“Do something. Do anything.” – Kent Sterling

(EDITORS NOTE: PLEASE EXCUSE THE COUPLE TIMES YOU HEAR SOME STATIC. WE’RE NOT SURE WHERE IT CAME FROM, AND IT’S TOUGH TO EDIT OUT.  WE WON’T MAKE IT A HABIT, WE ASSURE YOU)

Really excited for today’s Podcast About Sports Radio.  My guest is my former boss (well, one of them) from my old stomping grounds at 101 ESPN in St. Louis, Kent Sterling.

Kent has worked in Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and now back in Indianapolis.

Kent has programmed both news and sports talk stations and now, is strictly a sports talk host at CBS Sports 1430 AM in Indianapolis.  That is certainly an arc within this industry that you don’t see all that often.

But it makes sense for Kent.  He’s full of energy and opinions, and is a great deliverer of a strong message while making sure a sense of humor is a big part of the delivery (you’ll hear this when he talks about one of the characters that he creates and has a life of its own on the show).

Check out more of the show notes below to get a feel for what you will hear in this edition of The PASR.

I hope you enjoy and, as always, leave a comment to get out anything that this podcast had you thinking along the way.

INSIDE THIS EPISODE…

• Kent recalls the first time he heard about an all-sports radio station… while sitting in the sports offices of WGN Radio in Chicago.
• The number one lesson Kent learned in his very first sports talk radio internship that he just applied a couple of weeks ago when an Indianapolis Colts player was arrested.
• The “competitive differentiation” that he presents to his listener base that he is proud of.
• Kent talks about the “Four Traits of Great Radio.”
• Kent goes through a regular work day for him which all revolves around building your brand.
• What the format of Kent’s daily show looks like.
• The dynamic between host and producer.
• Kent’s favorite benchmark segment.
• “Do Something. Do Anything.”
• The biggest pet peeves Kent has with sports radio hosts today… including himself.
• Kent’s number one piece of advice for current radio show hosts.
• As a former program director, where Kent thinks program directors are missing the boat.
• How Kent thinks a radio station can keep a good relationship with a franchise or college when they are the flagship radio station for their broadcasts.
• What Kent, as a program director, wants to hear on a potential host’s demo tape.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE…

FROM THE GUEST:

• Kent’s website for all of his non-radio show content, of which there is plenty: kentsterling.com
• Kent’s Twitter: @KentSterling
• Kent’s Facebook: facebook.com/kenttsterling
• Kent’s radio home: cbssports1430.com
• CBS Sports 1430’s Facebook: facebook.com/Sports1430

FROM ZACH:

• BlogTalkRadio: Kent talked strongly about how it’s easier than ever for people who are looking to get into sports radio to start today.  I mentioned BlogTalkRadio. I’ve worked with this platform and it is a breeze.  Start a radio show now.  You can get started for ABSOLUTELY FREE right now by going here: aboutsportsradio.com/getblogtalkradio

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Thanks for joining me again this week. Have something you’d like to share with me or Kent? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons accompanied with this post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The Podcast About Sports Radio on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.