Sports Media (local and national)

[SoCalPat]

This story gives me great satisfaction.

This has been common knowledge for some time. Maybe hearing it again gives you great satisfaction?

[SoCalPat]

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865695401/Utah-gymnastics-No-3-Red-Rocks-beat-No-21-Arizona-on-road-197550-196325.html

They’ve done it again....reprinted the U’s press release with Liz name on the byline.

And this meet was at Zona, so they had people available.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haven't visited this thread in a while until today. But it hit me after seeing this for the second time -- Liz is the perfect writer for U. gym away meets. They almost never lose, so Liz's emphasis on the winning team isn't really an issue. And they probably don't have to pay her, since what she's doing is already part and parcel of her job. Let's see if they continue this at nationals -- that will put this theory to the test.

[SoCalPat]

I figured Tom would be let go after his year was up. Like LA said, really nice guy but overmatched when it comes to trying to make a show in this market. He did ok overcoming the Donnie Tillman slip up and he handled the Troy Williams goof poorly.

If I were the powers that be at 700, I would let Kyle fly solo for a few months and then go back to syndicated programming. That, or I would pony up the money and bring in some real talent. Thats risky because of how dominating 1280 has been since the pseudo-merger with 1320 in 2012 and I am not sure who could really break that up. Paying peanuts for low talent hasn't paid off. If youre content with being second fiddle, it may be smarter to just go syndicated and let Bill be the "Utes guy" and make it that way.

I know my good friends Sully and Utah will disagree but after listening to Ben Anderson and Andy Larsen on the Salt City Hoops show, I really hope Ben doesn't go back to babysitting Kyle during the afternoons. With Andy, he is freed up to actually talk basketball and its usually a really good show with humor and solid analysis unlike anything else at 700.

I'm out of the business now, have been for a while. I've shared some of this before. It's worth sharing again.

700 could never do a morning show because, as an ESPN Radio affiliate, they were forced to carry Mike and Mike. That show no longer exists. But I've got to imagine there are still contractual obligations 700 has to fulfill for being an ESPN Radio affiliate.

The ESPN Radio affiliate I worked for had two daily local shows -- mornings from 6-9 a.m. and afternoons from 2-5 p.m. Obviously, we carried syndicated programming for five hours in between, but I can't remember exactly who at that time. If you think 700's "problems" could be solved by ditching their relationship with ESPN Radio, let me be very clear: That would be a horrible mistake. If the media junkies here want the explanation, I'll provide it, but it's not really necessary to this discussion.

The morning guy was the voice of our station. He anchored the limited WSU programming we could carry (coaches shows, pre-game shows, mostly. No basketball or baseball.). He was also our top ad seller. He's went from that job to doing afternoon drive for an ESPN Radio affiliate in Charlotte, and is now their director of sales. I suspect he's got another jump or two in him if he wants to pursue it. When taking into consideration who stays and who goes, remember this: If you can sell air-time and be a semi-credible voice in sports, you're gonna be employed for a very long time in markets like SLC. (Our afternoon guy also sold airtime, but didn't have nearly the plum deals and had to work a lot harder to make it work financially. He's no longer working at that station, either)

Riley probably doesn't have to sell, but he's a fool if he isn't. He's leaving money on the table. He's not cold-calling businesses -- you can be damn sure about that -- but he could definitely be called on to close deals and is probably "gifted" accounts that have been with 700 for a long time. He's as untouchable now as Marcroft was in his prime. He's also probably counted on to call some shots within 700 regarding personnel matters. He arguably has the best gig in sports in Salt Lake City across all mediums. (If I had to put forth a top 5, I'd have Riley, Wrubell, Monson and the two Daves -- James and Locke -- but that's strictly gleaned from observation from afar.)

(As an aside, if Riley is selling airtime, I wouldn't be surprised if his salary is high 5-figures. He might even crack 6-figures, but not for just doing play-by-play. Nonetheless, that's outstanding for a market like SLC).

In a market like SLC, at a station that doesn't dominate ratings, you're gonna have to sell if you're gonna be on-air. Only in truly major markets can you be exclusively talent and not have to sell. 700 appears to be willing to give anyone a shot at proving themselves (witness the revolving door in the early afternoon time slot), but a year is certainly long enough to determine whether or not someone can sink or swim. As someone who was an unmitigated disaster at selling airtime, you can fake it for about 6-9 months, and your station will carry you for that time, but eventually, if you're not booking airtime, you're on your way out. It's impossible to fake that element of the job, and your "expert analysis" isn't making the station money.

Y'all can hate on Gunther, but my observation is that has to be selling and closing deals, and a lot of them. He wasn't unemployed for long once 1320 ceased operations, which made any non-compete he may have signed null and void. 700 jumped at the chance to give him a shot, and since he's still there after a year, it's almost a guarantee he's bringing something to the table in terms of revenue/ad sales.

[UtahsMrSports]

I'm out of the business now, have been for a while. I've shared some of this before. It's worth sharing again.

700 could never do a morning show because, as an ESPN Radio affiliate, they were forced to carry Mike and Mike. That show no longer exists. But I've got to imagine there are still contractual obligations 700 has to fulfill for being an ESPN Radio affiliate.

The ESPN Radio affiliate I worked for had two daily local shows -- mornings from 6-9 a.m. and afternoons from 2-5 p.m. Obviously, we carried syndicated programming for five hours in between, but I can't remember exactly who at that time. If you think 700's "problems" could be solved by ditching their relationship with ESPN Radio, let me be very clear: That would be a horrible mistake. If the media junkies here want the explanation, I'll provide it, but it's not really necessary to this discussion.

The morning guy was the voice of our station. He anchored the limited WSU programming we could carry (coaches shows, pre-game shows, mostly. No basketball or baseball.). He was also our top ad seller. He's went from that job to doing afternoon drive for an ESPN Radio affiliate in Charlotte, and is now their director of sales. I suspect he's got another jump or two in him if he wants to pursue it. When taking into consideration who stays and who goes, remember this: If you can sell air-time and be a semi-credible voice in sports, you're gonna be employed for a very long time in markets like SLC. (Our afternoon guy also sold airtime, but didn't have nearly the plum deals and had to work a lot harder to make it work financially. He's no longer working at that station, either)

Riley probably doesn't have to sell, but he's a fool if he isn't. He's leaving money on the table. He's not cold-calling businesses -- you can be damn sure about that -- but he could definitely be called on to close deals and is probably "gifted" accounts that have been with 700 for a long time. He's as untouchable now as Marcroft was in his prime. He's also probably counted on to call some shots within 700 regarding personnel matters. He arguably has the best gig in sports in Salt Lake City across all mediums. (If I had to put forth a top 5, I'd have Riley, Wrubell, Monson and the two Daves -- James and Locke -- but that's strictly gleaned from observation from afar.)

(As an aside, if Riley is selling airtime, I wouldn't be surprised if his salary is high 5-figures. He might even crack 6-figures, but not for just doing play-by-play. Nonetheless, that's outstanding for a market like SLC).

In a market like SLC, at a station that doesn't dominate ratings, you're gonna have to sell if you're gonna be on-air. Only in truly major markets can you be exclusively talent and not have to sell. 700 appears to be willing to give anyone a shot at proving themselves (witness the revolving door in the early afternoon time slot), but a year is certainly long enough to determine whether or not someone can sink or swim. As someone who was an unmitigated disaster at selling airtime, you can fake it for about 6-9 months, and your station will carry you for that time, but eventually, if you're not booking airtime, you're on your way out. It's impossible to fake that element of the job, and your "expert analysis" isn't making the station money.

Y'all can hate on Gunther, but my observation is that has to be selling and closing deals, and a lot of them. He wasn't unemployed for long once 1320 ceased operations, which made any non-compete he may have signed null and void. 700 jumped at the chance to give him a shot, and since he's still there after a year, it's almost a guarantee he's bringing something to the table in terms of revenue/ad sales.

I love the insight from someone who has been there and done that. However, I will say that Gunther still has until early June before his one year is up.

I don't have the data, nor would I know where to look but I'd be willing to bet that based on their lineup, fox sports radio has more listeners than ESPN radio these days. 1280 has that locked up too.

[LA Ute]

This has been common knowledge for some time. Maybe hearing it again gives you great satisfaction?

I’d never heard it before. (BTW, it will probably give me great satisfaction every time I hear it again in the future.)

[concerned]

Riley probably doesn't have to sell, but he's a fool if he isn't. He's leaving money on the table. He's not cold-calling businesses -- you can be damn sure about that -- but he could definitely be called on to close deals and is probably "gifted" accounts that have been with 700 for a long time. He's as untouchable now as Marcroft was in his prime. He's also probably counted on to call some shots within 700 regarding personnel matters. He arguably has the best gig in sports in Salt Lake City across all mediums. (If I had to put forth a top 5, I'd have Riley, Wrubell, Monson and the two Daves -- James and Locke -- but that's strictly gleaned from observation from afar.)

(As an aside, if Riley is selling airtime, I wouldn't be surprised if his salary is high 5-figures. He might even crack 6-figures, but not for just doing play-by-play. Nonetheless, that's outstanding for a market like SLC).

Riley is the station manager too, not just on air talent. He has got to make well into six-figures, and he must get paid separately as the voice of the Utes and RSL (radio). He does a lot of promotions during his show--mostly lunch food and local craft beers that he pumps as he eats. I would be surprised if he is selling air time, except at a very high level, like networking.

My son interned for Gunther and Hackett last year, and Sean O'Connell before that. He really liked O'Connell and Hackett.

The station has prety much conceded the Jazz to 1280, and is creating a niche as the Ute station most of the time. It must be a very low budget operation.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

It looks like Checketts just went on sale.

970054175714430976


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SoCalPat]

Riley is the station manager too, not just on air talent. He has got to make well into six-figures, and he must get paid separately as the voice of the Utes and RSL (radio). He does a lot of promotions during his show--mostly lunch food and local craft beers that he pumps as he eats. I would be surprised if he is selling air time, except at a very high level, like networking.

My son interned for Gunther and Hackett last year, and Sean O'Connell before that. He really liked O'Connell and Hackett.

The station has prety much conceded the Jazz to 1280, and is creating a niche as the Ute station most of the time. It must be a very low budget operation.

The GM at my station handled all national accounts, because ad agencies at that level only take calls from senior level management. I'm sure Bill is on the same kind of gravy train.

Yeah, Bill is making well into six figures with that job description, further solidifying my belief he's got the best job in sports across all mediums in the state.

[Sullyute]

If I had to work with Monson every day I would drink too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[UBlender]

It looks like Checketts just went on sale.

970054175714430976


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Does Checketts' dad still have an ownership stake in ESPN 700? Does dad throw son a lifeline as Spence comes full circle and becomes Gunther's new cohost (until Gunther gets canned)?

I'll be curious to see what 1280 does with the drive show. I won't listen to it as long as Monson is involved but I'll still be curious to see what direction they go. Do they bring someone new in to pair with Monson or do they bring someone from a different show (Scott Gerrard, Jake Scott?) and then have a ripple effect through several of their shows?

[Diehard Ute]

Does Checketts' dad still have an ownership stake in ESPN 700? Does dad throw son a lifeline as Spence comes full circle and becomes Gunther's new cohost (until Gunther gets canned)?

I'll be curious to see what 1280 does with the drive show. I won't listen to it as long as Monson is involved but I'll still be curious to see what direction they go. Do they bring someone new in to pair with Monson or do they bring someone from a different show (Scott Gerrard, Jake Scott?) and then have a ripple effect through several of their shows?

No. ESPN 700 is part of Broadway Media, which is owned by Dell Loy Hansen, owner of RSL.

Broadway Media also owns X96, U92 and others.

(As for media and pay, I know the Radio From Hell folks make a lot more than the rest of the talent at X96 for the exact reasons SoCal mentions)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NorthwestUteFan]

That pic of Spencer Checketts looks like a guy who just got his fourth DWI while driving 120 mph, and doesn't give a shit about the safety of you or your family.

He should get a 18 months in prison for this. But something tells me he has an expensive Get-Out-of-Jail card coming his way.

[Diehard Ute]

That pic of Spencer Checketts looks like a guy who just got his fourth DWI while driving 120 mph, and doesn't give a shit about the safety of you or your family.

He should get a 18 months in prison for this. But something tells me he has an expensive Get-Out-of-Jail card coming his way.

Reality is no one gets that. Utah likes to be tough in dui on paper so they can say they are.

The paper listed 3 arrests, one was a guilty plea to a reduced charge in 2004.

I checked UtahsRight.com and it only shows one conviction, in 2008, again for a reduced charge of attempted DUI, alcohol license restriction violation and ignition interlock violation.

Utah law allows felony enhancements, but it requires two previous convictions within 10 years. So unless I’m missing something, he’s not eligible for anything other than a standard class B.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[UtahsMrSports]

Hackett and Andy Phillips did pre and post game for RSL yesterday. I guess he may stick around in that role.

[Scorcho]

i know Checketts has dealt with some difficult challenges (brain cancer being one of those), I don't condone his behavior, (4 DUI's deserves his driving privileges be revoked for life) but we all have our demons. I hope he gets his life back together.

[Two Utes]

That pic of Spencer Checketts looks like a guy who just got his fourth DWI while driving 120 mph, and doesn't give a shit about the safety of you or your family.

He should get a 18 months in prison for this. But something tells me he has an expensive Get-Out-of-Jail card coming his way.

You've had three previous alcohol related run ins with the law and you get in your car drunk and then proceed to drive 120 MPH on the highway at 1:30 a.m.?

Wow. He has serious issues.

if you are driving drunk that many times, you just have a drinking problem. If you are driving drunk going 120 MPH at 1:30 in the morning, you are screaming out for the cops to pull you over. You want drama and chaos to come into your life. You are screaming out for attention.

[UtahsMrSports]

ESPN 700 has updated their website to now include "Gunther and Ben".

[Utah]

That's good, I really like Ben. I might have to start listening again.

[SoCalPat]

ESPN 700 has updated their website to now include "Gunther and Ben".

What's your assessment of this? A solid move? Or just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic before the inevitable (ie, Gunther getting canned).

[UtahsMrSports]

What's your assessment of this? A solid move? Or just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic before the inevitable (ie, Gunther getting canned).

Hes an upgrade over Tom. He knows his stuff, prepares well, and has the ability to keep Gunther in check somewhat.

Weird observation: Gunther took to twitter this weekend to criticize Jazz fan favorite Rudy Gobert for helping up Ricky Rubio after the cheap shot from Jeff Teague instead of going to confront Teague (something Jae Crowder did). This afternoon during "Cross-talk" with Bill and Ben, Gunther stated that it was 'good news' that Arizona's Alonzo Trier is back at Arizona. While I certainly don't want a media member to ever cater to my viewpoints or sugarcoat anything, these were really dumb and completely unnecessary statements to make. He is either tone deaf to the market or trolling and neither is good news for ESPN 700.

[Scorcho]

sounds like Sean O'Connell will be on the new PAC-12 Sirius channel

https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/971148882817134592

[UtahsMrSports]

I know Clay Travis is a polarizing figure in the sports world but he 'broke' and interesting story last night that has spilled over into today.

A bunch of documents surrounding the University of Tennessee football coaching search were release and in them were some texts exchanged between the Tennessee AD (at the time) and USA TODAY college football writer Dan Wolken. In them, the AD asks Wolken to do some PR for him when it was announced that Greg Schiano would be hired as the next coach (Enter Travis who is a die hard UT fan and quickly started a mob to block the hire). Wolken agrees to help with the PR aspect (he subsequently wrote an article blasting Travis and UT fans and talked up Schiano).

Its an interesting world where a journalist (no doubt he is not the only one) will agree to present a specific viewpoint in exchange for continued access. I wonder how rampant this is and how frequently it happens compared with times prior.

[Rocker Ute]

I know Clay Travis is a polarizing figure in the sports world but he 'broke' and interesting story last night that has spilled over into today.

A bunch of documents surrounding the University of Tennessee football coaching search were release and in them were some texts exchanged between the Tennessee AD (at the time) and USA TODAY college football writer Dan Wolken. In them, the AD asks Wolken to do some PR for him when it was announced that Greg Schiano would be hired as the next coach (Enter Travis who is a die hard UT fan and quickly started a mob to block the hire). Wolken agrees to help with the PR aspect (he subsequently wrote an article blasting Travis and UT fans and talked up Schiano).

Its an interesting world where a journalist (no doubt he is not the only one) will agree to present a specific viewpoint in exchange for continued access. I wonder how rampant this is and how frequently it happens compared with times prior.

Probably the way that world works. I used to work for a major record label as a local rep. We’d go to radio stations to promote our artists. We’d pull up the stats and say to the program manager, “We see you played [song/artist we were promoting] x times last week and we’d like you to play it y times.

The program manager might say no because the song/artist stunk. We’d then try to give them incentives to do it like gift cards or some new tech or whatever. If that didn’t work we’d then threaten to limit access to events and artists or even had the option to pull our artists on our label from their station. We always got what we wanted (which is why I don’t listen to music radio stations to this day - the best music doesn’t get played, the most heavily promoted does).

No doubt a lot of that sort of thing happens in sports journalism too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Utah]

I know Clay Travis is a polarizing figure in the sports world but he 'broke' and interesting story last night that has spilled over into today.

A bunch of documents surrounding the University of Tennessee football coaching search were release and in them were some texts exchanged between the Tennessee AD (at the time) and USA TODAY college football writer Dan Wolken. In them, the AD asks Wolken to do some PR for him when it was announced that Greg Schiano would be hired as the next coach (Enter Travis who is a die hard UT fan and quickly started a mob to block the hire). Wolken agrees to help with the PR aspect (he subsequently wrote an article blasting Travis and UT fans and talked up Schiano).

Its an interesting world where a journalist (no doubt he is not the only one) will agree to present a specific viewpoint in exchange for continued access. I wonder how rampant this is and how frequently it happens compared with times prior.

I honestly believe things are better now and more transparent than ever. This has been going on forever and always will. At least we know more of it now.

That being said, interesting that Travis is the one to break it. Seems like petty retaliation to me. The dude is scum of the earth (Travis) and everything wrong with the world right now. He’s a blowhard in it for clicks.

[LuckyUte]

probably the way that world works. I used to work for a major record label as a local rep. We’d go to radio stations to promote our artists. We’d pull up the stats and say to the program manager, “we see you played [song/artist we were promoting] x times last week and we’d like you to play it y times.

The program manager might say no because the song/artist stunk. We’d then try to give them incentives to do it like gift cards or some new tech or whatever. If that didn’t work we’d then threaten to limit access to events and artists or even had the option to pull our artists on our label from their station. We always got what we wanted (which is why i don’t listen to music radio stations to this day - the best music doesn’t get played, the most heavily promoted does).

No doubt a lot of that sort of thing happens in sports journalism too.


Sent from my iphone using tapatalk

payola!!!!!

[UtahsMrSports]

I honestly believe things are better now and more transparent than ever. This has been going on forever and always will. At least we know more of it now.

That being said, interesting that Travis is the one to break it. Seems like petty retaliation to me. The dude is scum of the earth (Travis) and everything wrong with the world right now. He’s a blowhard in it for clicks.

I think travis has a place and is a needed voice in today's world. Sure, his ranting against ESPN gets old but its also refreshing to see someone on the left side of the political spectrum socially go after sjw's when they go too far.

For instance, how many media folks went right along with michael Bennett's story about being racially profiled in Vegas? Well....when the footage was released bennett was proven to have made it all up (at least as far as being profiled). Clay was the only guy i know of to call him on it. We need that in todays world.

[Utah]

I think travis has a place and is a needed voice in today's world. Sure, his ranting against ESPN gets old but its also refreshing to see someone on the left side of the political spectrum socially go after sjw's when they go too far.

For instance, how many media folks went right along with michael Bennett's story about being racially profiled in Vegas? Well....when the footage was released bennett was proven to have made it all up (at least as far as being profiled). Clay was the only guy i know of to call him on it. We need that in todays world.

I disagree about HIS voice. I agree that it is good to have opinions on both sides of the aisle. It's good to try to see issues from other's points of view. '

But his POV is an extremist. He is just as bad as the guys on the other end of the spectrum. He is nothing more than a fear monger, appealing to the basest, most vile fears/emotions in people. He's everything wrong with the world. He makes his money off being loud, whether right or wrong. The ironic thing is, he is everything he claims to stand up against. Be loud, throw shit against the wall, see what sticks.

I have nothing wrong with good journalism and finding out facts and getting to the bottom of things. But, he isn't those things. He'd make a great cult leader/pay for preacher. Same schtick.

[Utah]

I agree that it is good that he dug into the Bennet story. Get it right, don't try to be right is what I try (and fail) to live like.

My issue with him is that he motivation to find out the truth seems to come from a pretty bad place. And while his Bennet story was true, he spews out a lot of trash that only worsens everything.

Is it worth getting one thing right every now and again to put up with all the garbage out there? He's a Rachel Maddow or Keith Olberman or Rush or Hannity. And their voices are there for one reason: to sell commercials. And that sucks. Or, it sucks that so many believe they are in it to find the truth. They aren't. They are in it to get the big bucks. If you stumble on the truth along the way, great, but if not, it's ok, you made those dolla bills.

[DrumNFeather]

His appearance on Arian Foster's podcast was pretty good. Changed Foster's mind about him in a lot of ways.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Rocker Ute]

payola!!!!!

For Destiny’s Child no less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scorcho]

if you're missing Brian Swinney, he and Andrew Garrange have started a new podcast (language)

https://soundcloud.com/dicktosports

They talk about Hill's retirement (to Seattle Ute's horror they discuss if Hill deserves a statue .... on the Hill)

Utah's NIT run

and Utah football and baseball

I've listened to 20 mins of it and its decent.

[UtahsMrSports]

If you follow him at all, you know Clay Travis loves to rip on ESPN. His latest kick is to compare the daily "Get Up!" ratings on ESPN to Peppa Pig on Nickolodeon (the pig wins every day by a mile and its a dumb comparison for obvious reasons).

Hes been hammering on this show for a while. His main argument is that ESPN is spending nearly 15 million a year on salary for the 3 main hosts (michelle beadle, mike greenberg, and jalen rose) plus the cost of a new studio in manhattan after laying out a couple hundred people last year and the result is.........pretty boring.

I dont know the ins and outs of tv ratings, but I wonder how many businesses (be it a doctor's office, restaurant, car repair shop) just turn their tvs onto ESPN for their customers and leave it on all day. I am not trying to make a point here or suggest misleading information, but I really wonder how many people choose to sit down and watch Get Up!.

[sancho]

If you follow him at all, you know Clay Travis loves to rip on ESPN. His latest kick is to compare the daily "Get Up!" ratings on ESPN to Peppa Pig on Nickolodeon (the pig wins every day by a mile and its a dumb comparison for obvious reasons).


My 2 year old love Peppa Pig. I think it's pretty good.

[UBlender]

My 2 year old love Peppa Pig. I think it's pretty good.

Peppa Pig is actually kind of low key hilarious. Daddy Pig is my jam.

[SoCalPat]

If you follow him at all, you know Clay Travis loves to rip on ESPN. His latest kick is to compare the daily "Get Up!" ratings on ESPN to Peppa Pig on Nickolodeon (the pig wins every day by a mile and its a dumb comparison for obvious reasons).

Hes been hammering on this show for a while. His main argument is that ESPN is spending nearly 15 million a year on salary for the 3 main hosts (michelle beadle, mike greenberg, and jalen rose) plus the cost of a new studio in manhattan after laying out a couple hundred people last year and the result is.........pretty boring.

I dont know the ins and outs of tv ratings, but I wonder how many businesses (be it a doctor's office, restaurant, car repair shop) just turn their tvs onto ESPN for their customers and leave it on all day. I am not trying to make a point here or suggest misleading information, but I really wonder how many people choose to sit down and watch Get Up!.

Jalen should only be talking NBA. He's very good at it. Having him talk about other stuff just diminishes him.

Greenberg was with Golic for so long and their show was very good for so long, you had to wonder if he could lift others up around him. Early returns suggest he can't.

I want to like Michelle Beadle. She's talented, but she's no Doris Burke or Sarah Spain.

[Scorcho]

The Pac-12 Conference today reported record performance in total revenues and member distributions for the financial year 2016-2017, driven by strong year-on-year growth in media rights. For the first time ever, Pac-12 revenues topped the $500M mark at $509M total revenues, a 4% increase over the prior year. Member distributions also reached an all-time high at $371M, an 8% increase over the prior year.


http://pac-12.com/article/2018/05/03/pac-12-tops-500m-revenue-mark-strong-growth

that equates to $31 million per school

[UtahsMrSports]

Jim Rome's show, which is on the right wing talk radio station 1430 KLO, has been bumped on Fridays for something called "Latter Day Radio". What a fall from grace.

[SoCalPat]

if you're missing Brian Swinney, he and Andrew Garrange have started a new podcast (language)

https://soundcloud.com/dicktosports

They talk about Hill's retirement (to Seattle Ute's horror they discuss if Hill deserves a statue .... on the Hill)

Utah's NIT run

and Utah football and baseball

I've listened to 20 mins of it and its decent.

Statues are overplayed, and should be saved for coaches and players. But I think the circle in front of the JHC should be renamed Chris Hill Drive, and the address of the JHC changed accordingly. It's where he worked for nearly 40 years, so the space is appropriate too.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Wrong thread.

[sancho]

Well both of you so called fans are wrong! Kuzma or Poeltl never had senior seasons.

Boom!

[Diehard Ute]

Kragthrope is the new Utes beat writer for the Trib

Not sure how I feel about that.

The guy the Trib layed off, Lynn Worthy, was hired by the Kansas City Star today to cover the Chiefs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sancho]

Kragthrope is the new Utes beat writer for the Trib

Not sure how I feel about that.


Been a long time since I read anything Kragthorpe has written.

I think old timey reporters believe their job is to break news. I don't need that in a beat reporter - the news will break either way.

A good beat reporter now is someone who will interact with fans on Twitter and write positive feature articles. Someone who is only critical when necessary and who isn't looking to constantly stir the pot.

[Utebiquitous]

Sancho,
I think we'll see a little of both from Kragthorpe - feature articles and breaking news, probably in that order. I don't think we'll see much pot-stirring. It's not his style. He's been critical at times in his columns but almost apologetically. I hated seeing Lynn Worthy go but Kragthorpe will do a good job.

[sancho]

I don't think we'll see much pot-stirring. It's not his style.

Thanks. That's good to hear. No pot-stirring is probably #1 on my wish list. I certainly don't mind critical takes when warranted.

[UtahsMrSports]

-It appears that Frank Dolce has been replaced on the ESPN 700 football broadcast by Scott Mitchell.

-Speaking of Mitchell, he has been hired to do a nightly sports themed show on KSL radio with Alex Kirry from 7-9. That timeslot has been somewhat of a revolving door since the nightside project went off the air a couple of years ago.

-Spence Checketts announced a couple of weeks ago that 1280 has decided to not bring him back and he said he will announce soon where he is going. Id love to see a Bill and Spence reunion but I dont know.

-I thought this was interesting. http://sportsradiopd.com/2018/07/the-sports-radio-spring-ratings-report/. This confirms what I figured; 1280 is dominant. My only (small) argument with the article is that I dont think this has ever been a three horse race. I have only seen real numbers here and there, but my suspicion is that 1280 has been dominating since the 1280/1320 psuedo merger in 2012. I dont think we have had a true ratings battle since before that.

[LA Ute]

-It appears that Frank Dolce has been replaced on the ESPN 700 football broadcast by Scott Mitchell....

-I thought this was interesting. http://sportsradiopd.com/2018/07/the-sports-radio-spring-ratings-report/. This confirms what I figured; 1280 is dominant.

I’ve always liked Dolce, so I’d hate to see him go. Also, I listen only to podcasts and never to 1280. I’m a Bill Riley fan — I’m surprised that ESPN700 is trailing so badly.

[Diehard Ute]

I’ve always liked Dolce, so I’d hate to see him go. Also, I listen only to podcasts and never to 1280. I’m a Bill Riley fan — I’m surprised that ESPN700 is trailing so badly.

Dolce is out. The U has posted the media guide for the season and it lists Mitchell as the analyst


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

Dolce is out. The U has posted the media guide for the season and it lists Mitchell as the analyst


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So Mitchell is the guy in the booth during games now? I think he’ll be good. Dolce was kind of like a comfortable old shoe. I’ll miss him. Mitchell knows more about football.

[Diehard Ute]

So Mitchell is the guy in the booth during games now? I think he’ll be good. Dolce was kind of like a comfortable old shoe. I’ll miss him. Mitchell knows more about football.

Yup, Riley on the PxP, Mitchell as his booth partner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scorcho]

Yup, Riley on the PxP, Mitchell as his booth partner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

nothing against Mitchell, but I like Dolce. I'm a little bummed by this decision.

[Sullyute]

nothing against Mitchell, but I like Dolce. I'm a little bummed by this decision.

Dolce is great. My wife will even listen to games because Dolce makes her laugh. That is a too bad. He will be missed.

[C-Monster]

nothing against Mitchell, but I like Dolce. I'm a little bummed by this decision.

I'm a bit disappointed Dolce will no longer be doing the games. I liked how he was all Utah. However, I can't help but wonder if Bill Riley had something to do with it. He frequently complained about Dolce getting excited and saying something during "his call".

[SoCalPat]

I'm a bit disappointed Dolce will no longer be doing the games. I liked how he was all Utah. However, I can't help but wonder if Bill Riley had something to do with it. He frequently complained about Dolce getting excited and saying something during "his call".

Dolce never could learn that lesson. I'm sure it infuriated his broadcast partners over the years.

[UBlender]

I'm struggling to remember who did color on the radio broadcasts with Marcroft before Dolce. It snuck up on me, but Frank must have had a 20-25 year run in the booth. Anyone remember who held that spot before Frank?

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Gordon Monson and Jake Scott call Troy Williams up for an interview and try over and over again to get him to spout some negativity regarding his senior year. Like the consummate teammate and overall quality human being, Troy never takes the bait.

http://www.1280thezone.com/troy-williams-advice-to-qbs-who-arent-named-starter-stay-ready-you-never-know-what-could-happen/

[sancho]

Gordon Monson and Jake Scott call Troy Williams up for an interview and try over and over again to get him to spout some negativity regarding his senior year. Like the consummate teammate and overall quality human being, Troy never takes the bait.

http://www.1280thezone.com/troy-williams-advice-to-qbs-who-arent-named-starter-stay-ready-you-never-know-what-could-happen/

You do you, Gordon!

[LA Ute]

I'm struggling to remember who did color on the radio broadcasts with Marcroft before Dolce. It snuck up on me, but Frank must have had a 20-25 year run in the booth. Anyone remember who held that spot before Frank?

Neal Hancey of the Alumni Association did it for many years.

[Sullyute]

Gordon Monson and Jake Scott call Troy Williams up for an interview and try over and over again to get him to spout some negativity regarding his senior year. Like the consummate teammate and overall quality human being, Troy never takes the bait.

http://www.1280thezone.com/troy-williams-advice-to-qbs-who-arent-named-starter-stay-ready-you-never-know-what-could-happen/

You lost me at Gordon Monson. Hard Pass.

[Diehard Ute]

I'm struggling to remember who did color on the radio broadcasts with Marcroft before Dolce. It snuck up on me, but Frank must have had a 20-25 year run in the booth. Anyone remember who held that spot before Frank?

2017 was 25 years according to the media guides


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scorcho]

I recall being over-the-top excited for Utah's first PAC-12 media day. Now its just unlistenable/unwatchable fluff.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I recall being over-the-top excited for Utah's first PAC-12 media day. Now its just unlistenable/unwatchable fluff.

I appreciate the PAC-12 not following in the footsteps of the other P5 conferences that make exciting announcements and developments at their media day. We are content with announcements that more games with have shorter half times, dammit!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sancho]

I appreciate the PAC-12 not following in the footsteps of the other P5 conferences that make exciting announcements and developments at their media day. We are content with announcements that more games with have shorter half times, dammit!


Were there exciting announcements from the other P5 conferences' media days? The closest thing to an exciting announcement I can remember is that Auburn has joined Alabama in wanting 9 conference games.

[sancho]

Stanford didn't bring Bryce Love to Pac-12 media days, citing summer coursework as the reason.

The media whined for a day about not getting to interview the pac-12's best player. Dennis Dodd called it a "dangerous" precedent. Stanford made Love available to via a Skype interview...in which nothing of note was said. Thank goodness we were finally able to hear the best athlete in the conference offer canned responses to tired questions.

[Scorcho]

Dolce was on with Bill Riley today.

Said he was disappointed with the decision by the University to remove him from the broadcast booth, still doesn't know why?

:confused:

[concerned]

Dolce was on with Bill Riley today.

Said he was disappointed with the decision by the University to remove him from the broadcast booth, still doesn't know why?

:confused:

Is the party line that the U made the decision, not espn 700?

[LA Ute]

Is the party line that the U made the decision, not espn 700?

I didn’t know the U had that authority but it makes sense that they would. Seems odd that Riley would not know why Dolce was dumped.

[Scorcho]

I didn’t know the U had that authority but it makes sense that they would. Seems odd that Riley would not know why Dolce was dumped.

listened to it again this morning and Dolce keeps referencing the department made the decision? I assume that's the athletic department? "said they wanted to go in a different direction"

[Diehard Ute]

listened to it again this morning and Dolce keeps referencing the department made the decision? I assume that's the athletic department? "said they wanted to go in a different direction"

Athletics has always had say in that area.

People either loved or hated Dolce.

I like him as a person, I wasn’t real fond of him as the color guy, to me he was always more cheerleader than analyst.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

Athletics has always had say in that area.

People either loved or hated Dolce.

I like him as a person, I wasn’t real fond of him as the color guy, to me he was always more cheerleader than analyst.


Mitchell knows a lot about football and has a lot more experience actually playing the game than Frank. I think he will be very insightful color commentator. Also, he has a calm demeanor. I can’t imagine him getting overwhelmed with excitement during a game. (I will say that Greg Wrubell’s constant 13 year-old girl screaming fits make it fun to listen to him for a minute or two once or twice a season.)

[Utebiquitous]

Diehard,
I completely agree with you. I really like Frank. It's always bothered me that he wasn't more insightful on the broadcasts because he's such a smart, well-spoken, good guy. I've actually tuned in a few times to radio interviews with Frank where he demonstrates that better than he ever did as the color guy. Frankly, some of the blame may go to Bill - who doesn't give his color guys enough time to talk in my opinion.

[UTEopia]

Mitchell knows a lot about football and has a lot more experience actually playing the game than Frank. I think he will be very insightful color commentator. Also, he has a calm demeanor. I can’t imagine him getting overwhelmed with excitement during a game. (I will say that Greg Wrubell’s constant 13 year-old girl screaming fits make it fun to listen to him for a minute or two once or twice a season.)

I know and like Frank. However, his insight on Utah football was limited. He spent 0 time at practice and I don't really think he watched much film of Utah or its opponents. Over the past few years I have listened to Mitchell on the radio. After the first few times, I made it a point to listen to his recordings. I don't know if he went to practice, but it was clear that he had watched games and given them more than a cursory review. I don't listen to the radio broadcasts because I am usually at the games, but I now might be tempted to turn down the sound and listen to the radio broadcast when watching on television.

[Sullyute]

I don't listen to the radio broadcasts because I am usually at the games, but I now might be tempted to turn down the sound and listen to the radio broadcast when watching on television.

The 7 second radio delay makes it hard to listen while watching. But the insight of Bill, Bo, and Scott may be worth it.

[U-Ute]

I know and like Frank. However, his insight on Utah football was limited. He spent 0 time at practice and I don't really think he watched much film of Utah or its opponents. Over the past few years I have listened to Mitchell on the radio. After the first few times, I made it a point to listen to his recordings. I don't know if he went to practice, but it was clear that he had watched games and given them more than a cursory review. I don't listen to the radio broadcasts because I am usually at the games, but I now might be tempted to turn down the sound and listen to the radio broadcast when watching on television.

This. I love Mitchell’s interviews. I liked Dolce but I’m intrigued to what Mitchell can bring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scorcho]

Ben Anderson and Kyle Gunther have grown on me. They are a pretty good radio duo. I find Ben Anderson pretty knowledgeable and pretty funny.

[Sullyute]

Ben Anderson and Kyle Gunther have grown on me. They are a pretty good radio duo. I find Ben Anderson pretty knowledgeable and pretty funny.

Glad to see another person in the Gunther/Ben fan club.

[concerned]

Ben Anderson and Kyle Gunther have grown on me. They are a pretty good radio duo. I find Ben Anderson pretty knowledgeable and pretty funny.

Gunther needed somebody who could play Abbott to his Costello, Martin to his Lewis, or Rowan to his Martin. He and Hackett were just two clowns on stream of consciousness. Anderson brings analysis, insight, and information to the broadcast, and ties Gunther to reality to some extent.

[U-Ute]

Ben Anderson and Kyle Gunther have grown on me. They are a pretty good radio duo. I find Ben Anderson pretty knowledgeable and pretty funny.

He's definitely a better straight man to Kyle's antics than Tom.

[UtahsMrSports]

https://twitter.com/thebrianswinney/status/1026979760117669890

Swinney with some interesting thoughts on KG. I disagree with him about KG's talents and while I know he worked hard, I also think Swinney is fairly out of touch with this market as well.

[concerned]

https://twitter.com/thebrianswinney/status/1026979760117669890

Swinney with some interesting thoughts on KG. I disagree with him about KG's talents and while I know he worked hard, I also think Swinney is fairly out of touch with this market as well.

He is absolutely right about Gunther being extremely lazy and unprepared. And a blowhard. And not a nice person to coworkers. But Swinney is hurting himself with this extended grudge.

[UtahsMrSports]

He is absolutely right about Gunther being extremely lazy and unprepared. And a blowhard. And not a nice person to coworkers. But Swinney is hurting himself with this extended grudge.

Somewhere in the replies, Swinney said his career in radio is over and that he likes what hes doing now. But I agree, hopefully he moves on.

John La Follette (former producer on ESPN 700) weighed in as well saying he enjoyed his time at 700 and that Gunther was the only one he didn't get along with.

The infamous 'Munther' story still makes me laugh and shake my head...........How does someone who behaves that way not get instantly fired, much less another job in the same industry? Together with the time he got suspended for a week from 1280 in 2012, he seems to have some real anger issues that i hope he can get a handle on; perhaps he already has, as he has now managed to go through 2 Pac-12 media days at ESPN 700 without getting kicked out,

[concerned]

Somewhere in the replies, Swinney said his career in radio is over and that he likes what hes doing now. But I agree, hopefully he moves on.

John La Follette (former producer on ESPN 700) weighed in as well saying he enjoyed his time at 700 and that Gunther was the only one he didn't get along with.

The infamous 'Munther' story still makes me laugh and shake my head...........How does someone who behaves that way not get instantly fired, much less another job in the same industry? Together with the time he got suspended for a week from 1280 in 2012, he seems to have some real anger issues that i hope he can get a handle on; perhaps he already has, as he has now managed to go through 2 Pac-12 media days at ESPN 700 without getting kicked out,


LaFollette quit because of Gunther, about 3 months after Gunther replaced OC. Gunther drove him crazy because the producers would prepare a schedule for the show, guests, topics, etc., and Gunther (i) would never prepare to ask appropriate questions, or (ii) would disregard the schedule altogether and just do what he wanted, which was spout b s on and on.

[LA Ute]

I listen to selected podcast interviews from Riley’s show. Sometimes I listen live while in my car via the TuneIn app, or when I’m in SLC. I never listen to Gunther and am amazed he’s given a show anywhere.

[Sullyute]

I only care about college football so I find the Gunther hate kind of comical. Other than Hans Olsen, is there any local media member that knows more about the sport?

I know there are some BYU oriented stations with ex-players, but why would I listen to them for insight on the Utes?

[UtahsMrSports]

I only care about college football so I find the Gunther hate kind of comical. Other than Hans Olsen, is there any local media member that knows more about the sport?

I know there are some BYU oriented stations with ex-players, but why would I listen to them for insight on the Utes?

To answer your first question, no there is not. I would counter by saying that all the knowledge in the world is irrelevant if you don't bother preparing and wing it (confirmed by too many people now to really argue) or worse blatantly make stuff up.

[SoCalPat]

To answer your first question, no there is not. I would counter by saying that all the knowledge in the world is irrelevant if you don't bother preparing and wing it (confirmed by too many people now to really argue) or worse blatantly make stuff up.

It's real easy to fall into the trap of winging it. Especially in the summer in a non-MLB city, where nobody really cares about the "news of the day," everyone's counting the days to football, and even misinformed football talk is better than no football talk. You can get away with it then. What wrinkles my brow is how someone as ill-prepared as Gunther hasn't been totally exposed in what I've long considered to be an over-saturated market. (Actually, that was a rhetorical question -- I know the answer: They get better jobs elsewhere, like Ian Furniss, for example).

[Sullyute]

To answer your first question, no there is not. I would counter by saying that all the knowledge in the world is irrelevant if you don't bother preparing and wing it (confirmed by too many people now to really argue) or worse blatantly make stuff up.

When it comes to the non-prep and making stuff-up accusations, is that in regards to other sports or recruiting? He seems to be very prepared on Utah and PAC12 football. I am admittedly one of the least knowledgeable regarding sports on this board, so I would like to know if I am being misinformed. I am not trying to be combative, I truly value your opinion on this.

[UtahsMrSports]

When it comes to the non-prep and making stuff-up accusations, is that in regards to other sports or recruiting? He seems to be very prepared on Utah and PAC12 football. I am admittedly one of the least knowledgeable regarding sports on this board, so I would like to know if I am being misinformed. I am not trying to be combative, I truly value your opinion on this.

Swinney, having done 50 shows with Gunther over the years says that Kyle uses the Phil Steele guide for his takes. So while you may not be getting made up info about college football as a whole, it appears he doesn't try to keep up to date. Even here among the Utes, I don't get the impression that he has deep connections on the team, nor does he ever break any news.

Both Ben and Gunther make stuff up about the NBA and while I have low expectations of Kyle, it disappoints me when Ben does it. They like to pull what I call a Peter Vecsey maneuver........"This player seems like he would be a good fit to me for the Jazz, and therefore they will try to sign him or trade for him." Obviously, that is not how things work and they did it throughout the draft/offseason.

From my observations, what makes KG so unpopular at least here on the internet is that he has breathtakingly thin skin. Oh you disagree with him? Well, it doesn't matter because you didn't play for 4 years and so he is right and you are wrong by default. By the way, you're now blocked from his twitter feed for this outrage. Oh you are skeptical about something he said? Well here is a DM trashing you and calling you names and again, youre wrong because he played 4 years at Utah and youre also blocked. He is very weak at making an argument. In his mind, he can say whatever he wants and his "career" is all the back up he needs. Certainly, a 4 year career means a lot, but its not even close to a trump card.

[Sullyute]

Swinney, having done 50 shows with Gunther over the years says that Kyle uses the Phil Steele guide for his takes. So while you may not be getting made up info about college football as a whole, it appears he doesn't try to keep up to date. Even here among the Utes, I don't get the impression that he has deep connections on the team, nor does he ever break any news.

Both Ben and Gunther make stuff up about the NBA and while I have low expectations of Kyle, it disappoints me when Ben does it. They like to pull what I call a Peter Vecsey maneuver........"This player seems like he would be a good fit to me for the Jazz, and therefore they will try to sign him or trade for him." Obviously, that is not how things work and they did it throughout the draft/offseason.

From my observations, what makes KG so unpopular at least here on the internet is that he has breathtakingly thin skin. Oh you disagree with him? Well, it doesn't matter because you didn't play for 4 years and so he is right and you are wrong by default. By the way, you're now blocked from his twitter feed for this outrage. Oh you are skeptical about something he said? Well here is a DM trashing you and calling you names and again, youre wrong because he played 4 years at Utah and youre also blocked. He is very weak at making an argument. In his mind, he can say whatever he wants and his "career" is all the back up he needs. Certainly, a 4 year career means a lot, but its not even close to a trump card.

UMS, thanks for the detailed response. I can see how those issues can rub some people the wrong way.

[UtahsMrSports]

Our old pal, the quote tweeting machine Tony Jones is leaving the sl trib. Bill Riley tweeted something like "woah! I had no idea... *wink emoji*" Tony to ESPN 700?

[SoCalPat]

Our old pal, the quote tweeting machine Tony Jones is leaving the sl trib. Bill Riley tweeted something like "woah! I had no idea... *wink emoji*" Tony to ESPN 700?

It would be a great move by Tony, a pre-emptive strike of sorts against a future layoff, either at the Trib or another newspaper. But his experience with Utah sports was short and he's been with the Jazz for several years. What would Riley bring him in to do?

[UBlender]

Our old pal, the quote tweeting machine Tony Jones is leaving the sl trib. Bill Riley tweeted something like "woah! I had no idea... *wink emoji*" Tony to ESPN 700?

For weeks I've been seeing whispers that The Athletic was going to get someone in SLC to cover the Jazz and local colleges. I think Tony would make a lot of sense in that role. My bet is that Bill Riley knew about these same whispers and that is what is happening.

[sancho]

The Athletic

I hate that site. Pay a monthly fee to read some dude's power rankings? No thanks.

[SoCalPat]

I hate that site. Pay a monthly fee to read some dude's power rankings? No thanks.

Yeah. It's a lot more than that.

[sancho]

Yeah. It's a lot more than that.

I used to read all those guys. Every article. The thing that you notice once they start charging money is that they really weren't adding to your understanding. I know as much (or little) as I did before. The difference is that I have more time because I don't read as many articles. There's just no way I'm going to spend money on stuff I can get for free.

[Diehard Ute]

Interesting to see Dolce suddenly becoming a twitter warrior after almost never doing social media when he was on the broadcast team


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

I heard Jordan Wynn on yesterday as the Monday Morning Quarterback. I guess Dolce is 100% gone. Wynn sounded very good, much less quirky than Dolce.

[Diehard Ute]

I heard Jordan Wynn on yesterday as the Monday Morning Quarterback. I guess Dolce is 100% gone. Wynn sounded very good, much less quirky than Dolce.

Dolce is working for 1280


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

Dolce is working for 1280

Aha. He's joined the ranks of broadcasters I never listen to.

[LA Ute]

I’m hearing a broadcast right now on KSL radio, where Scott Mitchell is one of the cohosts. Apparently he does this a couple of nights a week. Is this new? Can the color guy for Utah football be a regular on a KSL sports show?

[Diehard Ute]

I’m hearing a broadcast right now on KSL radio, where Scott Mitchell is one of the cohosts. Apparently he does this a couple of nights a week. Is this new? Can the color guy for Utah football be a regular on a KSL sports show?

He was doing the ksl stuff before ESPN700

And yeah, Dolce did TV and radio appearances the last couple of years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

He was doing the ksl stuff before ESPN700

And yeah, Dolce did TV and radio appearances the last couple of years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had no idea. Shows you what a guy like me misses by not living in Utah and never listening to KSL radio.

[Brian]

I was hoping that Mitchell would be on 700 more during the week with bill. I really like Mitchell’s perspective.

[SoCalPat]

I've had to listen to more games this year than ever before, and I normally enjoy Bill, Scott and Tom. But Saturday's game was not one of the group's finest moments. Bill had to correct himself so many times in the booth, I thought the least he could do was pay homage to Bill Marcroft and say "Check it," before each of his corrections. Their analysis of the targeting call and passing on a 60-yard FG before halftime was right up Fanboy Alley. Mitchell has gotten better at describing coverages, especially when Utah is on defense, but still sounds cliched in spots. Hackett had one great bit of insight on ASU's missed FG, but needs to get better about conveying Really Important Information from the sidelines more concisely and descriptively.

[UBlender]

Circumstances forced me to listen to most of Saturday's game before suffering through the recording later. I agree on the initial targeting call--they made it sound like the most egregious call of all time. Now, in my biased opinion I think when a defender is visibly trying to let up (as our guy appeared to be) he shouldn't be punished. But that is how they've been calling it and based on the rule and the general interpretation that wasn't that bad of a call.

I was getting frustrated because when Utah was on defense Bill would rarely say which Utah player made a tackle unless it was a TFL or big stop. At times I had to wonder whether Chase Hansen was even playing because I never heard who made the tackle on most running plays.

[UtahsMrSports]

Bill and Scott are still working on their chemistry, as is the production team. There was a moment in saturday's game where Bill took it to break, but then you could still hear their conversation for a good 5-6 seconds before the commercials kicked on. I have noticed a few wrubellian moments from them where they will be beside themselves over a call.

[Rocker Ute]

Bill and Scott are still working on their chemistry, as is the production team. There was a moment in saturday's game where Bill took it to break, but then you could still hear their conversation for a good 5-6 seconds before the commercials kicked on. I have noticed a few wrubellian moments from them where they will be beside themselves over a call.

"Wrubellian" - lol classic


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scorcho]

hmmmm ... Spence Checkets coming back to ESPN 700

https://twitter.com/espn700bill/status/1060940482832871424

:drunk:

Spence is actually very good IMO

[Sullyute]

hmmmm ... Spence Checkets coming back to ESPN 700

https://twitter.com/espn700bill/status/1060940482832871424

:drunk:

Spence is actually very good IMO

I might actually listen now. I like listening to a conversation/discussion and not a monologue. Glad that Bill is giving Spence a fourth, fifth...? second chance.

[UtahsMrSports]

Spence just launched a new podcast. I think its just a call in interview/promo and bill is doing a throwback for old times sake.

[LA Ute]

So Gunther and Ben are toast?

[UtahsMrSports]

So Gunther and Ben are toast?

Still around, im guessing until next year when their contracts are up. Spence might become a once a week segment with Bill, but hes not coming on full time right now.

[Sullyute]

Still around, im guessing until next year when their contracts are up. Spence might become a once a week segment with Bill, but hes not coming on full time right now.

That makes more sense given the circumstances.

[UtahsMrSports]

So this whole ESPN 700 v 1280 the zone, Porter Larsen vs Gordon Monson thing has been fun to follow.......

The tl;dr version..........Monson wrote a column about Troy Taylor being pushed out (according to Gordon's sources), Troy was interviewed on 700 by Ben Anderson and Larsen wherein he refuted just about everything Monson had said, without mentioning the column. Larsen took to twitter to critique the column, saying it was essentially wrong and that Monson only occasionally is seen up on the hill talking to players and coaches, while Larsen is there everyday. Lloyd Cole (1280 program director) and Austin Horton took to twitter to fire back at Larsen (which he turned right around with some excellent GIFs). Jake Scott and Gordon Monson spent the opening segment of the big show yesterday to rip on Larsen, calling him a "punk kid".

[Sullyute]

I am light years away from any of this, but I know Monson well enough to know he doesn't know anything about anything. Not one single thing about any single topic. It's amazing that he gets paid to discuss sports.

Agreed, 110%. The only beneficial thing he has brought to Utah sports is the quote aimed at him from Boylen, “Nice of you to show up!”

[LA Ute]

I am light years away from any of this, but I know Monson well enough to know he doesn't know anything about anything. Not one single thing about any single topic. It's amazing that he gets paid to discuss sports.

To me what’s most repulsive about him is that he seems so cynical — he seems to know exactly what he’s doing, that he’s lazy and that he makes his living by stirring up controversy without regard to whether what he says is even true.

[UtahsMrSports]

Update: Lloyd Cole, the program director of 1280, apologized for his tweets in what was a decent (if clearly employer mandated) apology. However, he kept the offending tweets up............

Jake and Gordo had a segment at the bottom of the first hour of their show yesterday where they led off with an audio clip of Spence Eccles saying he enjoyed and agreed with Gordon's column. They then spent some time flexing about how that proves that Gordon was right. They then acknowledged that they had gone too far in how they went after Porter Larsen and apologized. Gordon mentioned that he had left a voicemail for porter too, but wanted to publicly apologize. They then went right back to flexing and talking about how they were right. My favorite part was that Gordon said, essentially, "In the past, people close to and involved in the Utes football program have played me and everybody else. But you need to believe me about this because my sources are close to and in the Utes football program". (Hes referring to the Whitt to BYU saga of a few years ago).

Several folks on twitter brought up the time our old pal comrade crimson got him to report a fake hiring to replace urban.

I am going to go ahead and stick with the reports of a guy who spends nearly every day around the team over a columnist who doesn't show up much and has a history of trolling.

[Rocker Ute]

Gordon Monson is a former neighbor of mine. I would put zero credence in anything he says ever, and that has nothing to do with sports reporting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[UtahsMrSports]

Gordon Monson is a former neighbor of mine. I would put zero credence in anything he says ever, and that has nothing to do with sports reporting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I feel like theres more here.........

[concerned]

Update: Lloyd Cole, the program director of 1280, apologized for his tweets in what was a decent (if clearly employer mandated) apology. However, he kept the offending tweets up............

Jake and Gordo had a segment at the bottom of the first hour of their show yesterday where they led off with an audio clip of Spence Eccles saying he enjoyed and agreed with Gordon's column. They then spent some time flexing about how that proves that Gordon was right. They then acknowledged that they had gone too far in how they went after Porter Larsen and apologized. Gordon mentioned that he had left a voicemail for porter too, but wanted to publicly apologize. They then went right back to flexing and talking about how they were right. My favorite part was that Gordon said, essentially, "In the past, people close to and involved in the Utes football program have played me and everybody else. But you need to believe me about this because my sources are close to and in the Utes football program". (Hes referring to the Whitt to BYU saga of a few years ago).

Several folks on twitter brought up the time our old pal comrade crimson got him to report a fake hiring to replace urban.

I am going to go ahead and stick with the reports of a guy who spends nearly every day around the team over a columnist who doesn't show up much and has a history of trolling.


I followed that on twitter a bit, and thought Porter Larson owned them. He was right to call them out, and they were childish to attack him personally, which i took to be an admission that Larson was correct.

[SoCalPat]

Finally got around to reading the piece, and there's one of two conclusions I can draw: Monson's insistence that Troy was being forced out is coming from someone who is intimately involved with Kyle in running the program, or is completely made up out of thin air. Not much room for in-between here, unless the aforementioned source is just clueless and overstating things.

My theory is, is when someone provides dirt, but doesn't want their name attached to it, that they will appear later in the story as a quoted source (It's my .02 this happened with Chris Hill and the Oregonian's takedown of the league and Larry Scott). Gary's also not at Utah anymore, and has a documented past about being chatty with sports writers. Wouldn't be surprised at all if he's the "according to ..." Monson mentions at the top of the piece.

Just about everything else is stuff that's been said before ... except now we've flat-out conceded that the offense that we run has Kyle as its architect. There's no speculation as to whether Kyle sticks his nose in the offense's business -- he's neck-deep in making it known what he wants done and how it should be done.

[Rocker Ute]

Finally got around to reading the piece, and there's one of two conclusions I can draw: Monson's insistence that Troy was being forced out is coming from someone who is intimately involved with Kyle in running the program, or is completely made up out of thin air. Not much room for in-between here, unless the aforementioned source is just clueless and overstating things.


I guarantee it is the latter, and this isn't a defense of Kyle, it is a condemnation of Monson's journalistic and personal integrity.

[SoCalPat]

I guarantee it is the latter, and this isn't a defense of Kyle, it is a condemnation of Monson's journalistic and personal integrity.

Monson doesn't have free reign to drop the "according to sources" line without telling his editor who his sources are, or at the very least with the understanding he has to provide an answer when his editor asks.

[Rocker Ute]

Monson doesn't have free reign to drop the "according to sources" line without telling his editor who his sources are, or at the very least with the understanding he has to provide an answer when his editor asks.

Well apparently it is a low bar when at times his claimed "sources" were Mr Crimson on UFN.

I'll put it this way, I'll put more stock in what a guy like Larsen says who has put in the legwork and has the relationships with the program over Monson and his highly questionable track record. I can't recall a time a journalist has outright called out another journalist like that.

This is a guy who did this in the past and then when proved wrong stated it was how he imagined it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SoCalPat]

Well apparently it is a low bar when at times his claimed "sources" were Mr Crimson on UFN.

I'll put it this way, I'll put more stock in what a guy like Larsen says who has put in the legwork and has the relationships with the program over Monson and his highly questionable track record. I can't recall a time a journalist has outright called out another journalist like that.

This is a guy who did this in the past and then when proved wrong stated it was how he imagined it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The Tom Anstutz instance — which was brilliant — never appeared in print. It was something Monson blurted out on his moonlighting gig on STR. There’s a massive difference in the standards applied between print and STR. Hell, I even once fell for “fake news” during the great expansion days of 2011 while doing my radio gig. Fortunately, we got it corrected by the time we went to commercial.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Didn't Monson print a story about when 5*, future All-American Phil Indablank signed?

[Solon]

The N.Y. Times on the Pac-12's financial situation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/sports/rose-bowl-pac12.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage


This was nice:


[. . .] the league, which houses the traditional power Southern California and more recent contenders like Stanford, Oregon and Utah.

[LA Ute]

Quite a saga.

Spence Checketts' reality check: Rebuilding his life and career while helping others affected by addiction after DUI

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900050354/spence-checkettss-reality-check-rebuilding-his-life-and-career-while-helping-others-affected-by-addiction-after-dui.html?user=app

[UTEopia]

Quite a saga.

Spence Checketts' reality check: Rebuilding his life and career while helping others affected by addiction after DUI

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900050354/spence-checkettss-reality-check-rebuilding-his-life-and-career-while-helping-others-affected-by-addiction-after-dui.html?user=app

Checketts' is fortunate. My most recent LDS Church assignment was to serve with my wife as a sponsor for women incarcerated in the Atherton Treatment Facility, a halfway house of sorts for women trying to overcome addiction. It is a difficult situation. Most of these women have little or no education or training, have little or inadequate family support and are fighting many physical, mental and emotional issues in addition to addiction. They are required to be employed while in the Center and most leave the center after 3 to 6 months. Unfortunately, as a result of limited education and skills, they are stuck in $10-12 an hour jobs and in overpriced housing. One of our last women, was released shortly before having a baby. She wasn't ready, but the State did not want to pay for her having the baby. She was placed in an unfurnished studio apartment on State Street where she paid $800 per month plus utilities. She walked a little over a mile each way to her job at a Maverick. I have very little hope for her or her little girl. We love stories about people who pick themselves up with their bootstraps and make a successful comeback. This is difficult to do, however, when you lack both boots and bootstraps. I don't know how we address the issue of addiction, poverty and lack of education. The problem is growing. We throw money at it but at the same time drastically reduce mental healthcare.

[Sullyute]

That was a pretty good article. Thanks for the link.

[Scorcho]

is there a consensus on Scott Mitchell calling Ute Football games on the radio? Maybe I'm old fashioned but I still prefer Dolce. I don't care that he viewed everything through crimson colored glasses or that he was a little goofy/unprofessional. Nothing against Mitchell, but I liked Dolce's passion for all things Utah. It was like watching/listening to a game with a friend.

[Sullyute]

is there a consensus on Scott Mitchell calling Ute Football games on the radio? Maybe I'm old fashioned but I still prefer Dolce. I don't care that he viewed everything through crimson colored glasses or that he was a little goofy/unprofessional. Nothing against Mitchell, but I liked Dolce's passion for all things Utah. It was like watching/listening to a game with a friend.

I loved Dolce on the broadcast and generally listened to 3-4 games on the radio a season. Fortunately for me, I was able to watch all the games last year so I didn’t get to hear Mitchell. I tried listening to a couple of the podcasts that Mitchell and Jason Buck put out but didn’t really like it so I stopped listening. I think your analogy of Frank being like an old friend is spot on.

[UTEopia]

I loved Dolce on the broadcast and generally listened to 3-4 games on the radio a season. Fortunately for me, I was able to watch all the games last year so I didn’t get to hear Mitchell. I tried listening to a couple of the podcasts that Mitchell and Jason Buck put out but didn’t really like it so I stopped listening. I think your analogy of Frank being like an old friend is spot on.

I like Frank. However, at least when I was working with the football team Frank rarely showed up and the result is that he had terrible information about players and the team. He mostly made things up as he went. I find Mitchell to be much more knowledgeable about football but less entertaining. I will take knowledge over entertainment value.

[mUUser]

You can still hear Dolce on either Thursday or Friday nights during High School season......if you're into Utah HS football......which I am.

[UtahsMrSports]

Gunther and Ben are out at 700. Spence checketts takes over.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Gunther and Ben are out at 700. Spence checketts takes over.

Has anyone in the history of time gotten more second chances than Spence Checketts?!

Also, I was watching an interview that Gunther was giving Ludwig. Gunther acted like he couldn’t care any less about what he was doing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sullyute]

Gunther and Ben are out at 700. Spence checketts takes over.

Did his dad buy the station or something? I don’t mind Spence for his knowledge of basketball, but it is football season and I really liked Gunther’s insight ( I know this is not a popular take around these parts).

[UtahsMrSports]

Did his dad buy the station or something? I don’t mind Spence for his knowledge of basketball, but it is football season and I really liked Gunther’s insight ( I know this is not a popular take around these parts).

When I saw the news, you were one of the first people I thought of, haha. (I know we rarely interact but ill always appreciate the moment you stuck up for me in the infamous Dehlin-Kate Kelly thread when someone else was really attacking me, even though you and I have different views on that topic.)

I dont wish a job loss on anyone. Its hell. I hope Gunther and Ben are able to find something they enjoy quickly. I hope (though I dont believe itll happen) that Ben can hang around and continue with Salt City Hoops. I think Gunther and Ben could potentially have a decent podcast. In fact, that might be the optimal format for them.

Its unfortunate that news of this broke with a promo for Spence's new show accidentally being posted to the ESPN 700 website. I hope Gunther and Ben were treated with dignity and respect as their show came to an end.

I have ranted about Gunther before, so I am not going to kick the guy while he is down now. I hope this brings more listeners to 700 and I hope the best for Gunther and Ben.

[Diehard Ute]

When I saw the news, you were one of the first people I thought of, haha. (I know we rarely interact but ill always appreciate the moment you stuck up for me in the infamous Dehlin-Kate Kelly thread when someone else was really attacking me, even though you and I have different views on that topic.)

I dont wish a job loss on anyone. Its hell. I hope Gunther and Ben are able to find something they enjoy quickly. I hope (though I dont believe itll happen) that Ben can hang around and continue with Salt City Hoops. I think Gunther and Ben could potentially have a decent podcast. In fact, that might be the optimal format for them.

Its unfortunate that news of this broke with a promo for Spence's new show accidentally being posted to the ESPN 700 website. I hope Gunther and Ben were treated with dignity and respect as their show came to an end.

I have ranted about Gunther before, so I am not going to kick the guy while he is down now. I hope this brings more listeners to 700 and I hope the best for Gunther and Ben.


The owner of 700 doesn’t tend to care about ratings or quality, as many of the odd moves his stations make often show


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[SoCalPat]

I loved Dolce on the broadcast and generally listened to 3-4 games on the radio a season. Fortunately for me, I was able to watch all the games last year so I didn’t get to hear Mitchell. I tried listening to a couple of the podcasts that Mitchell and Jason Buck put out but didn’t really like it so I stopped listening. I think your analogy of Frank being like an old friend is spot on.

I like Mitchell. He tended to be much more honest about Tyler's play than I remember Dolce being. When it comes to telling us things on the offensive side of the ball, Scott was decent last year. Not as much insight as when we were on defense. Lots of polish needed with regard to his delivery and being concise, but lots of promise, too. Dolce also acted the fool too often by cheering over Bill's call of big plays, which was annoying as all get out.

[UtahsMrSports]

Has anyone been following the "Jody Genessy on the Utes beat" storyline?

Without social media, this is a 100% non issue but in 2019, it has become an interesting story.

The quick version, if you haven't been paying attention, is that Jody was the long time beat writer for the Jazz at the DesNews. During that time, he had a number of run-ins with "Ute twitter". And by "run ins", I mean fights that stretched out over multiple days where Jody was clearly very angry and worked up. (He is a big BYU fan). He would block everyone who even "liked" tweets that opposed him (example: me!).

Jody has a lot of struggles in his personal life. His weight has been a significant problem for him (I think he is 5'7 or so and has been up around 375 according to his blog) that adds to his demeanor. He has talked about depression and anxiety issues. Several years ago, he got off the Jazz beat and got his weight under control. He was reassigned to be a more general interest sports writer. He hasrecently spiraled again in the last year, gaining back 120 pounds and recently is going through a divorce.

That brings us to now where he was again reassigned to the Utes beat. He had to unblock literally hundreds of accounts in order to appeal to ute fans.

I like him as a journalist. He puts a lot of effort into covering the beat and has a genuine talent for it. So people who simply read him in the paper or online probably love the additional coverage.

But for "ute twitter" his past looms large. And barely one month into this new assignment, he has been chased off twitter because a couple of "jokes" as he callsl them (I would absolutely put it more towards trolling) haven't gone well. (He tweeted a couple of pictures of empty sections at RES on saturday which is more tired than it is trolling).

I think VegasUte put it well when he told Jody that the reason he is being panned right now is that family/friends are able to take shots at each other, but outsiders aren't. And right now, Jody is an outsider.

I hope he gets the help he needs. He is clearly not well. IMO, whoever assigned him to the Utes beat was setting him up for failure and really did him a disservice.

[sancho]

Has anyone been following the "Jody Genessy on the Utes beat" storyline?


I haven't been following. Thanks for the update.

Ute Twitter is sick and needs to quarantine itself in order to recover. Until they stop following and responding to BYU people (especially BYU trolls), I can't see this group as anything worth paying attention to.

For Genessy, the solution is simple. No one needs to read his stuff. We already have plenty of media sources to turn to.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

:blink:

1173694063184420865

[Diehard Ute]

:blink:

1173694063184420865

Whoever asked the question needs to work on their a and e sounds


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[LuckyUte]

I haven't been following. Thanks for the update.

Ute Twitter is sick and needs to quarantine itself in order to recover. Until they stop following and responding to BYU people (especially BYU trolls), I can't see this group as anything worth paying attention to.

For Genessy, the solution is simple. No one needs to read his stuff. We already have plenty of media sources to turn to.

I have never read this guy's work and probably won't, but I have to say that Kamrani is killing it on The Athletic with some great coverage.

[UtahsMrSports]

Both Gunther and Ben now have new jobs. Ben will be covering the JAzz for KSL and Gunther will be hosting on KBER 101 on saturday mornings from 6-10. I cant imagine that pays well.

[Applejack]

Both Gunther and Ben now have new jobs. Ben will be covering the JAzz for KSL and Gunther will be hosting on KBER 101 on saturday mornings from 6-10. I cant imagine that pays well.

KBER!?!?!?! IS Kber still a thing? Well, I guess I can now find out who Gunther is, at least.

[Scorcho]

Both Gunther and Ben now have new jobs. Ben will be covering the JAzz for KSL and Gunther will be hosting on KBER 101 on saturday mornings from 6-10. I cant imagine that pays well.

I am a huge Ben fan, he's better (and funnier) than 95% of the local talent

[UtahsMrSports]

KBER!?!?!?! IS Kber still a thing? Well, I guess I can now find out who Gunther is, at least.

Whenever you were here to listen to KBER, they are still playing the same songs!

[UtahsMrSports]

I am a huge Ben fan, he's better (and funnier) than 95% of the local talent

I loved him on the Salt City Hoops show on 700. Its too bad that he had his wagon hitched to Gunther. He would make a great host next to someone else, IMO.

[sancho]

Whenever you were here to listen to KBER, they are still playing the same songs!

9th grade was my KBER year. Good stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghd2bkIadG4

[Mormon Red Death]

9th grade was my KBER year. Good stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghd2bkIadG4

Evan Lake... The waterman.... on KBER 101 Rockin Ogden-Salt Lake and Provo