Simmons Media’s 1530-AM, a station whose few listenable, non-play-by-play moments consist of programming syndicated from ESPN Radio, has long engaged in the most desperate sort of baiting of crosstown sports rival KVET. Recently, the slagfest has turned downright nonsensical.
As KVET is currently broadcasting games for Austin’s D-League entry, the Toros, KWNX/KZNX is running spots mocking the competition’s coverage of “pee wee basketball”, with the voiceover dude (the same one that provides the leering tones for about 90% of the sports stations in the country) sneering “Bakersfield? Sioux Falls?”, then reminding us that 1530 brings the exploits of “Shaq & Kobe” to our transistor radios, courtesy of their Spurs games.
There’s only about a half dozen problems with this particular sales pitch. For one, unless you live next door to their transmitter, 1530’s signal completely disappears after sundown. They could be broadcasting a one-on-one game between Michael Jordan and Jesus Christ, and no one would be the wiser.
For another, it’s kind of amazing that ESPN Austin would go out of their way to mock a competitor for devoting airtime to minor league sports. For much of the spring and summer, the only thing worth listening to on 1530 is the Triple-A Round Rock Express, yet we’ve not heard KVET bragging they bring us Roger Clemens and Lance Berkman while the other guys have to settle for Joe McEwing.
On a similar tip, there’s no use in calling anyone else bush league when 1530 features the Texans every Sunday.
Then again, this is a station whose only original weekday programming consists of the afternoon drive time “Beat Down”, which mercifully replaced the excruciating “Happy Fun Ball Show”. The hosts of said program, Gregg Henson and Dave Tepper, have no doubt moved on to bigger and better things (NPR, teaching careers, selling blood, etc.)