the reactions of both the audience and his co-workers.
A first day can be a lot tougher if you’re a new voice in the market. But seeing as his vast radio experiences in North Carolina has created a following, Johnson’s voice was familiar to many on Monday afternoon. Like most in news talk, the coverage of the 2016 election really benefited Johnson’s ratings and show following. Along with that, his unique ability to get high-profile guests, such as celebrities and politicians, surely raised his status as an on-air personality in the area.
But how does one so smoothly translate from news talk to the sports side? Well, in Johnson’s case, there’s a couple of reasons why. Most notably, is his involvement in the play-by-play world. Even during his stint in news talk, Johnson was always able to keep fresh in the sports side by calling a multitude of sports at the college level. Also, factor in that he lives in a family full coaches. Yes, covering debates and political elections was a big part of his daily life, at one point, but sports was never far from his mind.
Though Johnson’s journey in the business has taken him to new cities, stations and opportunities, that doesn’t mean he’s been immune to setbacks. At one point, Johnson relied on freelance work for an 18-month period, a tough way to make ends meet for anyone that’s ever done it. Several other setbacks have come and gone alone with the way, but an extensive resume and never saying no to any opportunity, never made the tough times last very long.
Today, you can hear the Patrick Johnson Show on 94.3 The Game in Greenville, NC. A far cry from covering stories in the most dangerous neighborhoods in the state of Florida, a position he recently held. Though it took him several years and many unexpected turns, Johnson is where he sought out to be: in the host seat doing sports radio.
TM: Do you think you’re more likely to talk about politics in sports on your show, seeing as you have an extensive background on the news side?
PJ: No, I don’t think the two should mix. I understand why they do and why they should, but I grew up a coach’s son and look at thing’s more from a coach’s perspective. I’m from a part of the country that’s more driven by college athletics, so the coaches are icons. It’s not the players, we’re not in a town with a pro market. Again, my sensibility is more from the manager or coach side of things.
TM: Did being around the coaches in your family help your transition back into sports?
PJ: Well, I was still doing commentary, too. It wasn’t at the highest level, but I was getting opportunities mostly notably in college basketball. I was still covering a lot of college sports during my news talk stints.
Doing play-by-play, you’re more describing what’s going on and not really giving an opinion, like, today I did my first show and felt it went awful. But everyone else seemed to like it. It’ll get better and I’m sure I’ll eventually feel more comfortable giving opinions out, but I was just trying to get through the first show (laughs).
TM: What’s the excitement, nervousness, anticipation, what’s all that like doing a first show at a new station?
PJ: The audience knows me because I’ve worked in the market before. I sort of really wanted to come out and do a good show for them. It’s a Top 100 market, but it’s smaller and in a college town, but you don’t want to come in and do a half-ass job.
After the first day, I think the show will get better because it will get more fluid and more personable. It will just be more natural. I was worried about covering all the bases. I’m a guy that thinks there needs to be a lot of sound, experts on the show. I’d rather talk to someone that’s more well-versed on a subject than me just firing out an opinion.
TM: Was it a blessing that you get to debut your show on game week for college football?
PJ: Well, I did get married a couple of weeks ago, so I was on my honeymoon. It kind of just worked out that way, but we actually ended our honeymoon early so I could be on a show last Saturday that kicked off the season for the station. But yeah, it helps to have the built-in content with football.
But as a sports radio host that’s trying to get back into this, it would have been really rough if we started this on June 23rd. It would have been tough. I’ve got a good producer and if we can get to where we’re both thinking alike, it’ll be good.
East Carolina football is the big deal in town and you can’t go wrong talking about it. You can’t go wrong with having even other notable names from the community, such as a high school football coach that’s been one of the most successful in the state’s history. Everybody knows those names and it draws people in. You can’t go wrong talking football. The challenge will be during college basketball. I have a lot of contacts in that sport and love the product, but it isn’t a big draw in this market.
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
