Marcus Benard, Auston English and Antwuan Reed placed on IR
August 29, 2012Box Score: Indians 4, A’s 8
August 29, 2012Reports online are that popular national radio host Jim Rome will be committing to CBS all the way come January. Rome has been a part of Premiere Radio for as long as most anyone can remember for his radio show, but he signed on with CBS for his television ventures earlier this year.
Deadline has learned that the popular sports broadcaster is finalizing a deal with CBS Radio, which is expected to use his show as the cornerstone for CBS Sports Radio, the new national sports radio network slated to launch on Jan. 2. Rome’s daily morning Jim Rome Show had been syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks since 1996.
So, what does this mean for Cleveland where Jim Rome has been a staple of WKNR for years even to the point that Tony Rizzo has filled in for the West Coast host when he’s been on vacation. Tension has seemingly grown in the relations between Jim Rome and WKNR because they don’t play all three hours of the show on the flagship Good Karma station ESPN 850, opting to host the first hour of his show on 1540 KNR2.
Since launching a year ago (to this very day) 92.3 The Fan has focused almost exclusively on local programming. Jim Rome would likely be a ratings coup for the station, although it would cause a shakeup as Rome’s 1-3 PM timeslot would interrupt both Baskin and Phelps (10A-2P) and The Bull and the Fox (2p-7P).
Initial reports of CBS Sports Radio indicated that The Fan in Cleveland would end up with “various components” of the national network. Will that include Jim Rome?
[Related: Jim Rome vs. WKNR Continues]
Hat tip to the all-knowing and all-seeing media man @myronfalwell
23 Comments
The reason I switched to The Fan was their dedication to Cleveland sports. Adding a national show to their lineup would be strange, since the national media doesn’t follow Cleveland sports. And Baskin & Phelps has been my favorite show, so I would be mad to see that shortened. Maybe they could just switch to 9-1?
Rome’s timeslot is 12-3PM.
Dear God, no Rome.
Please no… I can’t stand Jim Rome. I love The Fan because it’s local, and for the most part GOOD local programming. Haven’t gone back to WKNR since they arrived. Just wish my Squeezebox had an app that got their stream.
Agree with a couple other commentors. I like the Fan because it covers local sports and I can listen not living there anymore. Please do not add an overrated and annoying radio host to a good station.
Friends don’t let friends Rome.
No!!!!!
I’m torn. One one hand, I don’t like Rome. On the other, anything that contributes to the ongoing failure of KNR is a good thing in my book.
I’m sure he’s a super nice guy, but in my opinion Phelps has zero radio personality. I usually turn my radio off from 10-2 anyhow.
I HATE the Rome Show.Never understood why he is so popular.
Hey Wait’ers, why are you all haters? What . . . is . . . up . . . with all the negative run at Van Smack? Check yourself now. Pimp in the Box is the freshest sports honk on the air. So get yourself right and clone up, C-Town.
Alvie, hit me . . .
/ War ZZZZZzzzzzztttt
C-Town Clones. This is a HUGE take.
/unnecessarily long pause
//crumples paper
RACK HIM
That was awesome! haha
They probably figured that since sports are on a ventilator in this town they need something national!
I honestly only listen to sports talk radio when I’m not in the mood to jam my iPod in the car. It’s just so damn repetitive all day long. Listen on the morning commute? Kiley and Booms and Rizzo/Hammer are talking about the merits of Colt or Seneca staying on as #2. Tune in on the evening commute? The Hooligans and Bull/Fox are talking about the merits of Colt or Seneca staying on as #2. And so on. And then the same tired points and counterpoints get hashed and rehashed by the same type of callers all day long.
I find sports talk radio interesting only to the extent that it helps me keep the fan pulse/feelings regarding each team.
Because he’s the Jock/cool kid in high school. He’s the frat boy in college. He spouts off, his word is law and he’s not going to allow anyone to disagree with him. When is the last time you heard a caller disagree with him?
There is no way the Bull/Fox can sustain that long of a show for the future. Also, the Baskin/Phelps show is almost worse than Kenny Rhode (sic). It’s terrible.
Rome is a very good show. That would a tremendous win for 92.3
I appreciate The Fan’s focus on keeping things local. However, speaking as someone who listens to the radio all day while ad my desk, I can only take so much talk about the Browns and the QB situation (because, let’s face it, baseball and basketball don’t move the needle in this town). By 2-3 every day, I find myself switching from The Fan to an out of market station just to get something different.
Having a national presence like Rome would be a great way for them to break up the day (and take a big chunk of 850’s listeners).
Also, Les Levine should be on the station more often. Love having the D-Man multiple times a week, too.
It doesn’t help that the local teams are not that good to begin with. That the Browns have been cursed at the QB position since you-know-who’s “diminished skills” slam at Bernie never helps. The Indians all played the role of the Invisible Man after the All-Star Break, and the Cavaliers are trying to go the Honest Way in a totally Dishonest League.
It almost fits the definition of insanity. Talking about the same thing over and over and over and trying to get a different result.
When his show debuted on WKNR back in 1998, his persona was a total 180 from what the Cablevision-era WKNR offered. No offense to any of them, and the station was well-run with great production and promotion. They tried to achieve the sound of WFAN in New York, but they… all… sounded… alike. Add that the classic WHK went off the air a few months earlier, and Rome’s show was something very different.
Next, look at WKNR. The station picked up the show as part of a massive cost-cutting effort by fly-by-night owner Jacor – who poached both the Indians and Browns rights for WTAM and WMJI, respectively. For nearly a decade, Rome was the only relevant show on WKNR, which stuck with hosts like Brinda, Kendall Lewis, Roda and Drennan for far too long. Salem’s less-than-stellar ownership (where PD Micheal Luczak had to do all station imaging – and no, he was not on the level of Ken Nordine) then sent the station into a prolonged hibernation.
His shtick is a love-it-or-hate-it deal. Would it work as part of 92.3’s lineup? I don’t know. But he is going to be taken off of WKNR because of signing with CBS. Even if Rome doesn’t get another outlet in CLE, it WILL hurt WKNR.
If it means getting Jeff Phelps off the radio, I’m all for it.
If the terms of this new deal are correct, Rome’s show is to be produced and branded as from “CBS Sports Radio,” which 92.3 is to become a charter affiliate of. (Doesn’t mean that Rome will be headed to The Fan. 92.3 may only carry the network in overnights and weekends as filler material, and some of their local shows might even be networked regionally.)
BUT, you can safely say that WKNR will be dropping Rome at the end of the year. They wouldn’t want anything to do with airing a show produced by their biggest competitor. (Yes, Premiere Radio and WTAM are co-owned, but WTAM is not all-sports nor has an all-sports sister station.) Nor would CBS want to have anything to do with aiding a competitor.
Even if Rome doesn’t land on 92.3, this will really hurt WKNR.
To this day I have no idea how Kendall Lewis and Roda lasted as long as they did…and still manage to make it on the airwaves ever now and again.