WWLS, Flagship Station of the City

At 5PM today, Clay Bennett announced on the Total Dominance Hour that WWLS the Sports Animal would be the new flagship station of the Oklahoma City. This is good news, seeing as how WWLS is the primary sports station in the area. Previously, the Hornets used NewsRadio 1000 KTOK in 2005-2006, and they used 94.7 THE BUZZ in 2006-2007. It's nice to see it on a station that's actually relevant to what it's presenting. I mean, I bet a bunch of people were angry when after a Green Day song finished, a Hornets games came on. Or, heck, even talk show radio fans.

I was psyched because I figured it would be word on the team's name, but I suppose this is important information as well. No word on who will be the radio or TV announcers, though. (Bob Barry Sr., please?)

UPDATE:
Darnell Mayberry of the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet has some more in depth details about the merger, as well as the announcement that Matt Pinto will probably continue to his 2nd year of play by playing with the team. This, however, still leaves the question of the TV Announcer....

A Respectful Response and Disagreement with the top Oklahoma City Sports Media Members

Hey there again! You may have been wondering, "What is up with the lack of Zorgon posts lately?" Well, I've been on a trip to Chicago, so OKLuschen took over for a bit. Now he's going to Colorado, so I'lll be taking over for him. We should be both cooperatively writing again in August.

Now, I have a few beefs to take up with this so called "list" of OKLuschens....

1. No Bob Barry, Sr.?


Look, I don't care how old the guy is, he's a living legend of sports talk radio. Just because he doesn't "Voice opinion" doesn't mean that he is a talking box. The dude provides good insight during the Sooners games, and has been broadcasting for OVER 50 YEARS! When Bob Barry started broadcasting, we were worrying about the Soviet Union in the cold war, man had not reached space, and segregation was a hot-button issue. I mean, you'd put Toby Rowland over him? Just because he's got some crap radio show doesn't mean that he's more "opinionated". And jeez, even a guy on FOX 25? No one watches that! Quite honestly, I'd argue for him in the top 5. I enjoy his boradcasting, no matter how many times he may mess up a name. At the very least, you should have given him a "Champions Provisional" like they do in NASCAR and put him in the 10 spot simply because of that. (For those unfamiliar, past cup champions who are way past their prime and fail to qualify for a race get a champions provisional and get the lowest possible starting spot.)

2. No Doug Gottlieb?


You really are dismissing too many people if you're gonna disinclude Doug Gottlieb. He is BY FAR the most successful personality EVER from Oklahoma. I mean, sure, 95% of people in Oklahoma could tell you who Jim Traber, Al Eschbach, and the Bob Barries are, but those guys never went National. While I'm not too big a fan of some of his opinions, the dude is still a College Basketball expert and has ALL of the opinion and ALL of the knowledge that any guy on this list does. I'd probably put him as kind of the "Super 1". Out of everyone elses league.

3. I still can't get over the inclusion of Toby Rowland.

The dude is a #2 anchor and has a radio show on the worst sports station in the Metro. I mean, he's not horrible, but you're really gonna include him over big guns like the Bob Barries, John Rhode, and Mark Rodgers? Please, Baba.

4. Jim Traber over Al Eschbach?

Okay, I can't argue the fact that those guys are the top 2 (aside from Gottlieb and possibly Bob Barry). But Al is udoubtedly #1. Al is really funny, and always seems to have the upper hand on Jim Traber whenever they're on the air together. If they ever actually argue about something, usually he presents the better case. Also, he's been around for much longer than Jim. I honestly believe that Jim never would've gotten the job is he wasn't a former major leaguer, while Al did it on his own. Now, I harbor no disrepect towards Jim, but I just think Al is better. You might say we're splitting hairs, but if you listened to their show, you'd know why.

5. Props

This post couldn't be all negative, could it? I think the high placing of Barry Tramel was a good choice, because he's a name that everyone recognizes. I think his recent addition to the Total Dominance Hour was excellent, and really propelled his popularity to the top five of this list.

Also, if you add Bob Barry and Doug Gottlieb and drop Toby Rowland and Myron Patton, this would be a great guide for someone outside the Oklahoma City area on who to watch for opinion-wise about the new team.

I rate this list a B-.

Ranking the Top OKC Sports Media Members, The Top 2

OK, the day is finally here. You may have guessed by now who the top two are but I garunteee some of you will be suprised by the order that they're in. Before we get to our top two though, lets take a look at some of the guys (and girls) that didn't quite make the cut.



In no particular order, I considered:

Jenni Carlson, KEBC (whatever that is) radio host and Oklahoman columnist: Hey, I know Jenni, I like Jenni, couldn't make the cut though.

Curtis Fitzpatrick, WWLS morning radio co-host, KOCO sports anchor, Sports Night Oklahoma co-host: Curtis was right on the cusp, but he's never been the leading man on anything. Number 3 guy at KOCO, too. Still, a bright future and a young talent.


Bob Barry Sr., Voice of the Oklahoma Sooners and KFOR sports anchor: Could have made a past list but not now. Way past his prime. Also, doesn't really have an avenue for expressing his opinion.

Doug Gottlieb, ESPN radio host and television NCAAB corespondant: Thought about putting him in the running, but way too national for this list.

Kirk Humphries, WWLS host and golf corespondant: Also close, but golf is his specialty and I didn't really want any specialty guys on this list.

James Hale, KOKC radio host and OU insider: Again another specialist. Never really been a fan. I think he says "uhhh" every six seconds.


Robert Allen, WWLS corespondant, OSU insider, and voice of the Yard Dawgs and COX's coverage of Oklahoma High School Football: Yet another specialist. I like him, but he can't be put into the top 10, he's a role player.

Chris Callahan, KOCO sports anchor: He was quality, but he left, so I guess it doesn't count.

Now, with no more further delay, the top 2...





2) Al Eschbach, WWLS radio host: Unlike everyone else on the list, Al does just one thing. However, he does that one thing to perfection. Really, it can be argued that Al is the most important figure in Oklahoma sports media history. One of the first of his kind, a pioneer into the genre of sports talk and he is one of the reasons it became such a huge success, not just regionally, but nationally as well. Anyone who knows sports talk knows about Al. His trademark hat and candid personality helped build a legend. He may have the best overall sports knowledge in the state. Argues his point very well. He was even featured on a SportsCenter special about sports talk radio. There was one other Okie on that feature though...
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 5
Charimsa: 9
Opinion: 10
Resources: 8
Overall Score: 37/40

1) Jim Traber, WWLS radio host and co-host of FOX25's The Locker Room: OK, I have to clarify, I personally don't think he's the best in the city. However, given the criteria I outlined for choosing the best, it was hard to argue. Who's more opinionated, has a more firey personality, or has more resources than Jim Traber? As a former major leaguer, he has a strangle hold on qulaity interviews and "reliable sources" in the city. Traber is often trashed and critisized by callers but he unarguably keeps them listening. His arguments are a unique blend of knowledge and intimidation. It should also be noted that Jim always feels that he has the moral high ground on his callers. However, getting past the superiority complex, Jim Traber just may be the most complete sports media guy there is, even if he isn't winning any popularity contests anytime soon.
Knowledge: Past 4, Present 5
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 10
Resources: 10
Overall Score: 39/40

Ranking the Top OKC Sports Media Members, 3-6

OK, it's day 2 of our series that counts down to the top sports personality in print or on the air waves in OKC. Without further delay, lets continue the countdown...


6) Toby Rowland, KREF Morning Radio Host and KWTV Sports Anchor: OK, I'll be the first to admit that the six spot may be a tad lofty for Toby, especially considereing that he tops sports directors BBJ and Mark Rodgers even though he himslef his just a #2 guy. However, no doubt that the heir apparent to Dean Blevins and News 9 is on a come up in the OKC sports scene. He's young and full of all sorts of energy on top of a very complete knowledge of the current sporting world. He's a personal favorite, which may have had some influence on his position. Again though, he's an up and coming media star.
Knowledge: Past 3, Present 5
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 8
Resources: 5
Overall Score: 31/40


5) Mike Steely, WWLS Morning Radio Host and co-Host of Fox25's The Locker Room: In all honesty, his morning radio show is as close to perfection as it gets. Though the phony celebrity callers and philosophical debates on Mother's Day take center stage, Steely's vast knowledge of sports history is also top notch. Also co-hosts The Locker Room with Jim Traber. The two complement each other well, as Jim Traber takes himself very seriously and Steely takes nothing seriosly, to create by far the most successful program put together by Fox25.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 4
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 7
Resources: 6
Overall Score: 32/40


4) Dean Blevins, WWLS Corespondant, KWTV Sports Director, and co-Host of The Sunday Night Sports Blitz: Dean is perhaps the greatest professional in the business, at least in the city. News 9 has had the best nightly sports broadcast among all the major stations. This is partly due to funding, but partly due to the immense skill of Blevins. The personality could use some color, but Dean alsways gets the best interviews and usually breaks the story before anyone else.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 5
Charisma: 6
Opinion: 7
Resources: 10
Overall Score: 33/40


3) Berry Trammel, WWLS Radio Host and Oklahoman Chief Sports Columnist: For years, people have awoken to Trammel's words on the front page of the sports section. Trammel is at that age where he's old enough to have an enourmous knowledge of sports history but not too old to the point where he's pushing retirement and near senility. His ideas are often challanged by Traber and Eschbach on the Dominance Hour, but he always defends them (even if it isn't that well) and isn't afraid to step outside of popular opinion.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 4
Charisma: 7
Opinion: 9
Resources: 9
Overall Score: 34/40

OK, tomorrow, the top 2 are revealed as well as a look at those who couldn't quite make the cut. Try not to lose too much sleep in anticipation.