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Monday, August 28, 2000

Today ushers in the radio return of two voices familiar to Pittsburgh: The cackling morning man who bounced from ESPN to start-up rival Fox, and the gravely toned late-night dude who pinballed from national talk show to NHL play-by-play back to national talk show.

The former, Tony Bruno, hits the airwaves this morning with his 8 a.m.-noon weekday show nationally syndicated on Fox Sports Radio Network and heard here on WWSW-AM, which today christens itself as Sports Radio 970, The Burgh.

The latter, Scott Ferrall of Mt. Lebanon, resumes his seat on what he calls a more-sophisticated, less-Metallica-mad "Ferrall on the Bench" 8 p.m.-midnight weeknights on SportsFan Radio, a national syndicator that isn't heard here except by -- as he put it, in stream-of-unconsciousness Ferrallian verbiage -- the savvy, educated, suburbanite Pittsburghers who tune into SportsFan.com online.

Imagine that: More sports, less static about needing to be glib or gory in the often too-superficial world of sports-talk radio. We could certainly use that.

Bruno in the mornings has been sorely missed. Once ESPN Radio assumed control of this market's all-sports radio station, WEAE-AM 1250, we got used to hearing him and sidekick Mike Golic break up each other and us over breakfast. OK, so they cackled a lot. Still, it was a more enjoyable show than what ESPN now airs in his former 6-10 a.m. slot.

"But I don't see this as going up against ESPN," said Bruno, who helped to launch that network, but ultimately left last fall because of creative differences -- he was creative, his boss wasn't. "This is about a company, Fox, and a syndicator, Premiere, who are serious about a radio network.

"Despite being on the air for almost nine years, ESPN Radio is the least important cog in the Disney-ESPN empire. They have great people and do a great job, but seem to care only about Dan Patrick's show at the expense of other hard-working, dedicated people at the network. I know for a fact that big-name guests scheduled for other shows have been yanked behind the scenes and funneled into Dan's show. That doesn't create a winning or team attitude, in my opinion.

"ESPN was very good for me for eight years, and this isn't sour grapes because I quit and wasn't fired. But they will start reacting and doing things for the radio network now that Fox is in the game. Unlike the TV side, where 'SportsCenter' has a 20-year head start on the competition, ESPN Radio is still virtually unknown to the average radio listener, so we start out on a pretty level playing field."

Bruno will be followed by the Jim Rome Show, another product by the same Premiere people who syndicate Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. For their launch in 40 markets, the radio network bosses also have added several Fox Sports Net TV anchors in the early evenings, former New York show host Bob Page weeknights and a weekend lineup that they expect to dazzle. "Imagine a 'SportsTicker' on radio," said Fox Sports president David Hill, referring to the "We Are There Saturday" and "We Are There Sunday" scoreboard shows that will include former NFLers as hosts, Bob Golic and Billy Ray Smith, along with NFL Sunday appearances by TV studio analyst Cris Collinsworth.

Hill also said he eventually wants to get Bruno and old ESPN Radio buddy Keith Olbermann "chained at the hip and let them go at it on the radio," but Fox's Olbermann has a little radio conflict right now with his contract to do commentaries on SportsFan.

Speaking of SportsFan, Ferrall was doing just that the other day over the telephone -- speaking both loudly and rapid fire. In fact, he went on such a harangue, my cell phone accidentally thrice cut him off mid-riff, and each time he called back to continue. The former KQV-AM sportscaster and Mt. Lebanon High School grad spouted about Stan Savran, Mike Lange, soup-eating unemployed Penguins fans, broadcasting a week or two each month from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay, and a lot of other disconnected but humorous things.

Mostly, though, he vowed that his refined version of "Ferrall on the Bench" will have no rock music blaring incessantly in the background, fewer references to booze and hockey, and 75 markets from the start wowed by the more sophisticated, in-depth conversation this time around.

He plans to continue to work some promotions and an online show for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers, who pulled the plug after his one-year stint as their play-by-play radio announcer -- a 1999 hiring that caused his then-Westwood One bosses to unceremoniously yank the "Bench" from underneath him. SportsFan gave him a longer and earlier weeknight time slot, a studio in his Los Angeles home and a contract to do what he does best: rant and riff about sports over the radio. But, again, for a broader audience.

"Hopefully, I'll be funny and positive and riffing instead of being obnoxious and negative, like sports radio is today -- and I had something to do with starting that," he said. "I got every city but Pittsburgh. I wish I was on there. Fans in Pittsburgh like the show [heard for less than a year on WEAE]. Give them what they want. Sports radio in that town is weak. I think I can do well there."

Alas, Ferrall-less radio listeners here will begin today to hear Bruno and the Fox network folks on Sports Radio 970 -- home of the Steelers, Bill Cowher news conferences, Penguins and, coming soon, local talk programming. Let the all-sports competition with ESPN Radio 1250 begin. Although, I tend to agree with Bob Roof, the amfm inc. and Sports Radio 970 boss quoted in this space last Thursday: This town ain't big enough for two of 'em.

Program notes

"I literally started laughing when I found out that Bill Cowher is rotating quarterbacks," CNN/SI's Trev Alberts said about the Steelers' system. "In college football, you can understand it. But in the National Football League? That blows my mind."

Added Peter King on the same "NFL Preview" show yesterday: "They should put Kordell Stewart in the role of Slash. This guy could be the biggest marquee player in the NFL next to Deion Sanders."

This shameful television promotion must stop. ABC/ESPN listed on Little Leaguers' bio-graphics their height, weight and favorite X-Game performer -- who just so happened to be appearing that same day on your TV dial. CBS, which used "Survivor" questions to determine a Miss Teen USA on Saturday, wouldn't surprise me if it put a naked Richard Hatch in an AFC booth this weekend.

But he'd be better off working Cleveland baseball games: You know ... The Tribe has spoken.