WGR "Sabres" Radio 550

[Lori]

Thanks for the article Lori. This is the first story I read about JP's injury coming in training camp. At the time it occurred I was in Iraq and missed pretty much all of 2004.

 

I'd like to know why Schopp goes out of his way to admit his novice understanding of football. I've never heard on-air talent simultaneously ignorant and arrogant but Schopp is. Leading with out of town hockey this afternoon was radio insanity.

 

I'm not saying they need to lead with the draft every day, but this is Buffalo, and hockey season is over. I guess Schopp didn't get that memo. What's next? Tennis?

 

Competition in this market is the only answer to GR's pathetic personalities.

Funny thing is, Schopp wrote for Shout! once upon a time. I'd have to dig into the archives to check, but I'm pretty sure he did their gamers for a couple of years while he was in college...

[Lurker]

(The other half of that duo would be just fine, once he got away from his co-host's aura of negativity...)

Chris would be fine on his own, but the consultant playbook rules at Entercom.

 

"Must follow format. Must follow format. Must follow..."

[BradRiter]

I just read this whole thread. If I hid behind a fake name, I'd have a HOF-worthy post right now. Sorry, can't do it.

 

Please check out my show on Hometown 1230 WECK 6-9pm weekdays.

 

Thanks,

Brad

[dave mcbride]

And I certainly hope you are kidding about this. You are right? Is this the same Atlanta team that can't sellout any of its playoff games? Year after year that Atlanta made the playoffs, their playoff games got more empty as their long run went on.

 

Milwaukee? That's gotta be a joke. I know you are kidding there. I used to go watch the Pirates at County Stadium with about 500 people sitting in the outfield bleachers. It felt like I was at a high school game. Overall attendance was like 7,000 per game back then. Nowadays, even with Miller Park attendance was again starting to wain big time, until the recent two year cash infusion the new owners have given the Crew. When this novelty wears off, so will the people again.

 

And Cleveland? Yeah maybe. Only because it's a sports town. When Jacobs field opened, the place was packed for years. Over the last few years, attendance wained. The fans are back now, because it seems they have some nice prospects for winning again, but it will again go in the tank as soon as they don't re-sign some on these guys.

 

The cycle never ends, making most of these once proud baseball cities, nothing but casual observers unitl their team shows any kind of respectability.

 

Unitl then, clowns, fireworks and pools in the outfield seats are needed to get people to the park.

 

I live in NY, where baseball is king, so I'm biased. But I can tell you that it remains a major sport in LA (the Dodgers were way more of an institution than the Raiders/Rams when I lived there), Philly, Boston, Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, and even Detroit. Speaking of reverse bias, I grew up in Buffalo and was a huge Pirates fan, and if anything can skew your perception about baseball's popularity in a negative direction, it's that. Once I left Buffalo and once I stopped caring about the Bucs' fan base problems, I opened my eyes and saw how popular it remained. I even remember the ads from 1979 where Steelers players pleaded in ads for fans to pay attention to the Pirates. Pittsburgh is, and has been, a terrible baseball town for decades.

 

More broadly, though, it's not for nothing that the league did incredibly well last year in terms of attendance and local TV ratings.

 

One final thing -- Atlanta is a bad example to bring up. Sure, their baseball fans suck, but so do their football and basketball fans. It has to be the most fair weather city in America, and even fair weather can't draw 'em in after a season or two.

 

As for hockey, bear in mind that except for Buffalo and a couple of other US cities (Detroit; possibly Boston; possibly Denver), it is nothing more than a cult sport.

[bananathumb]

I just read this whole thread. If I hid behind a fake name, I'd have a HOF-worthy post right now. Sorry, can't do it.

 

Please check out my show on Hometown 1230 WECK 6-9pm weekdays.

 

Thanks,

Brad

 

 

Go for it, Brad. I think we need to read that post. I can imagine whose names would pop up the most, but would really love to hear the real story.

[Turk]

I just read this whole thread. If I hid behind a fake name, I'd have a HOF-worthy post right now. Sorry, can't do it.

 

Please check out my show on Hometown 1230 WECK 6-9pm weekdays.

 

Thanks,

Brad

Brad, 3:16 am what you couldn't stay till closing? I listen to your show and wish you guys the best as you continue to grow. I also have alerted friends of mind to your show, as you can see from some of the comments that have been made on this thread we got your back.

[Turk]

turk, here's a little insight on the Donahoe-vs-WGR cold war. Plenty of blame for both sides, but yes, the afternoon crew was involved:

 

Olean Times Herald, Jan. 5, 2006: Bills had no choice but to let Donahue go

 

Sorry about the formatting; this ran as a column. I can confirm the part about TD freezing them out of player interviews -- that came first-hand from a GR employee, one who had absolutely nothing to do with the Vincent/Losman episode.

Thanks Lori, I guess my first comment would be: Why is he still doing it? Its totally juvenile. When the schedule was announced they were talking to Jeremy White who echoed my own thoughts on the Miami Toronto game. Then he mentioned how cool it was that the Monday night game would have playoff implications for us and sh*thead responded with "really you really think that" in a very condescending way like Whitey was high. Its time to let it go Mikey before more people catch on to your Bill Hating Ways. Oops too late they already have, and soon hopefully the only commentary anyone will here out of you is your own "post game" recap of your latest drubbing in city league tennis overheard by a vagrant in a public restroom.

[gomper]

Very good points by many of you.

 

GR is horrible. Schoop, when not getting into idiodic tirades about the stupidity of callers, has no real sense or feel for sports in this city or nationally. He comes across as a pampered know -it- all. Which he is.

 

Bulldog has been collecting his paycheck with a mask and gun for 10 years. How someone who can't verbalize has a career in broadcasting is beyond me. His responses that start with".....aahhh,...aaaa, eeeaahh" are legendary.

 

Simon would be a really good reporter but he does not have the personality to propel a morning show. White is just plain brutal with no sense of timing.

 

Making matters worse are the insistance of implimenting comedy bits into the morning and afternoon shows. Really, it's not funny and it just adds to the misery. Worst yet, they would play these inane bits during breaks on Sabres broadcasts. I think the idea of "anti-promotion" has been born.

 

Many have refered to Brad on 1230 as being an alternative. Never really being a fan, I tuned in to see if the switch would provide a refreshing angle. It was the same thing. Doing some sports and then reading whatever he finds amusing from the internet and comments on it. He just doesn't have the sharp wit or personality to pull it off. In fact, he sounds like Bulldog on a bit of GHB. The night I listened he had Bob Gaughn on. Can you say "trainwreck"?. Awful radio.

 

I love the idea of 1230 but if Brad is their big and only move, then its more of the same.

[Hammered a Lot]

I just read this whole thread. If I hid behind a fake name, I'd have a HOF-worthy post right now. Sorry, can't do it.

 

Please check out my show on Hometown 1230 WECK 6-9pm weekdays.

 

Thanks,

Brad

Am I the only TBDer who has called (716) 783-(WECK) 9325 ?