I think in general, there is a good bit of 'trolling' that goes on in sports talk radio. Contrivance...I never much cared for that, but there were times where I did it, especially in the 'off season' of sports talk radio in Iowa, which was basically mid-April through early July. That was really the time you had to actually put in a good bit of 'work' to come up with anything compelling to talk about and get the audience involved. Even then I didn't have much of a stomach for it, which is why I liked doing things like 'Beat It' and other bits.
The problem with trolling and contriving controversy is after a while, the audience won't trust you...and if that is your crutch, you're going to erode all of your trust after a while and just become the bearded lady at the fair; a novelty act that people become less and less interested in.
If trolling and contriving controversies where there are none is your go to move, your shelf life in Iowa probably won't be all that long....but there is an important caveat here, and this is not about any specific show; the radio station cluster aspects make individual show ratings far less important than they once were.
Clear Channel owns several stations in Des Moines, for example. If one show isn't getting great ratings, it isn't as important because the ownership cluster stands a good chance of getting better ratings in the same time slot down the dial. It becomes more about your share of market from the standpoint of the cluster as opposed to what one show can pull in. This is the same in other markets as Clear Channel is the 900-pound gorilla in American radio.
But really in the end, if people are talking about a show or posting about it, even negatively, that's a win for the show. The worst is when there is no chatter anywhere.
I will tune into KXNO via iheartradio a few times per week during morning and afternoon commutes. There are times where I specifically do not tune in, such as when Ken Silverstein was on with Miller & Brinson. The 'mmmkay' radio segment was like fingernails on a chalk board. But I enjoy the Monday Evening QB segment, more so now that it's just Ken as Ken is not a troll...he loves the hardcore aspects of sports and that is what I prefer in season, too. I think he will be better off sans Brinson. Jim is a very nice guy, but as it related to talking college football (maybe it was just in Iowa given his lack of any historical context), he was quite lacking and you could hear Ken's eyes rolling through the radio. Morning Shows are a different flavor from afternoon shows, as they can focus more on general 'entertainment'...some morning shows lean more to the lowest common denominators, talking boobs and beer...some people enjoy that sort of talk, especially in the out of season. I am not a fan of that, but it comes down to personal preference there and more of them do that than don't.
Again, if you are talking about the shows and hosts, that is a win for the show and host.
