Courtesy Dalton Daily Citizen

(March 30, 2009) Three buddies are hoping to create a lot of buzz by giving local sports fans an earful. Stephen Roberts, Rodney Boyd and Bryan Rodgers are trying to turn a local talk radio show into an on-air success.

The friends have discussed sports for hours on end on their own. They have opinions. They don’t mind talking about them. Roberts admitted he’s called talk shows in Atlanta and Chattanooga on numerous occasions. Together, they figured if they were going to keep it up why not start a sports talk show on a Dalton radio station.

So they did.

Despite a sour economy, the trio pitched their idea to WTTI-AM 1530 station manager Troy Hall, who was, to be honest, a bit skeptical of giving up his Christian station airwaves to sports talk guys. But these guys had a different idea. They wouldn’t simply flap their lips, stir up controversy and concentrate the dark side of sports. Instead, they wanted to put a faith-based show on dials all over town.

They didn’t, Roberts said, want to talk so much about the “bad guys” in sports and bad things they’re doing as focus “on sportsmanship, character and community during their weekly sessions. The show can be heard each Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

They talk local sports. They hash out the national happenings. Recent on-air guests have included University of Georgia chaplain Thomas Settles, who is from Chattanooga, UGA strength and conditioning coach Dave Van Halanger, Dalton assistant football coach Matt Land and Catamounts football-baseball standout Garren Palmer. Dalton’s All-Area footballer Jalen Fields, a talented defensive end who recently made a verbal commitment to Georgia, will be a guest on Friday’s show.

Ridgeland football coach Mark Mariakis, who is back home and recovering from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor, will be a future guest on the show.

And before anyone not associated with Dalton High gets up in arms, Roberts said he either has or will extend invitations to coaches and athletes from other area schools. He has contacted the University of Florida and inquired about booking Tim Tebow’s father for the show, titled Victory in Sports. Scott Parks of LaFayette has a NASCAR segment at 5:10 p.m.

“So,” Roberts said, “we’re trying to get the word out about what we’re trying to do. We’re certainly hoping the community takes to the show, and so far we’ve gotten a pretty good response from those who are listening. They’re shocked we know so much about sports.”

But a sports talk show without callers is destined for obscurity. Without a wider audience, sponsors will stay away. It took “thought and prayer” for WTTI to be convinced to give up the one-hour time slot for the show. Deciding it was an “interesting idea,” Hall put them on to see “what would happen.”

Roberts admitted ad sales have been decent, but could be better. They are getting five or six calls per show and consider that a good number considering “we’re running our mouths all the time.”

However, to sustain the show, the commercials and call-ins need to increase.