Why on earth are there now four sports talk radio stations in Houston? Chronicle sports media columnist David Barron reports (related blog post here) on the rather rocky first day of the city’s newest sports talk radio station:
KGOW (1560 AM), the city’s fourth sports-talk station, launched Monday with the usual shakedown issues that accompany any new venture, plus a new glitch that prevented the station’s signal from being heard in parts of metropolitan Houston.
David Gow, the station’s president, said equipment called an exciter failed last weekend at the station’s 50,000-watt transmitter southwest of Houston. The station signed on Monday at 1,000 watts from a backup transmitter on the city’s south side.
“We anticipate the situation being remedied shortly,” said Richard Topper, KGOW’s general manager. “We hope to be at full strength as soon as possible.”
Listeners commenting at the Sports Media blog at www.chron.com reported hearing KGOW’s signal in Pearland, Kemah and Cypress, but others reported problems listening in downtown Houston, the Heights, Kingwood, Spring and northwest Harris County. [. . .]
Some hosts struggled with telephone problems. Chronicle columnist Richard Justice, the station’s late-morning host, began an interview with a greeting from Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops, but Stoops was off the line by the time Justice finished asking his first question.
After a break for a station promotion, Justice returned with a telephone interview with baseball commissioner Bud Selig. [. . .]
After its last local talk show ended at 6 p.m. Monday, the station went to automated music rather than a syndicated sports talk show because it has not received the satellite equipment needed to download the program.
Having Richard Justice talk about sports is bad enough. But does anyone else have the sense that this latest venture in local sports talk radio sounds a bit like a junior high science project?
By the way, in other sports media news, Houston Chronicle sports columnist John Lopez announced yesterday that he is leaving the Chronicle after almost 20 years as a reporter and columnist.
Actually, I’ve enjoyed listening to Justice’s interviews on his show so far. I think if he can keep up a steady stream of interesting guests and sets them up to talk a lot, that could be a useful addition to local radio.
Of course, the way he dumped Bob Stoops (who did not come back on) was not a good start.
It may not show from the first week, but I hear KGOW has made the investment to run a first-rate sports talk station. If I had to bet on two survivors of the current group, it would be KILT and KGOW. 97.5 isn’t going to make it, and KBME is not good radio besides Palillo (who is very good, but is too caller-driven, and Houston callers are not good).