For the first time since the turn of the millennium, the Indiana Pacers are in the NBA Finals. A team built on grit, hard work, and dedication to their craft, representing a city of blue-collar people that mirror the traits of those who wear the navy blue and gold. The past couple of months for the city of Indianapolis have been filled with big headlines, grabbing the collective consciousness of the country and putting a spotlight on the Crossroads of America. The Drive with JMV on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan has been enjoying the ride.
“This is exactly why you get into this business. It’s why I have so thoroughly enjoyed 25 years of doing this job,” said JMV, who hosts afternoon drive on Indianapolis’ top sports radio station, The Fan. “It has been absolutely rapid fire. This is why you enjoy the work you do so much.”
JMV, also known as John Michael Vincent, has been the defining voice of sports talk radio in Indianapolis for nearly a quarter century. He’s an Indiana native who grew up in the small town of Owensburg, where he found a love for sports and music from a young age. Over his time with The Fan, he’s been the guiding voice through “The Malice at the Palace,” a Super Bowl Championship, and countless Indianapolis 500 races—a local voice that listeners can trust in the content he provides.
“I always tell people who do this in and around Indy how important we are,” said JMV. “We’re basically the only people that consistently care about what the people listening around here care about. That’s an important job.”
Live & Local Is Not an Option, It’s a Requirement
The community of Indianapolis has had plenty to care about—and celebrate—recently. The Indiana Pacers are beginning a quest for an NBA Championship, while Caitlin Clark is igniting massive interest in the Indiana Fever. If you took those two elements alone, most markets around the country, large and small, would have plenty to care about, discuss, and talk about.
“Most of the time, the stuff people around here care about, sports-wise, nationally they’re not going to. They won’t give it the time of day,” noted JMV. “I always tell people that do this job: you have a level of importance to make sure you are dialed into everything local, because it is a resource that we are allowed to give them content-wise that they’re probably not going to get anyplace else.”
JMV is a student of his craft because he feels the audience demands it. He takes pride in “not half-ass’ing” anything he represents, working six days a week between a weekday talk show and an all-live, local music program filled with live requests from listeners on B105.7. It’s an old-school approach of listener interaction and connection through music, in an era of overly researched playlists and recorded talent.
“I don’t voice track. I don’t tape. I’m 100% authentic and 100% live. That’s what people around here care about,” JMV said of his work on B105.7, which he hosts once a week. “There is still a target audience that absolutely wants this content, and you must continue to give it to them.”
A passionate patriarch in the belief of live and local, JMV is cognizant of the challenges in the radio industry today, as layoffs and cost-cutting rob local audiences of what makes radio more unique than podcasting or streaming. He stands for what he believes in and enters each new day energized to represent the community he speaks with, and the culture of being the destination for Indy sports fans.
“It’s like you’re being an athlete. You have some days that are better than others. Some days you’re going to be more dialed in than others. The special days for me are when I’m five words ahead in my mind of what I’m saying at that time,” noted JMV. “Everybody kind of understands that I’m not the brightest light bulb in the pack. I like to think of myself as the most authentic. I’m just like the listener out there. I’m just like the person listening. I’ve always found myself to be that.”
The Pat McAfee Effect on Indianapolis Sports
While the Pacers and Fever have been dominating the sports narrative of the city as of late, the storylines have been even more elevated by a former Indianapolis Colts punter turned broadcaster. Pat McAfee has not been shy about sharing his love and admiration for the city of Indianapolis since the very beginning of his program. The show emanates from Indianapolis and has been a lightning rod of attention for many different reasons.
JMV considers what McAfee has built an incredible example of placing Indy sports on a national platform. He notes that he doesn’t attempt to promote McAfee’s content on his program out of respect for his teammate Jake Query, who hosts middays on The Fan. Although JMV knows it’s hard to ignore most of the headlines from McAfee’s show, he respects the product he has built.
“He (McAfee) gets to do on a national level exactly what I would do and how I would do it if I were on a national level. He’s out there to have one hell of a good time. I could not have more respect for him than that,” said JMV. “It’s fun-loving radio, and he’s going to continue to do that his way until the end. That’s something to be admired in a business in which we’re in, where that’s very difficult to do.”
A Golden Era On Indy Sports
When the Indiana Fever drafted Caitlin Clark with the first overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the immediate impact on interest in the women’s professional basketball league was massive. Locally, the effect of Clark’s arrival elevated a franchise left dormant for a decade into the stratosphere. JMV notes that interest in Fever basketball is on par with interest in the other four major sports among fans in Indianapolis. He believes the market is on the verge of a “golden era” of basketball greatness—both with the Pacers and Fever—and he’s ready for every step of the ride.
“If you don’t truly realize that moment, by the time you look at it, that moment is gone,” said JMV. “You must make sure you take the right steps and measures to fully soak up what is something that is incredibly special around here, that not anybody else has at this level around America.”
Spanning a career that has seen legends of the past to the superstars of tomorrow, JMV remains passionate about the work he puts into his product—celebrating the good times, while being critical when deemed necessary. The recent highs of the Pacers’ and Fever’s success, mixed with the emotions of the passing of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, have prevented every show from being the same. Being the voice that represents the Indy sports fan comes with its challenges, making it tough to have friendships with those in organizations because of the criticisms he is tasked to dish out when necessary.
“In this market, you basically see everybody all the time. You see the people that sometimes you have to be critical of. You see the people that you’re talking to out there that may not exactly enjoy your angle,” explained JMV. “At the same time, I always want to go away feeling like I’m incredibly fair but also having a good time in the process.”
As the opening tipoff commences this evening in Oklahoma City, JMV will be glued to his television, preparing for the flood of reaction to come tomorrow afternoon—capturing the moment, win or lose, with the people he grew up alongside and shares a connection with through the love of sport. Something, in reflection, he wouldn’t have any other way during the single greatest time to be a sports fan living in Indy.
“As long as I can deliver with the energy, fun, content, and the interest—while never half-ass’ing what I do,” prefaced JMV, “If I’m just adequate, that’s not going to be good enough. That’s probably when I decide (to walk away), but hopefully that’s still a long time away.”
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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.
