"After a while they told me to be quiet and see what I could come up with," Pursell said.

What he came up with will debut at 9 a.m. Saturday, when WWJB unveils "The Score," an hour-long sports call-in program hosted by Pursell.

"So many people love sports and with the economy being what it is, one thing we can agree on is sports," Pursell said. "We may not agree on teams, but we have a passion for sports.

"…I'm going to bring up some topics that have interest for me and just kind of let people go with it. It's not going to be an overly standardized show. It's more to give people that freedom."

An avid sports fan and golfer who has played recreational football and softball, and also been involved in marital arts training, he plans to take to the airwaves the type of casual discussions he has in everyday life.

The 37-year-old lives in Brooksville with his wife and 4-year-old son, and works as general manager at Golf Etc. in the Western Way Plaza at the intersection of Mariner Boulevard and Cortez Boulevard.

It's through that business, opened 19 months ago by his father, that he gained his only real radio experience recording commercial spots, while also getting in the ear of the WWJB executives as an advertiser.

He has busily prepared to make the best of his rookie assignment live over the air.

"It's a lot of homework, a lot of reading, between newspapers and the internet," Pursell said. "It's finding topics that people will be interested in and talking to people in the area.

"There's an excitement. There's nervousness, of course, you don't know what to expect. But I had the same feeling when we opened the shop. But with my love for sports and playing sports most of my life, I'm just excited about it."

Pursell said he'll cover any sport, from the professional to local level, depending on what the audience brings to the table. To be a part of the show, call 352-796-7272 or text 1450 on an Alltel phone.

"I want it to be fun, I want it to be entertaining and really I want it to be run by the people in the area," Pursell said. "I'll be there talking, but nothing works these days without somebody else.

"If you've got something, call up and talk about it. Tell me what you think because no one gets to bring their opinion out anywhere else."