Shan Shariff is celebrating his 12-month anniversary at 610 Sports by taking a morning-drive gig in the big-hat city of Dallas. This Thursday, March 31st is Shariff’s final show at 610 Sports. Shariff declined to comment on his move to Dallas, simply asking to wait. “I would prefer to wait until both sides send out their releases this week,” said the mid-morning host at 610 Sports.Ryan Maguire, the Program Director at 610 Sports who hired Shariff, confirmed his pending departure. “I can confirm that Shan has resigned.,” stated Maguire. “His last day on the air will be this Thursday. He has accepted a job in another market. It was an opportunity that he wanted to go after and we allowed him to pursue it.”
Shariff parlayed a weekend sports talk show in the Baltimore/Washington D. C. area into his current post here at KCSP. He was part of the station’s shake up when they dumped Chris & Cowboy for Nick Wright and added the “new sheriff in town” from the east.
In his online bio, Shariff discusses working in different sized markets. “I will say that whether I was in market 142 or 32, I ALWAYS approached every show like I had a nationwide audience,” wrote Shariff. “I always believed that I could make it to a major market so my preparation reflected that attitude. I was taught from the beginning that you never know who’s listening and when that lucky break could come.”
It appears someone with a Texas drawl was listening and Shariff is about to get one of the biggest breaks any 610 sports talker alum has been granted. Damon Amendolara was canned by 610 Sports in December of 2007 and now works in Boston as the evening host at The Sports Hub, WBZ-FM. But D.A. had to hustle to get his Boston gig, while it appears Shariff has been plucked from 610’s young stable by a Dallas station that sees promise in the 29-year-old American University graduate.
“I’m happy for Shan…although I regret seeing him go,” said Maguire. “He’s a rising, young talent and I was hoping that he could continue to grow with us.” Maguire went on to say how impressed he was that Shariff could so quickly come into a new market and establish himself. “It’s intimidating for someone that is not from the area, to come into a place like Kansas City and do sports-talk radio. Shan rose to the challenge and in a very short period of time, became one of the most listened to hosts in his demo and time slot. All of us wish him the best of luck.”
Shariff’s replacement is scheduled to start in Shariff’s 610 time slot on Monday, April 4th. “Right now we’re finalizing the process of finding replacement for him,” added Maguire. Do not expect a syndicated host to fill Shariff’s slot. “We will be keeping weekdays from 9:00 am – 11:00 am time local on 610 Sports Radio,” confirmed Maguire.
Word out of Entercom also has Bob Fescoe possibly receiving some “help” for his morning show in the form of cohost. It might be interesting to pair Fescoe, an ardent and unapologetic Kansas homer, with a Mizzou fan. Not the most original idea, with the Border Patrol down the dial already presenting that format, but one that would very likely vastly improve Fescoe’s show.
GregHall24@Yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
Who?
Fescoe and KennyKenny…… I might just tune in to that
trainwreck daily. Shariff’s time should goto Wright – just expand how long Wright is on the air since he’s so smart (could have gone to Harvard, you know). Maybe Wright could even get Bartles and James as the title sponsor of his new all-day show.
Barney Fife Stays
Gregger! Must be some mistake. Certainly you mean that Nick Wright is leaving for the better job in a bigger market. I mean Craig Glazer, THE CRAIG GLAZER…. KING OF ALL MEDIA said that Nick was “the shit”. It don’t get much better than that. Craig never said anything about Shan being THE SHIT, THE POO OR THE PEE. You need to go check your facts on this.
Not surprised
He had a rough time slot, but Shariff put on a really enjoyable show. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea (who is?), but he showed some undeniable talent. I thought they were auditioning him for morning drive when they had him sit in with Fescoe for a while.
Either way, he’ll be taking on a much bigger audience.
No way!
Greg, are you trying to get us to believe that a city like Dallas, with all those rednecks, will take to a guy like Shan Shariff, what with his Muslim-y name and his close ties to Osama bin Laden?
Why would Nick Wright go to Dallas?
With his liberal views, do you think he would fit in with the reactionary city of Dallas? Yeah,not so much. Plus, he is probably holding out for something national, not just a bigger local market. Someone needs to get a televised interview with Nick Write and Shaka Smart. You won’t be able to figure out who is who!
Good Point Smartman
It’s interesting that the guy with the worst time slot get a job in a bigger and better media market but yet Wright, who King Glazer and INK Magazine thinks is so “edgy” “hip” and “Cool” couldn’t get a job in Omaha if he tried.
Lets face it, Wright lucked into his job. He’s mad at 810 for not offering a job after his internship. Truth is he wasn’t good enough to get a job.
The only reason why he’s at the 2-6 time slot is because he was cheap and it was his time to get beat by KK.
He was on at nights when Neal and Marty were there. They get fired and he moves in to the 9-11 slot because Chris and Cowboy move to the 2 slot.
Chris and Cowboy get beat up by KK, get fired and he moves in to the 2 slot. He got the job because he was the last man standing.
Plus, I don’t think he got the job on merrit alone. Part of me thinks his dad had something to do with it. His dad might have some friends in the bosses office at Entercom.
He has Des Moines talent, not Kansas City and is nowhere close to having Dallas. My question is when does Entercom start seeing that?
Funny to see this dude roll into town, immediately establish himself as the best host 610 has and then a few months later he bolts.
Fescoe sucks
The best way to improve Fescoe’s show would be to get rid of him. What a d-bag.
610 vs. 810
810 has the better morning show…and that’s not just because Fescoe is so bad. The truth is that St. John and Co. are talented, knowledgeable and funny. I could use a little less Bukaty at times. Most every time Nate opens his mouth I feel like my high school history teacher is going to present a lesson. But the other guys balance him out.
I can not believe that Shariff was hired to go to Dallas. I thought his show was the worst on 610..even worse than Fescoe. But Petro dominates the midday. He’s very good..I could use a few less plugs/commercials and sometimes all of Soren’s ‘um’s and ahh’s’ drive me up the wall.
I know I’m in the minority but I prefer Nick to KK. In the Ink article KK said that he thinks Nick is going after a niche demo where his show appeals to all demos. He’s wrong. KK’s show appeals to one group: middle aged, white, affluent, golfers. It’s bland. There is no edge to it at all. I’m not talking about penis jokes I’m talking about attitude. It’s golf stories with Jack Harry, it’s faked, forced laughter, everybody is a ‘buddy’ and man isin’t this fun. It’s horseshit. The same way that ‘Two and a Half Men’ can be the #1 comedy in America ‘Between The Lines’ can be the #1 sports show in the city. It appeals to the white bread crowd. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s good.
The minority that prefers Nick to KK
Where do people fit in who can’t stand (and rarely listen to) either of them? I guess those would be people who listen to 980, like me. Shariff was not as annoying as Wright, which is one thing I can credit him with. The only sports show in the market that consistently entertains me is the 810 morning show. They do have a good thing going, as noted in the comment above.
KC Sports Radio
I will third the above comment about the 810 Morning Show. It is good and balanced and touches a lot of topics in a different way. St. John may be a Missouri homer, but he is likeable and funny. He does good analysis, and I wish they would incorporate Jake and Aaron even more into the show. I do like that they talk a little about pop culture. Fescoe’s show is OK, and I will turn over if the topic gets to something I’m not interested in.
I have to say that Petro’s show is getting monotonous. His show has become a whine fest about “what’s wrong with Missouri basketball, and why can’t they compete with Kansas”. Everyday, it never ends. His show is also obsessed with stats. I like his football and baseball discussions, but the obsession with Missouri on that show is getting old.
KK is a K-State homer, who tries to simplify everything. He does have a way of knowing the pulse of KC sports, but his constant K-State boosterism gets old quickly. Meanwhile Nick Wright tries to out-Rome Jim Rome. I have found music gets me through the afternoons anymore.
610 Constant Revolving Door
Man if there is one thing 610 has proven is that they cannot keep a daily lineup together for more than a few months. I moved to KC six years ago and 610 has racked up a very long list of “in the door, out the door” on air talent. I thought Shan was pretty decent for the lousy 2 hour morning slot he was given. All of 610’s radio guys spend way too much time referencing what the others say on their shows. When you listen to professional sports talk hosts, they rarely mention what the others before them that day gabbed about. The 610 guys are always sniping at each other, which gets old real fast.
Nick Wright is horrible in the afternoon slot. I actually found him somewhat tolerable in the current Shariff slot. But he does not appeal to me at all in the afternoon. I will flip to him when 810 is on commercial, and he is so bad that I find myself either flipping to 980 (Shanin & Parks) or actually sitting through 810’s commercials, weekly barbeque hour, Racin’ Boys, etc. Hopefully the Ink article will speed up Wright’s demise and 610 can put someone decent on. Most of their producers or Robert Ford who does the Royals stuff would be much better than Nick.
I like the 810 lineup. It’s consistent, no revolving door. Don’t love the Border Patrol as much as some have mentioned, but it’s good. Petro and KK are both rock solid and entertaining. Probably would say Petro is the most knowledgeable of the KC sports radio talkers. Good luck Shan, you were pretty good, wish it was Nick Wrong that was leaving instead…
IMO, Petro is the weak link in 810’s lineup.
Soren takes himself far too seriously and comes across as an obnoxious know-it-all. Similar to Wright except Petro knows a lot more and Petro doesn’t pretend to be a pseudo-gansta like Barstow-bred Wright.
Soren would be well served to have the other guys working on the Program more involved in the conversation. Their best bits are when they all contribute. KK can pull off a monologue — Soren cannot.
Part of what makes the Border Patrol work so well is that the guys are well-rounded – they’re not just crazed sports-only junkies. Soren comes off as a sports-only junkie, which is annoying. None of the morning guys on 810 take themselves too seriously either, which makes them more likable and more listenable. Petro’s other problem is that he’s a Syracuse guy with no ties to any local team. I suppose some people like this, but not me. I don’t mind the other guys favoring their own schools since it’s all out on the table and transparent. In contrast, I actually find Soren’s fence-sitting to be too academic and boring.
shan was terrible
the immediate problem i had with shan is the way he thought he’d just roll into town and tell everyone how it is here in KC without knowing the city or teams (which he would admit on-air multiple times). his arrogance was always interesting to me because arrogance is a sign of insecurity, not confidence. and he apparently thought by bashing the fans of this city and teams he would gain listeners by “shock value.” how about you try good content, knowledge about the local teams, and maybe not insult the entire city for 2hrs a day. just a thought. i’m not saying he’s always wrong but know your place bro, if you were from KC then it’s completely different. i’m glad he’s gone…i switched to 810 in the AM because of him. I can’t even wish him well in Dallas, i’m really just glad he’s gone. what a complete douche bag.
knock, knock,
go fuck yourself
Bad callers make for bad shows
I came from out of market but have been here 20 years. The problem with sportstalk in KC is this town has the worst callers in the world. Illiterate, stupid, pointless, apparently nothing better to do. I flip the channel immediately between 610 and 810 when they take a call. I thought Shan was decent. I preferred him to the 810 gang who are too often like a bunch of frat boys playing grab-ass. It’s like they forget they have a listening audience that might actually want to hear something about sports, not their personal lives. And frankly, they all sound alike to me, after years of listening I cannot tell who is who. Listened to the new guy in Sharif’s spot this morning. Talk about bland. And redundant. Here’s hoping he is not the permanent solution. Yeah, Fescoe is not great, but so much better than Twibel. He was the worst of the worst. And so glad the Chiefs got rid of him for their pre-season schedule. I hate all his free plugs for his pals with restaurants so he could continue to eat for free.
All at 610 SUCK
Shan was a Total D bag and he will FAIL in Dallas Nick wrong is by far the worst of all 610 jocks he does not have the voice for radio PERIOD!!! bob is just an ass plain and simple, Da was by far the best they had although i did enjoy whitlock grunny was good to but the D bags at 610 have no clue how to run a sports station as evident by the turnover