sports talk changes...Stan Savarn to be replaced by Tim Benz

[penny lane]

so says Bob Smizak.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697817-194.stm

Clear channel will not renew Stan's contract for the radio.
Smizak believes Tim Benz would be his replacement. I'm sure
there is still a place for Stan in talk radio. As for Benz, he's okay
but wonder if he's ready for 5 days a week. Anyone hired by
fox 97 has to hope they'll be part of the gravy train that is steeler
broadcasting.

[kovyman1127]

Stan said "I was stunned and bewildered. No plausible explanation was given to me, at least not one that made any sense."


Gee Stan.....lets see here....could it be..........ratings????

[plasticbratt]

This is an unfortunate decision. I prefer meat-and-potato sports to a lot of meat-head prattle. Stan's show was by far the most substantive of the available local options, and the man never made a habit of shouting down his "*******" callers or taking pseudo-iconoclastic pot-shots at people like Bettis just to get a rise out of the Yinzers.

But here's the real question: does Tim Benz do hockey? Some sports talk guys laughlingly disregard the NHL and joke about knowing nothing about it. If Stan--who was great with his hockey coverage--is replaced by someone who wants to talk about basketball or NASCAR all day, I am probably going to have to stab myself.

[the wicked child]

Smizik is still a bozo. Not gonna happen. Benz was openly mocking Bozo on the air tonight.

[PittsburghSportsFan]

Personally, I think Stan is the best sports personality in Pittsburgh. The guy is a class act and he knows his sports. Hey, let's give that fat slob Mark Madden all the praise. Tim Benz? Please. The kid is a weasel with zero personality. Paul Alexander? Somebody break it to this guy that 1986 is well gone and he's not a pimp. Very rarely does he make a imformative statement pertaining to sports.

[netwolf]

Smizik is still a bozo. Not gonna happen. Benz was openly mocking Bozo on the air tonight.

Yep. Benz said outright that he was not taking over Savran's slot at the competition. He did confirm that he was given a relase from his contract to explore other opportunities, but never really hinted strongly at what those might be, He and Coloby had a good time with it though.

I'm beginning to think that Smizik is just as unpopular among his colleagues as he seems to be around here. He and Cook are in a dead heat when it comes to crappy columnists though.

Stan's problem (IMHO) is that he often times is too respectful of his callers. I have changed the station many times because I got tired of listening to some Yahoo yammer on and on about some minute little detail that no one else seems to care about. It seems as though Madden is at one extreme on the scale and Savran is the exact opposite.

[penny lane]

Smizik is still a bozo. Not gonna happen. Benz was openly mocking Bozo on the air tonight.

Yep. Benz said outright that he was not taking over Savran's slot at the competition. He did confirm that he was given a relase from his contract to explore other opportunities, but never really hinted strongly at what those might be.

With his contract status open still leaves for the possibility...everything
on the radio isn't always the truth either. I could see Benz fitting
in on the FM station where Ellis Cannon does a show. With his "redneck"
headlines & other non sports items seem more geared towards FM
versus the steeler AM station.

[netwolf]

With his contract status open still leaves for the possibility...everything on the radio isn't always the truth either. I could see Benz fitting in on the FM station where Ellis Cannon does a show. With his "redneck" headlines & other non sports items seem more geared towards FM versus the steeler AM station.

This is just my initial reaction to have listened to it, but I wonder if he might not be up for a TV job somewhere.

As far as the non-sports stuff in his show, Jim Rome has had a nationally syndicated radio show on for years (mostly on AM sportstalk channels) and he mixes in non-sports stuff as well, though maybe not to the extent Benz does. Rome is also a host that has very little middle ground with listeners: everyone hates his guts or thinks he the best thing on radio. With as long as his shows has been on, I suspect there are more of the latter.

[penny lane]

Smizik is still a bozo. Not gonna happen. Benz was openly mocking Bozo on the air tonight.

Yep. Benz said outright that he was not taking over Savran's slot at the competition. He did confirm that he was given a relase from his contract to explore other opportunities, but never really hinted strongly at what those might be.

With his contract status open still leaves for the possibility...everything
on the radio isn't always the truth either. I could see Benz fitting
in on the FM station where Ellis Cannon does a show. With his "redneck"
headlines & other non sports items seem more geared towards FM
versus the steeler AM station.

[BacklashJack]

It's sad when someone with class and sports knowledge like Stan is getting fired and the Howard Stern of sports radio Madden is getting big ratings. Of course, Madden would say that the people who listen to his show are idiots so I guess it all makes sense. Maybe there are more idiots in the 'burgh than intelligent people.