I think Salt Lake has more than its fair share of sports radio options. Three stations seems excessive to me, considering the size of our market. But that’s not really the point I want to make.
Sports radio consists of national shows and local shows. The national shows generally have high-level talent/content/production, but the topics are usually of very little interest to me.
On the flip-side, the local shows cover topic’s I’m more intereted in. But the quality/content/talent is abysmal. The only local show I can stomach listening to on a regular basis is Bill Riley’s afternoon show on ESPN 700. I actually really like Kyle Gunther too, but his co-host is unbearable; thus, it’s just not worth listening to.
Everything else is crap.
What we need is sports radio that combines the best of both worlds: the high-quality you expect from national show plus the relevant topics you get from local shows. The solution: regional sports radio! How cool would a Pac-12 radio network be? Or even a regular show that covers the Salt Lake and Denver markets? Say, for instance, the ESPN affiliates in Salt Lake and Denver air a regional show that covers pro and college sports in those markets. Cover the same topics you hear on national shows, but emphasizing the Jazz and Nuggets, Broncos, Rockies, Real and the Rapids, and of course, the Pac-12. Bring in some professional talent that knows how to produce shows that aren’t obnoxious and juvenile.
One problem with this might be the fact that Salt Lake and Denver aren’t really a natural combination. There’s quite a significant distance/geographic divide. But I wonder if a regional network wouldn’t actually help bridge the gap.
Anyway, I’m just throwing it out there.
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