Anyone else sick of Mark Zinno?

[CoverD]

Y'all notice alot for folks that hate the station. Me thinks the problem is you guys, not them. Y'all must be lonely.

Did I say I hated the station? No, in fact I listen to it most of the time when I have the radio on. I was just making a comment on the fact that I have noticed Scott's mannerisms.

But thank you for putting words in my mouth.

[Shas]

I don't mind Haynie, Rob, Wienman, and Conn.

I like that group, too.

It's funny that all four worked at WNST. Too bad ego gets in the way at 1570 or that station could have really kicked ass.

Nestor seems to do a good job of unearthing talent, but a bad job of keeping it there. In addition to the above list, Michael Popovec, Terry Ford, Steve Hennessey, Casey Willett, Phil Backert, Bruce Cunningham and Aaron Wilson have all passed through Nestor's House of Hubris.

I can recall when Jeremy Conn was a pizza delivery boy and part-time producer for Forrester's morning show, working his way up to co-host, and then getting ousted along with Ford for their tendency toward sophomoric puns. They were a great foil for Drew Forrester who played the part of uptight straight man perfectly.

Couldn't believe the overraction the station had to a couple listener complaints. Although I'm sure there was more to that dust up than was reported. Hey, we're talking about a station owner who has had a fifteen-year feud with the baseball team because he was once disrespected in front of his girlfriend by a costumed cartoon bird.

[Boulderraven]

zinNO! Awful. Only Haney, Long, Mills, Garceau are good. Terry Ford is funny, smart too. Younes is in the wrong Biz. Cerrato is good for radio, but can see why he was bad GM. He has always benefitted from being in the right place at the right time before he got to the Skins.

[festivus]

Couldn't believe the overraction the station had to a couple listener complaints. Although I'm sure there was more to that dust up than was reported. Hey, we're talking about a station owner who has had a fifteen-year feud with the baseball team because he was once disrespected in front of his girlfriend by a costumed cartoon bird.

As a guy who has the advantage of never having met any of these people personally, I've always thought NST was about right in their treatment of the Orioles.

People say stuff all the time about Nestor personally and I suppose some or all of it may be true, but I think it's reasonable and *right* for a Baltimore-area sports station to call the Orioles what they are. Giving them credit when credit is due (well, at least Drew does, and it isn't very often), but caring enough not to let go of the whip.

Are we supposed to stop caring?

Anyway. Pretty far OT.

[AirFlacco]

I never liked Zinno, a wannabe. I admired his service to our country.

Haney and Long are the only ones I listen to. I used to love Scott but he gets into too much
idle talk with his partner who is also lousy. On the day that Terps new basketball coach was hired
they didn't mention it in their first segment. Just idle talk.

Don't know if they ever did because I turned them off and never listened since.

[Shas]

As a guy who has the advantage of never having met any of these people personally, I've always thought NST was about right in their treatment of the Orioles.

People say stuff all the time about Nestor personally and I suppose some or all of it may be true, but I think it's reasonable and *right* for a Baltimore-area sports station to call the Orioles what they are. Giving them credit when credit is due (well, at least Drew does, and it isn't very often), but caring enough not to let go of the whip.

Are we supposed to stop caring?

Anyway. Pretty far OT.

Here's how I see it. WNST has adopted the attitude that they are the only outlet in town with the balls to tell the truth about how badly the Orioles are run.

Really, WNST? You're the only one willing to say anything negative? Are you kidding me? Bashing the Orioles has become an equal-opportunity sport in Baltimore. Other than WBAL, the rights holder, what media outlets DON'T bash the team and ownership on air or in print anymore? Even sister-station 98-Rock's personalities take shots at the team. We all know that opening day is a rare chance to feel good about the team, and starting today we'll all go back to feeling negatively about a stadium filled with Yankees fans. We accept it.

I'll give WNST credit for bashing the team longer, and more incessantly than anyone else, but they are hardly the lone voice of protest they would like to lay claim to. Hell, they weren't even the only ones with an organized demonstration on opening day.

Add the fact that it's obviously personal between the team and station owner, and what you get, for me, is tiresome whining. Does the team deserve the criticism? Absolutely? Do I find any redeeming value in listening to WNST personalities dishing it out? Absolutely not. That act is nearly as tiresome as the team itself.

There is a phenomena in the fundraising world that allows organizations to immediately capitalize on disasters to raise money to help their cause. When when tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, oil spills, you name it, happens, organizations can often rally the public to sit up and do something that addresses the issue. But over time, when the memory of the negative event is no longer news, those organizations that attempt to beat the drum of negativity fail to raise money or interest in the cause. The public gets fatigued and tunes it out.

Not to make light of natural disasters by comparing them to Orioles baseball, but I think this is exactly what is going on with the Orioles and WNST. The station continues to hammer away with the same message that is no longer fresh. Until Angelos & Company produce another overt disaster the public, by and large, will have trouble feeling the outrage that WNST wants to promote. Maybe letting Adam Jones walk in free agency would do it. Until then, I think we're fatigued by WNST's message, and a little skeptical about what's motivating them to hammer away.

[festivus]

Oh, they aren't the only ones ripping the Orioles. But as you say, Shas, they've been right on that point for a long time.

And for a very long time they were, for whatever reason, the only ones speaking the truth. In New York or Philadelphis or Chicago a team that awful would have been crushed for *years* by most major media outlets. For whatever reason it didn't happen here.

The tide is only very recently changing, as far as I can tell.

[Shas]

I would say that it's been at least five seasons where you could go to any random media outlet in town and find as many if not more snide, negative comments about the team than positive comments.

[festivus]

Hmm. I listen to a lot of sports radio and I haven't heard it that much, but there's no point arguing about it.

[Shas]

Agreed. No point in arguing. I suppose we hear what we want to hear. If I were more pissed off at the team, perhaps the positive comments would stand out and rub me the wrong way more often. I'm kind of neutral, as in, I stopped caring. I'll tune into a game if I have time. I don't expect much out of them. I'm certainly frustrated about ownership mistakes over the years and about the lack of parity in MLB. But I know it won't change soon, so I don't get too upset. I think it would be more frustrating to be Browns fan, with a perennial loser playing in a league that is set up to allow bad teams to quickly become good. That would frustrate me to no end realizing ownership was so bad that my team can't even take advantage of the help the league is giving.

[iggyman555]

http://southbmore.com/mark-zinno-sou...naissance-man/

ugh

[Shas]

http://southbmore.com/mark-zinno-sou...naissance-man/

ugh

Hmm. Since when did shooting guns and talking football make anyone a Renaissance man? I respect anyone who serves, and I have no problem with sports talk radio, but I think the headline writer needs to brush up on the definition of Renaissance man.

If you imagined a scale where Neanderthal was at one end...and Renaissance at the other end, where would soldiering and sports talking fall? I'm pretty sure those two qualities would not sit next to wine tasting, sweater knitting, and poetry reading when it comes to Renaissance-man qualifications.

[HoustonRaven]

Hmm. Since when did shooting guns and talking football make anyone a Renaissance man? I respect anyone who serves, and I have no problem with sports talk radio, but I think the headline writer needs to brush up on the definition of Renaissance man.

If you imagined a scale where Neanderthal was at one end...and Renaissance at the other end, where would soldiering and sports talking fall? I'm pretty sure those two qualities would not sit next to wine tasting, sweater knitting, and poetry reading when it comes to Renaissance-man qualifications.

I believe the author was pointing out he wears many career hats, which is the accurate, albeit loose, definition of a "renaissance man". The term does not necessarily mean the time period.

[TheJoeFlaccoShow]

http://southbmore.com/mark-zinno-sou...naissance-man/

ugh

When the hell did "south Baltimore" start claiming a POS New Yorker as their own?

[Shas]

I believe the author was pointing out he wears many career hats, which is the accurate, albeit loose, definition of a "renaissance man". The term does not necessarily mean the time period.

I didn't think he was trying to say Zinno has 14th century qualities. I know it is supposed to imply mastery of multiple pursuits, but my point was that part time soldier and full time sportscaster didn't strike me as particularly diverse. By definition, doesn't just about everyone who serves in the guard have another, primary job? From that point of view, everyone who is in the Guard is a Renaissance Man.

[HoustonRaven]

I didn't think he was trying to say Zinno has 14th century qualities. I know it is supposed to imply mastery of multiple pursuits, but my point was that part time soldier and full time sportscaster didn't strike me as particularly diverse. By definition, doesn't just about everyone who serves in the guard have another, primary job? From that point of view, everyone who is in the Guard is a Renaissance Man.

He holds the rank of Major, which requires a Masters degree, of which he does indeed hold from Loyola. Not a small task in of itself.

Having served in the Guard, it's not as easy as you portray as simply as a "part time soldier". It requires a substantial amount of time outside the required drill weeks / weekends. To reach his level of rank, it requires numerous schools both in state and in other areas of the country that are in addition to the standard drill periods. His MOS, Public Affairs, is incredibly active and competitive in terms of reaching higher ranks. Not to mention you can get called into service for BOTH state and federal issues.

So yes, I don't think there isn't any question he can be dubbed that title for both careers.

[Shas]

He holds the rank of Major, which requires a Masters degree, of which he does indeed hold from Loyola. Not a small task in of itself.

Having served in the Guard, it's not as easy as you portray as simply as a "part time soldier". It requires a substantial amount of time outside the required drill weeks / weekends. To reach his level of rank, it requires numerous schools both in state and in other areas of the country that are in addition to the standard drill periods. His MOS, Military Police, is incredibly active and competitive in terms of reaching higher ranks. Not to mention you can get called into service for BOTH state and federal issues.

So yes, I don't think there isn't any question he can be dubbed that title for both careers.

My apologies if you took offense to the way I characterized serving in the guard. I in no way wanted to come off as portraying it as an inconsequential commitment. I merely meant to say that I think of Renaissance Men as more than being accomplished in two areas, even if the two things are both impressive. I think of it as five or six really diverse things. So perhaps it is semantics. Again, apologies if I came across as belittling Guard service.

[HoustonRaven]

My apologies if you took offense to the way I characterized serving in the guard. I in no way wanted to come off as portraying it as an inconsequential commitment. I merely meant to say that I think of Renaissance Men as more than being accomplished in two areas, even if the two things are both impressive. I think of it as five or six really diverse things. So perhaps it is semantics. Again, apologies if I came across as belittling Guard service.

No apology needed at all. Took no offense to it at all.

I pointed that out just to try an illustrate is isn't just another guardsman and that's he has risen rather fast and successfully.

No worries, Shas.

[Ravenous1]

As a guy who has the advantage of never having met any of these people personally, I've always thought NST was about right in their treatment of the Orioles.

People say stuff all the time about Nestor personally and I suppose some or all of it may be true, but I think it's reasonable and *right* for a Baltimore-area sports station to call the Orioles what they are. Giving them credit when credit is due (well, at least Drew does, and it isn't very often), but caring enough not to let go of the whip.

Are we supposed to stop caring?

Anyway. Pretty far OT.

I will give kudos to NST for being first to cry foul regarding the Orioles. That being said both WBAL and 105.7 have carried the games at some point during the time period NST was beating the O's over the head so to some degree, like it or not, those stations had an interest in not running to afoul of old Peter McScrooge Angelos.

Nestor has a good eye for talent but has a horrible record of keeping it. Had he kept the talent that had come through there, nobody would listen to anything but NST. I get the impression Nestor likes the new talent because frankly those kinda guys are indebted to him for the opportunity. I think the minute they question him or how he thinks things should proceed on their shows ....he gives them the boot. Its his right, he owns the station but the other sports talk stations in town thank him I am betting. Anyone wanna take bets on the over under of when Glenn Clark gets Nestorized ????

[TheJoeFlaccoShow]

I will give kudos to NST for being first to cry foul regarding the Orioles. That being said both WBAL and 105.7 have carried the games at some point during the time period NST was beating the O's over the head so to some degree, like it or not, those stations had an interest in not running to afoul of old Peter McScrooge Angelos.

Nestor has a good eye for talent but has a horrible record of keeping it. Had he kept the talent that had come through there, nobody would listen to anything but NST. I get the impression Nestor likes the new talent because frankly those kinda guys are indebted to him for the opportunity. I think the minute they question him or how he thinks things should proceed on their shows ....he gives them the boot. Its his right, he owns the station but the other sports talk stations in town thank him I am betting. Anyone wanna take bets on the over under of when Glenn Clark gets Nestorized ????

The main reason Nestor can't "keep talent" is because he has a mega corporation in CBS radio as his direct competitor who can pay the on air talent double what he can without blinking. Not to mention all the perks that come along with working for a conglomerate like that in benefits and other stuff.

Of course that isn't the only reason, but is a huge part of it.

You can trace all the departures back to one thing in most of the cases....money being the start of the problems and then the subsequent departure of the hosts.

Nestor just can't afford to pay them what they are worth once they get some experience under their belt.