Time for a brief lesson in the ancient history of sports talk radio in Kansas City…
There actually was a time when the much-maligned Don Fortune was hailed as cutting edge. Honest. How do you think the former 980 KMBZ afternoon sports talk kingpin got the job in the first place after flunking out of TV at Channel 5? But times change, and the days of Fortune being considered edgy ended after they started handing out fangs to local journalists and talk show hosts. When the era of polite society on air went the way of the dinosaurs.
At the end of his days – in comparison to today’s sports talk radio standards – Fortune came across as impotent, an on-air gummy bear. To this day, his once-upon-a-time arch rival Jason Whitlock, likes to remind Cowtowners of Fortune’s shortcomings.
Alas it was WHB superstar Kevin Kietzman who ultimately toppled Fortune in the mid-late 1990s and has since owned local sports talk airwaves.
Until now…
Enter 610 Sports
craig glazer
Nick is on a roll, he is without question the “hot” new guy on radio, period. Love his work.
John
Nick Wright is a hack who will be gond by the end of the next football season. Period. Hate his work.
llsanders
“Nick is on a roll, he is without question the
craig glazer
Yeah, thats why 6l0 gave him the top spot, cause he is no good at his job right. I do radio, you don’t, I am in the entertainment business, you’re not, I know talent when I see it, you never were even asked…so boys, let the pros be heard and you two find something to do.
craig glazer
By the way, I don’t always agree with Nick, and am not on his show as much as I used to be, but I listen in, the guy is nails for a 25 year old.
Ross
Pros? Does anyone on this site actually have a job?
You can tell Glazer is a “pro” by his cutting-edge internet “smack” talk (I know talent when I see it? Great argument).
You can tell Glazer is a “pro” by the way he responds to every anonymous comment on an internet site fifty people read. I’m sure most entertainment powerhouses like yourself do that.
jojo
oh boy…another critic…another expert.
Someone just shut up all these “experts”.
This wright kid has as much chance of beating
keitzhman as I have at replacing jason whitlock.
Come on guys…this wright kid has no experience…doesn’t know the first thin about
radio work…and again..for all those
smart experts..put your money where your mouth
is…
$1000 says this guy won’t beat kietzman in any
demographic area in 2010 or 2011.
put up or shut up! This punk is nothing but
a punk. Anmd wioth kietzmasns lineup noone
is gonna touch him.
Now go back to your sand box nick and play with
your make believe horsey.
craig glazer
Ross, I enjoy responding to small people like you, thats why I do it, I am in my office working and check in on this site when I get time, like now…..so since I am so stupid and you are so much smarter than me, like your boys above here….lets put l,000 dollars up, I bet l,000 dollars Nick Wright IS ON THE AIR ONE YEAR FROM NOW ON 610 and his ratings grow higher by then. Nobody pays if Nick goes to a bigger market,which he could. So you put up the grand and I will held by someone we both agree too, hows that sound? I figure you will chicken out, cause all of you who use fake names are cowards to begin with….but I am serious. One thousand dollar bet.
Rob Lane
Yes, thats the ticket Glazer. So come on now Ross take the bet.
Ptolemyq
I have been listening to sports talk radio in this town since Tom Hopkins started the ball rolling back in the 1970’s. I have listened to Don Burley, Al Eschbach, Conrad Dobler, Pete Enich, John Renshaw, Greg Hall, et.al. I have heard them all.
I have listened to Nick Wright and I would rather wipe my ass with a cheese grater than have to endure an entire show with him as host. He repeats points ad nauseum. He is uniformly uninformed on simple sports topics, and he doesn’t know how to play an audience. He makes Eschback sound like Mike Shanin. Stop trying to pump him up. Let talent earn the way — like Kietzman and Leabo did.
Wright got the gig because Entercom couldn’t get anybody with any salt to come to town with a crappy Royals broadcast weighing them down 162 times in the coming 6 months. Come August and September, Wright will be back to his old job sniffing out carbon monoxide leaks in Entercom buildings. Hopefully, they will finally get serious about staffing their airwaves.
Bob Loblaw
You might want to tell Nick Wright that if he expects to make any progress in his mission to defeat KK (or anyone, for that matter), he may want to drop the whole calling-out-his-enemies schtick. There is nothing faster that will make people want to change the radio dial.
Although talking about your personal golf game, cooking on a sports talk show, and “the racing boys” come pretty close.
SM
Nick Wright is unlistenable. He claims he’s intelligent, yet he is incapable of building arguments to support his opinions. He’s a hard worker, but of course, isn’t prepared for his show. Unless your idea of preparation is listening to the competition and telling you why that guy is wrong.
Right now, it’s very entertaining because Nick is making the exact same mistake that Chris & Cowboy made. He’s more focused on the competition than he is on improving his own show. The resulting ratings, and career path, will also be the same if he doesn’t quickly course-correct.
610 hired him because he’s cheap, not because he has any talent. In six months 610 will flip formats and Nick will be out of the business, or at least not on the air in any major market.
OlatheCat
Well there’s one thing that Nick Wright is not. Humble.
Hooper
Nick Wright is a joke. His show is horrible. His takes are horrible. He has the most inflated vision of himself it is laughable. He desreves every public beat down he gets. 610 is a joke. Everything 610 has ever tried to do to compete with 810 has been a joke and has failed.
Dan Dan
Snore…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….wasn’t this column written five times already?
Cliffy
Gotta admit, I kind of like Wright’s show. He doesn’t stand a change of surpassing KK but I don’t think he has to in order to be considered successful. I’ve said it before, Wright has a bright future in this business … but it might not be here in KC.
Dave D
Keatsman is a HACK!!! Nick Wright will do to him what HOWARD STERN did to IMUS in NY!!!! No similarity intended with the noses…
Nick Wright is the man.
Demo on the Plaza
You losers who praise Keatsman probably also think Denny Matthews is a great announcer. Yeah Matthews is great alright, about as great as Splitorff at calling games!!!! Get a clue. You don’t know broadcasting.
Ross
That was pathetic. Even for you and this site. $1,000? Are you that insecure? Are you that threatened by some anonymous person on the internet disagreeing and offering an alternate point of view? Jesus, grow a pair…
smartman
Nick Wright is PAINFUL to listem to. He makes Ryan Seacrest look like Edward R. Murrow. His voice is grating, timing awful and the show lacks any kind of flow. Give him an A for effort but he’s really rough and I don’t see him getting polished up.
I’d love to root for the guy but he’s a gelding.
The only other market he’s going to is Whole Foods.
KK will take himself down unless of course Greg Hall saddles up again.
smartman
In music class some people never got beyond do-re-ME!
Glow1
I’m pretty sure Glazer has a pair. He posts his name to his comments, unlike Ross, myself, and the rest of the commenting DBags.
Ross
That’s not courage. It’s attention whoring.
MoCrash
Nick Wright is a promising young sports reporter, although I’m not so sure about his abilities as a talk show host. He appears to be a hard worker, and hustle never hurt in the media business, but I’ve detected nothing special about him. Frankly, he may be reaching too soon; he should really be cutting his chops in a smaller market, but opportunities in markets smaller than KC are even more limited (how many does Columbia have on its one ST station with mostly ESPN content?).
Wright isn’t going to knock off Kietzman in 6 months or 5 years, at least not by himself and not by simply by doing the same thing better (if, indeed, it’s anybody’s judgment but his own that it IS better). He’s going to have to provide something unique in the market, and I’m not sure Wright or anyone at Entercom — a paragons of cookie-cutter broadcasting — has the creativity or vision for the task.
smartman
MoCrash.Brilliant!
dp
Love how Barstow and Syracuse grad Nick Wright plays the gangster/thug act on the radio…
I had high hopes at first, but I give him 18 months, tops.
llsanders
“Love how Barstow and Syracuse grad Nick Wright plays the gangster/thug act on the radio
Collective Noses
I’m just thankful that I have an option to the egotisical self-generated meanderings occurring on 810. KK is full of himself and Danny is unbearable on a good day. The worst is when KK is on vacation and Klingsdale and Leabo man the broadcast. Absolutely brutal radio. Nick’s show is different and entertaining, probably not for everyone though.
FormerMediaFatty
Let me get this out of the way first since I have never posted on these boards. I have worked w/ most of the on-air personalities in KC Sports Radio ( including Don Fortune ). I know a lot of these guys, and was front and center for the 980 vs 810/1510 wars. ( KKGM? I was there when they flipped the switch ).
That said, I have always said that the most likely thing to topple KK is Kietzman himself. To me, over the years his show has become more about pandering to advertisers than anything else. I’d be really curious to see what BTLs actually sports content to advertising ratio is.
And what’s funny is that 1510/810 used to attack “Conglomo” for thier long comercial breaks and Don’s insane number of Live Reads. I dare you to turn to Between the Lines and not hear a comercial for something within 5 minutes of tunning in.
On the flip side, Enterom’s biggest problem is that they seem to progam in a reactionary manner, rather than let shows or talent rest on thier own laurels. And personally, I think directly commenting on what the other station is saying, only serves to validate them.
I think Nick Wright is entertaining enough…and he’s leaps and bounds ahead of what 610 had just post Whitlock. Is he enought to “beat” Kietzman…don’t know. I think Wright is a little bit more “Raw Talent” than anything else. But, so was Petro when he was at Entercom…and he’s grown into ( In my opinion anyway ) the best Sports Talk Personality in town.
I do think KK needs a wake up call, and I hope Wright gives him a run in the ratings. Competitive radio means the listeners win.
Duke
Of all the names mentioned in the story and through the comments, the one true blue a-hole is Don Fortunato. I had the extreme misfortune of having to work with him and glad he is no longer around. What a little weasel.
Pembrooke
“Barstow-the perfect school for parents who really wish their kids were going to Pembrooke”
Nothing like an expensive private school that can’t compete with most public high schools for quality of education.
jojo
for christs sakes hearne, don fortune was
20 years ago. Let the guy rest in peace.
Now this punk nick wright says he’s gonna take
over kk’s spot.
I’ve got $1000 cash that says kk beats wright
in every demographic according to recognized
rating throughout 2010. We can include 2011
but thats too long. Not that wrights ratings
go up…the bet is that kk beats wright from
now thru the end of 2010 in every demo in the
ppm ratings.
Any little punk can talk like the ku boosters
on this site.
All you losers are all talk and no action.
Read the headline…”wright vows to topple
kk”….so scrape togther your 4 weeks of
wages and lets see who’s right.
Also…I could care less. I lkike KK cause he says mu is leaving the big 12.
I like kk because he has more style and
better guests than nick wright.
I really don’t care as long as all these ku
jayhawk fans shut the f*k up.
career consultant
nick wright says “I only missed a few questions
on my SAT. I could have done a lot of things”
Like what…
used your nose as a vacuum cleaner.
used your nose to sniff perfumes as macys.
used your nose to perform coin tricks.
used your nose to be an organ grinder where
the money leash hangs from your nose.
been a “nose” tester at folgers house coffee.
last comic standing
ptolemy…great line…use a cheese grater on
my ass. Wow…funnnnnny line man.
Prick Wrong
Prick has no shot of beating KK. His voice and show are terrible and 610 is irrelevant!
Rick
First for those that disagree and this is responding to Greg’s blog also, with Nick blasting K.K. I want to remind folks of Jason slamming Don and his cat urine smelling home.
Rick
Craig please dial back the arrogance. Just because you are ON radio doesn’t mean you KNOW radio. And the audience ultimately decides who wins and who loses. And I wouldn’t say Entercom has a great handle on radio or they would of never let D.A. go.
Rick
By the way…this is my real name. And Craig you use your real name because you want attention.
Rick
All that being said I in general concur with Craig. Yes his ratings will go up (can they go anywhere else but?. Him being on 610 a year from now. Yeah but will it be in this time period. Another thing i would be concerned about Craig in regards to your bet is personal demons. What is the potential that Nick due to personal issues become unemployed?
Old Man Kissel
Doesn’t Nick Wright have a black GF that has three kids that’s not his? I know you want to be black man, but damn this is going too far.
Tha Chad
Ok, first off, old man racist, I mean kissel, don’t drag this there please. Although you are really only gonna help me make my point. It is clear just by reading all your comments that you are a bun h of middle aged white guys. No wonder you all like KK so much. You all don’t like nicks show because ” he’s a thug, he has a bad voice, and he has a black girlfriend”. Ridiculous. I guarantee there is an audience for his show, it is just not the same audience that takes the time to comment on online threads. His audience is the next generation, which doesn’t care a out the color of ones skin, the size of ones nose, or the race or number of children of one’s girlfriend. This new generation will determine the future success of radio personalites in KC, not you old white dudes.
barry
wright is going to beat kietzman? did he beat the 810 competition in his prior time slot? did he come close to beating them?
Rainbow Man
KK drives me nuts sometimes but he brings it.. And he has lately.. 25 is too young.. You don’t get really pissed until you are 35.
Johnny P
Keitzman is why I stopped listening to Local Sports radio. Fuck that loser
Rick
But Old Man Kissel don’t you want to Kevin’s lover as much as Nick wants to be black? Oh…..I’m sorry….I didn’t know you were Kevin’s lover.
Can’t say
But damn that is going to far.
rick
Former media fatty you were doing fine until you declared Soren the best radio talk show. He is a fool. Remember when he was declaring Brodie the man. Geez what a mess.
Dino
Why do Glazer and JoJo both talk about putting up a grand over different opinions? Let’s do it.
Right now….Greg will hold the cash.
rick
I listened to Soren do an interview with Harlan. First thank you Soren for getting some NBA on the local show. But dude I count how many times you said “ah” in a three minute conversation. Contrary to what media fatty says you are no radio superstar. Oh wait I’m sorry it should be “ah…ah you are no ah radio super ah star.” What Bill Self taught English at your school?
SKC Observer
I heard a rumor that Nick Wright is Louie’s kid. This true? If so, well, power overcomes funny voice and lack of talent.
Old Man Kissel
I heard Wright is going to move in with his GF and her kids!
Give this guy a wife beater t-shirt and the wigger transformation is complete.
firenickwright@yahoo.com
Nick Wright has made me buy a sirus subscription for my office. Now I don’t have to hear him in my car or office!
rick
I just want to know Kissel if you are going to move out of K.K.’s house and stop using his computer to tell everyone how great your son in law is?