The Sports Animal

[I Am Right]

what has happened to the sports animal? ESPN radio all day. couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch.

[MamaMia]

I'm afraid I'm not much help. I only listen to them a bit on game day if I'm in the car.

[bigfatjerk]

AM 640 is now ESPN 640. They are still Sports Animal on the FM side.

[StoopTroup]

Not for long.

[SoonerPride]

Not for long.

is this supposition or based on fact?

I haven't listened since the Houston fiasco, so I wish all the on air 'talent' would all be fired and turn WWLS into a Spanish language music station.

I hope you're right.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Have no idea..haven't listened to that station in quite a while.

[MeMyself&Me]

Been wondering about this myself. 640AM is the only Oklahoma based sports station I can get where I live in Abilene, TX (in my car only during the day). If I want to listen to national sports like ESPN, I got other options that come in better.

[PrideMom]

FM 98.1 has the Sports Animal, but I do not listen to it. I was only concerned that it would affect the Thunder games, but the Thunder games will remain on both AM 640 and FM 98.1.

[yermom]

Houston fiasco?

[jk the sooner fan]

i feel bad that OKC peeps have that station as the most popular sport talk option

its awful....from sun up to sun down.....pitiful

[OULenexaman]

I have never heard it....

[kbsooner21]

I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. I don't listen to it religiously or anything, but it's decent sports talk radio imo.

[jk the sooner fan]

what do you have to compare it to - in other markets?

[Fraggle145]

KREF AM 1400 is pretty good. Or at least I like Teddy and Dusty...

[usmc-sooner]

I used to like the morning animals but they suck as bad as the rest of that station. Steely is somewhat listenable, he used to be much better. Curtis Fitzpatrick is the worst 125 lb geek doing any kind of show. Lump is not funny or whatever he's trying to be. The worst part of the show is hollywood sleaze followed by 1st Mtg 1st take followed by their attempts to talk to Carey Murdoch which they lose connection to every time.
Follow them up with Mark Rogers and Traber it sucks big time.

[Peeb]

It has an awfully lot of commercial time in every hour. Too much for me, anyhow.

[Lott's Bandana]

It has an awfully lot of commercial time in every hour. Too much for me, anyhow.

Hai..

[8timechamps]

i feel bad that OKC peeps have that station as the most popular sport talk option

its awful....from sun up to sun down.....pitiful

Isn't it like that in every city? Denver has 3 or 4 sports talk channels, and with the exception of afternoon drive time on one channel, they all suck (even ESPN Denver).

[jk the sooner fan]

i dont know about every city

i can only compare OKC's options to what's in Dallas.....even the worst of the 3 options here (2 of 3 here are pretty good) is better than the animal

it's not the content so much as it is a huge lack of creativity and the radio personalities are awful (for the most part)


this is just my opinion - it's not a refection on the fine people of Oklahoma or the people that frequent this board (trying to be positive here!)

[8timechamps]

i dont know about every city

i can only compare OKC's options to what's in Dallas.....even the worst of the 3 options here (2 of 3 here are pretty good) is better than the animal

it's not the content so much as it is a huge lack of creativity and the radio personalities are awful (for the most part)


this is just my opinion - it's not a refection on the fine people of Oklahoma or the people that frequent this board (trying to be positive here!)

I remember when Bob Barry Jr hosted the morning show (back when I lived there a long time ago), and I'm not even sure it was called the Animal then. I liked his show in the morning, but once Traber joined, I quit listening.

Finally, you're positive! ;)

[jk the sooner fan]

:)

i actually like Bob Barry Jr.....but Al Eschbach, Jim Traber - that whole afternoon crew...just awful.....pure crap

[bigfatjerk]

I think they've gotten worse and worse as the years gone on. If KREF could get rid of James Hale, I would probably listen to them more. But he seems to be the center of that station. He might be the worst radio personality I've heard of outside of Jim Rome.

[OUDoc]

Houston fiasco?
You remember...
b8wSkAkvE38

[yermom]

nine years ago?

wow

[jk the sooner fan]

i drove up for an afternoon game a couple of years ago - and caught James Hale on the early morning pre-pre-pre game show

in a word he was horrible......his "on-air" speaking skills are ..........not good

[zeke]

I used to like the morning animals but they suck as bad as the rest of that station. Steely is somewhat listenable, he used to be much better. Curtis Fitzpatrick is the worst 125 lb geek doing any kind of show. Lump is not funny or whatever he's trying to be. The worst part of the show is hollywood sleaze followed by 1st Mtg 1st take followed by their attempts to talk to Carey Murdoch which they lose connection to every time.
Follow them up with Mark Rogers and Traber it sucks big time.

this

I like to listen to the middle of the day with Coach Jones

[Sooner98]

You remember...
b8wSkAkvE38

"We're not gonna sit here and beat him up after they just won the Big 12 championship, but...."

<proceeds to beat him up for two minutes on the air, after winning the Big 12 championship>

[Dio]

...after winning the Big 12 Championship, and just before being named the Rose Bowl MVP

[Petro-Sooner]

What's a good station in the DFW area?

[Curly Bill]

What's a good station in the DFW area?

I'm too far away now to get it, but I used to listen to The Ticket 104.1

ESPN Dallas is 103.3

[Petro-Sooner]

Found the ticket over lunch. Those guys were cracking me up!!!

[Ton Loc]

I worked there for 2 years (2000-end of 01)and everyone's opinion is pretty spot on. Mike is cool, but has gotten old and crotchity. Curtis was/is a dork. Lump doesn't belong. Jr. is fine, I guess. Dean is a dick. Al and Jim - are a pain in the ***.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

The ticket is good. What's awesome is that two of the guys (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) are Sooner fans.

[ouleaf]

i feel bad that OKC peeps have that station as the most popular sport talk option

its awful....from sun up to sun down.....pitiful


i dont know about every city

i can only compare OKC's options to what's in Dallas.....even the worst of the 3 options here (2 of 3 here are pretty good) is better than the animal

it's not the content so much as it is a huge lack of creativity and the radio personalities are awful (for the most part)


this is just my opinion - it's not a refection on the fine people of Oklahoma or the people that frequent this board (trying to be positive here!)

AMEN. I realize we are prob. spoiled here in Dallas, but you'd think there would be a real opportunity for someone up there to start up a rival sports-talk radio station that could out-perform the Animal or ESPN affiliate, as is the case in Dallas.

[ouleaf]

Found the ticket over lunch. Those guys were cracking me up!!!


The ticket is good. What's awesome is that two of the guys (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) are Sooner fans.

The Ticket is greatness. It's all I listen to, and don't even bother with ESPN or the FAN. Great mix of hosts with distinct personalities and great chemistry between all of the hosts. Good mix of sports talk, but also talk on music, news, entertainment, etc, as well as signature radio bits for each show. They also don't really try and fill time by taking a lot of calls. They also do a good job of getting interviews with a wide range of sports figures, public figures, and celebritites. The dominate the ratings in this market by a wide margin, and it isn't really even close.

[picasso]

I like most of them. So what if they're annoying, that's their job.

At times I'll listen to national stuff at night and it's chock full of the same blabbering nonsense. It's ****ing sports talk radio.

[jk the sooner fan]

i used to listen to the ticket exclusively - but they are overly self indulgent - there's little to no fan/listener action - they're on the air to hear themselves talk and prove how funny they can be/are

they're extremely predictable and rarely venture outside the box they've created - which is pretty successful as they kill the ratings market down here

i tried listening to 105.3 The Fan and they are by and large a bunch of yuks - they've tried to copy what the Ticket has done but with more listener involvement...but their radio hosts were all out of towners so they have very little local knowledge

i normally listen to ESPN - i catch Mike and Mike in the morning - the Randy Galloway show in the afternoons is ......"ok" - you have to get used to his quirks and personality - but they have a TON of good guests on that show and the two sidekicks are reasonable - so they get my business

[jk the sooner fan]

but hey - its really what you like and dislike .....hell, Jim Rome is still on the air nationally which defies all logic

[8timechamps]

To me, the best part of any sports radio is the listeners calling in. Sometimes they are well thought out, on point conversations....but most times, they are train wrecks. Especially here in Denver. This past year (with Tebow) has brought out all the crazies. It's amazing to me that someone would be so devoted to one team and have so little clue what is going on.

[ouleaf]

i used to listen to the ticket exclusively - but they are overly self indulgent - there's little to no fan/listener action - they're on the air to hear themselves talk and prove how funny they can be/are

they're extremely predictable and rarely venture outside the box they've created - which is pretty successful as they kill the ratings market down here

i tried listening to 105.3 The Fan and they are by and large a bunch of yuks - they've tried to copy what the Ticket has done but with more listener involvement...but their radio hosts were all out of towners so they have very little local knowledge

i normally listen to ESPN - i catch Mike and Mike in the morning - the Randy Galloway show in the afternoons is ......"ok" - you have to get used to his quirks and personality - but they have a TON of good guests on that show and the two sidekicks are reasonable - so they get my business

See that is exactly what i don't like, listening to idiots call in to the show to talk about some point from a couple segments ago, or just bog down the show and drone on and on. Yes Ticket shows are a bit predictable in that they have the same daily/weekly recurring bits (part of it is sponsor-driven I'm sure), but they execute them well for the most part. I think they do a good job of bringing on good guests, both local and national.

Also, the hosts all have great chemistry with one another, and I do think that is key. In an industry where there is usually a lot of turnover, it is pretty rare to see all the major personalities of a station stay together as long as they have. Also enjoy that they are not 100% sports talk, but also mix in guy talk as well. Realize that isn't everyone's cup o' tea, but I think it makes for more entertaining radio.

Yeah, i just can't deal with Galloway over on ESPN. Seems like he's always just going on about how awful things are with "insert local team here". He should just stick to writing the Sports Column for the Star-Telegram. Mike and Mike are good though, but not enough for me to switch away from the Musers.

[GDC]

To me, the best part of any sports radio is the listeners calling in. Sometimes they are well thought out, on point conversations....but most times, they are train wrecks. Especially here in Denver. This past year (with Tebow) has brought out all the crazies. It's amazing to me that someone would be so devoted to one team and have so little clue what is going on.

The callers are the worst part and are a crutch for talentless hosts. Todd Wright and Steve Czaban have very few if any callers and produce relatively listenable shows, as far as sports talk can be considered listenable. The absolute worst is when Craig Humphries is on, he is pathetic.

[8timechamps]

The callers are the worst part and are a crutch for talentless hosts. Todd Wright and Steve Czaban have very few if any callers and produce relatively listenable shows, as far as sports talk can be considered listenable. The absolute worst is when Craig Humphries is on, he is pathetic.

In all reality, sports talk hosts are no more informative than the morning paper or ESPN. Occasionally, I'll listen if one of the local teams beat writers are on, but otherwise, it's all regurgitated material. The callers entertain me. And you know you love it when some moron calls in spouting off garbage.

[ouleaf]

In all reality, sports talk hosts are no more informative than the morning paper or ESPN. Occasionally, I'll listen if one of the local teams beat writers are on, but otherwise, it's all regurgitated material. The callers entertain me. And you know you love it when some moron calls in spouting off garbage.

Disagree there....there are sports talk hosts out there capable of giving their own unique insight or opinion on a matter, and have the knowledge/skins on the wall/have done their homework enough to back up their points. Calls from listeners are okay in small doses, but should not be a regularly occurrance. If you are tuning in to listen to callers, then the hosts really must suck.

[8timechamps]

Disagree there....there are sports talk hosts out there capable of giving their own unique insight or opinion on a matter, and have the knowledge/skins on the wall/have done their homework enough to back up their points. Calls from listeners are okay in small doses, but should not be a regularly occurrance. If you are tuning in to listen to callers, then the hosts really must suck.

Most of them do (suck). I only listen if I'm in the car, which doesn't take up a ton of time, so not much. I do agree that hosts with the knowledge (or as you put it, "skins on the wall"), are much better to listen to, but we (surprisingly) don't have much of that here.

[jk the sooner fan]

i dont think a show should rely solely on listeners calling - but the ticket has just about zero of it

espn radio has the "text toy" - you can text in your thoughts and the good ones are red - they also have an occasional call in - just a smidge......the fan is almost ALL call in - which is one reason why i dont listen to them

[SoonerorLater]

The callers are the worst part and are a crutch for talentless hosts. Todd Wright and Steve Czaban have very few if any callers and produce relatively listenable shows, as far as sports talk can be considered listenable. The absolute worst is when Craig Humphries is on, he is pathetic.

Your right about Craig Humphreys. Seems like anytime I turn on the radio and hear his voice I know about the only thing I'll hear is golf. I swear that guy can ramble on incessantly about every obscure golf tournament that's ever been played. It doesn't make any difference what else is going on he always finds a way to turn the conversation to golf. The more I've listened to Al Eschbach over the years, the more I wonder how this guy has lasted as long as he has. He really has no discernible talent as an on air personality. He isn't particularly knowledgeable or funny. Just annoying.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

JAHNNIE'S CHAHCOE BWOILAH

[jk the sooner fan]

i think my issue with the ticket is that its really not just about sports..while i agree there's a need for infusion of the other topics, news, entertainment, etc......the ticket (except for Bob and Dan) really wont get "down in the weeds" on a sports topic

they're very superficial - they'll give 15 minutes of fluff to a sports topic and then move on to the yuks and entertainment news

[Mississippi Sooner]

Wow. I haven't listened to The Ticket since I moved away back in the mid-90s, but it sounds like it's just like it always was. In fact, I remember one day when a couple of the guys were talking about Marilyn Manson coming to town and the protests and such. Someone then chimed in with "well, what does this have to do with sports?" At that point, the entire discussion evolved into whether or not Marilyn Manson could be considered a sport. Yes, just as absurd as it sounds, but I found it damned entertaining while I was driving to wherever. I really wish they had a station like that here in the St Louis area.

[Curly Bill]

I still listen to The Ticket when I can, but those guys do sometimes come across as being too cool for the room.

...and I like Galloway on ESPN. He's only slightly more cantakerous than I am!

[ouleaf]

i think my issue with the ticket is that its really not just about sports..while i agree there's a need for infusion of the other topics, news, entertainment, etc......the ticket (except for Bob and Dan) really wont get "down in the weeds" on a sports topic

they're very superficial - they'll give 15 minutes of fluff to a sports topic and then move on to the yuks and entertainment news

Yeah, I'd say each guy on the ticket has the one or two sports that they are more passionate about. Rhyner is great on baseball talk, Corby is good on college football, golf, and tennis. Junior and George have their own specialites as well. Then they do obviously have the comedians like Gordon and Dan who are not there as much for their sports input, but do make for very entertaining radio.

But the Ticket does have a few hosts in Bob Sturm and Norm that are sports encyclopedias. Those guys know their stuff and put in a lot of time when they aren't on the air. So i think that is what makes it great and the dominate the ratings, is that they have a wide spectrum of hosts that can appeal to different types of listeners.

[Jack T.]

As I've said before, 105.1 (Triple Play Sports Network) in Stillwater isn't too bad. . .all things considered. Biased? Absolutely. *Horribly* biased? Probably. But at least they talk sports. . .not Seinfeld, music, road trips, or what adult beverage is best paired with a given prescription drug.

After the OState game last year, 105.1 was practically unbearable. . .until I flipped to the sports animal and was treated to 4 minutes of commercials, 2 minutes of "where are you, al. . .where are you, Jim", and 5 minutes of "some idiot tried to run me off the road as i was driving to the station today."

OSU talk ain't so bad, compared to that stuff!

[picasso]

Your right about Craig Humphreys. Seems like anytime I turn on the radio and hear his voice I know about the only thing I'll hear is golf. I swear that guy can ramble on incessantly about every obscure golf tournament that's ever been played. It doesn't make any difference what else is going on he always finds a way to turn the conversation to golf. The more I've listened to Al Eschbach over the years, the more I wonder how this guy has lasted as long as he has. He really has no discernible talent as an on air personality. He isn't particularly knowledgeable or funny. Just annoying.
Hump does golf coverage for a national radio program so I'd dare say he's an expert on the subject. That's probably why he likes to talk about it. I do agree he can be boring.

If you think Eschbach lacks sports knowledge I challenge you to call him up and try him out. Let us know know when you're going to do so.

[goingoneight]

Agreed... Oklahoma folks dislike the yankee in Eschback; but he's no doubt an OU football and OU basketball encyclopedia. He also follows the Thunder closely and has interesting points on them, FTR. BUUUUUT, it is really annoying what the Animal has become. It's sad how on a twenty minute drive home, I'm treated to ten minutes of commercials or on-air personalities promoting as if they were shooting a commercial, only to spend a good five of the total twenty talking about something rather than Seinfeld, classic rock trivia or who in studio is more right and who is most wrong. Don't get me started on the "we're OKLAHOMA'S SPORTS AUTHORITY-- PROMOTING KANSAS FOOTBALL, TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL, WASHINGTON NATIONALS BASEBALL, PGA AND ALL THINGS UNRELATED TO WHAT MADE US!" issue.

[Peeb]

Agreed... Oklahoma folks dislike the yankee in Eschback; but he's no doubt an OU football and OU basketball encyclopedia. He also follows the Thunder closely and has interesting points on them, FTR. BUUUUUT, it is really annoying what the Animal has become. It's sad how on a twenty minute drive home, I'm treated to ten minutes of commercials or on-air personalities promoting as if they were shooting a commercial, only to spend a good five of the total twenty talking about something rather than Seinfeld, classic rock trivia or who in studio is more right and who is most wrong. Don't get me started on the "we're OKLAHOMA'S SPORTS AUTHORITY-- PROMOTING KANSAS FOOTBALL, TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL, WASHINGTON NATIONALS BASEBALL, PGA AND ALL THINGS UNRELATED TO WHAT MADE US!" issue.
This right here. Difficult to enjoy over time.

[StoopTroup]

He's only slightly more cantakerous than I am!

Mentally ill can't be cantankerous. Also....it's spelled c-a-n-t-a-n-k-e-r-o-u-s.

^Now that is cantankerous....lol

[OUDoc]

Hump does golf coverage for a national radio program so I'd dare say he's an expert on the subject. That's probably why he likes to talk about it. I do agree he can be boring.

At least they got rid of Andy Dillard.

[Turd_Ferguson]

Where else could you get to hear Dean Blevins peeing in the turlet?

[usmc-sooner]

or Traber who always just talked to someone who "would know" either at OSU, or back east or from Maryland, or from Pittsburgh or from Arizona and he knows Cal Ripken Jr.

The only time I like listening is when Pat Jones is on or when Berry Trammel is messing with Traber.

[I Am Right]

Worked in Radio Broadcasting for 23 Years. There is a reason the AM Freq went away to ESPN, Not a good sign for the Sports Animal format. Lineup shake-up will be next for the FM side. They, WWLS, lost serious market share in closing the AM. I haven't read the last book, but, I bet it was serious.

[Tear Down This Wall]

The great thing about The Ticket in Dallas is that is about 100% anti-Longhorn. Junior Miller is an OU fan; Corbys dad played for OU back in the late 60s/early 70s. The Old Grey Wolf is a USC/Texas A&M guy. Bob and Dan are from Big Ten country, so they their allegiances areas far from UT as you can imagine. Most of the other staff went to North Texas.

The 105.3 outfit is pretty much made up of old Ticket hangers on who like the Longhorns or went to Texas. That's why 105.3 is pathetic...or, at least as bad as The Animal in OKC.

The year we lived in OKC, we gave The Animal a shot. It was just horrible, though. It's tough to listen it when we drive up for games. We just usually don't.


I've noticed the problem in OKC is that the media in general is just average or bad. The lone exception was probably Bill Teegins, and he died in a plane crash. I never understood why Teegins wasn't in a bigger market. His anchoring was as good as any in Dallas, and his play-by-play was flawless. He was 936% better than Bob Barry Sr. for sure.

Those of us from the Dallas area, we just have to turn our expectation notch down a little when we get into Oklahoma radio and television. We are lucky to have the anti-Texas Ticket down here for sure. It's nice to live down here and have the top sports radio station filled with pro-OU - and, at minimum, anti-Texas - guys.

[SoonerorLater]

I swear they need to rename these guys the the Golf Animals. I'm driving home today and I turn over to see if there is anything coming out of OU Spring Football. What I get instead is more Craig Humphreys and golf coverage. I flip it over to another station, go back about 15 minutes later, yep still droning on about the Greens in Augusta. Flip over, check back about ten minutes later, same thing again. He's replaying some presser with Sergio Garcia. At about the 45 minute mark I check back again. No OU Football but at least they sound like they had moved on to the Thunder game tonight. Not so fast. Within about two minutes the conversation had turned to another update and Tiger Woods putting. By then I'm home. Click.

Somebody needs to tell these guys that there are all kinds of national outlets for the Masters. They are a local station. Cover sports of local interest.

[OUmillenium]

Rivals radio on Sirius XM is awesome all day long except for the John Finebaum portion.

All college football/basketball = delicious

[Taxman71]

Given the recent layoffs at other stations (indicating poor radio review as an industry), I would expect big layoffs at WWLS as well. Besides, they make it too complicated. The most enjoyable local shows to me are Toby Rowland (1 guy only) and Dvoracek and Lehman (2 guys only with an open mic), with a screened caller here and there. No reason to have 3+ guys fighting for mic time and one-liners. The Dan Patrick and Jim Rome shows are simple, yet enjoyable.

And I can't enough walk into an Interurban anymore due to Rosser and Blevins beauty salon conversations.

[starclassic tama]

And I can't enough walk into an Interurban anymore due to Rosser and Blevins beauty salon conversations.those ads are so annoying. i hate the way they talk over each other, it sounds so stupid.

[jumperstop]

those ads are so annoying. i hate the way they talk over each other, it sounds so stupid.

Lets sit here and pretend bs about IU for 26 seconds and then realize were running out of time and mumble over each other trying to tell all 20 locations in the last 3 seconds....Wait....it's a recording? You think they could have made another take where their commercial didn't sound like ****....

[Vegas Sooner]

WWLS is like a smoothie machine "show," where they talk about sports for 5 minutes every hour.

They probably did that because everyone can get them on the web or on their cell app.

[Sooners78]

The great thing about The Ticket in Dallas is that is about 100% anti-Longhorn. Junior Miller is an OU fan; Corbys dad played for OU back in the late 60s/early 70s. The Old Grey Wolf is a USC/Texas A&M guy. Bob and Dan are from Big Ten country, so they their allegiances areas far from UT as you can imagine. Most of the other staff went to North Texas.



Is he the same Junior Miller who played TE for Nebraska in the late 70s?

[SoonerStormchaser]

Stopped listening after the MNC loss in January of 09...been much happier since. Besides, I had enough of listening to that moron James the Marvel calling in about NOTHING and then hearing Traber constantly "giving it up to himself."

That station sucketh!

[Sooners78]

Agree about Humphries. His golf talk is boring and his voice is annoying. Golf doesn't need that much time. Al is just an idiot who's drunk (or seems to be) the entire time he's on the air. Jim can't take any form of criticism without losing it on air and going into one of his high-pitched whiny tirades. Has he ever admitted that he's wrong? Anyone who disagrees with him is a yardbird.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Is he the same Junior Miller who played TE for Nebraska in the late 70s?

No. He's the skinny white dude on the left. He grew up in OKC during part of his childhood and is a big OU fan. He's on the morning drive.

Corby on the evening drive is a big OU fan as well. So, during drive times in DFW, you get positive OU talk from the highest rated sports talk station. And, that's a good good, as Gordo would say.

On the right is George "Jub Jub" Dunham, the play-by-play voice of the University of North Texas. Jub's son will be the deep snapper for UNT (http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=9053&SPID=562&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=1800&ATCLID=204977421&Q_SEASON=2012) this season. Junior has no kids, but does have a wife.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/dunham%20and%20miller.jpg

[ouleaf]

Is he the same Junior Miller who played TE for Nebraska in the late 70s?

Too close to tell.

http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics/200/JLLHRKEFBLXJYJN.20020924001853.jpg http://static03.mediaite.com/sportsgrid/power-grid/images/profiles/198/Screen-shot-2010-05-24-at-2-10-30-PM_x200.jpg

[Curly Bill]

LOL...now that's funny!

[101sooner]

I left the radio on AM 640 in my old pick up for years at a time. I changed it to the Lawton Classic Rock FM station last week and it hasn't moved since. Honestly, I'll miss listening to the Sports Animal on my radio. Not that it's good radio, it was just habit.

[BarryBnds]

Worked in Radio Broadcasting for 23 Years. There is a reason the AM Freq went away to ESPN, Not a good sign for the Sports Animal format. Lineup shake-up will be next for the FM side. They, WWLS, lost serious market share in closing the AM. I haven't read the last book, but, I bet it was serious.


This makes me laugh. The FM ratings is what has been used for years.

[I Am Right]

This makes me laugh. The FM ratings is what has been used for years.

Wow, and you know radio!

[SoonerorLater]

Why do they even call this the Sports Animal? Surely these guys would be talking about last nights game since OKC taking two from the Lakers would be a pretty big local story, right?

I get in my car after work and flip to the station. I come in the middle of Al and Traber talking about the Beverly Hillbillies, who we find out, both think is "great, great stuff". They yammer on for about 3 or 4 minutes debating about each character........time for "An Ozarka Water Break". After a 5 minute string of commercials. Al and Jim are back. Surprisingly they are actually talking about the Thunder game last night. After another few minutes they get a message from a caller correcting something they said in the previous segment about the Beverly Hillbillies.......Time for another 5 minute "Ozarka Water Break".........They're back. Where you at Al" Where you at Jim? After another 5 minutes of schilling for a Firestone Dealership and their "big time deals" and some Casino, Al and Jim are back talking about the Beverly Hillbillies. This time the discussion has expanded to include the theme music from Leave it to Beaver and All in the Family who both Al and Jim think is "just amazing". After spending the whole segment debating the various merits of each show, it's time for another "Ozarka Water Break". Another 5 minute deluge of commercials.....They are back with Berry Trammel.......The Total....Dominance..... Hour!! I'm now in my driveway. Click

[soonerhubs]

Why do they even call this the Sports Animal? Surely these guys would be talking about last nights game since OKC taking two from the Lakers would be a pretty big local story, right?

I get in my car after work and flip to the station. I come in the middle of Al and Traber talking about the Beverly Hillbillies, who we find out, both think is "great, great stuff". They yammer on for about 3 or 4 minutes debating about each character........time for "An Ozarka Water Break". After a 5 minute string of commercials. Al and Jim are back. Surprisingly they are actually talking about the Thunder game last night. After another few minutes they get a message from a caller correcting something they said in the previous segment about the Beverly Hillbillies.......Time for another 5 minute "Ozarka Water Break".........They're back. Where you at Al" Where you at Jim? After another 5 minutes of schilling for a Firestone Dealership and their "big time deals" and some Casino, Al and Jim are back talking about the Beverly Hillbillies. This time the discussion has expanded to include the theme music from Leave it to Beaver and All in the Family who both Al and Jim think is "just amazing". After spending the whole segment debating the various merits of each show, it's time for another "Ozarka Water Break". Another 5 minute deluge of commercials.....They are back with Berry Trammel.......The Total....Dominance..... Hour!! I'm now in my driveway. Click

Agreed!

I had it on the other day, and the idiots invited "Mr. Hudiburg" to talk about his deals on the lot, then they had the nerve to say that they needed to pause to take a commercial break.

They are advertising whores, and they seldom talk about sports. It's disgusting, and I have personally committed to stream another station from my phone to get my sports fix.

[Mazeppa]

i dont think a show should rely solely on listeners calling - but the ticket has just about zero of it

espn radio has the "text toy" - you can text in your thoughts and the good ones are red - they also have an occasional call in - just a smidge......the fan is almost ALL call in - which is one reason why i dont listen to them

What color are the bad ones? :)

[Scott D]

Having multiple options is always good. That being said, out of the three stations we have here, I've found myself listening to the newer ESPN affiliate. The FM station morning show is just as apt to talk about reality tv as they are sports. The noonish show is pretty tolerable, the early afternoon show has that loudmouth dingleberry who became famous for his John L Smith rant a few years back...unfortunately the guy is just as annoying on pretty much any subject, but at least their show revolves around sports unlike the morning show. The third station up here is mostly the syndicated Fox programming...and most of that I can just completely do without.

[jk the sooner fan]

What color are the bad ones? :)

red, read....whatever

[OUmillenium]

I have also recently discovered Rowland in the morning on am 1430 here in Tulsa. Great stuff.

Usually, on the Commercial Animal, the slot between 4-4:15 is when Al and Jim talk everything but sports and often times a vintage tv show or music group or movie. It can be interesting if you are in the right mood or maddening if you are not. I am usually not.

Seinfeld is often a topic and I can deal with that normally.

Craig Humphries means autochannel change. I follow golf a bit but have no interest in him talking about it. I am a sick Thunder fan but have not interest in him talking about it.

Here are my interests that I hope to hear updates/inside info about on radio...
1. OU football
2. OU basketball
3. OU baseball

[SoonerorLater]

I have also recently discovered Rowland in the morning on am 1430 here in Tulsa. Great stuff.

Usually, on the Commercial Animal, the slot between 4-4:15 is when Al and Jim talk everything but sports and often times a vintage tv show or music group or movie. It can be interesting if you are in the right mood or maddening if you are not. I am usually not.

Seinfeld is often a topic and I can deal with that normally.

Craig Humphries means autochannel change. I follow golf a bit but have no interest in him talking about it. I am a sick Thunder fan but have not interest in him talking about it.

Here are my interests that I hope to hear updates/inside info about on radio...
1. OU football
2. OU basketball
3. OU baseball

I'm in Tulsa too. The reason I listen to the SA is because they have, at least in the past, been more focused on OU sports. I've never really cared for the 1430 afternoon drive home with Plank and Pop because they seem to try to be all things to all fans. Just too unfocused, Not OU centric enough. That being said I find myself turning over to them more often than I used too. Even if I have to listen to NASCAR talk it's better than Jim and Al bantering on about the "big deals" at whatever place they are broadcasting from that day. I understand this is commercial radio but for cryin out loud, they must have close to 20-25 minutes of this crap per hour. Then they spend an inordinate amount of the remaining time talking about something other than sports. I really hate it when Jim and Al have the contest try to name the singer or group by the song titles. What does this have to do with sports?

[HateTheWhorns]

The Ticket is to the Animal what Adrian Cronauer was to Lt. Steven Hauk.........funny and entertaining and it just seems to come naturally.