This last few weeks has been tough sledding on the radio between 10-12. Those other guys are talented in their own right but they really struggle to weave their way through a 2 hour show. Matt is really good at managing the pace of the show.
KSR won’t last long if Matt ever quits…
- Thread starter Tubbyfan78
- Start date
I don't listen nearly as much when Matt is gone as he is really good at making the show move along, when to switch topics, etc. I will say that Ryan has improved drastically in taking over the lead when Matt is out, but yes, it's not nearly as good to listen to.
Yeah, when it's Ryan, Shannon and Drew, the show is ok. When they have a guest host it just drags. Even with someone as good as Hart it's just not the same.
I know a lot folks like Myron Metcalf, but I'm just not a fan. He's ok, but he's so soft spoken it's just wild he's been on radio this long as a sports guy.
It's hard to have the show when basketball and football aren't in season period...
I rarely listen to KSR between the months of May-August. May ‘24 was an exception because of the basketball coaching change and constant transfer portal news.
Yeah, luckily baseball was really good and carried the show most of June, but yeah, without Matt to bring up weird Kentucky topics or stories, the show struggles in the summer.
I went on a 6 week Europe trip a few years so, and it is a looooooong time to be gone. People struggle pulling up the slack for that long.
Especially when there's not much sports going on and the guys aren't Reds fans.
This is a slow time in sports. I do wish they had someone who attended UK practice that can give some insight. Make that a 30 min. Segment.
This is not a post to bash KSR or Matt, but I'm kind of surprised that it's still around to be honest. And I wonder about the future of the longevity of the show as well.
They had a great business model and they really, really took off. That being said, they also benefitted from some good timing as well. They built their fan base core during the end of the Tubby, start of BillyG and start of Cal timeline where there was a lot of change and a lot of interest and a lot of stories to pursue. I feel like they really started getting noticed around that time...without going back to fact check.
If they hadn't launched until 2016, for example, do people think they would be even a fraction as popular as they are now? Or even still around?
They had a great business model and they really, really took off. That being said, they also benefitted from some good timing as well. They built their fan base core during the end of the Tubby, start of BillyG and start of Cal timeline where there was a lot of change and a lot of interest and a lot of stories to pursue. I feel like they really started getting noticed around that time...without going back to fact check.
If they hadn't launched until 2016, for example, do people think they would be even a fraction as popular as they are now? Or even still around?
Peter Burns and Tom Hart make for good guest hosts as do the Pardon My Take guys. Outside of Matt I like Shannon the Dude.
Not a summertime listener but a regular season podcast listener. My gripe about the few I have listened to is the constant ads (yes I understand that’s how podcasts make money). It seems to me like the actual segments get shorter and the breaks longer. Thank goodness for the FF feature. Gotta go a full three minutes forward before the show actually starts.
It fills my drive on the way home though luckily. Noise cancelling headphones and KSR have gotten home through many a stressful highway drive
You wear noise canceling headphones while driving? Why not just Bluetooth it through your car's speakers?
I do. There is a definitely a market. Pat McAfee didn't start until 2019. I think a lot of the success though was being a first mover into the online world. Radio was always separated from websites like this and podcasts.
Also, football came along in a big way starting then. Half the UK stuff on the show is football related.
I have an older car. And the headphones help drown out highway noise. I only wear them on the highway. Never in town; and yes, perfectly legal.
I think the reason they are so popular is because the transitioned into a show that talks maybe 50% UK sports, 25% other sports and 25% everything else. That 25% everything else has grabbed a lot of listeners. They are more successful now and have better ratings now than they ever had and I think that's the main reason. They expanded their audience outside of die hard UK/sports fans and I don't see that going away. It's actually what I enjoy most.
Are you sure? I guess I'm not is why I ask. I know in their infancy they were on radio. If it wasn't WHAS 840 then maybe 1080? I can't really remember but I want to say it was on either before or after Sports Talk on WHAS.
I think they would be. I didn't even start listening to KSR until Fox/Monk year.
Matt is really good at radio. Some folks may not like him but objectively, he is very talented on the air.
I worked in the industry for a couple years and have listened to A.M. radio pretty much exclusively for 30ish years and he is one of the best IMHO.
Last edited:
I swear, I think some people hate Matt Jones because he's doing what they would like to do but haven't the means to get it rolling. People can bash Jones all they want but the man loves UK sports. I've been a loyal listener since it's inception. I do the podcasts because I'm asleep when it comes on live.
I don't hate him for it, but I'm envious of his job to an extent. I was in radio and producing/hosting going back to 2005 timeframe. I worked out of 1300 studio on Main Street. I think it is the same studio where Cutler broadcasts from now.
I just wish I would have had the foresight he did. Pretty genius business model tbh.
I quit radio because I didn't want to move all over the country to advance. He has advanced without moving anywhere 😂
It would be like Jerry Seinfeld leaving Seinfeld the sitcom.
He is the brand for that show and I’m sure it wouldn’t last without him.
He is the brand for that show and I’m sure it wouldn’t last without him.
Jones is good and good point about him not having to move to make it big in radio.
Clay Travis is rightfully hated on for his UT Fandom and UK shots at times but he also dominates radio. He can talk sports, culture, politics, etc and he is very successful. Remember in 2011 when he was making 45k and quit 104.5 the zone in Nashville. He's a way bigger success than MJ but thought of him as well for this discussion.
It's been on for 10 years. Could last another 10 years. But the day it's off the air, a segment will say it was pulled because they didn't stick to sports.
I hope you weren’t tied in to that horrible Chris Cross show . That guy was an idiot.
Love or hate him, he has a talent for commanding and directing a show. For those Stern listeners on here, you can tell he listened to a lot of Stern and directs the show similarly. It’s one of those talents anyone thinks they can do but it’s extremely difficult.
I’d say the format is more 30% Kentucky sports, 20% state of Kentucky stuff, 20% other sports and 30% random stuff.
I’d say the format is more 30% Kentucky sports, 20% state of Kentucky stuff, 20% other sports and 30% random stuff.
Ha, I was a remote producer. He was awful and not a nice guy to me. I have wondered what happened to him though. I did Horse Tails with Ercel Ellis. He wasn't nice either. Pete Kules was nice but demanding. Larry Glover was as well. Deener was a good dude. Mike Cameron was super cool; he was co-host with Chris after Deener.
Only good part of that job were free meals at remotes and the killer hoagies at LA Gourmet Pizza. That is a lie, going to press conferences and pre-game football was fun as well....but remote producing was awful and thankless. I did Sunday show with a friend of mine back then too and did really enjoy that. He said need up moving to Dallas and was in radio for a while iirc. I haven't talked to him in 15 years probably.
Last edited:
I’m sure none of it was your fault, but my god that was the worst radio show of all time. I heard that Cross got sued for sexual harassment, fired, and had a heart attack, but that he’s still alive doing nothing. Tha CASSSStle
Yeah I mean, the show is still skippable when it’s Ryan Shannon and drew but it’s OK. When they add a host it’s just awful. I bet the ratings numbers are pretty bad right now.
