Sports Media Report - November 25th Update

As we prepare for a busy Thanksgiving weekend of sports, just a moment to wish everyone a wonderful holiday weekend. While we complain a lot about how certain things are going in sports these days, fans have a lot to be thankful for in terms of the shear number of sports events available to us from Wednesday night right through Sunday night.

We have an abundance of pro and college football telecasts, along with NBA and college hoops, and more hockey than usual, all over the radio and TV. Much of it overlapping, and some at unconventional times.

For example, fans of the Chicago pro sports teams will have the NHL Blackhawks playing late afternoon games on Friday and Saturday. Other than an occasional Saturday and Sunday afternoon back-to-back, I don't recall an NHL team playing day games on both a Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, coincidence has the NBA Bulls playing at Philadelphia at 4:00 PM Chicago time, with the NFL Bears to follow as the Sunday Night NBC game. This is far from the only example, but with earlier games on the NBA and NHL docket plus college tournaments with multiple games, it will be hard to not find something live being shown or broadcast over the next few days. Again, something to be thankful for.

CINCINNATI - A change in the morning on WCKY 1530 as Richard Skinner is out. He is being replaced by Tim Lewis, once known as Big Dog from the former BOB-AM, who moves over from sister station WLW's overnight show. Lewis is now on from 5:30 to 9:00 on weekday mornings.

St. LOUIS - As expected, Pat Parris, known for hosting Cardinals and Blues pre and post-game programming on Fox Sports Midwest, will begin on the new KMVN 101.1 FM on New Year's. He will team with Bryan Burwell on the midday show.

SACRAMENTO: F. P. Santangelo will be back for his fifth season of handling the Giants pre and post-game shows on Comcast SportsNet for 2009, but will not be back on his morning radio gig. The former Giants and A's player has been let go by KHTK 1140 from their morning show in what is believed to be a cost cutting measure by the station. Santangelo was often responsible for getting big name guests on the local show, including Kings co-owner Joe Maloof earlier this month.

TAMPA - WHTO 1470 is no longer sports radio. The station has already flipped to holiday music. However, word is that the station will return with a new format by the first of the year.

MILWAUKEE - The moves by the local CBS-TV affiliate to carry as many of Brett Favre and the N.Y. Jets games as possible this season is becoming a popular one after all. This past Sunday when the Jets ended Tennessee's unbeaten season, the WDJT-TV telecast was the Milwaukee market's most watched sports event of the past weekend. (Granted, the "weekend" does not include the Packers telecast on Monday Night Football.) The N.Y. - Tennessee telecast more than doubled the ratings of the Chicago vs. St. Louis telecast on WITI-TV, even though Chicago entered the game tied for first with the Packers, while Favre and the Jets play in the other Conference.

LOUISVILLE - Change in and on the air at WQKC 93.9. The sports format is being shifted to WAVG 1450 AM within the month and be known as "The Ticket 1450". The station is also expected to increase its ESPN Radio programming roster and decrease use of local personalities. This switch could end the Scott Padgett and Dave Ragone morning drive show, which was also simulcast on WBKI-TV. The 93.9 frequency will begin airing a music oriented format.