Courtesy Houston Chronicle

(August 13, 2010) We originate today from this bucolic hamlet between Bristol, capital of the known sports universe, and Hartford, site of this week’s USA Gymnastics national championships, and begin with Colin Cowherd, which is appropriate for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, Cowherd was the first guy I talked to during the first of three visits to ESPN this week. For another, he’s part of the reason that KFNC (97.5 FM), Houston’s ESPN Radio affiliate, again led the July Arbitron ratings among the city’s four sports talk stations.

My conversation with Cowherd, however, stemmed from my observation that after years of producing Jim Rome wannabes, a lot of Houston talk shows have hosts doing Cowherd schtick, particularly his timing and vocal cadence. Just try listening to Houston sports radio between, say, 10 and 11 a.m. It’s like hearing three Cowherds instead of one.

“I get a lot of that,” Cowherd said. “It goes in waves, like with comedians. Mike Myers is the funniest guy. Ben Stiller is the funniest guy. Will Ferrell. Jim Carrey. Broadcasting styles change, too. Eight years ago it was Romey, and maybe, to some degree, young guys now think this style is different.”

However, Cowherd, like Rome, believes the key to radio success is preparation, not elocution. Like Rome, he prepares at least one hour for each of the three hours he’s on the air each day.

“The guys in this business are masons. You lay the bricks every day. I see guys who think they’re hot, and in three minutes I can tell if they were in the studio three hours earlier (preparing). I don’t care about voices. I have a lousy voice. This is an unglamorous business, of everyday preparation, of outworking other guys.”

As for his aural influence on other hosts, he said, “It’s hard not to be influenced. Isn’t every singer influenced? The Beatles were influenced by people. If I can be an influence, great, but I can’t get caught up in it.”