During Paul Allen’s third year at KFAN, the Minnesota Vikings sought to take their product worldwide through the team website. Their flagship station (WCCO) though refused to place the feed through this forum. Because of the rejection, the team approached iHeartMedia and KFAN, a direct competitor to the outlet, and secured an arrangement for Vikings broadcasts to be disseminated through the web. Once radio executive Gregg Swedberg revealed the decision, he asked if anyone wanted to call play-by-play of the team’s games, an opportunity Allen received and seamlessly assimilated into his busy schedule.
When the team officially moved its game broadcasts to KFAN in 2001, Paul Allen contends that he was going to land the job, but the organization opted to hire Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton instead. When Hamilton was fired during the preseason after remarks on his radio show, Allen thought he was going to secure the role again. This time though, Vikings owner Red McCombs stepped in and hired Terry Stembridge, the son of a friend. In the meantime, Allen stayed poised in his role. He maintained his professionalism despite being bypassed for the opening.
“I’m not a big talk behind the back of people-person,” Allen said. “There are a lot of people in this profession, including my office-place, who are like that. I’m not. I don’t like it – I don’t like the small talk or the misgivings that come with it – so therefore, looking back at ‘02, I did my radio show and Vikings Fan Line listening to a person I think that I can be better then, but never saying a negative word about it.”
The Vikings parted with Stembridge following the season, hiring Allen, rendering an implicit vote of confidence in his broadcasting abilities despite having never called professional football on the radio. On the contrary, he came in with a background of announcing horse races in the United States and presented a distinctive style on the airwaves.
“They both are crescendo-building jobs, and God made me for crescendo-building jobs,” Allen said. “So I took some of my racetrack calls, like when a horse would open up five lengths at the top of the stretch at Canterbury Park, I would say, ‘And he’s loose,’ and then I’m like, ‘Alright, what if I bring that to the NFL?’”
Finding His Voice Serving Skol to Vikings Fans
Within the first regular-season game Allen called as an NFL broadcaster, he witnessed the Vikings force a fumble against the rival Chicago Bears. As a result of jumping out of his seat as this unfolded, he caused some of the cords to be removed from the sockets and subsequently lost the audio feed for his microphone.
Doug Westerman, the program director of KFAN at the time, yelled over to the booth to speak, resulting in analyst Joe Senser briefly taking the reins. Allen became more comfortable in the booth broadcasting Vikings games and slowly became even more synonymous with the organization, one of which was the final play of the 2003 season.
“It was a game at Sun Devil Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals where Vikings current quarterbacks coach Josh McCown found Nathan Poole front-right of the end zone, and I described the play and then I screamed, ‘No, no! The Cardinals have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs,'” said Allen. “That kind of blew up nationally a little bit, so then I was on more radars than I had been previously.”
Allen continued to gain confidence through more repetitions and honed his craft, and he has been the soundtrack for countless memorable moments with stars such as Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and Randy Moss. In fact, he has become well known for his ability to meet the moment, articulating seminal occurrences resonating with listeners throughout the process. Allen contends that he has never scripted his calls and is grateful to have had the right crescendo and favorability from the audience over the years.
“I’m not really a nervous-going kind of individual,” Allen said. “I’m faith over fear 10 out of 10 times, so I think having that natural piece in my heart, I’m not scared of big moments. In fact, I prefer them, and I enjoy thriving in them, but we’ve had so many in the 20 some-odd years that I’ve done this that it’s just an honor to be right next to it and have some calls that people like forever.”
Balancing Being the Voice and the Host
In addition to calling Vikings games, Allen is also the host of the late-morning program on KFAN and has balanced both ventures for more than two decades. Part of the success therein comes from establishing mutually beneficial relationships with various stakeholders built off pillars of trust and authenticity. Allen knows how to properly approach difficult conversations surrounding the team, such as the Wild Card round playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings where quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked nine times.
“I could scream into the microphone and say, ‘This sucks! This guy sucks! I can’t believe he has a contract. Who in the hell re-signed this guy?,’” Allen outlined. “That’s not me, okay? Now I eloquently have a different way of doing it that people seem to continue to come back to.”
Allen safeguards against fatigue by going to bed early, but he compensates by rising well before he takes the air and writing the remainder of the radio show. At the start of the week, he also begins compiling his depth charts for the next Vikings game where he will meticulously document new developments and roster changes for both teams. During the next day, he hosts his show live from the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center and also welcomes head coach Kevin O’Connell for an exclusive 30-minute interview. Furthermore, Allen speaks with him off the microphone to gain a feel for how the team is thinking about the upcoming contest.
“Then I’ll get out there two of the days – Wednesday, Thursday or Friday – and because they know they can trust me, I’ll get a chance to watch some practice, so therefore, if there are wild cards coming, I kind of know they’re coming because the media’s not permitted to watch practice, but I don’t call myself ‘media,’” Allen explained. I’m the announcer, so that helps a lot. Conversations with players and coaches that they know won’t go anywhere outside of me – that helps a lot.”
The information Allen receives off the airwaves can be equipped to help shape his opinion on the radio show, showing synergy between both of his responsibilities. There are times, however, when he feels the need to shut down potential rumors that have gained national steam or attention.
For example, there were some people who felt that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was going to become a member of the team, and Allen grew frustrated in what was being communicated. Because of this, he decided to probe for information himself, and he subsequently revealed that it was “highly unlikely” Rodgers would be the Vikings quarterback, instead pointing to J.J. McCarthy as the likely starter.
“Now when I do that, I’m facing the slings and arrows of the outrageous negatives, whether it’s those following me on the radio or Twitter or fellow media members who don’t think I have it right, but I don’t care because I know where I got it from,” Allen said. “I know when I dive into this game, which is infrequent, that it’s going to be unimpeachable, and it turns out it was.”
Embracing the Spotlight Solo on KFAN
Whereas Allen used to be paired with Jeff Dubay, he has been hosting the show solo for several years but does not feel comfortable simply writing bullet points and relying on his personality to carry the program. Shortly after Dubay left the station in 2008, Allen was informed that the program would be his, but he originally had no interest in this endeavor and did not want to put his name in the title. After his bosses calmed him down and increased his pay, Allen agreed to take part and felt that things improved when Vikings training camp began in August 2009 featuring quarterback Brett Favre on the roster.
“I don’t talk like a lot of Minnesotans,” Allen said. “I’m from Washington, D.C., and so therefore, there’s an approach to it that sounds different than a lot of what they’re used to, but it’s a sound and an approach that’s born of preparation, authenticity and somebody who recognizes, ‘You made the conscious choice to listen to me,’ and that’s not lost on me, okay? I’m not God’s gift to radio for you. You had to make the choice to listen to me, and that’s very, very important to me, and it always has been.”
Allen acknowledges that Minnesota is a “habit state” and possesses a simplicity that enables the audience to see through fake personalities. While there have been alterations to the sports media landscape over the years, KFAN has stayed relatively consistent with a local lineup of programs that has fostered trust and continues to appeal with the audience.
Over the course of the year, Allen maintains his productivity by managing his schedule and allocating time off as needed. The trust built with his bosses has allowed him to request vacation when needed, but he does not take time away unless he is tired or feels burned out. As Allen grows older, he recognizes that he needs more rest but enjoys all of his different roles and stays motivated to thrive. Allen does not view the calendar as a “vicious cycle,” but rather thinks about the honor in having an audience value his opinions and perspectives on the world of sports.
“Everybody knows I’m going to outwork most and I’m always going to be prepared,” Allen said. “All of my bosses, and I believe the audience, know that when I crack the microphone, that I’m giving everything I have – even if I’m tired, even if I’m discombobulated, even if I’m confused – that I’m going to do my very best to put on the best show that I can put on, and with that authenticity over a long period of time, people know it’s real, and they know I care about what they care about, their teams, and it’s genuine.”
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Derek Futterman is a former associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. Find him on X @derekfutterman.
