Coronavirus crisis forcing sports-talk hosts to reinvent themselves.
KNBR morning show co-host Brian Murphy compares it to “trying to drive back in the days before GPS.” What do you do when your job is to chat about sports on a constant basis but there are no sports to chat about?
That’s the dilemma confronting those in the Bay Area sportstalk radio business during a coronavirus pandemic that has put the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and other sports organizations on indefinite hold. They’ve got endless hours to fill, but no scores, stats or typical storylines to fill them.
“We’re in completely uncharted territory,” says Murphy, who headlines the “Murph & Mac Show” with Paul McCaffrey.
Throughout modern history, sports often provided a form of escape and helped to soothe the nerves of Americans during wars, economic distress and catastrophes
like 9/11. But not this time.
“I’ve always thought of sports a little like a canary in a cage,” says Damon Bruce, an afternoon host at KGMZ The Game. “It’s a pleasant distraction. Now, we don’t have that pleasant distraction to count on. And we have no idea how long it will last. Will we have to declare a mulligan on sports for the entire year?”
So far, finding content hasn’t been a major problem for the hosts at KNBR and KGMZ. In the days immediately after the NBA suspended its season — and other leagues followed suit — there was the shocking novelty of it all, along with the relentless speculation, to fuel programming.
“It felt like the world was spinning out of control. There was so much to talk about,” says KNBR’s Greg Papa, who hosts a midday show with John Lund. “It was all pandemic all the time.”
Indeed, the sports radio hosts spent much of that first week not only delivering the flurry of news about cancellations and postponements, but sharing stories and anecdotes with listeners about life in a suddenly changing world.
“We had that communal experience to carry us — that feeling that all of us are going through this together,” Murphy says. “What’s happening in your town? What’s your school doing? How’s your family handling it? ... There was a strong connection between
us and the audience. That’s one aspect I didn’t quite expect.”
Bruce felt that connection, as well.
“It was a time to be a source of information,” he says. “It was also a time to share concerns and talk about how people are coping through all this.”
Then this week, as Murphy points out, the NFL “rode in on its white horse” to provide plenty of fodder. Among the major offseason headlines: The 49ers’ trade of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, and Tom Brady’s decision to leave the New England Patriots.
“It has been one of the most impactful offseasons in recent memory, and it was an amazing diversion,” Murphy says.
But what will the coming weeks bring? This, after all, was supposed to be one of the busiest times on the sports calendar. The Giants and A’s were poised to open their seasons next week. The NBA and NHL would be homing in on the playoffs. March Madness would be in full bloom and the Masters golf tournament would be just around the corner.
Now what?
“Once football settles down, we may get some days where we’re scratching our heads over what to talk about,” Papa admits. “I’m sure we’ll have some challenging days ahead.”
Nobody really knows what will happen next, but the coming weeks and months just might serve to prove which sports media types truly have game.
“It’s going to separate the real broadcasters from the
headline readers,” Bruce says. “Our shows will be as fluid as they’ve ever been. Who can just roll with the story? It’s time to be creative and to reinvent yourself a bit.”
Murphy and McCaffrey already have been dabbling in some on-the-fly creativity. They introduced a segment called “Vintage Game Rewatch,” during which they encourage listeners to watch a major sports event via YouTube and return the next day to discuss it with an athlete who participated in the contest.
First up was 1982’s Super Bowl XVI with former 49ers guard Randy Cross serving as guest. Next, former Giants pitcher Mike Krukow joined the show to recall his complete-game victory in Game 4 of the 1987 National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Says Murphy, “It was one of the best discussion we’ve ever had with Mike. ... Thank God for YouTube.”
Vintage sports events will perhaps play a bigger role as the lockdown continues. This week, for example, KGMZ aired replays of key games from the Warriors’ dynastic run.
Of course, anyone who regularly listens to sportstalk radio knows that the people behind the mics often converse about more than the Giants starting rotation or if Andrew Wiggins is a good fit with the Warriors. It’s not unusual, for example, to hear KNBR’s Tom Tolbert discussing his passion for certain movies, pro wrestling and craft beer.
Depending on how long
the lockdown lasts, the sportscasters likely will have to lean into ancillary topics even more, while relying on the community of listeners they’ve bonded with over the years.
Matt Nahigian, the program director for KGMZ insists it’s a time to “try and brighten people’s days during a somber time.”
“We need to be there for our audience,” he says. “We need to take a deep breath, have some fun and know that many of the people who come to us might have had a really bad day. We can
be there to bring some levity.”
Bruce is up for the challenge — and believes there might even be a silver lining in all this.
“Sometimes I think we take sports too much for granted,” he says. “Maybe when the games do come back, we’ll appreciate them a little more.”
• NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California are set to release a lineup of classic A’s, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, San Jose Sharks and San Jose Earthquakes
games that will re-air during this live sports freeze.
• NFL is making its Game Pass access complimentary. Game Pass is a digital product and has archives of games dating to 2009. The extensive library includes all regular-season and postseason games and NFL Films series, such as “Hard Knocks.”
The NBA will open its historical vault until April
22. Through NBA League Pass, all games from the 2019-20 season and many classic games will be shown.