There are two sports talk radio shows I especially enjoy listening to. One is Jim Rome. The other is a local show. I love the content from both shows. However, I’m prone to tuning out the local show.

Why would I do that? Because sometimes the local show buries the main topic under five minutes of small talk. When they do, I change the channel even though I’m otherwise dedicated to the show.

On the other hand, Jim Rome immediately gets to the topic. If I tune in to hear his take on the big story of the day, I don’t have to wait long for him to get right to it.
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On the day of the first time I presented the Jim Nantz Award at the National Sports Media Association Awards Banquet, I went for a swim in the hotel pool. It was two hours before the banquet started. When I emerged from the water, my eyes were on fire. I looked in the mirror and they were bloodshot from the chlorine. “My goodness,” I thought. “I’m attending this banquet for the first time and everybody is going to think I’m on something.”

I needed instant results.
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There is a sports talk host in the South who is beside himself because his program director says he needs to improve his ratings but he’s not giving the host guidance for how to do it.

Here is a six-pack of ways to improve your sports talk show.
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When I was at the old XTRA Sports 690 in San Diego, it took four years to find my next sports talk opportunity. It was at ESPN Radio Network.

These 8 top tips will help you land your next sports talk radio gig.
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When I was hosting sports talk radio in San Diego, I sometimes struggled to choose topics for my show. This was especially true in mid-summer when the Padres were bad and the Chargers season hadn’t yet started.

What do you talk about?

Fortunately, there are 5 rules you can use to prep the topics your audience wants to you hear you discuss.
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During four years as a sports talk host at ESPN Radio Network, I never figured out what to do with actualities. I knew it was supposed to improve my show to include them so I played them, but I didn’t know how to use them to make my show better.

Here are two tips I wish I had known then . . .
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A broadcaster who’s been doing small market news and sports for several years wants to move into sports talk radio. He wonders, though, if he can get a sports talk job without prior experience.

The answer is yes. All sports talk hosts lack experience at some point. The transition, though, is going to take time.
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