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The days of the George Bretts and Johnny Dares are long gone…
If they ever existed in the first place. Nobody today really cares if the home team has any hometown heroes on it. Or if they bend the rules or cheat a little bit – long as they don’t get caught.
Just win, baby…am I wrong?
So maybe it was naive to think 610 Sports rising star Nick Wright would be a homegrown, hometown institution.
You know, like the Raven, forevermore.
Don’t forget, Wright vowed to topple WHB superstar Kevin Kietzman. All while infuriating aging Baby Boomer, AM band, sports radio listeners and comments section bottomfeeders. Sporty types who never really "got" Wright’s youthful, hip-hop ways.
To many of them, Nick Wright’s words, thoughts, voice and on-air music beds were finernails on the blackboard. Wright was like soccer – it was never enough mrely to ignore him and change the dial, they had to hate him. Yet truth be known, given Wright’s ratings success, they probably loved to hate him.
Though they would doubtless be loathe to admit it.
But now Wright’s going, going and soon-to-be-gone…
"This is true, leaving 610," Wright Tweeted Friday, later adding, "But it isn’t a bad thing, and I’m not leaving just yet. Got a great opportunity I couldn’t turn down. 610 has been absolutely great to me."
To which he added, "I’ll be here a little bit longer and will be able to give details on where I’m going down the road. But it’s all good things."
Good things for Kietzman and WHB perhaps, but even Wright’s long-in-the-tooth haters will probably miss bagging on him day in and day out.
So how did Wright’s leaving leak out?
"I heard somebody confronted him on the air and he sort of hemmed and hawed and finally admitted he was leaving but wouldn’t say where he was going," says one local radio insider. "I talked to somebody who heard him say it on the air."
With Wright’s destination unknown, there’s been chatter about his fill-in stint on Fox Sports.
"It wasn’t aired locally because there was a Royals game on," the insider says. "But I talked to two people who listened to it online and they said he did a great job on the network – that was about two weeks ago."
Kansas City’s loss will likely be a larger market’s gain.
A market with a younger, more vibrant, hipper sports radio listenership. One far less vanilla and Denny Matthews-like than Kansas City. And just maybe, one that airs their sports radio on FM band, not the stodgy-beyond-belief AM dial that we Cowtowners are stuck with.
Hey, good luck Nick – do Kansas City proud.
We all have heroes,
and it is easy to understand why Hearne is elated at Nick’s success. He has ben a big supporter/booster and now the kid has made it to the Big Time.
Congratulations Hearne!
Keith Jackson Says
Whoa Nelly! For all we know Nick is going to work at Under Armor as a jock sniffer. Let’s get some details before we give the court jester a crown.
Good Luck Nick
Well we have been writing all this time that Wright was the man in sports in KC…looks like somebody else felt the same way…that could make him leave the area…its a huge loss for 610 as they built the station around Nick the last year. The good news is that his style and energy will not be gone, due to his on air co stars…they will make the transition a bit less bumpy. There is no doubt that 810 is having a party somewhere this week. This takes the heat off KK and Soren who were looking slower, older and less important with Wright breathing down their necks…its not age its style and energy….hey we all slow down at some point….Nick will do well wherever he lands, surely its a much fatter paycheck as well…I know he is in a serious relationship and I would think he will bring his new family along….I have no doubt Nick will end up on national radio/tv soon…maybe even now…you will be missed…
headed to houston
Top 5 market. He is on his way to doing big things in the sports media market. He’s a winner.
“So how did Wright’s leaving leak out?
“I heard somebody confronted him on the air and he sort of hemmed and hawed and finally admitted he was leaving but wouldn’t say where he was going,” says one local radio insider. “I talked to somebody who heard him say it on the air.””
I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. A local radio insider found out this inside information because he talked to someone WHO WAS LISTENING ON THE RADIO! Great sleuthing!
Houston, you have a problem.
Top 5 market to be sure. Probably n
Maybe, Just Maybe….
We can also talk up Luke Hochevar as being THE man for the Royals and then Houston will take him, too!
@Ted
The guy who was listening to the radio must be the same guy whom Hearne interviewed that didn’t hear anything on the night of that most recent shooting in Westport.
Following up Ted’s post
“It wasn’t aired locally because there was a Royals game on,” the insider says. “But I talked to two people who listened to it online and they said he did a great job on the network – that was about two weeks ago.”
(chuckle)
Ten bucks says Ryan Maguire shuffles the deck, moves Parkins to the 2pm slot and hires another turd to fill the hole Wright leaves.
On The Plus Side
With the assumption that he’ll be making more money (heck, the typical janitor job prrobably pays more than a 610 on-air personality), he can finally pay for the surgical procedure that will physically complete his transformation into a black man.
Old Grumpy Men Who have NO LIFE
guy is 27. He’s moving into a major slot and all you turds have to say is this crap? Why do you guys grow old and sour? Sad!
I’m not old, grumpy OR a turd.. but if Bubba…..
is your real name, by the time youre an old, grumpy turd thats going to have gotten really old. Why is it people went to see Forest Gump and came out of the theatre deciding to name a generation of kids Bubba? It wasn’t this bad when it was just southern hillbillies that thought that was cool.
yuall r just jellus of nick wrihgt…………………………………………………like u r of me…………………………………dont hate on us sucksesful peeple……………………….just becaus u have nothing…………………………..live in tralers…………………………….where 2nd hand underwer…………………………..dont hav nise things……………………..smoke ganeshcigars…………………lusers……………………………HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I Wouldn’t Say That
I wouldn’t exactly call Wright’s move a move to the “Big Time” – as he only made a lateral move to another AM station in Houston – 610 AM to be exact. Although he is most likely making a little more money, it is certain that his reason for leaving is due to the fact that our sports teams in Kansas City are so terrible right now that it is just downright depressing. Who wants to report on that? Another thing about our sports teams in KC is that all the fans can do is talk, talk on the radio, talk on blogsites, talk to each other at bars. The bottom line is that the owners of the Royals and the Chiefs are simply pocketing money and profits, knowing that the fans will still show up to the games no matter how bad the teams are. The Royals maintain a steady 25,000 + attendance at nearly every home game! The Chiefs experience a SLIGHT drop off in ticket sales towards the end of each season if they are eliminated from the playoffs, but fans still pack the stadium every home game Sunday.
As long as the fans in Kansas City continue to go the stadiums, buy $9 beers, and pay $27 to park, why should the owners care how good the teams are? What are the repercussions? A bunch of middle aged dorks making nasty comments on message boards? Oooh, that should scare them into doing something about our losing, miserable teams. NOT
Nick Wright left because the Kansas City teams are both a joke and there is no change on the horizon.
Not a lateral move
HATERS! They say if you can make it in NY you can make it anywhere. Well if you make it enough to get out of KC you can make it anywhere. The man has the ability to connect with people. Call him a wigger or whatever you want but we are not in the 60’s anymore.
Nice move Nick!
KUDOS to Nick for making the jump. Let’s keep this real. This kid had talent! Knowing how KC Radio and its management has a knack for pissing away their talent, (ie Russ Johnson (R.I.P), pissing away their stations and just plain poor decision making, does this surprise anyone? Let’s recall the Bob “Z” Entercom fiasco, handing over 810 WHB for the 710 KCMO signal). Kansas City radio is old, stale, and Nick brough energy and enthusiasm that is cleary lacking with other sports stations. How much longer can we listen to the doldrums of Keitzman and Clinkscale and their banter… zzzzz’s Good luck Nick and best of luck to you!!! And what’s wrong if a kid is hip, weather he is black or white!