Glenn Geffner is gone

[John Francini]

Dan,

Is there any valid reason for resorting to ad-hominem attacks? Please  
discuss the SUBJECT and not the purveyor of the subject.

To your point.  Even the title itself betrays the very reason why it  
would not do well on commercial radio.  For most people who have an  
emotional investment in their local sports teams, even their  
conversations amongst fellow fans of the same team in REAL LIFE is  
full of the same passion that you find in sports talk radio.  Denying  
that absolute reality -- by trying to treat sports in the George F.  
Will-esque way that OaG's discourse is described -- will find few  
listeners and few advertisers.

"It's Only a Game" is a *very* loaded phrase -- because it belittles  
the emotional attachment people have to sports, and implies that  
anything more than aloof, dispassionate, logical analysis is somehow  
a Bad Thing. It's the kind of thing a parent might tell a child, a  
rather perjorative term. It's as emotionally loaded as telling  
someone to grow up.

OaG can live and find an audience because it's not commercial radio,  
and doesn't have to completely live or die on its Arbitrons.  But, I  
assure you, it's not going to catch on with the masses.  Period.   
Sports are an escape valve from a very serious world full of very  
serious problems. It's an adult toybox.

No, I have not listened to OaG. When I turn on sports talk, I want a  
distraction, not erudition.

Perhaps that makes me lowbrow.

"So be it, Jedi."

John Francini


On 22 Jan 2008, at 10:03, Dan.Strassberg wrote:

> Well, that certainly says nothing good about you! You give no
> indication of ever having listened to NPR's Only a Game, which is by
> miles (light years even), the funniest, most literate, sports talk on
> the air around here--and most likely anywhere in the US. If NPR did
> call-in sports talk and had OaG's Bill Littlefield as host, it would
> be interesting to see how many callers would understand the schtick
> and would rise to the challenge of civil--albeit sardonic--discourse
> on sports. I think many would do so and would welcome the opportunity
> to demonstrate that Littlefield isn't the only guy who can maintain a
> rational perspective on sports--and have fun while he's doing it. The
> program's title neatly encapsulates its theme.
>
> -----
> Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
> eFax 1-707-215-6367
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Francini" <francini@mac.com>
> To: <ssmyth@psualum.com>
> Cc: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:16 AM
> Subject: Re: Glenn Geffner is gone
>
>
>>
>> I know I for one wouldn't listen to an NPR-style sports network.
>> Not  for one minute.  While WEEI is as locked in as a station can be
>> on a  radio.
>>
>> john
>>
>