9:00 AM hits in the Eastern Time Zone, which means Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kanell are wrapping up Dusty and Danny in the Morning on ESPNU Radio. For the past two hours, they’ve discussed everything in college football from Alabama’s close win over Texas to the current mess at Nebraska. But in a few short hours, the duo will be back on the air again.
This time, on a different channel and discussing different topics, such as the Broncos inexplicable loss to the Seahawks and if Dak Prescott’s injury spells doom for the Cowboys. It’s a full day of radio, but Dvoracek and Kanell wouldn’t have it any other way.
The reason for the new hectic schedule for Dvoracek and Kanell is that they’re the newest addition to Mad Dog Radio on SiriusXM channel 82. Dog Days with Dusty and Danny now airs in the 12 PM to 3 PM EST slot, which was recently open due to Pat McAfee leaving Mad Dog Radio.
“Danny and I started working together last year in August on ESPNU doing Dusty and Danny in the Morning,” said Dvoracek. “It’s been great, they’ve been very happy and Danny had previously been on Mad Dog. He had a show before he came to ESPNU. He was doing some fill-in shows and he said, would you want to do it with me? I said, absolutely. I’d love to be on Mad Dog. We started filling in for Russo when Doggie was out and the bosses all liked what they heard and we kept getting more opportunities.
“When this spot came open, Steve Cohen came to me and asked if I would be interested. I talked to Danny about it and we were absolutely interested. My previous job at The Sports Animal was mid-day and I loved that time slot. As much as I like college sports, I also love pro sports. Getting to branch back into that and hitting on the NFL, NBA, just all sports, in general, is unbelievably appealing.”
Dvoracek and Kanell will work extremely well in their new time slot, where NFL will likely be the primary focus. Why? They know just as much about the NFL as they do college football, especially given both of their backgrounds in the professional football ranks. There’s credibility that comes with a new show when both hosts can present a resume that includes multiple years in the NFL.
Along with his radio duties, Dvoracek also works as an analyst for ESPN’s college football coverage, which means you’ll see him on television every Saturday. Adding a three-hour mid-day show was going to create an even more hectic schedule, but the opportunity to host on Mad Dog Radio was too good to pass up.
“ESPNU is almost strictly college sports,” said Dvoracek. “We will definitely dabble in college football on Mad Dog, there’s a lot of college football fans and people want to hear us talk about it, especially if they don’t flip over in the mornings. It’s an opportunity for us to branch out. But it’s definitely more professional sports-centric and the NFL is king, which is not a bad thing at all.”
Why has the dynamic of Dvoracek and Kanell worked so well? Both have big-time college football backgrounds, with Dvoracek playing at Oklahoma and Kanell at Florida State, but the obvious answer is the chemistry the two have built over the air in just one year. What’s impressive about that is they’ve been able to form that bond with one another while not doing the show in the same studio. But it’s their chemistry and info on the show that keeps garnering more opportunities in radio.
“He’s a quarterback and I’m a defensive lineman,” laughed Dvoracek. “It’s a lot of fun to listen to our differing opinions and our different backgrounds. We agree on a lot, we disagree on a lot, but I think the thing I like the most is the fact we both think it’s about entertainment and having fun. We try to do that each day.”
Dvoracek did local radio in Oklahoma for close to 10 years, most recently at The Sports Animal in Oklahoma City. The past year doing a national show has been a new radio chapter for Dvoracek, but one that he’s enjoying.
“I can’t say I enjoy it better, I just think it’s different,” Dvoracek said, regarding the difference between local and national radio. “I did local radio for close to 10 years. I don’t know if burned out is the right thing, but you’re so often just so focused on everything going on in your own backyard. Not that it’s a bad thing, but I just wanted to branch out and do more. Getting to do games for ESPN, and call football games all across the country, I just wanted to be more than just an Oklahoma sports broadcaster.
“Sometimes you just want to grow, adapt and change. Especially with being with SiriusXM, it’s a great company. Management has been awesome to me. I worked there for a couple of years as a fill-in while doing local radio and when the opportunity presented itself to do a full-time show I really wanted to jump at that chance.”
Most of Dvoracek’s time right now is spent with a headset on, talking sports on the radio, another headset on analyzing a game on TV, or knee-deep in a film review of another game from the previous weekend. Needless to say, his family life is pretty sparse during this time of the year. Finding a work-home life balance can be difficult when you host two radio shows and call games on Saturdays, but it’s an understood labor of love.
“My balance is head down and work all the time,” said Dvoracek. “They have a lot of condensed games now, to where you can see every play in about 20 to 25 minutes. Over the weekend I went back and watched the condensed version of Texas and Alabama. I may not hear all the commentary, but I don’t need all the commentary. All I need to see is the action, the play and what’s going on. I can come up with my own analysis. I appreciate Joel Klatt and Gus Johnson very much, but I don’t need them to recognize what I see.
“The other thing that’s great about calling college football games for ESPN, is that I have access to everyone’s film and everyone’s tape. I can go back and watch whatever I want. I can’t tell you I go back and watch every single minute of every single game, but nobody does. I try to do my best to be as buttoned up and well-versed in the biggest games. My family life is pretty sparse in the fall, but that’s just the nature of the business.”
From a radio perspective, calling games on TV for ESPN has its perks for Dvoracek. The biggest perk is probably his access to coaches that most don’t have. While in a production meeting for a TV broadcast, he has the opportunity to ask questions and form a relationship with coaches that don’t come to most media members. Granted, in no way does he approach production meetings as a tool to help his radio show, but sometimes, good enough to share on the air can come from one.
“Can you use it to your advantage? Absolutely,” said Dvoracek. “Now, are there some things said in those conversations not for air? Yes. As a professional, you have to pick and choose what you’re going to use and what you’re going to say. It’s no different than how we would handle it on a TV broadcast. I think anytime you have access and the ability to speak and develop relationships with these coaches, you can clearly use it to your advantage.”
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.
