Sports radio is growing up right in front of our eyes. The new midday show on 1010XL — Helmets and Heels — is verifiable proof of that.
If you think of the format as a human being, it was really birthed in 1987 with the debut of WFAN. So, sports radio is a 36-year-old. And while that’s a little late in life to be entering its “I’m totally secure in who I am phase,” sometimes you just have to take what you can get.
Helmets and Heels debuted Monday on the Jacksonville sports talk station as part of a revamped daily lineup. The program — which will air from 12-2 PM — claims to be the first daily sports talk show hosted with an entirely female ensemble cast. Truth be told, I didn’t have the time to back that up, so for now, let’s just go with it.
The show had previously been heard throughout the NFL season on a weekly basis, before being moved to the midday slot on the station.
My first reaction when watching the video the station posted to X was “Hell. Yes.”
One of the perks of working for Barrett Sports Media is listening to dozens of sports talk stations around the country. You get a really good feel for who’s really good at this, who really tries at this, and who really packs it in every day while stealing a paycheck from their company.
I’m here to tell you, the hosts of Helmets and Heels — Mia O’Brien, Lauren Brooks, and Taylor Doll — are each, individually, rockstars.
All had previously been working on other shows, with O’Brien co-host XL Primetime, Brooks joined Frank Frangie every day for The Frangie Show, and Doll worked in a bevy of roles for the station, including social media and anchoring updates.
O’Brien is the Mina Kimes of the local level. A smart football analyst, she knows the game with the best of them, and can spit out the lingo like it’s the back of her hand.
Brooks has been the de facto point guard of The Frangie Show and did a great job balancing setting up others for success on the show with also making sure her personality and sports knowledge shined through.
I’m not as intricately familiar with Doll’s work, but when you look at the social media efforts of 1010XL, and you take a peek at her own accounts, you can see the star in the making.
I say all that to say: What the hell took so long?
What took until 2024 for a sports radio station to let an all-women cast take over a daily show? Did sports radio really need to buck trends and stereotypes for this long before the He-Man-Woman-Haters-Club allowed women a seat at the table?
Listen, you’ll often hear conservative political commentators with a “Stick to Sports” mantra for athletes and sports media. The idea is “If you alienate conservatives, you’re alienating half the country.”
I’m not exactly a science rocket, but if you alienate women from sports radio, you’re alienating half your potential audience.
It’s not that difficult to figure out. Go to any pro sports game. Pick a league. There are women there. Passionate women there. Who are fans. Invested women. Women who don’t need to be asked “Oh, you like baseball, huh? Name each team in the NL East in the next 10 seconds,” without proving that they’re fans, too.
And if they felt welcomed, they’d probably consume sports radio, sports television, and sports podcasts. And if the medium is now past its “Dick and Fart Jokes for every response” phase of its life and into its “It’s time to settle down, buy a nice reliable car, and diversify my investment portfolio with mutual funds that surpass the 10-year Lipper Average” phase, we’ll be better for it.
Helmets and Heels on 1010XL is in the perfect timeslot, with the perfect cast, on the perfect station to give it time to find its wings and fly. Will it be an overnight success? No, probably not. But 1010XL is proving what many in the industry have already known: there are incredibly talented women ready to lead shows in our format.
While the show is the first, I hope it isn’t the last. There’s a great big world of potential listeners out there. And I imagine, someday, we’ll look back on the leap of faith the station made and wonder why no one thought of that sooner.
Here’s to wishing the best of luck to Mia, Taylor, and Lauren. I don’t think — at least I hope — they won’t need it. I can’t wait to see the next group of women sports talk hosts you inspire and influence to make our format and industry better.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
Um, the Fabulous Sports Babe would like a word.
That’s a solo show. Other women have hosted solo too. But 3-women daily shows are a different deal.