Over my more than two decades of experience working in sports radio buildings, there have been plenty of things that have bothered me about the trajectory of the industry itself. How the industry fails to adjust to changing content consumption models. The lack of focus on monetizing locally produced podcasts is another. But one trend bothered me was when programmers were either forced or chose to become on-air talent with weekly programming responsibilities.
That trend is nothing new. In fact, it has almost become less trendy and more of an expectation. Having programmers as talent saves on costs and headcount while keeping local voices alive in local markets. The practice is more stopgap than growth plan, and, in too many cases, it creates more problems than it solves.
On Monday, SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio elevated Steve Torre to become the new morning co-host on the channel following the departure of Damon Amendolara. Torre is a seasoned veteran of Mad Dog Sports Radio. He worked alongside Danny Kanell and even hosted evenings before Stephen A. Smith’s arrival at the channel last year.
This isn’t a knock on Torre. His credentials speak for themselves, and I wish him luck with the added role. However, this is a criticism of the optics and likely outcome of the selection.
The Missing Logic
Amendolara is a proven commodity and far too talented to be on the beach. Yes, contracts are not easy, and agreements don’t always come to fruition. That’s business.
What doesn’t make sense is the response to the departure. Amendolara has years of brand equity with the morning audience. The replacement is his boss? Should ESPN have replaced Ryan Clark with Burke Magnus? When Dan Patrick retires in February 2028, is Scott Shapiro taking over the syndicated daypart? Was Mitch Rosen a better replacement for Mike Mulligan over Jarrett Payton?
Also, just because a programmer has experience hosting doesn’t mean that’s the right selection. Now, with Torre handling morning drive, it likely will put added work not just on Torre but on his support staff around him. What’s the incentive? Is everyone who gets delegated additional duties receiving a stipend from what Amendolara was getting paid?
More than likely, they’re not.
The other thing to consider is the talent’s relationship with the programmer. Torre is a seasoned veteran of the channel and likely has the trust of his talent roster. That’s not the case in every situation as this trend becomes the norm.
By taking on the added role of host, that impacts how other talent take in your advice, guidance and coaching. It’s human nature. Talent will begin to think, “Is this the standard that he/she holds himself/herself to?” All things being equal, if the talent is also a programmer and isn’t meeting his or her own points of emphasis with others, the coaching falls on deaf ears.
I often wonder if this is ever considered.
Stealing Opportunity To Grow
In my experience as a programmer, I was asked numerous times over the years if I would consider hosting a daily program on the station I oversaw. Every time, I declined. Not because I didn’t feel I could fill the void. Playing to my own ego, I’ve hosted successful programs in a market many of my own talents will never reach.
It was because doing so would take an opportunity away from others to grow. It would create an environment where talent doesn’t look to you as someone who always has their back. Also, most importantly, it would bleed trust from the relationships that matter most for growth while simply plugging a hole.
I always used to joke that working in sports radio was more about putting out fires instead of starting them. Anytime a station on any platform elevates a programmer to a talent role, you’re enrolling in the fire department.
Sports radio isn’t getting better because programmers are becoming talent. In too many cases, it’s getting worse.
Programming is supposed to be about developing talent, building brands, creating opportunities and preparing the next person to take the next step. When the person responsible for doing those things becomes part of the talent lineup, the priorities inevitably become blurred.
That’s where the practice becomes problematic. A programmer can be talented on the air and still be the wrong person to fill a vacant chair. The issue isn’t whether the programmer can do the job. The issue is whether doing the job prevents that person from effectively doing the job they were originally hired to do.
There will always be situations where a programmer can legitimately add value on the air. Steve Torre may prove to be one of them. But one successful example doesn’t make the practice a sound strategy. A programmer filling a vacant chair may solve a staffing problem today, but it doesn’t necessarily solve the bigger problem of how you build a better station tomorrow.
Sports radio doesn’t need more programmers trying to prove they can do a talent’s job. It needs more programmers committed to making their talent better. Because when the person responsible for putting out the fires is also behind the microphone, eventually you have to ask: Who’s left to run the fire department?
If that becomes the model, sports radio shouldn’t wonder why the industry keeps getting worse instead of better.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. 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. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.