Chicago’s sports talk outlet The Score 670 AM is celebrating their 20th anniversary, and in a valiant attempt to provide some historical perspective, Crain’s Ed Sherman quizzes a number of the town’s microphone fiends, past and present, about the station’s role in the local landscape. And who better to poll than the longtime competition in the form of legend-in-his-own mind Chet Coppock?
The Good: I remain very proud that I was the first guy the Score tried to hire (Mr. Coppock decided to stay at WMAQ). You have to salute them for what they’ve accomplished. Personally, I think (SCR afternoon host Dan Bernstein) is atrocious, but obviously there are people who are crazy about his act. I’ll always wonder if WSCR would have become so successful if it hadn’t had Mike North. He was the first guy who generated a buzz. Mike took the train down a different track.
The Bad: There is less emphasis on truly digging into a story. When I was doing (“Coppock on Sports”), I felt obligated to truly inform as well as entertain. We busted stories at least four times a week. For the most part, sports talk radio has become “guy talk.” That’s where the North factor kicks in. Right now, I don’t see any one sports guy who really has this town galvanized. Most of these guys couldn’t be identified in a police lineup. But, what the hell, apparently advertisers are buying into what’s being offered.