It’s been a long time since we had a good old-fashioned sports radio beef. I was reminded of this after watching a clip of Bill Colarulo absolutely torch “people who consider themselves sports talk hosts” for continuing to disrespect Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The 97.5 The Fanatic host “punched up” at 94 WIP’s Top 11 athletes in Philadelphia list without naming names or even referencing the station.
“What really makes me chuckle is the false narrative that gets spewed by people looking to create drama and content by taking shots at our Super Bowl MVP quarterback,” said Colarulo. “Let’s try to knock him down for engagement.”
Shots fired, yes. Jab thrown, absolutely. Impactful? Not at all—but totally refreshing to hear. It reminded me that, unfortunately, sports radio has become softer than the Charmin at your local grocery store.
I understand and accept that sports radio has evolved since the days of Mike & The Mad Dog yelling and screaming about the latest with Joe Torre and Patrick Ewing. I agree that sports radio has grown up significantly from the red-headed stepchild it once was considered in the industry. I’ve grown older and wiser in my twenty-one years working in sports radio, and I also know that the game has changed.
It used to be ratings, now it’s revenue.
It used to be controversy, now it’s collaboration.
However, one thing that hasn’t changed and has remained constant through the evolution of sports radio is attention. Attention is a limited resource and more valuable than any metric, dollar, or download you can gain.
Sports Radio Needs To Study the Art of the Promo
Attention is what keeps people coming back for more. But where is the buzz in sports radio that’s driving people to return? If you work in sports radio, ask yourself: What are you doing to hook your listener and make them come back? No tease, no giveaway, no random Tuesday feature can replace the impact of gaining attention like a strategic jab at your opponent.
I’m a big fan of professional wrestling—have been my entire life. A good promo between a face (good guy) and a heel (bad guy) that tells a story hooks the viewer into having an emotional tie to pick a side. This leads to added attention, social engagement, and leaves the viewer asking for more.
With sports radio, who are the best faces and heels telling the story in your local market to drive attention to your brands?
What is sports radio’s answer to Pablo Torre vs. Bill Simmons?
Who is comparable to Stephen A. Smith and Michelle Beadle?
Is there anyone that plays on the level of Jason Whitlock and Dave Portnoy?
Michael Kay is no longer tossing Diet Cokes in the trash can mimicking Mike Francesa. Sports radio morning shows rarely simulcast with other markets to talk smack before a big game.
Who is driving attention to sports radio?
For Sports Radio, It’s Time To Break the Rules (Again)
The rule most—if not all—sports radio stations seem to follow lately is: don’t talk about the competition. You shouldn’t allow your opponent oxygen to breathe because you need to keep the focus on yourself. Focus on what you’re doing, not on others.
Yet in the same vein, sports radio will take shots at Stephen A. Smith for being too present on television, take issue with Pablo Torre’s reporting style, or praise anything Barstool Sports touches or creates.
Why does the rule only apply to local competition, when the battlefield for attention is more than your local market?
It’s time for sports radio to break the rules and earn the attention back.
In an attention economy, you need to pick your battles. Local sports radio hosts need to listen to their competition just as much as they do anything else. Challenge narratives, object to opinion, and allow your audience not only to hear your conflict—but see it.
It’s not about punching up or down. It’s about showing you have fight left in you. Use Barstool Sports as an example: they built their audience on “punching up” and playing the underdog in sports media. Dave Portnoy doesn’t hide from his critics, yet takes issue with discourse at any turn. They’ve battled, won, and conquered the attention economy—where sports radio is still playing catch-up.
Why can’t sports radio do the same?
In the case of Colarulo, why not embrace the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles for the Super Bowl MVP he is? Call out your opponents by name, and build your audience into a frenzy with an emotional attachment to join your battle.
The fact is, political commentary is tribal and owns the attention in broadcast media—from podcast metrics to television viewership and social media engagement. Why can’t sports radio return to the lane of picking sides, owning debate, creating controversy, and adding engagement?
Name a sports radio station that is owning the debate, creating noise, and is a dominant force in social engagement.
Can Sports Radio Reclaim the Edge It Once Had
Don’t get it twisted: sports radio is not going anywhere anytime soon. The health of the business remains strong, and the reach it still touches is a success story. The fact of the matter is the pool of sports radio talent has become diluted through layoffs, budgets continue to be slashed, burnout is more prevalent than ever, and more stations are giving way to syndication over local content—because of the attention it garners for free compared to the cost of paying talent just to fill time.
There was a time when sports radio was fun, creative, competitive, and in some cases brash and contentious. It was the pulse of the sports community and was the outlet for the voice of the fan.
Somewhere along the way, sports radio lost its edge. Maybe over time, the bad boys became dads. The fears of cancel culture plagued creative minds. Living in the comments gave caution to punching back.
If sports radio no longer wishes to be the disrupter it once was, then maybe the war in the attention economy is indeed over.
Have I got your attention now?
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John Mamola is the sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
