CRAIG GLAZER TALKS KC SPORTS RADIO!!!

TKC Note: Tonight Kansas City media impresario Craig Glazer offers thoughtful consideration of recent change-ups in the local sports radio scene. Check it:

610 Sports Going Younger

It’s hard to argue that sports news often leads our daily lives with a flood of information to discuss. In fact, If there isn’t some terrorist act or economic disaster, you can almost count on the lead story of the day having to do with collegiate or professional sports. To that end, our city is blessed with two strong radio stations who carry both local and national sporting news around the clock.

810 Sports has been the leader for more than 10 years. Their two stars continue to be Kevin Kietzman and Soren Petro. It seems only yesterday they were the young lions. Not so much anymore, both of them are now deep into middle age and very set in their ways. Moreover, their regular co-stars are also middle aged or better. Example: Jack Harry, George Brett and Frank Boal.

610 Sports is making a strong bid to take over the lead role between the two stations. Simply put, their on air staff is much younger and has to hustle harder to defeat 810 in the ratings. With a bold new move, 610 has continued to make their drive time show the carrot to attract a younger audience. 610 has put together two young sports gunslingers; Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison to work with veteran former Chief Jayice Pearson. Parkins is the anchor, Carrington in his early twenties, will attempt to be the voice of the very young open-minded sports fan in Kansas City. Pearson, who was a defensive back for the Chiefs for years and then went on to do NFL games for network television and continues to do college football on TV, is the voice of reason and experience on the show.


I spoke at length with Danny Parkins, you can’t help but be impressed with his intensity and overall sports knowledge. Kansas City is still a relatively new market for Danny, he is a new voice in a landscape that has left most local fans a little bit disappointed in their local professional teams for the most part. I asked Danny how he planned to compete with Kietzman and 810. ‘I’m going to outwork them,’ he replied, ‘in fact, I have to tell you that being out at the Sports Complex for interviews and locker room information; I’ve only seen Kietzman once. I feel you have to be on top of it day and night.’

I asked him how he felt about his predecessors, DA and Nick Wright. ‘As you know, DA had an opportunity to go to a larger market as did Nick. These two young guys were really coming on strong in the Kansas City Market just before they took positions in other cities. I think Nick Wright was really closing in on the number one spot when he left. In my opinion, he was maybe a year away from being the number one sports voice in Kansas City,’ Parkins said.

I have to agree with Danny on that issue. He feels that you know what you’re going to get when you listen to Petro and Kietzman, that their shows are predictable. ‘With our show,’ he continued, ‘ you are going to not only get great interviews with players for the local KC franchises, as well as sports experts from all over the country. But we are going to make it more fun and more upbeat.’ As Danny pointed out, 610 is the home of the Royals while 810 has a business arrangement with the Kansas City Chiefs. Even though 101 The Fox carries Chiefs games, 810 has a paid on-air opportunity for players and staff that 610 does not have. Having said that 610 has built relationships with younger players who feel comfortable talking to Danny, Jayice and Carrington. Parkins had Alex Smith on right after he signed with the Chiefs.

I’ve had a long positive relationship with Jayice Pearson. We became friends when he was a player and have remained in contact these past twenty years. I asked him what he thought of the new show that airs from 2 to 6pm on 610. ‘These two guys have a lot of energy,’ he began, ‘and they bring a lot of personal humor to the drive time show. I believe as people tune in they are going to be excited by what we have to offer.’

One of the on-going topics on their show has been sticking it to Carrington Harrison about his several dates with KCTV 5 star Kelly Jones. They feel he is too bashful and not aggressive enough with her when they go out. Carrington’s last rendezvous with Jones was the premiere screening of the motion picture ’42: The Jackie Robinson Story’. When Carrington said that there had been no romance yet, everyone got all over Carrington’s case; including a phone call from Harrison’s father who spelled out how he felt about his son being so timid. ‘I’m disgusted with the boy,’ the senior Harrison said. They play that over and over and over. In Harrison’s defense, he’s a sharp looking young guy with talent and maybe his future with Kelly is brighter than everyone thinks.

With lead stories the last couple of days; i.e Tim Tebow being cut by the Jets, NBA player Jason Collins publicly coming out of the closet, it’s nice to have these three on-air personalities adding in their own personal issues and perspective and keeping it upbeat.

I asked Parkins how he felt about the upcoming seasons for the Royals and Chiefs. ‘I believe the Royals will play around five hundred and I look for the Chiefs to win at least 8 games, hopefully more,’ was his response. I spend a lot of time at Entercom and I listen to both 610 and 810 on a daily basis. I do believe Petro and Kietzman are good at what they do, but it has gotten a little bit stale. Check out the new drive time show on 610 with Parkins, Harrison and Pearson. I think you will enjoy it and have some fun.
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