Courtesy San Francisco Examiner

(January 26, 2009) There is nothing harder than trying to write, speak or sound intelligent about a sports team from a town that the writer does not live in. Trust me this column is my first national column and it is extremely challenging to talk intelligently about teams outside of my hometown of Detroit, Michigan. More often then not I will write something about a team and then refer my readers to the local examiner for that team or sport. Since I know they will have a more in depth analysis of whichever issue got my interest enough to write about.

That is why I have great respect for national Sports radio call in hosts who can talk intelligently about teams in any sport or any city. However I truly believe these kinds of talk radio hosts are the exception not the rule.

That is why the recent news of Clear Channel cutting 9% of its total work force is a bad omen for the local sports talk show. Here in Detroit Clear Channel operates seven radio channels. According to Joanne Gerstner and Adam Graham of the Detroit News, these cut will effectively end all of the local Detroit talent on the airwaves of Detroit Sports Talk station WDFN (1130 am Detroit).

Now I am a huge JT the Brick fan, and a big time Jim Rome fan and both do a wonderful job covering sports from the national perspective, but being based in California, they may not have as much insight into the inner workings of my team’s here in Detroit as a local Detroit radio host. That is not a dig on them, because both shows are great and do big numbers. However I still believe there is a market for local experts to show their expertise on local issues—on local airwaves.

In Detroit Clear Channel is cutting Sean Baligian, and Afternoon Drive time host Mike Stone and Bob Wojonowski. Their show, Stoney and Wojo, has been on the air in Detroit for more then 14 years, and while Baligian hasn’t been on that long both shows are highly respected in the local community.

It appears that Clear Channel is following the same plan in Minnesota as well. Their local sports talk show host Chris Hartman of KFAN 1130 AM is also a part of the parent Clear Channel local talent cuts.

It seems Clear Channel would like to take Sports Talk Radio down the dark path it also took Music radio. Back in the day music radio, especially rock music was ruled by the local radio DJ. These local DJ’s made rock music into what it was but now national companies are running the local feel of both radio and newspaper alike.

These national corporate business organizations started buying up all the local radio stations and newspapers in an effort to save them. However, since those mergers and acquisitions started happening in the early 1990’s newspapers and radio stations have done worse and worse in financial terms. While business people will blame the internet and the economic crisis for their faltering, can we not ague that they have done a worse and worse job covering all local events, including sports?

The real reason locals buy the local paper, or listen to the local radio show is the hometown news and opinions about their locality. How can someone in California accurately speak about issues in Detroit, or Cleveland, or Chicago, or in any other great sports town? Isn’t that the real reason why these nationally owned radio stations and newspapers are failing? Or is this just simple economics why pay guys in every market to do sports when the company can pay one guy to cover every market? Either way local sports fans are the ones who suffer.

It seems to me that there is a volume of evidence that suggest that Big National Corporation are doing a poor job covering events from a local angle. This seems to suggest that radio Stations, TV channels, and newspapers would be far better off being returned to local ownership.