In possessing a keen understanding of sales and marketing through years of professional experience, Sean Pendergast realizes that the occupation spans beyond typical products and services. Whether it is first impressions, social media interactions or conversations with clientele, he believes that radio personalities need to possess a level of sales acumen.
As a morning drive host on SportsRadio 610 in Houston, Pendergast routinely assesses the marketplace and has found opportunities to augment his brand and strength of the weekday offering. Over the last five years in the daypart working with Seth Payne, the duo has proven to be a formidable presence that looks to exhibit synergy, knowledge and expertise. Through it all, there has existed a commitment to serve consumers and shareholders of the company.
“I treat my sponsors and clients as if I were a salesperson,” Pendergast said. “I have lunches, I make sure to stop at their businesses and say ‘Hello’ to them, I’m in touch with them on game days. A lot of them are Texans fans, so we text back and forth during games. I think they really like that – they’re like, ‘Wow, I’m texting with somebody who’s in the press box,’ that kind of thing.”
Pendergast believes there should be training in sales for all broadcasters. In addition to his ability to keep audiences informed and entertained, he intends to serve his bosses and sponsors by working with others to enact business endeavors and fulfill obligations. Pendergast discerns that radio companies are trying to do more with less, a proposition that leads to individuals having more responsibilities. Having recently completed 11 years with the station, he identifies several factors contributing to his success and longevity in the designated market area.
“I’ve seen so many people in this business who I think are probably better broadcasters than me if I’m being honest, but they don’t stick around because they don’t have any revenue tied to them,” Pendergast said. “It’s so fundamental that once you do get revenue tied to you, just to make sure that relationship is solid and that you’re getting feedback from them. Make sure you know whether or not you’re getting results for them so that if you’re not, you can fix things and get results.”
Pendergast grew up in Connecticut and frequently listened to WFAN, developing a penchant for the sports talk format. Although he participated at the radio station, he focused his studies on finance and business economics and moved to Houston upon graduating where he sold telecommunications equipment. Pendergast was initially confounded that the city did not have a sports talk radio station, but that predicament quickly changed when SportsRadio 610 launched one week into his tenure. The station picked up The Jim Rome Show, and Pendergast became a P1 listener, frequent caller and five-time champion of the Smack-Off competition.
“I got to be very friendly with the people at 610 once I started calling Rome, so some of the hosts there, I became, still to this day, very, very good friends with [them],” Pendergast recalled, “and they would tell me, ‘Hey, you should give this a try,’ based totally on being a caller.”
When United Asset Coverage was sold to Shared Technology in 2007, Pendergast ended up losing his job, prompting him to pack his office and return home. Upon pulling in his driveway, he received a call from Chance McClain, who informed him that he and several others were starting a new radio station in Houston and that they wanted him to host a show. Even though there were complications surrounding the decision, Pendergast recognized the serendipitous manifestation and tangible break to pursue his passion.
“It was like a bolt of lightning when I got that phone call,” Pendergast said. “On literally my lowest day is when I get this opportunity that I’ve been longing for, so it was one of those things like, ‘Man, I almost have to say ‘Yes’ to this just to see how it goes, because if I say ‘No,’ I’ll regret it forever.”
Even though he took an entry-level radio job making 80% less money than his sales role, he enjoyed his formative years in the business hosting local and national programming. While he valued his time with the station, he did not see a pathway to achieving his financial goals and started to position himself to land a role with SportsRadio 610. Over parts of the ensuing five years, Pendergast brought a fastidious approach predicated on attention to detail, adaptability and versatility while leveraging skills developed in sales.
“Getting feedback from people about how I sounded on the air, air checks, all those things that sometimes people take for granted,” Pendergast elucidated, “I went into hyper-detail mode to just get my foot in the door over there.”
Pendergast had interviewed for a morning drive hosting role in 2012, a job that ultimately went to Nick Wright. One year later, he secured a spot in afternoons working with Rich Lord and started the program in the subsequent January. Lord had been at the station since 1995 just after it flipped to the sports format, and Pendergast had listened to him throughout his time in Houston. A few months later, the station added former NFL linebacker Ted Johnson to the program, lending firsthand perspective from the gridiron and forming what became known as The Triple Threat.
“I [wanted] to make sure that when people were listening to me, they knew that I wasn’t some noob to the market or that I’m faking my way through it,” Pendergast said. “All the things that I had been doing that got me that job I had been doing at 1560 already, so I wanted to make sure they knew that.”
As the station made lineup changes in 2019, it let go of two personalities in Lord and morning show co-host Mike Meltser, familiar voices in the marketplace who had resonated with listeners. Pendergast was subsequently paired with Payne in morning drive, forming the duo that Houston sports radio listeners have come to know over the last five years. The duo expeditiously developed chemistry, something that was catalyzed from having known each other previously through Payne’s weekly contributions on 1560 The Game.
“Mornings is the prime spot, but unlike when I was trying to get over to 610, I didn’t openly campaign behind people’s backs about wanting to be in mornings,” Pendergast expressed. “I was really happy to be in the building and be in afternoons with Rich – the show was very successful – but when the opportunity came to go to mornings, I was really excited about it.”
Pendergast describes himself as someone who is informed, organized and entertaining, combining those skills to create a compelling product that blends astute insights with lighthearted revelry. Hosting with Payne, who he affirms is smart while also self aware that he is somewhat unhinged, the duo has fostered intrigue and impact in their discussions surrounding local sports. Part of its appeal has also come in catering to the preferences of listeners in the daypart, refraining from vociferous dissension and overwhelming amounts of information.
“Seth and I don’t scream at each other, but we disagree over a lot of stuff, but we flush it as soon as the break rolls around,” Pendergast said. “We’ll get into disagreements on a show that people think are really contentious, and then during the break, we’re kind of laughing about it. Not that we faked our way through the argument, but if you carry it around, that’s not a healthy way to go do radio or go through life if we’re being honest.”
Aside from broadcasting skill and allure among the audience, generating ratings and revenue oftentimes are inextricably tied to how media professionals are evaluated. Even though the program has secured strong engagement on terrestrial radio and podcasting platforms, he knows that establishing and maintaining client relationships is critical in ensuring stakeholders remain satisfied.
Being situated in a marketplace with three sports radio stations and several other media entities disseminating content over multiple verticals, there are an abundance of domains competing for attention and engagement. Pendergast recognizes the appeal of the Houston Texans and feels that SportsRadio 610 has an advantage in being a flagship station for the team. At the same time, he recognizes the station tagline, “Houston’s Sports Leader,” and delivers for consumers who want to hear about the Rockets, Astros or other sports teams.
“We talk everything,” Pendergast said. “Seth and I had our best ratings as a duo the month that the Astros won the World Series. Our ratings were double the flagship of the Astros’ ratings that month, and that was something we took a great amount of pride in because theoretically, people, you would think, would be going to the flagship for that.”
Pendergast views establishing himself as a brand to be essential, and he has started to monetize some of his social media. There are opportunities in the marketplace to explore broadening reach and revenue, and while he remains aware of potential occurrences, he also wants to ensure that current clients are satisfied. Pendergast measures his performance against financial data both individually and for the company, along with appealing to the listeners and contributing to mental wellbeing and sports expertise.
“You try to put on the best show every day and serve your sponsors the best way that you can, and you hope that, ‘Okay, this is good enough. This is good enough,’ because I want to do this for a long time,” Pendergast said. “I’ve got no end date. There’s zero [of], ‘I’m trying to get to this age or this age or this age or this age.’ I plan on doing this for as long as my health and my bosses will let me do it.”
As Pendergast continues to work in his ideal role, he will explore adding projects, such as potentially starting a podcast series functioning as an anthology that chronicles the biggest Houston sports stories. From the moment he decided to join SportsRadio 610, he set a goal of becoming the morning host and holding what he feels is the best job in the city. With a decade on the station under his belt, he aims to continue the momentum he has established and remain embedded in sports media while continuing to explore the landscape.
“Hopefully as long as they’ll have me, it’s going to be things that get added to being the morning host at SportsRadio 610 because I’m lucky, man,” Pendergast said. “I’m one of the lucky people who set out to go get their dream job, and I’m able to do it every day. It’s awesome.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate 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, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
