My long-standing theory is that the casual sports fan (casual is a polite term, I could use something more derogatory but then I would come off as a sports snob ) uses sports radio as their primary source of sports info, along with maybe chron.com, and SR 610 is just the long-standing established station for that. 610 plays to the audience and is essentially the Skip Bayless of sportstalk -- all opinion and fluff with very little substance. But that gets people's attention and the casual sports fan eats it up. Most of us here know intelligent sports talk when we hear it so we can't stand 610. We also dig around the internet for better sports info.
I agree with your general premise here as it's something I've always thought about 610. They are the most well-established station in town and as such, older casual sports fans go there on the occasions they want sports talk. They don't hear enough sports talk to know good from bad and they probably aren't even aware that there are so many other stations to choose from in the city.
I live in Austin now so I don't listen to any of them at the moment, but no, before I left it was pretty much all 790 and occasionally 1560 in the mornings. The only time I would turn on 610 is for Texans postgame, and even that was painful at times.
So who are they going to replace him with? Barry Let-me-see-how-many-names-I-can-drop Warner? I couldn't stand that guy 25 years ago.
I can't stand him either, but I'm guessing he will be the choice. They also have a litany of guys they use on the weekends in a part-time role that could fill the role for cheap. I've swung past 610 probably half a dozen times in the last year or so on random weekends and I think I've heard a difference voice every time. Truth be told, it won't matter to me because I, like most everyone else, can't stand Lopez and have all but written off 610.
I used to listen to Mark and Rich all the time during the 'drive time playaz' days... after the John and Lance departed and Mark moved to the mornings, I couldn't listen as much, Mark was able to tone Rich down a little.
After Matt and Adam left for 790, I pretty much dumped 610 from my listening all together. Never liked Vandermeer and his constant homerisim to the Texans. Now all I listen to is the Big Show w/ Matt, Lance, and Adam. Matt Thomas and Charlie. Occasionally will llisten to 610 when they have something on the weekends
This was about the last time I consistently listened to 610 as well. I don't really care for Rich or Marc individually, but they balanced each other pretty well. But more importantly, this was when Matt and Adam were together on the night show. Their best work in my opinion.
This was when John and Lance left for 1560, but I wished Matt left the afternoon show and Adam left the night shift to do morning for 610. Move Vandermeer to afternoon with Rich, and then have Danny Vara and Rob Costa at night. Would have been perfect. I also like Shaun Bijani.
Really? I already thought he worked for them full time as he never ever criticized them for anything. As a matter of fact, 610 is so scared of losing the Texans no one dares criticize them. I remember one time Josh (the oddball) dared to criticize and he got told to shut up on air because the Texans were associated with the station and they paid the bills. I listen to 1560 or 790, stations that don't go around scared of the hometown's NFL team and are willing to call it like they see it. When your sport broadcasters are scared to do your job I would rather not listen to the station.
After so many defections, 610 is left with middle-aged corporate kiss-ass types (one less, with Vandermeer leaving) and Josh "Young and Stir-it-Up" Innes. Not much of a station, but it's like the Academy Awards. You know it doesn't get to the substance and gets things wrong but you wind up tuning in anyway.
I think as members of Clutchfans, even if we don't follow the other sports (as) closely, we identify with that feeling of disgust when you're talking to or being forced to listen to someone offer a completely uninformed opinion. As in, they didn't watch a single minute of the game, they're just repeating the drivel that they've heard or that has been deemed socially acceptable somehow. Well take all that disgust, roll it into a ball, and infuse it into a fat, middle-aged, apathetic, ~60 year old man with absolute job security and a radio show to boot. His name would be Rich Lord. I don't have much evidence, but I recall hearing John and Lance leak a bit on the air about why they left. In my mind, you could probably blame the fracture of Houston sports talk into its current landscape on the broad back of Rich Lord alone. John and Lance seemed to be disgusted with him, especially when the executives at 610 tried to split them up and have one of them (I forget who) become partners with Lord. Thus 1560 was formed. And then for a year or two, Matt Jackson was forced to deal with that incompetent buffoon in the afternoon show, and the chemistry was awful. But what do you expect when you've got one guy trying to talk sports to someone who only wants to discuss old peoples' birthdays or daytime television? So eventually Matt and Adam left too to do the morning show on 790. To think, if Rich Lord simply did not exist/have in his possession naked photos of 610 execs, then there might only be two radio stations in the city by now. If you spend any time at all listening, then you know that Houston sports talk is suffering from overexpansion. It's just like any other sport that has too many teams; you've got too many time slots to fill, with not enough talent. It's not even worth my time to learn the names of the new guys. Say what you want about John Lopez and Craig Roberts being crappy, but at LEAST they are from Houston and can go a little ways back. I listen to a "local" host now and can tell they absolutely don't give a crap about my team and are just talking about them because they have to. The only outsider who can pass off passion for our sports teams is Charlie Palillo, and that's because he's passionate about all sports in general. That stuff comes across to the average listener. You know who doesn't care about any sports apparently except his own personal golf game? Yep. And I have no idea why Rich Lord still has a job. /end rant
Lord, for all his warts, has kind of become benign to me. He doesn't know all that much about sports, save for the Rockets. He knows no more about the Astros or Texans than the average fan. He knows even less about Rice and UH, which is strange, since whenever he opens his mouth he chooses to bash them... with dated and often incorrect information. It's the same with Palillo, ironically, who touts himself as the most informed radio guy in this market, that he can't even do even the most basic of homework on the local colleges. But yeah, it's clear that Lord knows he has a job for life and has become lazier because of it, if that was even possible. I enjoy his takes on non-sports stuff more, which is sad considering the venue. Innes has grown on me simply because of how much he pisses off Lord.
I like Innes because he has a teen girl cult-like following of "grown men" who hate him and wish him off the air but absolutely listen 100% of the time he's on. It's mind-boggling stupid.
