WKNR

I have usually had the opportunity to listen to the radio A LOT in my travels.  If I am not listening to Sirius XM, then I am tuned into WKNR, 850 AM in Cleveland.  It is a sports talk format that I have enjoyed in the past.  Tony Rizzo is highly entertaining and I have enjoyed listening to Michael Reghi, Deron Cherry, and LeCharles Bentley as well.  While I may not always agree with them, their opinions get you thinking.  But I have turned off WKNR, because they now bore me.  There are a few personalities who think they know it all and their opinions are highly predictable.  Just who are these guys?  Hammer and Fedor on the Really Big Show and Kenny Roda on afternoons with Reghi and Roda are the three personalities who have no personality nor any original thoughts.

These three seemingly offer opinions which oppose what the interests are of most of the listeners.  They seemingly always take the contrary position.  In their own offense (not defense, for their styles are grating) they will rant on and root against anything positive happening on the Cleveland sports teams.  Examples are plentiful:

Hammer hates Ohio State.  All of his opinions reflect his bias.  There is no objectivity.  Seeing as he hails from Denver, he openly roots for Denver, including the Broncos.  He will have John Elway on his show soon.  Who in Cleveland is interested in hearing John Elway, admittedly a HOF player and a great person, but who is interested in him?

Fedor states that he is the objective personality of the Really Big Show.  Yet he is so negative that Rizzo has now given him a nickname: Negative Ned.  He bashes the Indians for not doing anything, and yet when they add pitching in their trade for Jimenez, Fedor rants that the Indians overpaid.  See my last post as for my opinion on the trade.  No one will know for a couple of years.  But Fedor will rant on and on, about Peyton Hillis being on the cover of Madden, on how Hillis in his opinion is not even in the top ten of running backs in the NFL.  He is entitled to his opinions, but his opinions are now boring and predictable.

Roda hails from Pittsburgh.  The Dolans can do no right with Roda.  But he bashes them for not added payroll (when they added Jimenez) and not getting a bat at the deadline.  Roda fails to realize that the one bat that would have made a difference (Beltran) DIDN"T want to come to Cleveland and the other players who were available wouldn't have been a big upgrade over what the Indians have now.  He also fails to understand that it takes two teams to make a trade.  The Indians can try to obtain all sorts of players, but if the other teams have a different opinion as to their players' value, and the two teams don't have a meeting of the minds, then a trade WON'T be made.  In fairness, perhaps Roda realizes this, but he takes a contrary position just to be controversial.  He isn't.  I find Roda, Hammer, and Fedor boring and predictable.

I have noticed that there will be a new kid in town, 92.3 FM in Cleveland that will offer sports talk as an alternative.  I predict that this station will be successful.  Why?  In part BECAUSE of Hammer, Roda, and Fedor.  Their styles and opinions are way too predictable.  Fans and listeners do not want personalities who continually seek to take an opposing position on an issue JUST TO STIR UP CONTROVERSY.   What fans want is honest dialogue and conversation.

If WKNR wants to see how this is done, just listen to Reghi, Cherry, Bentley, and Rizz.  They know what they are doing.  They are genuine and they get it.   The other three stooges don't.