Have the Buffalo Sports media ever been worse?

[Squantosawuss]

Nothing worse than listening to a paid lackey on the air.

*cough*kevinsylvester*cough*

 

[Squantosawuss]

Maybe it's because he is first and foremost a football guy? He was a football coach, not hockey. Sals a great guy and much better then Schopp and Bulldog.

Then maybe "coach Sal" should keep his mouth shut on hockey and stick to football, because his hockey knowledge and intuition is worse than anyone on that station. He's terrible. He's actually the only one on there who can get me to turn the station off.

 

[stealth1]

I will say the only good show I like on WGR is the hockey hotline. The morning show is not bad but would be better if they talked a bit more about hockey. It seems its mostly football talk with the odd segment about hockey. The afternoon show is awful with how they try to be funny and how little they know about the 2 pro teams. With the Sabres being as bad as they are this season you would think they would talk a bit about the top picks in the draft.
How anyone can like the John Murphy show is beyond me. Such a homer host its not funny. Never says anything bad about the Bills. I know he works for the team but you should still be able to criticize them.

 

[Dex]

FWIW....

Someone said it best elsewhere in the thread when they described Sullivan, Gleason and Harrington as asshats.

Sullivan is the most negative, unreasonable, whiney, weenyish personality I've ever encountered. Gleason comes off to me as just a mean, vindictive, grudge-holding, wannabee GM, know-it-all, 20-20 hindsight armchair expert who seems to have some sort of appeal to those who love to see guys in positions of authority fail. Harrington has this smug, I'm better than you sort of demeanor that probably stems from the fact he has a journalism degree which of course means he needs to be respected as a "journalist". The three of them make quite a circle jerk.

I like Vogl and perceive him as fair

I guess I need to pay more attention to Moritz - as I've not followed her enough to form an opinion.

I like Bill Hoppe and Kevin Oklobzija from the out of town papers.

On WGR:

I'm tired of Rome. His act seems stale to me. Seems too old to me to continue with his Schtick and jungle jargon. I mean how many times can you refer to teeth as chicklets or your grill before it becomes trite and cliche.

I'd like to see the 12-3 slot go local on WGR. I'm thinking they'll have to make a decision at some point as Rome is now on CBS Sports network, the Fan 1270 is CBS and WGR is ESPN. But what do I know?

I generally like the sports talk hosts. Maybe it's because I realize they are not reporters, don't know everything about sports and are really there just to offer opinions and stimulate others to do the same.

Sal is weak in hockey, but a generally likeable guy. Matt Coller has the analytics angle and that certainly is a different perspective. I like White's ability to look at things from a different perspective as well. Simon, to me is a steady as she goes host who very much stays inside the box. That's where White's tangential viewpoints can make things interesting, IMO

As for Schopp - I like him because I think I understand him. He can be dismissive at times, but I think all he really wants is a well formulated opinion that can be supported by either fact or logic. So many callers just spew out garbage and expect intelligent dialogue to ensue. It won't happen with Schopp. Parker is the everyman sort of guy who represents that demographic - whatever it may be - well. He loves Buffalo and Buffalo sports, is passionate about music, beer, family - all stuff that appeals. I have no problems with they guy.

Not really media as they are Sabres employees, but nonetheless broadcast, report and make appearances:

I think Sylvester is wrapped a little to tight to be a good talk show host. He comes across to me as humorless which can be interpreted as smug. He's definitely a company man and when he tries to be objective or criticize the Sabres, it is so apparent that he is choosing his words carefully so as to not upset the organization that I just tune out.

I like Peters for his humor and insight. He is the perfect foil for Sylvester and IMP, makes the show listenable.

Robitaille - preeminently entertaining. Great demeanor and presence and very knowledgeable.

Duff - good host, good presence, very professional. Keeps things interesting and moving. His mustache creeped me out

May - too early to tell. He needs to figure out how to talk to the camers and Duff at the same time - I see him twisting his head so much to look at Duff, then the camera etc that I wonder if his head is going to turn around a la Linda Blair.

Dunleavy - I like his play by play. His reports seem a little stiff to me and I guess he does them to earn his keep while having part time play by play duties.

 

[joshjull]

@BNHarrington: All right Twitter. Knock it off with this UFC stuff..... Made-up TV garbage like the X games....(and save your breath with all the replies).

Great response to this from our beloved Bakes.

@SabresProspects: Oh, @BNHarrington. MMA combines several Olympic sports. I grew tired of baseball when Bobby Grich retired but would never hate on it!




Harrington is such an asshat and its not because he doesn't like UFC. It's because he is so ignorant about it and expresses his viewpoint like a petulant child. Not unlike much of what he does.

 

[msm29]

@BNHarrington: All right Twitter. Knock it off with this UFC stuff..... Made-up TV garbage like the X games....(and save your breath with all the replies).

Great response to this from our beloved Bakes.

@SabresProspects: Oh, @BNHarrington. MMA combines several Olympic sports. I grew tired of baseball when Bobby Grich retired but would never hate on it!




Harrington is such an asshat and its not because he doesn't like UFC. It's because he is so ignorant about it and expresses his viewpoint like a petulant child. Not unlike much of what he does.

Unfortunately, trolling counts as journalism nowadays. I've written columns for a smaller publication, and have been told by an editor that the more people disagree with something, the more likely they are to read and respond to it.

It's sad but true. Harrington, and to a lesser extent Gleason and Sullivan, has built a persona based on being unlikeable. But as long as there is a large group of people disagreeing with the News reporters and no competitive publication to steal viewers, they can maintain a career by flaming fans on Twitter instead of, you know, reporting.

 

[Jeremy2020]

As for Schopp - I like him because I think I understand him. He can be dismissive at times, but I think all he really wants is a well formulated opinion that can be supported by either fact or logic. So many callers just spew out garbage and expect intelligent dialogue to ensue.

That's exactly what Schopp does though. he makes a blanket statement and doesn't support it. It's 'easy' to say 'Bills suck' because they have...he doesn't tell you why though. He just spouts out garbage.

The Buffalo Sports media has largely taken a vacation. Instead of looking into matters deeply, they just shout off a populist line like 'Marrone is in over his head' after a loss and call it a day.

 

[indigoo]

That's exactly what Schopp does though. he makes a blanket statement and doesn't support it. It's 'easy' to say 'Bills suck' because they have...he doesn't tell you why though. He just spouts out garbage.

The Buffalo Sports media has largely taken a vacation. Instead of looking into matters deeply, they just shout off a populist line like 'Marrone is in over his head' after a loss and call it a day.

You're full of **** and only half-listen if you think Schopp doesn't support his arguments. Quit lying.

 

[ZZamboni]

FWIW....

Someone said it best elsewhere in the thread when they described Sullivan, Gleason and Harrington as asshats.

1.......
Sullivan is the most negative, unreasonable, whiney, weenyish personality I've ever encountered. Gleason comes off to me as just a mean, vindictive, grudge-holding, wannabee GM, know-it-all, 20-20 hindsight armchair expert who seems to have some sort of appeal to those who love to see guys in positions of authority fail. Harrington has this smug, I'm better than you sort of demeanor that probably stems from the fact he has a journalism degree which of course means he needs to be respected as a "journalist". The three of them make quite a circle jerk.

2........
I think Sylvester is wrapped a little to tight to be a good talk show host. He comes across to me as humorless which can be interpreted as smug. He's definitely a company man and when he tries to be objective or criticize the Sabres, it is so apparent that he is choosing his words carefully so as to not upset the organization that I just tune out.

1...... I agree with all this. That's why I find it so odd, some posters follow any of these guys on Twitter. They offer very little. Sure Harrington and Gleason occasionally tweet facts about the Sabres, like line up changes or injuries, but so do the Sabres and other reporters that don't show bias and immaturity with other tweets and things they write. So sophomoric and there's no real NEED to follow them. You can get the same exact factual info from elsewhere. It blows my mind when anyone retweets those idiots. Facts or opinions.

2...... I've disliked Sylvester for years going back to his radio WGR days. His voice, demeanor, delivery, timing, sense of humor, and flow of anything he does, all annoy me. I'd much rather have Peters and say Biron or Rivet, or even May do the radio show than K-sly.

 

[Squantosawuss]

FWIW....

Someone said it best elsewhere in the thread when they described Sullivan, Gleason and Harrington as asshats.

Sullivan is the most negative, unreasonable, whiney, weenyish personality I've ever encountered. Gleason comes off to me as just a mean, vindictive, grudge-holding, wannabee GM, know-it-all, 20-20 hindsight armchair expert who seems to have some sort of appeal to those who love to see guys in positions of authority fail. Harrington has this smug, I'm better than you sort of demeanor that probably stems from the fact he has a journalism degree which of course means he needs to be respected as a "journalist". The three of them make quite a circle jerk.

I like Vogl and perceive him as fair

I guess I need to pay more attention to Moritz - as I've not followed her enough to form an opinion.

I like Bill Hoppe and Kevin Oklobzija from the out of town papers.

On WGR:

I'm tired of Rome. His act seems stale to me. Seems too old to me to continue with his Schtick and jungle jargon. I mean how many times can you refer to teeth as chicklets or your grill before it becomes trite and cliche.

I'd like to see the 12-3 slot go local on WGR. I'm thinking they'll have to make a decision at some point as Rome is now on CBS Sports network, the Fan 1270 is CBS and WGR is ESPN. But what do I know?

I generally like the sports talk hosts. Maybe it's because I realize they are not reporters, don't know everything about sports and are really there just to offer opinions and stimulate others to do the same.

Sal is weak in hockey, but a generally likeable guy. Matt Coller has the analytics angle and that certainly is a different perspective. I like White's ability to look at things from a different perspective as well. Simon, to me is a steady as she goes host who very much stays inside the box. That's where White's tangential viewpoints can make things interesting, IMO

As for Schopp - I like him because I think I understand him. He can be dismissive at times, but I think all he really wants is a well formulated opinion that can be supported by either fact or logic. So many callers just spew out garbage and expect intelligent dialogue to ensue. It won't happen with Schopp. Parker is the everyman sort of guy who represents that demographic - whatever it may be - well. He loves Buffalo and Buffalo sports, is passionate about music, beer, family - all stuff that appeals. I have no problems with they guy.

Not really media as they are Sabres employees, but nonetheless broadcast, report and make appearances:

I think Sylvester is wrapped a little to tight to be a good talk show host. He comes across to me as humorless which can be interpreted as smug. He's definitely a company man and when he tries to be objective or criticize the Sabres, it is so apparent that he is choosing his words carefully so as to not upset the organization that I just tune out.

I like Peters for his humor and insight. He is the perfect foil for Sylvester and IMP, makes the show listenable.

Robitaille - preeminently entertaining. Great demeanor and presence and very knowledgeable.

Duff - good host, good presence, very professional. Keeps things interesting and moving. His mustache creeped me out

May - too early to tell. He needs to figure out how to talk to the camers and Duff at the same time - I see him twisting his head so much to look at Duff, then the camera etc that I wonder if his head is going to turn around a la Linda Blair.

Dunleavy - I like his play by play. His reports seem a little stiff to me and I guess he does them to earn his keep while having part time play by play duties.

I agreed with almost everything you said, except I think Sullivan is funny and am not yet tired of Rome---but then again, I came late to the Rome party. Kevin Sylvester is soooo stuffy that when he jokes about something, he sounds like an old man. Peters sometimes comes out with some crude hockeyplayer jargon that has me dying because of how awkward Sylvester immediately becomes.

 

[joshjull]

I've grown to appreciate Schopp/Bulldog. I like their personalities, for the most part. I enjoy that they don't always take it so seriously and do stupid **** like Sitcom Drafts, and I appreciate that they don't tow the line for the teams. People hate them and I can understand why, but they're entertaining. I also feel bad that they have to get on daily and talk about two teams that have had it so rough. I can only imagine how tough it is to keep it going. Greg is sorely missed, but I think Tom, the new producer, will do a good job replicating his role.

I don't read much of the sports writers around here. I only listen to the radio shows at work.



Agree, I don't mind his Overtime show on Sundays.

I think WGR needs an overnight show badly. Overnight sports talk is just amazing...



When was the last time you actually listened to their show? I've not once heard Schopp say he hates football, and I've listened every day for four years.

You have to be kidding me.

I'm guessing you never listened to Schopp prior to his current stint at WGR. He was very good and his WNSA show was billed as sport talk for smart people. A counterpoint to the afternoon idiot on WGR at the time, The Coach (Chuck Dickerson). He had a ton of great guests and he covered the full spectrum of local sports (pro, college and high school) as well as the national sports scene.

They could have guests on and talk about every major sporting event, every sport under the sun as well as the local sports scene beyond just the Bills and Sabres. That they are too intellectually lazy to do so is on them. A large part of why they don't do it is the lack of any competition in this market. When Schopp was on WNSA he was going head to head with an established sports talk station. Now without having competition the show is devoid of much substance and gets into the idiotic drafts they do as well as Schopp's other ramblings. Add in the fact Schopp knows little about hockey, and that show is a shell of the show Schopp brought to the table at WNSA.

The fact that they aren't driven enough to make their show better and more encompassing of the sports world around them is on them and them alone. Feeling bad because they are too intellectually lazy to do the leg work for a better show seems silly to me.

 

[indigoo]

You have to be kidding me.

I'm guessing you never listened to Schopp prior to his current stint at WGR. He was very good and his WNSA show was billed as sport talk for smart people. A counterpoint to the afternoon idiot on WGR at the time, The Coach (Chuck Dickerson). He had a ton of great guests and he covered the full spectrum of local sports (pro, college and high school) as well as the national sports scene.

They could have guests on and talk about every major sporting event, every sport under the sun as well as the local sports scene beyond just the Bills and Sabres. That they are too intellectually lazy to do so is on them. A large part of why they don't do it is the lack of any competition in this market. When Schopp was on WNSA he was going head to head with an established sports talk station. Now without having competition the show is devoid of much substance and gets into the idiotic drafts they do as well as Schopp's other ramblings. Add in the fact Schopp knows little about hockey, and that show is a shell of the show Schopp brought to the table at WNSA.

The fact that they aren't driven enough to make their show better and more encompassing of the sports world around them is on them and them alone. Feeling bad because they are too intellectually lazy to do the leg work for a better show seems silly to me.

You're right. I wasnt in the area listening to sports talk radio back then to know. All my point was is they have to deal with a lot of ****** calls, and points of view daily. I refuse to question how they prepare, and for how long. So I won't go there. He seems to be into the numbers from what I hear, but he also has an audience to cater to and maintain the ratings for the station. It's not like he runs his own station here. All I'm saying is the guy doesn't seem that bad to me when I surf up and down the dial and here all the other sports talks hosts. Local sports talk radio can't be easy, would you agree?

Hell, I'd love to go back (or at least have an archive) to his old stuff and hear that.

Not sure why you're fighting with me on it. If anything him putting up a fight with a top host at any point speaks to his ability. And the goofy stuff they do, I don't think detracts from the show because they usually do it in the down months. In fact I don't the they've done anything remotely goofy since before the summer. And Greg leaving changed the format of the show. When was the last time you heard match game?

There's room for having some stupid fun on programs like that. Maybe earlier in the shows life they sucked and that soured people on both of them. But as a recent member of the Buffalo community, and not having a sports talk radio station that was remotely interesting I don't see the problem with them.

 

[Jeremy2020]

You're full of **** and only half-listen if you think Schopp doesn't support his arguments. Quit lying.

I don't listen at all anymore. I somewhow doubt he has changed and given your vehemence, I don't think you're the guy I am going to trust on the topic.

 

[indigoo]

I don't listen at all anymore. I somewhow doubt he has changed and given your vehemence, I don't think you're the guy I am going to trust on the topic.

Well, I'm not surprised. Many folks don't bother listening yet still use the gigantic strawman you did. That's fine, my point was blunt and maybe a bit rude, but I read this all too often. Then I find out you don't even listen. Then I hear from another member that "hey, he actually used to be pretty great."

Anyway, sorry I was a dick about it.

 

[vcv]

Deadspin called out mike Harrington on Twitter. Hilarious, especially since Harrington used name calling to address a fellow journalist .

 

[cybresabre]

Deadspin seems smart enough to screenshot that ****, too. Interesting to see if anything comes from it.

 

[zenthusiast]

Deadspin called out mike Harrington on Twitter. Hilarious, especially since Harrington used name calling to address a fellow journalist .

what on?

 

[Woodhouse]

what on?

https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/421006488518549504

If someone did that here, you'd get an infraction.

 

[scooch151]

what on?

Deadspin revealed that Dan LeBatard was the writer who "sold out" his vote to them (http://deadspin.com/revealed-the-hall-of-fame-voter-who-turned-his-ballot-1496558341)

Harrington followed with this, which Deadspin retweeted:

Really good tweet. RT @BNHarrington Tard is a perfect way to end the name of the look-at-me specialist who sold his HOF vote to @Deadspin.

https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/421006488518549504


Harrington deleted the offensive tweet, and issued this "apology" which makes no sense:

Apologies for the last tweet as a couple point out. Frankly, never heard that context until a link was sent. Point was about the name.

https://twitter.com/BNHarrington/status/421006581115801600

 

[zenthusiast]

Ahaha so Harrington is instead claiming he's incredibly ignorant


wait

 

[sabresfan3383]

Will using a derogatory term finally be Harrington's death knell...somehow I doubt it

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2014...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Chainshot]

Oh, Mikey.

 

[Chainshot]

Will using a derogatory term finally be Harrington's death knell...somehow I doubt it

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2014...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Ah yes, falling back on feigning ignorance to hide his maliciousness. Well done. With that sort of poorly conceived misdirection, he should be in politics.

 

[haseoke39]

Acts like a child in the press room. Thinks like a child on his twitter.

 

[ZZamboni]

Will using a derogatory term finally be Harrington's death knell...somehow I doubt it

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2014...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

And yet people STILL read and follow him.

Seriously, can't people get the same exact info from elsewhere? Is he really the only source for facts and mindless opinion? If everyone reading this stopped following him on twitter, are you telling me there's a lack of info that you would miss? Really? No one else will fill that void? I find that hard to believe.