ESPN Radio - Where is Eric Kuselias? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

John Seibol's been hosting the Sportbash radio show in the afternoon after Dan Patrick. I thought he was guest hosting for Kuselias until I heard him in Miami this week. No mention of Kuselias.

Anyone know the scoop there?

Thanks.

J

 

[jeter23]

John Seibol's been hosting the Sportbash radio show in the afternoon after Dan Patrick. I thought he was guest hosting for Kuselias until I heard him in Miami this week. No mention of Kuselias. Anyone know the scoop there?Thanks.J

Joe,Kuselias announced he was leaving the show a week or two ago. He is staying with ESPN and will be hosting the nightly Narcar show on ESPN2. They will be starting that to push Nascar since they got the new contract.I don't think Siebol will not be the permanant host, but just there until they get a replacement.

 

[Joe Bryant]

John Seibol's been hosting the Sportbash radio show in the afternoon after Dan Patrick. I thought he was guest hosting for Kuselias until I heard him in Miami this week. No mention of Kuselias. Anyone know the scoop there?Thanks.J

Joe,Kuselias announced he was leaving the show a week or two ago. He is staying with ESPN and will be hosting the nightly Narcar show on ESPN2. They will be starting that to push Nascar since they got the new contract.I don't think Siebol will not be the permanant host, but just there until they get a replacement.

Thanks jeter.Did it seem like a good thing or a bad thing for him? He was in their prime time slot going to a zillion listeners. I know TV seems to get the love but that sounds like a huge downgrade for him to me. What do you think?J

 

[jeter23]

I agree that it is a downgrade, but I am not a Nascar fan at all. Listening to him, I never got the impression he was a big Nascar guy either. With that said, he always seemed on the outside looking on compared to the other daily shows. He was always the one who had to fill in for Mike & Mike or Dan Patrick and up until recnetly, his show was not available as a podcast like the other 3 were/are. I enjoyed him and I hope they are able to find a solid replacement.

 

[phthalatemagic]

I think it's a downgrade too, but I think even a marginal TV show > top 5 sports radio show (with regards to pay)

 

[Joe Bryant]

I think it's a downgrade too, but I think even a marginal TV show > top 5 sports radio show (with regards to pay)

Is it pht? I don't really know that business. I'd think a huge radio show would be a higher profile gig than a minor ESPN2 show but I really have no idea.It seems like a terrible fit for him. I guess we'll see.J

 

[cobalt_27]

I think it's an upgrade for him in the sense that I think he's looking to be a tv guy, eventually. To my knowledge, he's never really had any consistent tv exposure before. So, to ESPN, this is great because they can break him in on a relatively low-risk show--that will make him the centerpiece. From his standpoint, he gets to work on his tv chops on a relatively low-risk show that he will undoubtedly succeed in. And, from there, he could be ready to host the NFL shows or SportsCenter and beyond.

In terms of immediate recognition, this is obviously a downgrade. But, looking at the big picture and trying to guess at what he wants down the road, this makes total sense to me.

(And, I swear, I'll watch that damn NASCAR show, too, even though I'm no racing fan. Kuselias is THAT good. He'll make it interesting.)

 

[Joe Bryant]

(And, I swear, I'll watch that damn NASCAR show, too, even though I'm no racing fan. Kuselias is THAT good. He'll make it interesting.)

Really?You'll watch a show covering a topic that you're not a fan of just to watch the host?J

 

[T Man]

My guess is that it is a big step up. While I am not a NASCAR fan, it is the second most popular "sport" in the U.S. He will reach a lot of people. If he does well, he will be able to grow in the TV ranks.

He can always come back to radio if he does well (as an added sounding board ala Dan Patrick) or if he fails (go back to his succesful roots).

 

[bro1ncos]

I know Kuselias,atl least on air, seemed truely excited about the change. Said he was a huge Nascar guy and went willingly.

 

[Raider Nation]

When he initially announced he was leaving, I was bummed. Now, I don't miss him at all. I realized that I only listened to him for the "car crash" factor. He raised my blood pressure because I disagreed with his stance on almost everything. And he liked to come off as a know-it-all, which drove me crazy. For instance, his "fantasy advice" one week was to go out and "pick up" Carson Palmer. One, show me a single fantasy league in the country where Palmer was available. Two, he was coming off a game where he threw for 300+ yards and 3 or 4 TDs. Don't break that limb there, big guy. But he did his job. Love him or hate him, I was listening.

I hate NASCAR, so I'll never hear/see him again unless he is filling in on ESPN radio. But I expect he'll do well because there are a zillion NASCAR fans around, and he is now their talking head. Kind of like the gig Rich Eisen stumbled into, being the face of the then-fledgling NFL Network. Now, Eisen is familiar to us, and we're comfortable with him. I expect Erik to have a similar impact on the NASCAR community.

 

[Raider Nation]

I know Kuselias,atl least on air, seemed truely excited about the change. Said he was a huge Nascar guy and went willingly.

Hmmm, I heard that differently. Could have sworn he said that he "didn't know much" about NASCAR, but that he would learn on the fly.

 

[valhallan]

He was in their prime time slot going to a zillion listeners.

Actually, I don't believe his show was syndicated nationwide like Dan Patrick or Mike & Mike. Many local ESPN affiliates play local shows during the afternoon drive.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I know Kuselias,atl least on air, seemed truely excited about the change. Said he was a huge Nascar guy and went willingly.

Really? I've cuaught about 40 minutes of his show every day for the last couple of years and I don't think I'd ever heard him say one word about Nascar. J

 

[Joe Bryant]

He was in their prime time slot going to a zillion listeners.

Actually, I don't believe his show was syndicated nationwide like Dan Patrick or Mike & Mike. Many local ESPN affiliates play local shows during the afternoon drive.

I'm not sure val. I hear him on XM where he's in their prime time drive home time slot.J

 

[jeter23]

I know Kuselias,atl least on air, seemed truely excited about the change. Said he was a huge Nascar guy and went willingly.

Really? I've cuaught about 40 minutes of his show every day for the last couple of years and I don't think I'd ever heard him say one word about Nascar. J

This was my thinking too JB, but he did claim to be a big Nascar guy. I will listen to his last show again and try to get a direct quote.

 

[posty]

Too bad ESPN kept him... They should have got rid of his ###...

 

[ravnzfan]

He was in their prime time slot going to a zillion listeners.

Actually, I don't believe his show was syndicated nationwide like Dan Patrick or Mike & Mike. Many local ESPN affiliates play local shows during the afternoon drive.

I'm not sure val. I hear him on XM where he's in their prime time drive home time slot.J

aggree w/val on this one J...local Baltimore affiliate had M&M and DP, but we miss The Herd for local Mark Viviano and Erik's slot has Anita Marks hostinggood luck to Erik on this move...not sure it's the best

 

[valhallan]

He was in their prime time slot going to a zillion listeners.

Actually, I don't believe his show was syndicated nationwide like Dan Patrick or Mike & Mike. Many local ESPN affiliates play local shows during the afternoon drive.

I'm not sure val. I hear him on XM where he's in their prime time drive home time slot.J

Yes, I heard him during afternoon drive on Sirius. However, I was referring to your assertion of "a zillion listeners". The Sportsbash is not syndicated nationwide like Mike & Mike and the Dan Patrick Show because many local ESPN Radio affiliates choose to run local shows instead. I know here in DC it's the Sports Reporters and John Riggins Show.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I like(d) Erik's show.

Often opted for his efforts over the local stuff, (GB Sirius), and I think Dan Patrick's show is waaaay too dry.

Erik's was lively, topical, and often challenged thoughts. Patrick was just smarmy and his guests and shtick are tired.

As for NASCAR, no he's not a NASCAR guy. I think he's trying to get into TV in some fashion, but I just don't see how those two will mesh (NASCAR and Erik). The only way I see it working is if Erik (A) learns a ton about auto racing and (B) he surrounds himself with knowledgeable guys and acts as a facilitator, which will really diminish his talents.

I understand the want to be on TV, but I don't like this move at all for him.

 

[cobalt_27]

(And, I swear, I'll watch that damn NASCAR show, too, even though I'm no racing fan. Kuselias is THAT good. He'll make it interesting.)

Really?You'll watch a show covering a topic that you're not a fan of just to watch the host?J

Sure. Maybe I'll get into NASCAR because of him. Who knows?

 

[phthalatemagic]

I think it's a downgrade too, but I think even a marginal TV show > top 5 sports radio show (with regards to pay)

Is it pht? I don't really know that business. I'd think a huge radio show would be a higher profile gig than a minor ESPN2 show but I really have no idea.It seems like a terrible fit for him. I guess we'll see.J

I think so. I'll try to find numbers, but I don't know if they will be recent. To my recollection, only the biggest of radio shows compete with tv shows with regards to talent pay.I liked Erik K's show on the radio too. He seemed more challenging than the other guys on ESPN, that show held my attention much better than the others.

 

[valhallan]

I like(d) Erik's show.Often opted for his efforts over the local stuff, (GB Sirius), and I think Dan Patrick's show is waaaay too dry.Erik's was lively, topical, and often challenged thoughts. Patrick was just smarmy and his guests and shtick are tired.As for NASCAR, no he's not a NASCAR guy. I think he's trying to get into TV in some fashion, but I just don't see how those two will mesh (NASCAR and Erik). The only way I see it working is if Erik (A) learns a ton about auto racing and (B) he surrounds himself with knowledgeable guys and acts as a facilitator, which will really diminish his talents.I understand the want to be on TV, but I don't like this move at all for him.

You read my mind, on all counts.The Sportsbash was my main afternoon show on Sirius and I've tried to give Siebol a chance but he's just not that great. It's probably going to be a mix of NFL, Howard, and Raw Dog now.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Erik's was lively, topical, and often challenged thoughts.

I liked EK's show too, but his "controversial" stances were often a mile-wide and an inch deep. Many of them were straw-man arguments & on the rare occasion he'd get an intelligent caller challenging him, he'd either back up or cut the guy off.But, as I said, he was entertaining & I enjoyed listening to him. I think this move has to be a stepping-stone action on both his & ESPN's part, and not a destination move.