Glenn Ordway’s much-ballyhooed internet radio project the Big Show Unfiltered launched yesterday, and sounded much like what we heard for so many years on the WEEI airwaves.

Given the current afternoon drive radio environment, that’s not such a bad thing from this corner.

There were some things you didn’t hear on WEEI. Curse words, for one, though Ordway made sure to say that they weren’t going to force it on that issue. Pete Sheppard was the one getting in his curses, mainly directed at former WEEI GM Jeff Brown. They also went after Felger and Mazz by name, and an impression of Massarotti’s negative panic was in the offering.

Technically, things went pretty smooth for the first time out, they had some issues with callers, but for the most part, it was OK on that end. There seemed to be an issue with Steve Buckley’s microphone – he could barely be heard for much of the show, and as we all know, Buck likes to talk, so it was a bit of a struggle at times to hear.

They broke the news that the show will be aired on SiriusXM radio starting next week on channel 108.

They also had no issue making mention of Buckley’s sexual orientation, which was something of a change. The “Just for Men” hair coloring joke in the Whiner Line for one, and Buckley himself making lighthearted reference to “the gay guy.”

The advertisers were familiar as well – Miltons, Ace Ticket, Jon Meterparel did an ad, but I can’t remember what it was for. Ordway was able to bring along these advertisers to his new venture which speaks to his remaining influence in the market.

All in all, it was a familiar-sounding product, and I was glad to have it back. I had no issues getting the show to run on my PC, and later, even on my Blackberry (!) phone which I had hooked up to a Bluetooth connection over my car stereo.

I’ll be interested to monitor this going forward. It could be a great alternative to the incessant Patriots-bashing that goes on over at 98.5 in that timeslot, and we still don’t know what WEEI has planned in terms of a Mike Salk replacement. (Please not Christian Fauria full-time.)

******

I’m surprised the irony meter has not broken after hearing John “spring water” Dennis talk about Jim Irsay this morning.

We’ve heard a lot about the Red Sox offering dynamic ticket prices. How does that impact them? – Green Monster Dynamic Pricing Could Add $2- $3 Million Of Revenue From Red Sox Tickets

Our favorite storyline is happening for the Boston Bruins right now. Are they peaking too soon???? Are these the same people who were screaming that they didn’t do enough at the trade deadline, and that they let the Canadiens get the player they should’ve gone harder for?

There sure are a whole lot of media and fans drinking the John Elway kool-aid around here.

Dan Shaughnessy has taken “playing stupid on the radio” to levels Tony Massarotti could only dream of. So apparently, other NFL teams are just handing over their best players to Bill Belichick. I thought Belichick was hated around the NFL? Why would they just hand their best players to him. Tampa handed the Patriots Darrelle Revis. Never mind that any team could’ve signed him. This must somehow be related to how the NFL hands the Patriots a tomato can schedule every year (even though the schedule is largely determined years in advance).

Someone on the station (Roche?) also thinks that if Belichick or Kraft can just get Vince Wilfork down in front of a nice dinner all will be well. Sure. Give the fat man some food and he’ll do whatever you say.

Finally:

God knows I love Bob Ryan, but this paragraph in his Sunday column just blew me away:

I’m serious when I say that a year ago today you and I knew more about the NBA than Brad Stevens did. I’m not talking about actually coaching basketball at something other than a youth level. And I know Stevens says he used to watch more NBA than anyone ever realized. I’m talking about living through years and decades of the actual NBA experience, which has nothing to do with high school, college, or anything else.

What in the world?

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

22 thoughts on “Big Show Unfiltered – Just Like Your Father’s Big Show. But Unfiltered.”

  1. Ah, the Bruins Peaking Too Soon nonsense has been giving this overly emotional loon some gray hairs. It’s so transparent — but hey it’s Boston — that the Bruins domination in the face of the “they’re doomed without a big trade” has quickly pushed the Heads to concoct a narrative that is equally as absurd. Hats off to Joe Haggerty for being the most insufferable dude alive. His “peaking too soon” crapola is straight off the back of his hysterical (in both senses of the word) “Bruins HAVE to beat the Habs” mania last week. Combine that with his perpetually giggly, crap-eating grin and lazy, dated pop culture references and you know true talentless banality.

    Like

    1. But don’t you see how the two absurd narratives fit perfectly together? And it also provides a second CYA opportunity for the contrarians that declared the Bruins COULD NOT win the cup finals this season. If the Bruins win, they never mention it again. If the Bruins don’t win, they can pick and choose from “trade deadline” to “peaked early” or lean on both! It’s a win – win scenario on talk radio and as a columnist.

      Like

      1. Doing my own 2.0, as well, today. They seem to have fixed it now.

        Looks like Jerry Thorton will no longer be on F+M due to his Ordway work and what sounds like the in-studio appearance with D+C Friday. I’m not sure how many will miss him but kinda interesting they’re protecting it.

        Like

        1. I can take or leave Jerry, but interesting that he is the first to “jump ship.”

          I also wonder at what point all the inside-radio talk will wear on my nerves.

          Like

          1. One thing that it makes me wonder about, it being Tuesday and all, is about Wiggins. He does NESN spots. He fills in on WEEI but nothing regular. Would they try this? I remember someone asking Finn about him (they didn’t like him so they’re asking why he’s still on) and he said something to the extent of, “No way. They absolutely love him.”

            And, you have to think Ordway is throwing him some $, more than the 1-segment spot made him on F+M (isn’t it like $75-100?), plus maybe a share of something in the future.

            I just wonder how Thorton resonates. He gets mixed reviews on here and SoSH, enough to where I think he’s fine for segment(s) but wouldn’t resonate with most if on daily.

            Like

          2. I don’t particularly care for Wiggins on the air as much as everyone else. I think the only thing that makes him work so well on F&M is that he provides a counter balance to the clouds of negativity that permeate that show. Of course, he goes so far in the other direction that he gets just as ridiculous sometimes.

            Like

          3. Felt the same way. I didn’t care for him much until the past year when he provided what Mazz and Beetle used to provide in terms of that counter.

            Like

          4. My preliminary thoughts on BS v2.0 are that honestly it’s not as terrible as I thought it would be. There’s actual chemistry between the on-air personalities, which is a change from WEEI. They’re not forcing storylines and doom-n-gloom, which is a change from TSH.

            However, they need a real sound engineer, not just an intern with Garage Band or Podbean, as the speakers on my computer are all the way up and the levels are still all over the map.

            And I wouldn’t mind a different guest / co-host who isn’t a retread (yes, I spelled that correctly) from the days of yore. But overall, at least they sound like they enjoy the sports they are talking about without forcing storylines.

            So far, I would grade it a solid B (I’m not sticking around for the Whiner Line).

            Like

          5. Similar thoughts.

            Glenn clearly knows how to run a show. I don’t think we doubt that. Pete clearly has to be a #2. The rotating “guests” so far has been solid. Buck’s always great. Jerry worked today.

            Oh boy on that sound. Same thoughts. I’m lucky I use the raw url in VLC, allowing 200% volume (more if you want) w/o having to adjust the system volume or speakers, so if I get an alert, I have a busted cone. I’ll file it under “first week glitches”.

            They’ve also limited calls, with everyone calling up being obvious Ordway/Big Show fans, that’s been good. There were some errors yesterday but those seemed to have gone away. Some calls as a break from everyone talking is fine, but the “need to answer the phones” both stations do adds nothing after one or two calls most of the time.

            They clearly have done their HW on what’s being complained about. It’s nice to hear a discussion vs. “forced contrarian” or ripping whatever ESPN has on their masthead. I’ll take that.

            Funny what a year makes, but that ‘opening’ was created more by the competition either not filling a missing hole or the “everything sucks” turn that seems to be the agenda with some now.

            Like

  3. Love how your praising The New Big Show and bashing Felger and Maz. You were the same one who beat the drum on these guys at WEEI saying that you wish somebody would challenge them. Now they have and you go back in the other direction. Are you that much of a lemming that you cannot listen to a different opinion than yours? You can be such a fraud because you are no different than any of them.

    Like

  4. I don’t know why I would try the “new” Big Show when the old one had me constantly switching the dial.

    Like

  5. So I listened to both Big Shows and no one is going to listen to that show as it is. The production value sucks. If Glenn wants to put out a professional show, rent space at a studio someplace, that has an actual sound board and put out a professional show.

    But that is not the biggest problem. I have written at great lengths that Glenn’s biggest strength is being moderator/facilitator and not as an actual voice. If he is going to have guests like Buckley or Thorton then he is going to have to opine which is what got him in trouble in the first place. Glen needs two strong guests and Pete to make the show work. One guest + Pete means Glen has to participate and give his opinion which does not work.

    I can’t imagine taking out my phone while driving, and actively loping for the new Big Show Unfiltered to stream through my car radio. Not with the current guests. Not with the pacing of the show. Not with the sound and not with lack of quality guests. I would have thought that if Glen got a chance to recreate the show, he would have brought in more national talent/interviews, had stronger co hosts and attempted to overwhelm the terrestrial broadcasts with quality. I was wrong even though I wanted to like the show.

    Like

    1. It’s ‘production’ quality is like a pro-am ATM. It’s not a podcast but it’s not a studio show.

      How much is a studio? I have to think that renting one out is $300 per hour and you wind up paying for bandwidth/power/etc ? I doubt he wants that expense just yet.

      Interesting pick-up on the dynamic. I’ll have to listen for that in the future. As facilitator, from remembering what Ordway was and has done in 2 days, you’re right.

      But, as you said, the real brick wall he’ll hit is distribution. Rarely, in the car, do I do much with the phone besides have it playing MP3s. Only hardcores will have the stream setup, which won’t win you big #’s. It’s why, ultimately, I think he’s just waiting for WEEI to beg for him to come back or at least syndicate the show.

      Interesting enough, D+C is only D, no M or C. Greg Dickerson is in along with Ben Volin doing a 7-9 in-studio. Something makes me think they’re evaluating all. At least they’re doing try-outs this time instead of just trying a transplant.

      Like

      1. Given the platform and the production, I think the podcast analogy is 100 percent appropriate. I listen to a ton of podcasts. If I go back and listen to the first five episodes of some of those podcasts, they sound more or less exactly like Week 1 of The Big Show v2.0. Presumably, Glenn will eventually invest in a better sound mixer and a Northeastern grad who knows how to run it. Maybe some of that egg-crate sound-dampener for the walls.

        If this is just a launching pad into syndication or re-entry to WEEI, then this discussion is moot. But if Glenn is serious about making a go of it online, he should try to marry his antiquated ideas about the Big Show v1.0 with the podcast model utilized by folks like Marc Maron or Bill Simmons, that way it gives an episode a little more lasting power. I’m not saying every episode should involve a 45-minute interview with his uncle, but some kind of segment that he could record on Monday that I would still be interested in downloading and listen to in my car on Thursday. Otherwise, there’s no reason to listen if you can’t live stream from your office.

        Like

      2. If they are giving Greg Dickerson a tryout then all is lost. I think in reality Callahan and Minihane had something else to do today and Dickerson was available because Dale is covering the afternoon show.

        As for the Big Show Unfiltered…I wanted to at least like it so I could add it to my pod cast play list (John Bachelor and ….well nothing else). But it is not very good if the show is going to consist of Pete, a rotating D list hosts like Buck, Thornton, Smerlis, and D’ozzie, and comedy bits by an ex whiney line caller, Greg (last name escapes me…he does Bob Kraft, Mary Cruelo, Tito, and John Henry. (Speaking of which he had 4 bits on inaugural whiney line )

        He is moving the show to Sirius Radio next week. I assume he has to have a better production value for that. But and this is the big but…if the show is going to turn on callers, celebrity callers and periphery columnists/observers then there is no reason to listen.

        Here is my advice to the Big O…not that he is listening. Play to your strengths. Have 2 solid cohorts + Pete each show. Make sure one of the co-hosts is a beat writer or ex player in the sport you are going to cover primarily that day. Arrange interviews with national voices to give a different perspective on the stories. LIMIT fan calls. They are bad enough on the radio but at least you have hard breaks you can use to get out of them. In a no commercial Pod Cast they just linger. Its all about pacing, segmenting, and flow.

        Like

  6. Ordway must really think that no one got tired of his old act, it was WEEI management that killed it. Same music, same sidekicks, and the old core audience aren’t likely to find him. Is Sheppard earning anything? Nobody wanted Sheppard for any role in this market—why would Ordway use him? Cheap labor?

    Like

    1. Well Leo, if you’re tired of old acts, good news! De Ossie and Smerlas are returning too! Remember when the Big Show went off the air and those two goofs were in such high demand? Yeah, me neither.

      Like

  7. Given state of affairs , probably better than the alternative. To me Felger & Mazz sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

    Like

  8. “Jon Meterparel did an ad, but I can’t remember what it was for…” LOL. Eddie Munster Meat Puppet already paying dividends as an insufferable ‘Take It From Me…’ huckster.

    Like

Comments are closed.