A funny thing has happened over the past couple of weeks: I’ve stopped listening to local sports talk radio. As previously mentioned, my favorite local sports talk radio host, Mark Viviano, ended his show on 105.7 The Fan almost two weeks ago. I’ve been a loyal listener to Viv for quite some time, as he was on the local airwaves for 6 1/2 years and I found myself tuning in for the majority of it.
As it turns out (and completely by accident) I haven’t turned the radio on since. While I suppose it’s a testament to the work Viviano did, it certainly isn’t meant to criticize my other options in Baltimore’s three sports talk stations.
As loyal readers know, I haven’t shut myself out of the sports world, but I am getting my information and analysis from different sources. Based on May ratings, I would say a lot of sports fans in the Charm City agree. Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com reported that 105.7 The Fan ranked 16th in overall age 12 and older numbers, while 1090 AM ranked 5th.
105.7 opted to replace Viviano, a well-rounded sports mind, with Ken Weinman and former Redskins executive Vinny Cerrato. Their show features guests from other sports, but you’ve got to assume that with an analyst with a football background, you’re primarily going to talk about the NFL. In the middle of June, hearing about the lockout while the Orioles are playing every day isn’t my cup of tea. I’m sure that will change after baseball is over, but for now I’ll stick to reading about baseball every day.
My other options for sports talk are on the AM dial. Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I’m a bit of a technology enthusiast. That’s a fancy way of saying nerd, but it made me feel better. To me, listening to AM radio is the equivalent of watching black and white TV. We live in an age of high definition and three dimensions, with satellite radios and multiple megapixel cameras, AM radio just doesn’t seem to keep up with this era. I suppose an option could be to listen to these stations online, but that just isn’t a solution while I’m driving.
Am I going through a phase? It seems odd to think that I drive into work not arguing with the radio, but strangely enough I’ve kept quiet. Unless of course you count singing U2 songs. Yeah…I’ll be there tonight.
Ever hear of satellite radio ?
@spy – Sure have. Even mentioned it in the article. I wasn’t aware that there was local sports talk radio on satellite radio though.
1300 AM is mainly satellite fed , I guess the writer wasn’t aware of this either,,,,,,,,,,
@spy –
Spy, you are a certifiable goof who either can’t read or only reads half the article. The writer complained about the fact that AM radio is like black and white TV seemingly referring to the poor sound quality. He continually spoke of technology and not content. Read the whole article before spouting off numb nuts.
@CARL… Is this Carl Spackler? You rock machismo!
@ carl and Ravens2488=====obviously you two guys have better things to do to each other than pay attention to quality comments …………go play with each other……….