Red Zebra is a red herring. Redskins coverage coming from team owner Dan Snyder’s stations is like listening to that Iraq minister swearing U.S. troops were being destroyed while the building behind him burned.
You really want to trust the owner’s station to provide the real skinny when any unfavorable coverage by other media outlets in the past led to numerous bullying tactics by Snyder? Maybe now you understand why some TV stations broadcast from the Redskin Park parking lot in the winter when others are inside the building.
If you want to trust someone named Snyder for Redskins coverage, try the one who spells it S-N-I-D-E-R that was following the team while the owner was playing with blocks.
Red Zebra’s morning promos on Tuesday sounded like “Welcome to the Red Pollution.” Took me four times to realize it was “Revolution.” The former may be more accurate.
With only four hours of local programming and 20 hours of ESPN, Red Zebra is hardly an all-Redskins station. Also, ESPN programming is nothing special. Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd are boring and Mike and Mike is only passable. That’s nine hours of yuck.
Red Zebra comes down to two major assets — John Riggins and Bram Weinstein. Riggins could have the best radio show locally if he remains untainted by Snyder’s money. I would have bet my mortgage that nobody would ever chain Riggo, but the latter was quoted by a crosstown paper saying Snyder wassensitive and misunderstood. Makes me wonder.
Riggo has the enormous charisma that we would all beg, borrow and steal to gain. He is the focus of any gathering. No Redskin has generated more off-the-field tales than Riggins, and they all end with the fan laughing about his encounter with one of the greatest Redskins ever.
Riggins has never failed to criticize Snyder before. But to give the owner a break, Snyder has learned to trust football people run his team while he builds new empires in radio and theme parks. Snyder has become less relevant so Riggins will have fewer opportunities to diss the boss. The question now is can he steadily criticize his old boss — Joe Gibbs?
Listening to Riggins has always been great fun, but we’ll see if he can carry 15 hours a week. And what if some caller suddenly asks a basketball question?
Weinstein was the best radio reporter to cover the Redskins in many years, if not ever. Bram is very knowledgeable and funnier than anyone in the room. He’s a big loss for WTEM and probably the star of the Red Zebra lineup.
The great upside of Red Zebra is listening to something besides WTEM, which has become increasingly lazy over the years as a monopoly. If you don’t like the sport being discussed, you can hit the other button even if you need three to find one of Red Zebra’s signals. It comes in clear down in southern Maryland so most Washingtonians should hear Red Zebra.
Riggo will steal listeners from John Thompson’s show, but WTEM should dominate Red Zebra otherwise. Sports talk thrives on being local and adding Brian Mitchell at midday was a smart move by WTEM. Red Zebra needs a local morning show.
WTEM’s Steve Czaban is the most unappreciated local broadcaster. Too bad he’s saddled with a blowhard of a sidekick who lost his ride with the guy headed to Monday nights. Czaban will carry the mornings for WTEM. Mitchell may split with Red Zebra’s Larry Michael from noon to 1 p.m. before listeners stay with Mitchell the next two hours.
For now, give Snyder credit for creating something new. Hopefully, it won’t be an infomercial.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
