In the formative years of The Blitz on ESPN 97.5 Houston, program director Dave Tepper could tell the station had discovered a hit. Co-hosts AJ Hoffman and Fred Faour possessed evident on-air chemistry that helped the show rapidly develop a fanbase. Both hosts hailed from Houston and maintained a strong connection with the listeners that rendered the program a staple in afternoon drive. Moreover, they were both focused on the same end goal and sought to put their differences aside to achieve such a resolution. Reaching the acme, however, took sacrifice from the relevant parties.
Amid a pattern of remote broadcasts in which Faour was slowly becoming inebriated and loose, Hoffman had reached what he perceived to be a final outcome. Demonstrating temerity and poise, he approached Tepper and conveyed his intent to leave the show. Essentially, Hoffman informed Tepper that the station would need to make a selection. It was a turn of events that Tepper discerned could harm the outlet, requiring action to prevent a potential nadir, or worse, an all-out collapse.
“I remember vividly Dave telling me, ‘Dude, you’ve got to work through this,’” Hoffman articulated. “We had some success at this point, and he said, ‘It’s very difficult to put together a hit show,’ and he said, ‘If you walk away from this, you’re going to regret it the next time you have a partner because it’s not easy to find chemistry that works on the radio, and you guys have it.’ It’s the best advice Dave ever gave me.”
Rather than walking away from the show entirely, Hoffman and Faour made adjustments that made for a more cohesive, collaborative partnership. About four or five years into the show, they gained a better understanding of one another and were cognizant of their proclivities. Hoffman felt it was valuable to have a partner with that level of comprehension and industry aptitude, leading to a successful end product. In fact, he evinced that Faour gained a level of understanding in which he could complete his sentences, a palpable synergy that catalyzed audience growth and sustainability therein.
“I really think we both understood what we wanted out of the show, and we understood that the best way to get it was for us to put whatever differences we had aside and really not just ignore them, but adapt to the differences that we had,” Hoffman said. “I gave some, he gave some and we just kind of met in the middle.”
Before working in radio, Faour was a newspaper journalist and served as the sports editor of the Houston Chronicle. Hoffman recalls him being wildly astute and content with his lifestyle of being on the air. Early on though, he perceived that Faour did not enjoy when he was being joked about, but he eventually began to lean into it and embrace the self-deprecation and banter that was part of their show.
“He was the perfect sidekick for me because if you resist working with me, it makes things very difficult – and not that we didn’t ever disagree or argue – but the way that I wanted our show to go, he had to play along,” Hoffman said. “He had to be okay with being poked fun at, and he did.”
Hoffman originally attended school to study music recording and audio production, enrolling in the SAE Institute in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to his studies, he was bartending and delivering stand-up comedy, occupations that led him to meet Wally Lynn. It was Lynn who provided Hoffman with the chance to serve as his intern, an occupation that involved writing jokes and imparting other information.
Six months after Hoffman was hired in a full-time role with the Austin, Texas-based outlet, Lynn moved back to Dallas. As a result, Hoffman suddenly had his own morning show in the city, a whirlwind that he never expected. Having never listened to sports radio while growing up, he felt somewhat nonplussed and unsure about how to approach the craft. Hoffman geared his program towards making people laugh, and he found that it resonated with those in the metropolis.
“I didn’t know what I was looking to do, so it was probably just really good fortune that it worked out for me because if I tried to do what I think most people try to do when they get into sports radio, I think I would have probably been a failure,” Hoffman said. “So, it was just me kind of being me on the radio, and it worked out for me.”
Although Hoffman’s journey eventually took him back to his hometown of Houston, Texas, he passed up an opportunity to arrive in the city a few years earlier. ESPN 97.5 Houston wanted him to be the co-host of The Front Page, but he was comfortable in Austin and ultimately decided to remain at the outlet. He did, however, recommend Matt Dean for the job, and he ended up working with Faour during his early stages at the station. Dean departed the outlet a few years later, prompting ESPN 97.5 Houston to approach Hoffman with another offer to join the station and host with Faour in the midday slot.
“I said, ‘You know what? It’s time to make a move,’” Hoffman said. “I was excited; it was the first time that I was, I don’t know, I guess recruited, and I’m very competitive. I wanted to win, and Houston is where I grew up, so it was important for me to have some success there.”
From the onset of the trial shows, Hoffman could tell that he and Faour possessed both chemistry and chemistry issues with a shared determination to crush the competition. The program frequently finished at or near the top of the ratings books and was eventually moved to afternoon drive. Local listeners found that they had a rapport with the program, a sentiment that Hoffman can still deduce in social media comments and feedback on other projects.
“It’s all about entertaining; it’s all about being relatable,” Hoffman said. “Yeah, I think that was always my goal was to be as relatable to the audience as possible. You want people to either side with you or side against you. You want to create an emotional response in people, whether it’s a positive or a negative. It doesn’t really matter to me – there were plenty of people who didn’t like me – but that just meant that they were engaged, and that’s what I was looking for.”
When the program broadcast in afternoon drive, it presented content that was less reactionary, instead focused more on previewing upcoming games and providing compelling, engaging opinions. Hoffman divulged that after a long day at work, many people are searching for a source of reprieve. While Hoffman has never been a great morning person, he made the most of it during the show’s illustrious run that lasted for more than 11 years.
“People are stressed out after a long day of work, and they just want to have some fun,” Hoffman said. “They want to relax a little bit, so I felt like I was able to be a little bit looser. I know most people talk about wacky morning shows or zany sports show, but I don’t know that tier ranking; I don’t know how you do it.”
In 2019, Hoffman was promoted to serve as the outlet’s program director while also continuing to host the afternoon drive show. Faour was in favor of him taking on the extra role, communicating that he felt it would be a great idea. Had Faour felt differently, however, he probably would have not accepted the position because it would have altered the dynamic on the show. Even so, the chemistry on the program remained strong despite Hoffman serving as Faour’s boss. During the show itself, Hoffman thought of himself as Faour’s co-host and tried not to come off as condescending.
“Fred believed that I understood radio on a different level than a lot of other people, and he knew that I was serious enough about the mechanics of things that would help us in ratings that he wanted me to have that job,” Hoffman said.
With his roots in the Houston area, Hoffman emphasized the cultural diversity the city has and how it differs from its counterparts. He presumes that there is a preconceived notion about the area in that it contains a plethora of cowboys and other Western aspects. The reality of the setting though is one that Hoffman believes has been evidently misconstrued, affirming that it is the most culturally diverse city in the world.
“People don’t realize how awesome of a town Houston is if they haven’t been in it, and I think Fred and I both being Houston guys, we wanted to show that to people,” Hoffman said. “When people would be new in town if they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m not understanding this or this,’ we always tried to point them [in the right direction].”
The connection he fostered with the people of Houston and the city itself while working in the locale is part of what made the decision to leave extremely arduous and difficult. Although the show was thriving in the Houston marketplace, Hoffman felt an opportunity to relocate to Las Vegas to serve as the executive vice president and director of digital content for Pregame was simply too good to pass up. Before he came to a resolution, he discussed the proposition with Faour. After their discussion, Faour concurred and supported Hoffman in what he had chosen to do.
“I think every show like that, there comes a time when, ‘We could keep doing it, but what are we going to do now; what’s next for us? We don’t want to just come in here and keep collecting a check. How do we keep this thing growing?’ I don’t know if we’d run out of that, but Fred totally understood it was a good opportunity for me to move on and for us to try some new things, and he was very supportive of it.”
Shortly thereafter, Faour departed ESPN 97.5 Houston, but he and Hoffman remained in touch through it all. Faour began contributing to the SportsMap Radio Network and would periodically welcome Hoffman as a guest to discuss football betting lines or the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Upon leaving radio entirely to start a podcast, Faour came to an agreement with Hoffman to have him on as a weekly guest to provide his opinions and analysis.
Last week when Hoffman was preparing to make his weekly Thursday appearance, he realized that Faour had not sent him the recording link. These access links were typically shared within 10 minutes of the scheduled taping, causing Hoffman to reach out to ask for the link. Fifteen minutes later, he tried to call him again and received no answer on the other end. Following another call, he texted him to see if he was okay, fearing that something had gone wrong since it was unlike Faour to forsake such a taping.
“And then maybe 30 minutes later, I got the text that he had passed,” Hoffman said. “It bummed me out because that was our time every week together. I got to spend an hour and 15 minutes basically doing The Blitz with him. The idea that that was the day that we were supposed to do it and I couldn’t get a hold of him, I knew something was off, and obviously it was. I know if Freddie could have held on for 15 more hours or whatever it was, he certainly would have just so we can get one more show squeezed in there.”
Faour had been suffering from health complications in the ensuing years, and his death did not come as a surprise to Hoffman. Throughout their time working together, Hoffman observed that Faour was a heavy drinker and smoker. Moreover, Hoffman reminisced that Faour often put off doctor’s appointments, instead believing that his ailments would pass.
“I always say the coolest thing about Fred is that he lived every day like it was his last day, but that’s also the kind of life that you live that means you don’t get a lot of days,” Hoffman explained. “When you live like that; [when] you live as hard as Fred did, eventually it catches up to you, so I knew he wasn’t in the best health.”
While the specific nature of his passing is unknown, Hoffman remembers the demeanor that his former partner presented at events and how he went about his daily responsibilities. Furthermore, he was not incredulous at the devastating occurrence; rather, he acknowledged the course of events and final resolution. Hoffman, the ESPN 97.5 Houston staff and many others are in a state of grieving, emitting both dolefulness and excogitating the life that he lived. There is also a sense of regret pertaining to certain aspects of their relationship, but one of many things Hoffman knows they undoubtedly achieved was in being genuine with the audience.
“I think the more open and honest you can be with each other and the more true to what you are you can be, the better that show can be,” Hoffman said. “I think Fred and I both – we push to have the most authentic show we could have – and I think that’s why it had so much success.”
Through these hardships, Hoffman has been receiving daily messages from listeners on social media articulating how much they enjoyed The Blitz and listening to the duo work together in Houston. In the days ensuing since Faour’s passing, Hoffman gained more awareness about the venerability and legacy he left in the marketplace. Through his appearances on Faour’s other projects and off-air conversations, he is grateful to have kept their connection alive.
“When you realize how many people you impacted, it’s fun to get back in there and sort of re-create that magic, and so I’ve always appreciated that,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know that I ever felt closure because I didn’t feel like our relationship had ended; I felt like we were just doing it in a different way now.”
Hoffman is determined to help Pregame augment its presence amid a dynamic content ecosystem, looking forward to what is to come as sports betting continues to be legalized. For now, though, he is in a pensive state as he honors the memory of his former colleague and the relationship they shared. Over a decade later, he is grateful to have taken Dave Tepper’s advice to work through their differences, which ultimately helped cultivate an impactful and enduring afternoon staple.
“The outpouring of how many people that Fred impacted and our show impacted – it really does touch me knowing that what we did mattered,” Hoffman said. “I’ve heard several people young and old say that the show that we did was one of, if not the best sports show that Houston ever had. That’s a good feeling. When you really created something that people will – when they’re making their lists; their all-timer lists – that you’ll be on that. When they’re making their Mount Rushmore of Houston radio shows, I think we’ve got a firm place on it, and that’s a good feeling to have.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
