OT: Mike North Out, But Who's Gonna Be In?

I was his biggest fan in the early days but he is an embarassment to Chicago radio now.

Maybe we’ll get some sports talk in the slot now.

single person on the Score’s roster that I would listen to in the morning. Whenever I am in the car in the a.m., I end up splitting time between Mike&Mike and everything else.

The Score, by and large, is obnoxious and unlistenable.

When North moved to the morning, he changed his format. In the afternoon it was all sports, but when he came to the AM, it seemed like he was half sports half current events.

but as you pointed out Gary, who’s in? What are the chances it’ll be someone that isn’t racist and sexist? I would like a fresh name and voice…maybe someone that isn’t already on their lineup…someone from outside. Well, after a long time of not being able to listen to morning sports radio, I’m excited about giving it another shot finally. Mike and Mike is not even an option.

n/t

I don’t listen to sports talk radio, and he was one of the primary reasons why.

Has ended as so much human nature does when left unchecked. North was a breath of fresh air when he was trying to become a legitimate host with his regular guy stick.

Then he got beside himself, thinking what he said was really analysis and not just a good show of the “Regular Guy” from the northside streets of Chicago. His head continue to swell with each year….like people really thought what he said meant something.

The 2nd worst part of his stick was if he really had football knowledge…he had gambler’s knowledge…maybe…except every gambler I know owe’s his bookie something….But the worst was his stick that he was an unabashed SOX fan and hated the Cubs although his wife had season tickets….

I moved on from him long before I moved because Buffone who was part of his act around 2000 when he told me he had moved on from Mikey. Buffone remained genuine and understanding it was a nice show but nothing more.

If I were Mike, I would return quickly to opening a string of Dog and Beef stands….and play off the notoriety he still possesses.

when it was North and Buffone. I don’t think sports talk works well when it’s one guy by himself – can’t stand Jim Rome, didn’t like Dan Patrick after Dibble left, couldn’t tolerate North when he was solo.

I wish there was a good local sports show on in the morning drive – maybe Mully and Handley will end up in that spot, but I’ve never had a chance to really listen to them.

...though I will confess to listening to it in the car occasionally, and I try to catch “Hit and Run” on Sunday mornings. Like most of the station’s personalities, North seemed more of a cartoon character, a bloated self-parody, than a bonafied sports analyst. Still, this is interesting news.

but I really think one of the guys on that station who really deserves a shot is Lawrence Holmes. I’ve always enjoyed his shows, he engages the listeners, and he’s pretty damn funny. I’d like to see him at least get some time filling in, if not an actual shot at the show.

From Mac, Jurko, and Harry. He was saying the other day he might be tiring of the afternoon drive and might want to shake his routine up a bit. Could WSCR lure him away with his own show? I don’t know, just speculating here.

I did think he was insightful in his early days but he has been brutal the past few years.

Seriously, the only reason to listen to the Score is during football season when Hub Arkush talks about the Bears and pro football in general. Arkush is great, other than him the Score stinks.

And last week, North was BRUTAL. The whole time it seemed like he was ranting on Teddy Greenstein, and completely ignoring anything to do with Chicago Sports. Back in the Wise Guys days, I like North and Buffone, but now I agree that North really had fallen off. The article said something about Laurence Holmes and Matt Abbatacola taking over the vacated slot, and I’d be all for that.

Hub Arkush? Norm Van Lear?

Talk radio, sports or otherwise - is show biz. Take nothing a host says seriously. And, as I posted earlier - CBS is cutting costs nationwide in owned and operated TV and radio. (Some anchors at CBS-2 were cut a few weeks ago.) Dan Patrick - if he is carried on delay on the Score - is the logical option.

I’m sure somebody here will notify this blog if that happens, but I think you can book this move. Localism be damned. $$$$ saved is what’s important in this fading economy.

Years back, they decided to cut service in order to make up thier deficit. Of course, this only led to less people using thier service, so they cut service again, and again, and again.

I read somewhere that radio listenership is down 14% over the past decade. Cutting services is only going to add to that decline.

I guess Lee Hacksaw Hamilton isn’t so bad after all!