Kornheiser returns to radio
By: Jim Williams
Examiner Sports Columnist
September 8, 2009
Tuesday at 10 a.m. on ESPN 980 AM, Tony Kornheiser will return to Washington radio. The Mike Wise Show on 106.7 FM The Fan could be in some trouble.
Radio is far and away Kornheiser's best medium. He returns to the station where he thrived as a broadcaster and refined many skills that served him well on ESPN -- in particular on Pardon the Interruption and Monday Night Football.
What Kornheiser does best is draw listeners by talking about himself, things that give him joy and things that bother him. Meanwhile, he brings in guests like Newsweek's Senior Washington Correspondent Howard Fineman or political guru James Carville to take the focus off sports. You tune in to hear about sports and you come away with current events, pop culture and, most of all, an entertaining show -- something rare on sports talk radio.
As for Wise, I like him and listen to his show. He, along with co-host Bill Rolhand and super producer Chris Johnson, are still finding their way and searching for their true voice as a show. It is both understandable and expected given that Wise has very little broadcasting experience.
So what does Wise do to compete with Kornheiser?
One thing that Kornheiser won't do is talk with athletes, so Wise could fill his show with A-list sports stars -- both from Washington and national teams.
Wise needs to make his show tighter and hipper. He needs to break stories.
But beating "Mr. Tony" will be a tall order for the rookie because if ESPN 980 AM does things right, they will own the 10 a.m.-noon timeslot.
"Mr. Tony," had one of the best sports shows in the country when he was paired with Andy Pollin as his sidekick. If Michael Wilbon is the perfect TV partner for Kornheiser, then Pollin should be his radio partner.
At this point we know that today we will hear everything Kornheiser has to say -- from Old Guy Radio to The Mailbag -- and that will be great. But let's hope that before too long we hear Tony and Andy together again. Then we will really know Kornheiser is back.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
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