Over at slcdunk.com, they are currently having a "march madness" of Utah Sports Radio personalities. I thought I would give a quick look at the Sports Radio guys and give my rankings. Ill compare each show head to head. I will stick to the local shows.
Mornings:
DJ and PK 6-10 AM 1320 KFAN
vs.
Hans and Company 6-10 1280 The Zone
DJ and PK have the same game plan each day. PK (Patrick Kinahan) takes the opposite stance of DJ (David James), no matter if it contradicts something he has already said. He aims to get under the skin of all of his listeners. If he is not taken seriously, he can be somewhat entertaining. David James seems uninterested in what is going on and does a much better job on TV with "Talkin' Sports"
These two were on 1280 a few years ago, and the quality of their show has dipped since they made the transition, due to the fact that they are recieving paychecks from the Utah Jazz' flagship station. Their opinions have been less objective (and subsequently less interesting) now that they are on KFAN.
Until this past week, 1280 clearly had the edge here with the "John and Hans Show". Unfortunately, John took a job in Portland and has left Hans with a variety of co-hosts. Hans is the former BYU and Indianapolis Colts player. He gives an honest and refreshing opinion and he always seems to be having his fun. He has much more insight when it comes to football then anyone else in the market. It remains to be seen who will replace John, but with Hans there, it is a good bet that the 1280 crew will continue to dominate this time slot.
Midday
Powerhouse 1-3 PM 1320
vs.
Jan and Gunther 10-2 1280
These two don't exactly overlap much, but they are the most comparable midday shows.
Powerhouse features Utah sports veteran Alema Harrington and Ben Bagley. Bagley is an exceptionally talented host who can keep the conversation and the show flowing well. He is a solid interviewer who can bring his guests to life. Harrington is a name and is more or less "filler", he doesn't bring much of anything to the table, except for that national championship ring.
Jan and Gunther has the most potential of any show in the market. Both Jan Jorgenson (BYU) and Kyle Gunther (Utah) played college football locally and are still well-connected to their various teams. They provide an insight and analysis that is not matched by anyone. They have good chemistry and both bring a good perspective. Listeneres feel like they are really inside the huddles.
This show has several drawbacks though. While these two know a lot about football and mixed martial arts, their knowledge of other sports is somewhat lacking. Additionally, Gunther will try to make jokes (which are lame) while Jan is making a point. He will also say things like "Jan, our friendship is now in serious jeopardy" or other juvenille garbage. Jan will become very defensive if anyone associated with the U. of U. tries to put down BYU, to the point that it takes away from the broadcast.
Got to give the edge to Powerhouse, becuase of Bagley's abilities. But Jan and Gunther (if they remain together) will grow to be a better show eventually.
Drive-Time
Locke, Garrard, and Bolerjack 3-6 1320
vs.
The Gordon Monson Show 2-6 1280
vs.
Bill and Spence 2-6 ESPN 700 Sports=
I have blogged about Locke before. He is arrogant. He considers himself superior to everyone, unless they are a Jazz player, in which case he will suck up and laugh at everything they say. But he does work hard, and he brings good guests onto his show. Only problem is he tries to always put himself front and center.
Scott Garrard is a great new addition to this show. He is a great host who relates well to the fan. He does not consider himself superior, but listens and will consider different viewpoints. If he and Bagley were put together, it would be the best show in the market.
Bolerjack doesn't really know sports, or the utah culture, or much of anything at all. Why he was brought onto this show is beyond me.
Monson is also very arrogant, and he is extremely defensive about media rights. He, like Locke, is much more interested in himself than he is his listeners, but he is more palatable than Locke. He is a better interviewer than Locke, though he does not get the high-profile guests that Locke does.
This past summer, Kyle Whittingham made a statement that indicated he would not take anymore questions regarding Utah's future move to the Pac-10. This enraged Monson who felt like Whittingham was denying his constitutional rights. Despite the fact that literally dozens of listeners texted or called in to say that they were supportive of Whittingham and they preferred he focused on the season at hand, Monson vehemently insisted that he was right and everyone else was wrong.
Jake Scott co-hosts this show, and he does a decent job in his role, which is basically to bring up topics, keep the conversation going, and try to be as invisible as possible. Jake is a very good sidekick.
Bill and Spence are Ute-homers. They also talk a lot of Real Salt Lake. Bill Riley can be interesting in his takes. Spencer Checketts is ok, but clearly got the job because his dad is Dave Checketts. Not worth listening to these two and their sometimes childish games unless you are a die hard ute fan who is starved for everything Utes.
All in all, Hans Olsen is, in my opinion, the best that utah has to offer. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future as the market continues to grow.
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