Chat on Bucs is livelier this year

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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

Listen up, Bucs fans, because this season there will be a lot to hear.

You will hear more Bucs comments on the radio than ever as the team's popularity reaches new heights.

Start at WQYK-AM 1010, where five players and coach Tony Dungy will have call-in shows beginning the last week of August leading to the regular-season opener.

On Mondays, 1010 will broadcast a one-hour show with Dungy at 5 p.m., followed by the Armchair Quarterback (a different Bucs player every week) at 6 p.m. from the Hooters at 4215 W. Hillsborough. The Shaun King Show will air at 7 p.m. live from Burger Kings throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Warren Sapp returns for Warren's World at 6 p.m. Tuesdays. Sapp, who has the most popular of the players' shows, will broadcast from Lowe's around the bay area.

Chidi Ahanotu will debut his show at 6 p.m. Wednesday from his new restaurant, Sacks Seafood Grill and House of Jazz on West Kennedy in Tampa. Derrick Brooks' show will air Thursdays from Ruby Tuesday on N Dale Mabry near Kennedy in Tampa..

Program director Jeff Ryan said the station may add shows before the season starts.

At WDAE-AM 620, Mike Alstott will do his weekly show at 6 p.m. Mondays from AJ's Sports Bar in Largo.

Brad Culpepper will have a show at 6 p.m. Thursdays. The location has not been determined, but program director Jason Dixon said it should be in the coming days.

And even though WDAE does not broadcast the Bucs, it will have two-hour pregame and post-game shows with new early-morning host Sandy Penner and a co-host to be named.

MORE RADIO NEWS: WDAE is crowing about its latest ratings. The spring book from Arbitron shows that in the highly coveted men 25-54 demographic, the station is dominating WQYK in daytime. WDAE is among the most listened to stations in the market in that demographic, ranking sixth overall.

Chris Thomas' mid-morning show drew an impressive 7.7, and Jim Rome registered 6.4. In a mild surprise, WQYK's Sports Chix drew 2.9 and is one of the station's best-rated daytime programs despite facing Rome.

In afternoons, Steve Duemig held a wide margin over Scot Brantley/Tom Korun, and Tony Bruno is turning good numbers in the morning.

WQYK likely will close the gap in the fall when it can link its programming to being the Bucs' station. But Dixon said he doesn't expect WQYK to catch up.

Dixon said the station's success is based on more than having a strong signal. Ryan said the numbers were good for his competitor but that his station's numbers continue to climb.

FOX UPDATE: Fox Sports Net's Regional Sports Report continues to move along. In its second week, the show has rightly turned a good deal of attention to training camp, but co-hosts Ned Smith and Keith Lebowitz still have a few things to smooth over.

Smith made a big gaffe when he used a reference involving a bathroom and offensive linemen to introduce a piece on Warren Sapp. I was watching a morning replay of the show, and the vision his words created did not pass the breakfast test.

Luckily, the Sage Steele piece on Sapp delivered with a deft touch, a Notorious BIG tune playing in the background.

Lebowitz and Smith have done better on banter and should improve in the weeks to come, but Lebowitz did mispronounce the name of track star John Capel (Cay-pail instead of Ka-PELL).

Sure, it's a minor mistake, and he did correct himself, but that's the kind of error that makes you realize this is a Florida show coming from Dallas.

LOOK OUT: CNN/Sports Illustrated's Fred Hickman, who took a fair bit of criticism for not voting for Shaquille O'Neal for NBA MVP, proved this week he also can dish it out.

He laid into track star Michael Johnson and Red Sox centerfielder Carl Everett for blaming the media for their recent incidents.

"Know what, guys? I confess. You're right. It's also the media's fault we have drought in the southeast," Hickman said Tuesday night. "Global warming? Media. Wife left you for the pool boy? Must have been the media.

"Truth is, not all of us in the media are trying to persecute athletes. And none of us told you to start bad mouthing each other or head-butt an umpire.

"So please, put the scatter gun away, will you, and try the mirror."

CONGRATS: If you know who Biff Pocoroba is, remember seeing Jerry Royster and Tom Paciorek in the Fulton County Stadium infield or can tell people Dale Murphy used to be a catcher, tune in to TBS on Sunday.

The station will honor Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren's 25th anniversary as Braves announces in a pregame ceremony at Turner Field. Both will throw out the first pitch before teaming with Joe Simpson and Don Sutton to broadcast the game.

The whole thing reminds me of when getting cable at my house was a big deal.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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