Toronto Sports Radio Morning Drive Lineups

This a little off topic but found it interesting.I asked The keeper of the TSM site if ever suspected a media type taking an alias to respond to comments made on this site?
His answer was interesting…I suspected someone and his response to my alication was “not that person …never”…Which left me wonder if in fact it has happened before?

So the next time someone take offense to your opinion it may not be just a guy with a serious man crush…But the actual media person you are ripping!

As Greg Brady tweeted to me anonymity is a wonderfull thing!

Since TSN 1050 launched, I’ve found that there are a lot more commenters who either love everything about TSN and hate The Fan, or love everything about The Fan and hate TSN.

I’ve wondered a little if it’s people who work there.

I think one of the commenters that Daniel is referring to is Mario…………I don’t think he works for 590 but someone should tell him that it’s not against the law to say something negative about 590 and it’s not against the law to say something positive about 1050

Interesting point MwG64.

So, I have been as critical of Krystal as anyone else. Because i stream my afternoon radio at work with the Bluejay game on i had to listen to krystal. Well wouldn’t you know it, I actually liked the start of his show today. I thought he brought up a great point, that being Ron Maclean’s intros on HNIC, specifically these playoffs.

I have found myself having a hard time listening to them. I actually find myself feeling sorry for Ron as he reads these “soliliquays” (sp?). I just find it way too much of a stretch to start applying half his phrasology or spoken version of songs to the games themselves.

Curious what the rest of you think of Macleans intro’s. No i am not krystal, nor do i work with any media (wish i was a sports media for a living though, lol).

I don’t know whether anyone who works at those stations is writing under pseudonyms here (i.e. trolling), but I have noticed some rather intemperate comments about the new stations.

However, the tenor of the biased comments can also simply be due to people adjusting to the new competition (re: wanting to take sides). I must admit that I was originally disinclined to listen to the new TSN station. Choosing a radio station to listen to is partially just a matter of habit and comfort and, as much as I find some things about the FAN lacking, it is still a bit more comforting than the new station. All the same, in the past week or so I have given the TSN station a try, and some of it is fine. My only concerns are that it is extremely hockey-centric (and predictable), but the biggest problem is that it needs to work on improving its reception (i.e. it often doesn’t come in as clearly as the FAN when I am driving).

But back to the partisan messages. I discovered this site about 6 months ago and one of the things that I have enjoyed the most about it has been that the comments are usually written in a friendly way, without the vitriol and bile that one usually sees on internet discussion boards. I do hope the comments will always remain so friendly.

@Mike S
I just do not care for TSN radio of TV for that matter..they have some very good sports people that work there but I just find them to full of themselves..and have done some excellent work… I respect that they were the first true all sports TV network but they also dont give anyone eles any credit be it CBC,Sportsnet.Score,or the Fan….some times they do to print media were as the others seem to give credit were it is do..but it really seems to stick out when it comes to Rogers sports properties, maybe its because that is my primary source for sports programing…and there compition…were all others do…
In saying that Roger and the Fan is definetly not perfect…. I have said they made major mistates in thier programing and sure looked like fools…but they seem to have learned from there mistakes and slowly getting some respect back..but far from perfect…that is only my opinon as I see it anyway…were others are all TSN and 1050 radio…

My two cents:
I generally like TSN on TV and I find the radio to be good too now, preferable to the FAN for the most part. I like Brady and Lang more than Richards, but Richards has good contributors too. The mid morning shows are a wash and I like Dan Patrick. I discount Krystal completely – He’s like my brother in law trying not to get left out of a conversation about sports – Lots of general knowledge and a bright guy – Just doesn’t know the square root of SFA about sports and won’t admit it.
I find Cubulski and Co to be a great alternative to McCown. McCown makes me feel old the way Marsden did towards the end of his run.

I will say this about both: Any talk about MMA and UFC and I change the channel. How can we talk about head shots in hockey and brain injury in sports and promote that barbarism? These guys will be eating their meals through straws by the mid 50’s

Lastly – Sportsnet is AWFUL…I get acused of working for TSN, I dont – Sportsnet is just horrid (the best on air people are the women – they do a fine job). For example: Compare James Duthie to Daren Millard. Compare McKenzie and Dreger to Kypreos and McLean…there is no comparison.

Do you see any ex players or current NHLers clammouring to get on Sportsnet? No wonder, they are an embarrassment to broadcasting.

Baseball? They gased Jamie campbell for Buck M. He does a worse job. (My opinion – He knows his stuff, I just can’t stand his delivery

Mario, sorry bud. No accounting for taste and preference, you’re entitled to yours but I don’t agree.

And I have had a hate on listening to Ron McLean’s intros for several years now. His stale date is long passed due.

Reciting the lyrics to a Blue Rodeo or a Nickleback or an April Wine song and then waxing poetic about hockey? He thinks he’s bringing tears to the viewer’s eyes, meanwhile I get so much bile in my throat I need to keep a bucket handy.

Steve (in Hamilton) agree with you about the comments on this site. In concert with TSM’s opinions, they are the major reason I enjoy the site. With the exception of the great grammar war that breaks out on occasion and one poster whose entries I just skip; the conversations here are spirited, opinionated but for the most part respectful. Frankly there have been a few times in reviewing what I have posted I have really thought my lord Cam you really should up the medication!

I have no doubt that there are posters from the industry here as it is quite a great site and where else can you voice an opinion about sports media in Toronto. However, the radio debates really seem more about preference and perception. With the exception of PTS, the changes at the Fan have left me cold so I had tuned out everything but PTS and the ball games. These two still hold my loyalty but as for the rest I listen to TSN, especially on the weekends and during 1-4 slot.

As for Buck, it is his absolute refusal to say RBI’s that drives me nuts. And on that note, can someone explain why rules of grammar are important in posting about sports media? Now it is time for more meds….

Hey TSM “Sanka you Dead?”

I agree with Rob in Aurora regarding UFC. With me its instant change. If I had impressionable children at home, I would put a parental block on Sportsnet. There is no Martial Art in what these thugs do.

Hope all is OK with TSM. A little echanecea and some apple juice might fix it, hopefully it’s no more serious than that.

It took a while for me to warm up to the new Fan lineup (since they stopped the focus on the call ins- not that I liked the focus on call ins) I generally like the daytime programming with the exception of Kristol. I tune in to listen to Blair every chance I get, the analysis with Mack and Kipper has generally been pretty good since the playoffs have started too. Did you hear the analyst from Washington today when Blair opened his show? To call him an analyst would be an overstatement, why are some commentators compelled to be such homers? Be objective a little bit, you’re in another market. Folks at home don’t care what you say in another city.

For me, the 1050 broadcast fits in with my daytime habits. I like the format at night and on the weekends when the Jays aren’t playing. I could never listen to all the golf and soccer stuff they have on the Fan. So for me it’s a win, I don’t favor one over the other, I just listen to what I like best from both stations. And just to add… reception for me hasn’t been a problem and I live well north of the city. Fork over some shekels and get yourself a new radio is what I say.

Capn2patch,

Regarding the reception, for me it’s not as simple as that, I’m afraid. Four days a week I have to commute from Hamilton to Buffalo, where I teach. All the way from Buffalo to Hamilton I get great reception for the Fan in my car, but the reception for the new station is really spotty at times. (It’s a new car, so the issue is not the car’s audio system.)

The problem with the 1050 reception really became clear to me a week ago when I heard Bruce Arthur on the new station, and he sounded different from how I was used to hearing him on the Fan. I realized that it had to do with the recording and transmission equipment that they use. He sounded too far away.

Sure, if I lived in the heart of the GTA then this wouldn’t be such a problem. The reception at the new station is still mediocre when I travel from Hamilton toward Oakville. For me getting good reception when I drive is an issue, since I really don’t listen to the radio much at home, except for the baseball broadcasts.

Re: MMA
Found it interesting how both stations have basically been alternating the same guests the past two days. Hear Royce Grace on PTS, then on the Brady show, then on Richards show.

Most interesting is 1050’s sudden interest. Obviously with UFC here this weekend, it is the buzztopic for the week. But TSN TV does virtually no MMA whatsoever, yet suddenly the radio version is all over it. Found it a bit fake, not sure if that is the right description, but hopefully you get the gist.

the comments here are among the best of any site i visit on a regular basis. thanks to everyone for contributing. it’s a huge part of what makes this site great.

I think Bell should try and buy from Corus their AM 640 network and move TSN down the dial to 640 and closer to 590. if the rumors are true that they want to get out of the sports business to compete with news talk 1010 maybe Corus might be interested in swapping radio feeds 1050 for 640.
It would benefit both Bell and Corus to swap radio feeds

Dave: There’s a good idea, that’s how the FAN got the 590 position and went there from 1430. Except I think CKEY simply went out of business leaving 590 open. If Corus is keeping their station on air, they may not be able to pull off what you propose (for competition reasons, or the CRTC may have rules around that)

…It seems north of the city gets good reception and along Lake ON towards Niagara you lose it…must be the escarpment causing issues.
I am liking having choices – the FAN has gotten lazy over the years – 3 unlistenables for me: 1) Roger Lajoie filling in for everyone
2) the huntin’ and fishin’ guys on Saturday AM
3) Those soccer and rugby guys (although are they gone now?)

Question: Bob Weeks works for Score Golf, but appears regularly on TSN as an employee there. How long will TSN put up with him on the FAN doing his golf show?

Rob,

Thanks for mentioning your feelings about the hunting and fishing guys. I had to go out this morning and heard a 1-hour advertisement for the Tories from the hunting boys. I know that it’s paid programming, but I wonder if they realize that this kind of programming is really off-putting. The reason I listen to sports radio is that I don’t want to hear about politics, and I especially don’t want to hear about politics from people who (this morning, at any rate) use coded racist language to mock the diversity of the GTA. They should put that kind of stuff on another station and bring in some real sports programming – even the best of PTS would be welcome.

I’d assume the vast majority of listeners have their attention split along the lines of particular sports, so I’d also find it suspicious for someone to be shilling entirely for one particular media outlet over their perceived direct competition, when they are more alike than different.

It’s good to now have a choice. We might have had something to complain about years ago when media choices were more limited, but with all of the different media available to us today, I don’t have enough time to read, watch, and listen to everything I want to, and certainly have no time for anything I don’t like.

That said, occasionally I have little choice but to hear 1010 on someone else’s radio for about a half hour on some mornings, unfortunately with Mike Toth using his two or three minutes of sports news to express a more condensed version of the same weird and annoying personality he had in longer doses on sports radio. Otherwise I listen to some of Richards in the morning on 1050 and McCown on 590 in the late afternoon (deja vu — is it 2001 again?).

And I see I’m probably not the only one who turned off Fan590 during the ‘Jabba The Marsden’ years. I don’t think McCown is that bad yet.

Heh heh — I have once in a while, when still half asleep, switched on my clock radio on a Saturday morning, only to quickly change the station upon hearing the huntin’ and fishin’ Ted Nugent wannabes.