Football season is like sports radio’s version of Shark Week. Sure, we have great shows on other times of the year, but this is when we shine and when even casual listeners will spend a little extra time with us. Add to that the importance of the fall book in diary markets, and a lot rides on football season.
Every station is starting to think about the very best content they can do to take advantage of all the new ears. That is why I thought I would talk to producers for today’s story.
Rarely are interviews a bad thing in sports radio. When it comes to football though, there is an extra emphasis placed on getting the people that have the information on your airwaves. It is true no matter your market’s obsession – college football or the NFL.
So many stations are trying to fill their shows with content based on the same stories. It isn’t a surprise that a lot of the same guests pop up all over the place. ESPN stations try to get a few minutes with Adam Schefter and Field Yates for NFL content or Paul Finebaum and Kirk Herbstreit to talk college football, CBS Sports Radio stations reach out to Tiki Barber, and everyone calls Greg Cosell.
There is nothing wrong with these guests. They are all incredibly good at what they do. That is why so many people want their time.
What we do here at BSM though is ask stations to look at their habits and problems differently. With that in mind, I thought I would try to diversify your contact list a bit. I asked producers from around the country to give me the name of a great guest for football season that isn’t as well-known as some of the go-tos, but is guaranteed great radio.
“I have two criteria,” says Dan Matthews, who produces The Chuck Oliver Show, which is syndicated across the Southeast. “Is their information good? Are they good on-air? Seems simple enough, but I think people get so caught up in ‘I’ve got to have the name.’ If your show is good enough, you can make them into a name. The greatest compliment we can get from other show producers/hosts is ‘wow, that guest was really good. Do you have their number?'”.
Dan has plenty of names to offer when I ask. He mentions Dave Bartoo of College Football Matrix, Connor O’Gara from Saturdays Down South, and Jake Crain from the podcast The J-Boy Show.
Sam Freas produces Mike Taylor on Ticket 760 in San Antonio. He wants people across the country to know one of Texas’s great football writers. He says there is no one he learns more about football from than Rick “Goose” Gosselin.
“If you grew up in North Texas, you already know how much more Rick Gosselin knows about football than you,” he says. “It starts with his uncanny ability to identify talent and skillsets that fit the ever-shifting landscape of the league. Bill Belichick credits him for suggesting Julian Edelman would make a good slot receiver! But what really translates over the airwaves during an interview is his authentic, masters level understanding of the league’s history, as well as its boardroom politics and inner-workings.”
Gosselin is far from an unknown. He is in the writer’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I think most people don’t realize how valuable he is when talking about the pro game in its entirety. If the rest of the nation views him as only “a Cowboys guy,” they are missing out.
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Brandon Flowers (the defensive back, not the lead singer of The Killers) was a fan favorite during his time in Kansas City. Ryan Witkoski, who produces Fescoe in the Morning on the city’s 610 Sports, said getting Flowers on was a no-brainer. What he wasn’t prepared for was how seriously Flowers took the opportunity.
“From the jump we were blown away by how polished he was very early as he made the transition to broadcasting,” Witkowski told me. “He always offered great stories and insight about the current week’s opponent and was up to speed on everything happening in the NFL. Brandon was never shy about giving his opinion either, and would occasionally pick against the Chiefs. He is also young enough to have played with some of the guys in the league, so he would offer firsthand knowledge most of the time as well. We went into the season thinking nostalgia would rope some listeners in & walked away believing Brandon has a legit future analyzing the NFL.”
The Chiefs’ divisional rivals in Denver dominate much of the football conversation on Altitude Sports Radio. When I asked Dan Tanner, producer of Harris, Hastings, and Dover, who was a guest that he wanted more stations to know about, he highlighted the voice of a different team.
“We have Vikings play by play voice Paul Allen on a few times a year during the NFL season,” he told me via text message. “Paul provides great insight to the team and brings great information to our listeners. Paul also has a great connection with one of our hosts Ryan Harris, both being from Minnesota. Paul is great for NFL discussions and occasionally a little hockey talk as well.”
There are plenty of college football and NFL options there. In addition to names, you also got some new ideas for how to approach and where to look for new guests.
I would be remised if I didn’t mention some of my favorites. Michael Felder of Stadium knows more about college football than any human on Earth and is genuinely fun to talk to. Richard Johnson of the SEC Network has an infectious energy and deep understanding of both the Xs and Os of the game and of how people consume his content.
For the NFL, I remain forever a fan of Jonathan Jones, now with CBS Sports. When I was on air here in North Carolina, he covered the Panthers for the Charlotte Observer and always had the best stories from players to go along with his insight.
Remember that the old standbys earned their place on so many shows. There is no reason to steer totally clear of them. Now you have some new ideas, though. Use them and go out there and create great, unique radio this football season.
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.
