"Take that Calgary Puck!" — SN960 and Calgary sports media discussion

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I think this is actually a great idea...a Flames/Canucks/Oilers (and maybe Jets) focused regional show, with representatives from each city, that allows for some outside perspective and helps fans get much better insight/context into their rivals.



Its funny how this has seemingly been the top complaint about the morning show for years, yet nobody at the Fan seems to care. When these guys talk sports, they can be fantastic. But too many times they ramble on about food and random weekend activities that just kill any momentum. Boomer is the absolutely worst for this.

Stick to sports. Its not a morning zoo, it's not a recounting about how much you ate or how wasted you got. Sports please.

Pinder and Steinberg is a much tighter ship. They can go off the rails too, but it doesn't drag on for half an hour. I find them much more entertaining.

Ultimately ratings rule. And the morning show has done very well under Boomer and with their current combination of topics. It isn't for everyone, but it seems like it is clicking with enough of their target demographics.
Stations will listen to ratings way more than anecdotal feedback.

It is the same with the calls for more non hockey talk. The fact is when they talk about things that aren't hockey - ratings drop.

[dammage79]

I think they could replace Rome with a better American radio personality. Sucks guys like Lebatard are so Florida focused as I think their schtick could play well on a multisport national level. Rome's dry and too much about "his": brand. "You know me I do what I always do, this is who I am" every single broadcast is super annoying. Okay, we get it, you're Jim Rome the radio guy, way to fill the air with ego pumping mouth noises.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Right I think you nailed it. It’s not so much that they talk about these other things and joke and such. It’s that they drag it out for like 30 mins and then go to commercial. Well, my commute is only 30 minutes. So that’s all I hear, pretty much ever. So I just stopped listening.

Exactly. I listen in the car on the way to work. But unless I get lucky and Friedman comes on, all I get is their adolescent banter for the 20 minutes I am listening. So I change the channel most days.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I think they could replace Rome with a better American radio personality. Sucks guys like Lebatard are so Florida focused as I think their schtick could play well on a multisport national level. Rome's dry and too much about "his": brand. "You know me I do what I always do, this is who I am" every single broadcast is super annoying. Okay, we get it, you're Jim Rome the radio guy, way to fill the air with ego pumping mouth noises.

I've said it before but I'll say it again here - Rome got a lot worse when Travis Rodgers left.
He kept the show grounded. Once he left, and some of the better long-time callers also followed him, it became more about inside jokes, "takes" and other stuff.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Ultimately ratings rule. And the morning show has done very well under Boomer and with their current combination of topics. It isn't for everyone, but it seems like it is clicking with enough of their target demographics.
Stations will listen to ratings way more than anecdotal feedback.

It is the same with the calls for more non hockey talk. The fact is when they talk about things that aren't hockey - ratings drop.

I suspect that internet and satellite radio are also what is driving local content decisions. If we have access to virtually anything we want to listen to from any market, it probably remains within The FAN’s best interest to keep their content local.


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[Deelow]

Originally Posted by Freeway

You guys KNOW the 960 people read the forum. So... who would you want to see/hear on the station? Talking about what?

- Don't let sales people dictate your content. Even though a race track will pay you to disguise a 10 minute commercial as a legitimate horse racing segment, it doesn't mean it's a good idea. My bet is that no one wants to hear that.

-Space things out better. Last week I listened for an hour from 3-4 and heard horse racing, the NFL insider and NFL power rankings. No Flames (or hockey) segment to be found. I know it can't be all Flames, but going an hour without discussing hockey seems like a mistake.

- Add some experience. If you listen to TSN radio in Edmonton after the morning show ends and before the drive show begins you will hear 2 different seasoned broadcasters. They know how to interview & they can carry a talk show. The Fan lost some experience when Kerr walked out the door. They shuffled the deck well enough to get by, but in my opinion you can't just fill that hole with an ensemble of 23 year old kids in Blue Jays hats.

- Stir it up. I like that Pinder is willing to take a stance on an issue. Conflict & debate is what keeps talk radio interesting. Lobbing softball questions to insiders has its place but I like a good argument. Glad we are getting more of it on the afternoon show now.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Paging Mango!!

More along the lines of how 960 sucks but I wrote Kirsch a letter a couple of days ago outlining my disappointment with their coverage of non-mainstream sport - in particular, the Inferno.

The station did a whole big announcement about being the first to have women's hockey play-by-play plus a dedicated Inferno radio show on Saturday mornings.

Then what do we get:
The Dec 16th scheduled broadcast is cancelled because Flames pre-game coverage is scheduled to start a half an hour after the Inferno coverage was to end.

And Mango's Dec 22 show is dropped without notification so 960 can air yet another WJHC preview when it was already scheduled to air later in the morning. She tweets about the topics, her guest and the team does the same, it appears on the 960 schedule, I tune in and it's Steinberg and Loubo.

And in classic 960 fashion here's Kirsch's Boxing Day 10pm reply:

Thanks for your email. Sorry you feel that way. If you wish to discuss over the phone please give me a call. 403 291 0000. Bit of mix up on last weeks inferno show. I can [sic] we are the only commercial all sports radio station that does any play by play of women’s pro hockey.

Brutal station.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by craigwd

More along the lines of how 960 sucks but I wrote Kirsch a letter a couple of days ago outlining my disappointment with their coverage of non-mainstream sport - in particular, the Inferno...


And in classic 960 fashion here's Kirsch's Boxing Day 10pm reply:

Brutal station.

Typos notwithstanding, that looks like a solid reply to a lodged complaint. What’s wrong with it?



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[Deelow]

Kirsch has a responsibility to attract as many listeners as possible, this is literally his mandate from ownership. Covering non-mainstream sport when there are better options is not the way to achieve this. Although it sucks for the 30-50 people that are interested in Inferno coverage you need to know that the vast majority of people listening have 0 interest in hearing that.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Typos notwithstanding, that looks like a solid reply to a lodged complaint. What’s wrong with it?



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Addressing something specific in my letter would be a good start. Basic customer service.

Originally Posted by Deelow

Kirsch has a responsibility to attract as many listeners as possible, this is literally his mandate from ownership. Covering non-mainstream sport when there are better options is not the way to achieve this. Although it sucks for the 30-50 people that are interested in Inferno coverage you need to know that the vast majority of people listening have 0 interest in hearing that.

The point is his station and ownership made a commitment and patted themselves on the back for it. Own up to that commitment.

[MolsonInBothHands]

The Peddle and Millions show would be good for some passive aggressive laughs.

And while we are making line up changes, please take Trace Ventura (formerly St. John) - mayhem on memorial, crush of the rush, calamity on the concrete, ass kicking on Anderson - and fire him into.... Edmonton.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Addressing something specific in my letter would be a good start. Basic customer service.

He did. He told you there was a screw-up and apologized for it. Not only that, but he did so at 10 PM on a day off....is that not pretty much a great example of customer service?

The point is his station and ownership made a commitment and patted themselves on the back for it. Own up to that commitment.

They have contractual responsibilities that far outweigh a niche sport/show. That contract is the very thing that allows the station to exist in the first place.

Look, I'm SP's biggest supporter and I believe she will do great things in the industry should she choose to stick with it. I would wager even she understands what happened in regards to this mistake and how it affected her on-air time. It stinks but there is a pecking order for everything in business and in this instance she/the show was behind a more beneficial one for the station.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Addressing something specific in my letter would be a good start. Basic customer service...

I thought he did okay in a limited space. But moreover, he invited you to call him and discuss it. Did you take Kirch up on his offer?




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[TheScorpion]

I think Kelly Kirch does a good job balancing listener demand with ratings.

PSA, btw: it's spelled 'Kirch,' not 'Kirsch.'

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I thought he did okay in a limited space. But moreover, he invited you to call him and discuss it. Did you take Kirch up on his offer?




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I have in the past with similar concerns about other shows + a former personality's twitter bullying. I don't see a need as I said my piece and his response on that occasion was an offer to look at the ratings books.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by craigwd

I have in the past with similar concerns about other shows + a former personality's twitter bullying. I don't see a need as I said my piece and his response on that occasion was an offer to look at the ratings books.

If you're complaining about the station enough to have had multiple calls with Kirch, eventually you've got to bit the bullet and start to find something else to listen to.

[craigwd]

Oh I do. I stream all of my sportstalk from American cities.

[Deelow]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Oh I do. I stream all of my sportstalk from American cities.

So that's where you're getting your Women's Hockey fix.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It is the same with the calls for more non hockey talk. The fact is when they talk about things that aren't hockey - ratings drop.

How would one know seeing hockey takes up 80% of their daily programming. If you are talking about that awful one hour MLB show they do at lunch in the summer then no kidding ratings would drop as that was awful. IMO the best part of the show is when they bring in guys like Jason La Canfora to talk NFL as it's real professional sports talk radio for about five minutes regarding a sport that's almost as popular in Canada as the NHL. I'm sure ratings would drop with Rome because there is a specific group of listeners that only care about hockey but it's also a very narrow focus to cater to. Hopefully Kirch realizes that people like me (a listener since the original Team radio in 2001) are the core listeners and he would be wise not to alienate them as unlike Flames fans core listeners also listen in the summer and our listening habits don't live and die with the Flames.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Deelow

So that's where you're getting your Women's Hockey fix.

Green text?

That was just an example of constant issue with the station - coverage of anything beyond NHL hockey. And when they do throw a bone to other sports it's generally half hearted, ie. referring to fantasy teams, or as a mockery.

We are Canada's athletic hub but you wouldn't know it from our radio station. The tagline "United by Sport" seems to only refer to those who follow one sport.

I get my fix on all of my favourite athletes and sports from a multitude of places - online and through American radio.