The BSM Top 20s are generators. They generate clicks, comments, and conversation in our industry. Every year, JB reaches out to dozens of PDs and executives to generate those lists.
I thought it might be fun this year to add a new twist and let talent get in on the conversation. Everyday a new Top 20 is released, I will turn to a few talents in those same categories with a simple question: If you had a vote, who would be #1 on your ballot?
Boston and Pittsburgh are the big winners this year. Congratulations to the Sports Hub and 93.7 The Fan! PDs and executives voted them the top stations in major and mid markets respectively. Let’s see what the talent had to say though. What stations do the people that make stations special think are the most special?
TIM MONTEMAYOR – FORMERLY 1320 KFAN (SALT LAKE CITY), KNBR (SAN FRANCISCO), KTRS (ST. LOUIS), KHTK (SACRAMENTO)
There are a lot of great sports talk radio stations in this country, and I listen to many of them on a daily basis, but the job of naming the best one is difficult at best. For me it is about understanding who you are, where you are, who listens to you, and how they listen to you.
Major markets are stocked with great sports talk stations, but there is nothing like two titans throwing haymakers at each other all day long. Chicago has ESPN 1000 pushing The Score, in New York, Craig Carton on FAN and Michael Kay on ESPN NY are going head to head, and in Boston 98.5 The Sports Hub recently pulled an 11 share, leaving long time GIANT WEEI in their wake …again.
But when you want a local radio battle, that involves the single best sports talk radio station in the country, you go to San Francisco! The Bay Area had long been dominated by KNBR 680 – THE Sports Leader. Then came 95.7 The Game, and the new guy on the block stole the Warriors and built a strong local lineup, including a guy I think is the best PD in the business, Matt Nahigian.
So KNBR gave up right? Just turned off the transmitter and went home? Nope, KNBR is the best sports talk radio station in the country for one reason, they are Bay Area Sports. Murph and Mac are must listen in the morning, especially when big things are happening. Tom Tolbert is Bay Area sports, and Larry Krueger is one of the most underappreciated hosts in the country.
However, KNBR is the best sports talk station in the country because they know who they are, THE Sports Leader. When a story breaks, they are on it. They know where they are, so they deliver personality driven, local radio, that listeners can count on. Giants, Niners, NFL …it’s KNBR. Steph Curry and the Warriors? How about Tom Tolbert on KNBR. You want it on your phone? KNBR. Online? KNBR.com is easy to navigate and optimized for smartphones. Anywhere you want to get KNBR, it’s there.
KNBR is the best on air, online, and on mobile …because they are live, local, and listeners know exactly what they are going to get when they turn it on! KNBR uses all of that to leverage their heritage, partnerships, and listeners to drive ratings and revenue, and a lot of both!
SCOTT KAPLAN – ESPN 710 LA (LOS ANGELES), THE MIGHTIER 1090 (SAN DIEGO)
For me, the best sports station is ESPN 710 LA. Yes I am a homer, but I have loved this station for as long as I can remember.
Here’s why I think it is a great station. 710 is owned and operated by ESPN, it has rights deals with the biggest brands in LA sports – the Lakers, Rams and LAFC. It has a heritage show in Mason and Ireland, with reputable, local and credible talent in Jorge Sedano and LZ Granderson.
Obviously with National ESPN programming, you have to figure a way to be local, PD Amanda Brown has found a nice balance with local coverage during the Keyshawn morning show, and the imaging of Chris Morales makes 710 sound totally unique all day.
ZACH MCRITE – FORMERLY 101 ESPN (ST. LOUIS), 107.7 THE FRANCHISE (OKLAHOMA CITY), KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIO
When this pandemic began and it dawned on many of us drivetime commutes would be, well, mostly commuted. Many thought that the mid-market radio industry–especially sports radio–would take one of the more severe hits. And, while that was true in some cases, the status quo also prevailed in some markets.
But there were a select few that gained in a pandemic year. Kudos to all of them, but the one that kept getting my attention and gets my number one vote in this category for 2020 is 97.1 The Fan Columbus.
Never mind the surefire gains that the station will receive thanks to the college football Buckeyes’ CFB Playoff title game run, but right in the middle of the 2020 economic nightmare, when others were subtracting, The Fan added a local morning show once ESPN’s national morning show, Golic & Wingo, called it quits. That takes some major cojones.
Even so, and maybe even more impressively, The Fan beat out all other formats and led the way in the entire market in M25-54 during the “dog days of COVID-19,” with massive double-digit shares in their afternoon slots. That’s a pretty rare story in 2020 and worthy of major consideration at the top of the mid-market list.
BRADY FARKAS – WDEV (VERMONT)
WGR in Buffalo does a great job at being engaging and active on social media and I think that’s hugely important to the current audience and current marketplace. The Twitter account alone is a great news source for Bills and Sabres content. I think the One Bills Drive from 12-3 is a great show that captures the Bills love of the city and continues to tie the station in with the Bills brand. And in 2020, I think the station did a great job in a unique situation regarding the Toronto Blue Jays. The hosts discussed the Blue Jays move to Buffalo for the season, had game stories online, had video of the first pitch at the stadium that Canadian outlets picked up and I think they made the most of the unique opportunity in a unique year.
I also think that WGR personalities do a good job of making themselves accessible on other stations. I know Sal Capaccio does weekly hits on other radio stations and I think that kind of brand recognition and brand awareness is great for the station, both in the area, and outside the area. Eric Wood, who also does color for the games, is a great analyst who appeared on “The Herd” and I think that altogether, this kind of exposure, and the recognition of how valuable that exposure is, is a big deal.
We’re almost done, but I have been promising you all along that we will dive into every single list that JB puts out. There’s one left and it is original sports podcasts.
By the way, just because I didn’t reach out to you to contribute doesn’t mean you can’t have a say. Who do you think the best sports talk station in the country is? Feel free to add your comment below.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
Not sure how OKC can have great Sports Radio