1620 The Zone in Omaha is making changes to its weekday lineup. The moves which go into effect on Thursday August 15th will bring a change to morning drive and middays.
The Zone is welcoming back Mike’l Severe after a five-year absence. Severe will join long-time morning co-host Damon Benning to create “Severe and Benning in the Morning” from 6a-10a weekdays. Severe had recently hosted “The Bottom Line”, heard on the website of the Omaha World-Herald and KXSP-AM.
“Benning and Severe will offers listeners a new blend of morning sports radio” said NRG Omaha Market Manager Mark Shecterle. “Benning, a former Nebraska football national champion, and Severe, a well-known local TV and radio sports personality, will be able to give listeners an intense focus on Nebraska Football, UNO and Creighton Athletics and all other local sports. We are excited to bring back Mike’l Severe to the NRG family”.
The change in mornings opens the door for former morning show co-host and “Broadcaster of the Year” Gary Sharp to take over the mid-day slot recently vacated by Nick Bahe. “The Gary Sharp Show” will air 10a-2p weekdays, giving Sharp an opportunity to fully exhibit his expertise in sports analysis and his legendary interviewing skills, Shecterle said. Shecterle added, “Gary has deserved his own show for a while and we are thrilled that he will be anchoring our mid-day slot. By moving to mid-days, we truly believe we have a sports-talk line-up second to none”.
“Unsportsmanlike Conduct” with John Bishop and Josh Peterson, remains in afternoons unaffected. The program will continue airing weekdays from 2p-6p. In addition, KOZN’s Nebraska football post game show, “Big Red Over Reaction”, which airs immediately after the conclusion of each Nebraska game, will now simulcast on sister station KOOO 101.9 The Keg.
With The Zone starting its 20th year, Shecterle said the changes will put everything in place for continued success in ratings and revenue.
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
