Sports/Talk 101.1 will bring more than a much-needed wattage boost to the region’s sports radio genre.
It will also bring some much-needed diversity to its airwaves.
One of Station Manager Jason Barrett’s first moves was to peg St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Bryan Burwell for a return to local airwaves 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Burwell had teamed with Frank Cusumano on a mid-morning show at KFNS for several years before the station did not renew his contract. Burwell once cursed at a black caller for labeling him an “Uncle Tom” while at KFNS.
But he is a consummate professional and will bring something else that is missing to St. Louis sports mics n some real-world knowledge.
His experience includes work at USA Today, The Sporting News, New York Daily News, Detroit News, New York Newsday and Washington Star.
You remember him on HBO’s award-winning INSIDE THE NFL and “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
He still makes occasional appearances on ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters,” “1st Take” and “Jim Rome is Burning” and as a NBA correspondent for CNN and Turner Broadcasting.
Not that it was his fault the movie was awful, but Burwell also had a cameo appearance in the 2006 remake of “The Longest Yard,” starring Adam Sandler and St. Louis’ Nelly.
Joining Burwell will be FoxSports Midwest’s Pat Parris.
On Tuesday, the station announced that Rene Knott, NewsChannel 5 KSDK sports director, will host the weekly “314 Sports” show with newcomers Larry Thornton and Anthony Atencio beginning on Saturday, January 10. The station moves to its sports format on New Year’s Day.
“314 Sports” will air from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Along with his daily sports duties at KSDK, Knott will continue as host for the long-running program “Sports Plus” on Sunday.
He has been in television broadcasting for 21 years, with his most recent position as sports director at WJLA in Washington, D.C.
It sounds like Knott wants to stir it up a bit more than he can while on TV.
“Television limits the amount of information and opinions broadcasters can share with audiences. The idea of being able to converse one-on-one with fans, exchanging opinions and expanding on my feelings in regards to sports in and around St. Louis will be tremendous,” Knott said.
“I’ll be working with Larry and Anthony, who are relatively new to sports media and are full of opinions from a younger point of view.”
Thornton, currently Knott’s producer at KSDK, is a graduate of Francis Howell High School and the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was the editor of the Greek Chronicle. After interning at KSDK in 2001,Thornton was hired as a sports producer.
Atencio is a 2002 CBC graduate and is finishing his senior year at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, seeking a BA in Communications. While an intern at KSDK, where he scheduled interviews for Knott and Cusamano.
The new radio station has already announced the addition of some other familiar names including Randy Karraker, Brian Stull, Sara Dayley, Tom Casey and Derrick Gould.
Mo on the move
Maurice Drummond, FOX2 weekend morning sports anchor and reporter, has also made a sports radio move, moving down the dial from ESPN 1380 to KFNS 590.
While he is currently on the air with Channel 11 sports anchor Rich Gould, look for Drummond to team with his FOX 2 sports partner Martin Kilcoyne sometime next year at KFNS. Kilcoyne, FOX 2 sports director, teamed with Drummond on weekdays at ESPN 1380. Once his contract expires and he fulfills any non-compete clauses that might have been part of his deal, Kilcoyne seems headed to KFNS.
Mike on the mic
Meanwhile, St. Louis American Mike Claiborne is holding down the fort at KTRS and doing a tremendous job. If you caught his show last Monday night you heard the best commentary in the area on the fiasco at Auburn University involving its decision to snub Buffalo coach Turner Gill after he interviewed for that Southern school’s head coaching job.
But you’re in luck, check out his column in today’s American for some highlights of a great hour of sports radio.