Overview

An inside look at the hosts, hot spots, and history of sports-talk radio Sports-Talk Radio in America looks at major-, medium-, and small-market stations across the United States that feature an all-sports format, with a focus on the unique personalities and programming strategies that make each station successful. Broadcasters, journalists, and academics provide insight on how and why this media phenomenon has become an important influence of American culture, examining the guy talk broadcasting approach, the traditional sports-emphasis approach, HSOs (hot sports opinions), localism in broadcasting, how sports talk radio builds communities of listeners, and how reckless, on-air comments can actually build ratings. For better of worse, millions of (mostly) male listeners indulge their obsession with sports to the exclusion of virtually everything else available on the radio dial-music, news, and political talk. This unique book examines how this niche of the niche has formed a bond between its hosts and their rabid, passionate, and loyal audiences, spinning the dial from the largest, best-known stations in big-league markets to smaller stations in Collegetown, USA, including Philadelphia’s WIP, The Ticket, KTCK in Dallas, WEEI in Boston, The Team, WQTM in Orlando, KJR in Seattle, KOZN The Zone Omaha, Nebraska, WGR and WNSA in Buffalo, Kansas City’s WHB, and The Fan, WFAN in New York, the first all-sports radio station and the blueprint for the format. Sports-Talk Radio in America puts you in the studio with Mike and the Mad Dog, Angelo Cataldi, Howard Eskin, The Musers (Junior Miller and George Dunham), Norm Hitges, John Dennis and Gerry Callahan, Dan Sileo, Howard Simon, and Art Wander. Sports-Talk Radio in America examines: how stations create an environment in which listeners become part of a social group (social-identity and self-categorization theories) personality-driven programming the station’s commitment to local teams and their fans how exploring controversial topics beyond sports broadens station’s appeal and attracts upscale, affluent audience how an abundance of live, play-by-play broadcasting, creating plenty of available content college sports in a town without a major professional sports team how local sports is framed by hosts and callers the conflicted relationship between sports-talk radio and the print media and much more! Sports-Talk Radio in America is a must-read for academics and professionals working in radio-television and popular culture.

Full Product Details

Author:   Frank Hoffmann ,  Jack M. Dempsey ,  Martin J Manning
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Inc
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 14.80cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 21.00cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9780789025906

ISBN 10:   0789025906
Pages:   234
Publication Date:   11 October 2006
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

About the Editor Contributors Sign On Chapter 1. KTCK, The Ticket, Dallas-Fort Worth: Radio by the Everyman, for the Everyman (J. M. Dempsey) Chapter 2. WEEI, Boston: Men Are Adults, Too (Ron Bland) Chapter 3. WFAN and the Birth of All-Sports Radio: Sporting a New Format (Paul F. Gullifor) History Current Programming Conclusion Chapter 4. WQTM, The Team, Orlando: Sports-Talk Radio in a City Where Sports Are Not King (Alma Kadragic) Orlando As a Sports Town Competition for The Team: WORL, The Fan Chapter 5. KOZN, The Zone, Omaha, Nebraska: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (J. H. Lipschultz and M. L. Hilt) College Sports in a Non-Pro-Sports Town Framing and Sports-Talk Radio Content: Unsportsmanlike Conduct Conclusions and Interpretations Appendix: An Interview with Neil Nelkin, Program Director, The Zone Chapter 6. KJR, Seattle: It’s Our Job to Provide the Biggest Menu (Troy Oppie) Introduction Part One: Roots Part Two: Sports Radio 950, K-J-R! Part Three: The Future Conclusion Chapter 7. WIP, Philadelphia: The Station with the Big Mouth and Even Bigger Heart (Douglas Pils) Chapter 8. WGR and WNSA, Buffalo: Sports-Talk Radio versus Sports-Talk RadioCompetition Within the Sports-Talk Format (William Raffel) Buffalo Sports on the Radio Economics and the Birth of Full-Time Sports Talk The Nature of the Competition WGR Fights for a Second Look Epilogue Chapter 9. WHB, Kansas City: World’s Happiest Broadcasters (Max Utsler) The Early Days of WHB KCTE: Radio on a Shoestring The Competition Heats Up Chapter 10. WWLS, Oklahoma City: Unleashing The Animal (Shelley Wigley) Sign Off Index Reference Notes Included

Reviews

Very Readable and Most Interesting. . . . Well Researched. . . . A good supplement to a sports media or sports-casting course. This book's addictive mixture of sports-talk radio history, communication theory, and research makes it A Hard-To-Put-Down, Entertaining Read.

This book's addictive mixture of sports-talk radio history, communication theory, and research makes it A Hard-To-Put-Down, Entertaining Read. Very Readable and Most Interesting. . . . Well Researched. . . . A good supplement to a sports media or sports-casting course.

This book's addictive mixture of sports-talk radio history, communication theory, and research makes it A Hard-To-Put-Down, Entertaining Read.

Author Information

Hoffmann, Frank; Dempsey, Jack M.; Manning, Martin J

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