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Which leaves KFNC and KILE. Here's the common wisdom on both: KFNC has a signal out of Beaumont that can be tough to get here; Houstonians are not accustomed to getting sports talk on FM and they want local talk as opposed to national. KILE (which will probably be renamed) is at the far, far end of the radio dial and doesn't have the resources for a start-up against the big boys of CBS, Clear Channel and Cumulus.

Speaking in KFNC's defense: Jon Madani, programming director. He says his station will have increasing local programming but still feature the popular national shows like Mike & Mike and Dan Patrick. As for the signal, "I hear all kinds of theories [about not being able to get it], from what kind of car you're driving to where you are in town," he says. "I just have to keep telling myself that for everyone who can't hear us, and I'm sorry they can't, there's a whole lot of people who can."

Speaking for KILE: Granato. "I know it's real hard to twist the radio dial to the right, I know that's going to be hard," he jokes. "But actually we are going where no man has gone before and that is something that is — not a concern, but something we're going to have to tackle, getting people up there."

As for taking on the giants, he says most of those giants have tiny marketing budgets. (Which is true: There aren't many billboards around town promoting sports talk.) "The big conglomerates, they're like the Mom & Pops now because they're strangling; they want as much revenue dollars as they can get and they want to spend as little in the market as they can...Frankly, we're going to have way more marketing out there than the majors do."

There aren't many in the market who think Houston can support four stations. "Some natural selection at some point will take effect," says Zierlein. "The market may be big enough for three sports stations, but one of them is going to be very weak and if it's four, one of them's not going to survive."

No one appears eager to blink just yet. So, Houston sports fans, enjoy it while you can. No one's going to have more choice in local sports-talk radio than you. Plus you get to watch a big-time battle.

Hey, no time for any more calls; stay tuned for traffic, weather and an update! And listen in for our new evening show, where we'll be discussing the ten best sports movies, why Eva Longoria isn't all that hot and whether the Sopranos finale sucked.

Oh, and we might talk a little about the Astros.

Write Your Comment show comments (6)

  1. I like to listen to sports talk radio in Houston because, let's face it, the music channels are a waste of air space and I've grown to prefer listening to talk radio when I am in my vehicle. I don't have HD radio in my car so I cannot get the KUHF's HD feed with the excellent NPR talk programs, and I loathe the political talk radio which is listening to a bunch of idiots rant at and mistreat each other. So, that leaves sports talk radio which can be very entertaining and informational, without being rude and idiotic like political talk. My only complaint is that only 790 appears to take soccer seriously, but at least I can get my daily soccer fix from the podcast of World Soccer Daily, a Sirius program, which is becoming one of the best sports programs in this country.

    Comment by AS Roma Fan — June 28, 2007 @ 03:34AM

  2. How did this entire article go without mentioning Ralph Cooper @ 1430 KCOH. He's a Houston institution. His SportsTalk show from 5-7, M-F goes toe to toe w/ the others and is always entertaining. Although he doesn't work for an all sports station, he does have a loyal audience, and generates some of the most spirited talk in town.

    Comment by Aaron — June 28, 2007 @ 12:41PM

  3. Aaron -- As I mentioned on our blog, I didn't deal with Ralph Cooper, in part for the reason you mentioned: He's not on an all-sports station. But in the past the Houston Press has named him the Best Talk Show Host in our annual Best of Houston issue, so we agree with your assessment.

    Thanks for reading.......

    Comment by Connelly — June 28, 2007 @ 12:59PM

  4. What Houston sports program managers don't understand is that there is a nice market for the major ESPN programming (i.e. 97.5 fm). I used to listen to Mike and Mike all of the time on 790 am until they had the wonderful idea that the morning drive needed more Vince Young and Astros talk. There are many people here, including myself, that are transplants and came from areas with much better sports programming. If I am going to listen to sports talk, I need some national sports discussion and analysis. There is nothing wrong with having a little local flavor in there - that is why I like 97.5 fm's format. Otherwise, you are subjected to Houston callers that can beat a dead horse like none I have ever heard...and that can be attributed directly to the "nice" hosts. Cut these losers off if it doesn't add to the discussion. If 97.5 adds more local, I will be forced to get XM radio.

    Comment by Andy Sharp — June 29, 2007 @ 02:06PM

  5. So thats where all this "Paris Hilton" talk comes from. Some morning shows are so cute its like watching (listening to) Entertainment Tonight. Dang I miss Colin Cowherd.

    Comment by Bill — June 29, 2007 @ 07:25PM

  6. Thanks for the article. As a loyal KILT listener for years, the departure of John and Lance threw me for a loop. I looked forward to their show every morning and felt it had the perfect mix of information and entertainment. I don't feel that any of the current morning shows are remotely listenable. I agree Charlie's knowledge makes him the best option for the afternoon drive time, although I did prefer it when he co-hosted with Rich. I am sorry to hear that Dan Patrick is giving up his ESPN radio gig since it was the only one of their national shows that I could stand. I guess it's back to the Jungle for me during the midday. As always I will continue to count on the Press to ask the hard hitting questions about Houston's sports teams.

    Comment by David — July 9, 2007 @ 03:59PM

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