KILT-AM, the sports-talk leader in Houston, won't be talking point-spreads.
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Anonymous
said...
No betting shows on one sports-talk station
Richard Connelly Houston Press
KILT-AM is the king of sports-talk radio in Houston. It airs all the Rockets and Texans games; it airs the Jim Rome show; it airs some of the most popular hosts in town.
One thing it doesn't air anymore: point-spread experts.
With the college football season already started and NFL games around the corner, sports-radio airwaves across the country are filled with shows featuring guys reeling off stats to prove decisively such things as why you should take Notre Dame and the points against Pitt. But not on KILT.
Program director Bill Van Rysdam says such shows go against his religious faith. That is also why KILT will be broadcasting the Texans on tape delay Monday mornings, so as not to disturb the Lord's Day.
Actually, Van Rysdam says the decision isn't based on moral or ethical qualms. (And, apparently unconcerned about eternal damnation, he will actually air the Texans on Sundays.) He just finds the shows boring.
"I was uncomfortable with all the time spent on bookies saying stuff like 'My game of the week is Portland State versus Utah!' and then go into a long discussion of why," Van Rysdam says. "Unless you're a gambler, who the hell cares about that game?"
Each of KILT's local shows had its own expert. The afternoon show talked to Phil Steele, who puts out a respected college football publication; the morning guys had local Wooly B; and the evening featured Las Vegas's Garrett Bradford.
Now all those segments are gone. It's as if Rush Limbaugh decided he wasn't going to mention the Clintons anymore.
"I'm not anti-gambling, and it's not like I 'found the Lord,' " Van Rysdam says. "It's just a matter of what people are interested in and want to hear. I'm not going to dedicate an entire hour to the Big Sky Conference." Hosts can still talk about spreads, he says, as part of more general discussions.
At least some folks affiliated with KILT aren't happy with the move, which they feel was sparked by a few complaining letters. One grumbler, who didn't want his name used, questions the logic that the betting segments weren't drawing listeners.
"Come on, we're the station that broadcasts Comets games," he says, in a tone that equates the WNBA audience with that of radio backgammon. "Not to mention the Comets postgame show."
Another needless slam by sensationalist Richard Connelly. It IS boring to listen to betting "experts" drone on about some inconsequential game just because of a point spread. Plus the line "Bill Van Rysdam says such shows go against his religious faith" is crap; he's a stand-up guy and Connelly just writes another lie to stir things up.
2 comments:
No betting shows on one sports-talk station
Richard Connelly
Houston Press
KILT-AM is the king of sports-talk radio in Houston. It airs all the Rockets and Texans games; it airs the Jim Rome show; it airs some of the most popular hosts in town.
One thing it doesn't air anymore: point-spread experts.
With the college football season already started and NFL games around the corner, sports-radio airwaves across the country are filled with shows featuring guys reeling off stats to prove decisively such things as why you should take Notre Dame and the points against Pitt. But not on KILT.
Program director Bill Van Rysdam says such shows go against his religious faith. That is also why KILT will be broadcasting the Texans on tape delay Monday mornings, so as not to disturb the Lord's Day.
Actually, Van Rysdam says the decision isn't based on moral or ethical qualms. (And, apparently unconcerned about eternal damnation, he will actually air the Texans on Sundays.) He just finds the shows boring.
"I was uncomfortable with all the time spent on bookies saying stuff like 'My game of the week is Portland State versus Utah!' and then go into a long discussion of why," Van Rysdam says. "Unless you're a gambler, who the hell cares about that game?"
Each of KILT's local shows had its own expert. The afternoon show talked to Phil Steele, who puts out a respected college football publication; the morning guys had local Wooly B; and the evening featured Las Vegas's Garrett Bradford.
Now all those segments are gone. It's as if Rush Limbaugh decided he wasn't going to mention the Clintons anymore.
"I'm not anti-gambling, and it's not like I 'found the Lord,' " Van Rysdam says. "It's just a matter of what people are interested in and want to hear. I'm not going to dedicate an entire hour to the Big Sky Conference." Hosts can still talk about spreads, he says, as part of more general discussions.
At least some folks affiliated with KILT aren't happy with the move, which they feel was sparked by a few complaining letters. One grumbler, who didn't want his name used, questions the logic that the betting segments weren't drawing listeners.
"Come on, we're the station that broadcasts Comets games," he says, in a tone that equates the WNBA audience with that of radio backgammon. "Not to mention the Comets postgame show."
Another needless slam by sensationalist Richard Connelly. It IS boring to listen to betting "experts" drone on about some inconsequential game just because of a point spread. Plus the line "Bill Van Rysdam says such shows go against his religious faith" is crap; he's a stand-up guy and Connelly just writes another lie to stir things up.
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