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Controversy Surrounds Bumping of Popular Segment on 590 The Fan in St. Louis

“Edwards thinks there was pressure by Claiborne and others outside the station to get Edwards off the segment after what he said.”

Jordan Bondurant

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590 THE FAN

A host on 590 The Fan in St. Louis says a popular segment on his show was bumped to accommodate the shifting around of another regular guest appearance. But one of the panelists who was suddenly nixed from the segment believes there’s more to it.

“The Slop” had been a Friday morning staple on Press Box with Frank Cusumano for a while. The segment, which Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says goes back some 20 years, was a roundtable discussion on a variety of stories and issues often not related to sports.

Comments from panelist and fellow 590 The Fan host Charlie “Tuna” Edwards back in March appeared to signify the end of “The Slop.” At least that’s how it seemed to play out on the air.

“This is going to be the end of ‘The Slop,'” Cusumano said in response to Edwards, who criticized St. Louis University and University of Missouri in a conversation relating to the NCAA Tournament. “I just can’t take it. I really can’t. You’ve said more ridiculous things in 20 minutes (than ever). We’re done.”

Edwards reportedly hasn’t been featured on Cusumano’s show since that day.

“It was good for everyone,” he said. “People learned a lot from it. We had me, a Black guy, and (co-panelist Andy Strickland), who is white, talking about things a lot of people don’t like to talk about. And 80% of the time what we said that was critical came true.”

Cusumano said Edwards’ comments on the local teams wasn’t the reason why “The Slop” got the axe. He said it came down to moving guest spots around so that he could have former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke on the show. When Van Slyke could only come on at one particular time, Cusumano had to shift a regular appearance by Cardinals commentator Mike Claiborne to the same spot as “The Slop.”

Edwards thinks there was pressure by Claiborne and others outside the station to get Edwards off the segment after what he said. But Dave Zobrist, who owns 590 The Fan, said Cusumano had full control over what he wanted to do with his show.

“I really didn’t have any input,” he said. “It’s Frank’s show, he can do what he wants.”

Despite the abrupt end to the popular segment and everything surrounding the demise of “The Slop” Edwards and Cusumano don’t have any ill will against each other.

“It’s Frank’s show. I respect Frank Cusumano immensely,” Edwards said.

“Charlie has a great radio show and you can hear him eight hours a week in prime time,” Cusumano said. “I listen.”

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Sports Radio News

KNBR’s Brian Murphy Speaks for First Time After Paul McCaffrey Laid Off

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’.”

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A photo of Paul McCaffrey and Brian Murphy
(Photo: KNBR)

Earlier this week, KNBR underwent a round of layoffs, affecting a pair of programs on the Bay Area sports station, including the departure of longtime morning host Paul McCaffrey. His longtime partner — Brian Murphy — has taken to X to share his thoughts.

In a thread to X, Murphy shared his admiration for McCaffrey, whom he hosted Murph and Mac with for 18 years.

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’,” wrote Murphy. “So much love.”

He then shared that everything listeners and fans of the program have shared on social media has been read by the duo, and thanked them for the outpouring of love and support.

Finally, Murphy addressed his future. Fill-in host Dieter Kurtenbach shared on Thursday he did not have a definitive answer about Murphy’s future with the Cumulus-owned station.

However, Brian Murphy has shared he will return to the airwaves on Monday morning.

“I’ll be back Monday morning on KNBR with our guy Markus (Waterboy) Boucher,” Murphy wrote. “Come on. It’s Niners-Eagles. Wouldn’t miss it. As Paulie Mac’s board itself would say: The show goes on.”

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Sports Radio News

Mike Mulligan: Sports Radio is More Difficult Than Other Formats Think

He shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

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Mike Mulligan
Courtesy: Illinois Entertainer

On Friday morning’s edition of Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score in Chicago, co-host Mike Mulligan outlined the difference with music radio that hosts are not continuously talking to the audience, instead taking mic breaks and then interspersing commentary with different songs.

Filling in for David Haugh on Friday’s edition of the program was Gabe Ramirez, who used to work in the format with B96 as the host of its morning show. Mulligan’s assertion about the differences between the two formats resulted in a conversation about the differences between the grenres, with Ramirez explaining the difficulties that music radio hosts face on the air.

“The music station’s still creating content,” Ramirez said. “You get to have a guest – since I am going to defend my music stations – you get to have a guest and toss them a softball question and listen to them rant for five minutes.”

Mulligan disagreed with this perspective, conveying that he does not feel their program provides guests with easy questions. Additionally, he shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

“As a former sportswriter, we sit around and we talk about sports,” Mulligan said. “We talk about the sports we cover and we talk about other sports.”

“You have to talk about Justin Fields seven days in a row,” Ramirez replied. “As a morning show for music, you have to come up with new content every day.”

Rather than taking umbrage towards the response, Mike Mulligan explained that the key to effectively performing his job is being able to discuss important stories of the day even when they are not the headlines. Furthermore, he expounded on the commitment that it takes to watch the amount of sporting events and to be properly informed on the action so he is able to take the air.

“That I will agree with,” Ramirez said. “I’ve told people this – they ask me, ‘What’s the biggest difference?’ The prep, without question, is way more difficult in sports radio because everyone that’s listening to you already knows the answers and you have to be equally if not more informed in all of those things.”

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Minnesota Twins Set to Tab Cory Provus as New TV Voice, Kris Atteberry as Lead Radio Announcer

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012.

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Minnesota Twins

After Dick Bremer exited the Minnesota Twins TV booth in October, the search began for his replacement. The MLB franchise didn’t have to look far, though.

Twins radio voice Cory Provus is reportedly set to become the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for the club, according to a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012. Many immediately tabbed him as the club’s replacement for Bremer, who retired after 40 seasons as the lead television voice of the American League club. Before joining the team in 2012, Provus worked for the Milwaukee Brewers as the number two broadcaster after spending two seasons as the radio pregame host for the Chicago Cubs.

Meanwhile, Kris Atteberry has been signaled as the person set to replace Provus inside the franchise’s radio booth. He has served as the pregame and postgame host for the Minnesota Twins Radio Network since 2007. Atteberry joined the club after spending five years calling games for the then-Independent St. Paul Saints from 2002-2006.

While the television and radio broadcast crews appear set, questions remain about where the team will televise its games in 2024. The club’s contract with Bally Sports North has reportedly expired, and it has yet to sign an agreement with the bankruptcy-laden RSN, or with a local over-the-air television station.

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