It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.
Whether its from the airwaves of 1090 AM, 1300 AM or 1570 AM, sports talk radio engulfs Charm City every minute of every day.
But which station reigns supreme? After spending way too much time listening to all things sports, I have drawn a conclusion: it depends on the time of day.
During the day, ESPN 1300 AM is the top station, as Mark Viviano and Damon”Bulldog” Yaffe anchor the strongest show. Viviano uses his journalist talents stemming from his job as sports director for WJZ-13 to provide comprehensive coverage of the day?s top stories. But he is assisted by Yaffe, a Baltimore guy who explores the wild side of sports and is a perfect complement to Viviano?s voice of reason. The drawback: the show lasts just three hours, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The second-best show is on WNST 1570, where Bob Haynie and his blue-collar approach entertains listeners from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
That?s when Haynie hands-off to Bob Long, who for the next four hours is not afraid to give his opinion on the world of sports ? even if he angers listeners. He?s rapidly becoming one of the city?s best.
Long?s strongest opponent is Anita Marks, who is the city?s biggest lightning rod on 1300 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There is a great deal resentment within the Baltimore radio industry against Marks ?known as the Ultimate Sports Chick ? and it?s largely because she?s a woman who grew up in Miami, not Charm City.
Marks is a creative broadcaster who brings a great deal of energy to her show every day. She is the city?s hardest working sports talker, as she hosts her show ? two hours of which ison television ? but also shows for Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden and Willis McGahee.
But most of all, Marks is a ratings winner, as her engaging and entertaining style likely will earn her a contract extension when her deal expires in May.
The nighttime airwaves belong to Steve Davis of WBAL 1090, as his smooth delivery and handling of the day?s issues is rewarded with plenty of callers eager to voice their opinions.
But in the end, sports radio comes down to this: Everyone has their favorite because they prefer the way a host delivers the story in the most enjoyable manner.
And that is Entertainment 101.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on www.examiner.com.
