BROADCASTING: VANCOUVER SPORTS-TALK RADIO ANNIVERSARY

Team 1040 celebrates hard-won victory


MATTHEW SEKERES
GlobeandMail.com
May 7, 2008

VANCOUVER -- The road has been long and bloody, yet seven years later, the Team 1040 AM remains on the air.

That was far from guaranteed when the sports-talk radio station launched seven years ago today with a format seemingly destined to fail, and a start-up staff tossed together in one month. Soon thereafter, the station's very existence was threatened by a competitor, making Vancouver one of the few Canadian markets to go through a sports-talk radio war.

But the Team 1040 is accustomed to wars. One was waged quietly in its booth between key on-air personalities. Another was waged loudly, the product of afternoon drive host David Pratt picking a fight with then Canucks general manager Brian Burke.

Today, all that is history. The CHUM-owned station holds the broadcast rights to the Canucks and the CFL's B.C. Lions. It produces four in-house shows daily, several more on the weekend and is a ratings winner in its prized demographic: men aged 25 to 54.

It has become a destination for Vancouver sports fans seeking sports-themed debate and the city has been with rich with them, most notably "the Bertuzzi incident" and more recently, the firing of Canucks general manager Dave Nonis and ownership's decision to hire former NHL player agent Mike Gillis as a replacement.

Those subjects have fallen into the station's lap, inciting wildly divergent and sometimes irrational opinions.

In other words, talk-radio gold.

"After you start listening to an all-sports station, you miss it when it is not there," said John Rea, who in 1992 launched Toronto's The Fan 590, Canada's inaugural sports-talk station, but was back in his native Vancouver four years later. "I missed it, and I knew there were people like me."

In 2001, as luck would have it, B.C. broadcaster Paul Carson was pitching an all-sports format around the same time CHUM was conceiving a national sports radio network. Their efforts merged, and the Vancouver station was launched under Rea's watch with two local programs and several others emanating from Toronto.

The national network was a disaster waiting to happen, and it lasted less than 1½ years.

"What we found out in short order was: To do sports radio, you need to be local," Team 1040 program director Rob Gray said. "If you're not talking Canucks and Lions, people are not interested."

But even with more local content, the Team 1040 was not out of the woods.

For starters, there was massive turnover in the booth, particularly on the morning show, and in the important afternoon drive slot, Pratt and co-host Bob Marjanovich were feuding. Pratt wanted an entertainment show with sports as a backdrop, while Marjanovich was pushing for talk aimed at the hardcore sports fan.

Eventually, Pratt won out and television personality Don Taylor joined him for the Pratt and Taylor show.

"I'll admit to making a mistake," said Marjanovich, who left the station but is now back as host of "Sports Action" Saturday. "The show needs some showbiz to carry the market. Vancouver is not a big sports market like New York."

Pratt relishes his role as pot-stirrer, and one morning when he heard a blustery Burke refuting his commentary, the former TSN reporter saw an opportunity.

"It put us on the map," Pratt said. "If we had a hit show, there is no way we'd do it, but when you're already in last place ..."

But around the same time that the station's on-air roster was coming into view, so was a competitor. Corus-owned CHMJ relaunched with an all-sports format early in 2004, a move that stunned the Team 1040.

Gray said the competition made his station better. It forced management to develop more talent, and it focused them on luring the Canucks after having already secured the Lions' radio rights with pledges of elaborate pregame and postgame shows. When the Lions moved over from CKNW in 2004, the upstart had a legitimate property. (The Canucks followed two years later.)

"People have to find the games, so you get discovered," Gray said.

The war was won two years ago this month, when Mojo 730 AM refashioned itself as an all-traffic station, capitulating with half the market share of the survivor.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080507.VANRADIO07/TPStory/Sports

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Onto another 7 years and other numbers of years that are divisible by 7!

Incidentally, is Rob Grey the former CFOX copy guy and Powerdrive host?

Sorry but these guys shouldn't really be celebrating.  I just heard the Burke - Pratt items that we have been hearing about for quite a while.  Pratt just proves the point that he is a classless ratings whore that denigrates any other work that this station does.

Any management that would approve such sophomoric antics as I have heard this afternoon is in a word----- pathetic.  And yes Mr. Pratt you may come to my place of work any time and make a similar evaluation of my ethics and professionalism.


Look up the word "class" and then look in the mirror.  You'll notice a distinct difference.

"Look up the word "class" and then look in the mirror.  You'll notice a distinct difference."

on top of that , Mr. Pratt will notice in the mirror  that his sense of fashion is very poor as he dresses like a major slob.  Don on the other hand dresses sporty and sharp....

the article is published by Globe and Mail which is owned by CTV which owns CHUM etc.  it is not a news article but rather an advertising plug....

MMMEEEEOWW!

I'm always intrigued with those who are so bitter.  Could it be because they're NOT working there?  

As far as Pratt is concerned...he may be an odd duck (show me someone in radio who isn't), but he's helped take a signal that had MINISCULE audience, and turn it into the top afternoon radio show for Men.  

I say, cudos...and I wish I could have been part of it.

"on top of that , Mr. Pratt will notice in the mirror  that his sense of fashion is very poor as he dresses like a major slob.  Don on the other hand dresses sporty and sharp...."

It's a SPORTS RADIO station...What team do you bat for?

Pratt's an entertainer...if you don't like him...he's done his job!

Who cares what he wears??

Quoted from popsicle

Who cares what he wears??

i don't know about you, but i throw on a 3 piece suit for every one of my radio shows!

"i throw on a 3 piece suit for every one of my radio shows!"

(insert one liner drum here)

Who is Karma Kazi? Anyone?

Quoted from popsicle

Who cares what he wears??

Well...back in his CHRX days, there were at least a few who would have preferred he didn't wear the leather pants.

Just sayin'

I find 1040 not bad,but am not enlightened one bit by the American programming they throw at us.
A quote from one of 1040's own:
What we found out in short order was: To do sports radio, you need to be local," Team 1040 program director Rob Gray said. "If you're not talking Canucks and Lions, people are not interested."

Local ... not American.
Canucks Lunch is the best.  Keep up the good work.

All I ask during the Sportsnet/ Radio TV hour is to dump the first 20 min of the crap entertainment report. Pratt is big on this entertainment, birthdays, who did what etc. That's the reason Moj and him had a big split up. If you want to retain viewers/listeners dump it. When they did the Gillis interview it started at the top of the hour and it was the best hour I have seen.

Listen how many time Pratt mentions TSN ON SPORTSNET, Step up Donny makes some changes.  

Couldn't disagree more Logintoday,

I think Rome and back when they used to have him Dan Patrick to be a refreshing break in programming...There is only so much local content to talk about, and even with the 3 hour break it seems to be repetitive at times.  You can only rehash "what's wrong with the canucks" for so long...and Rome and Patrick serve(d) a purpose in talking about other sports teams, and giving a national perspective.

I can understand how college basketball and football might not be relevent to many listeners up here but for the most part, the NFL, NBA, and MLB conversations are interesting, and Rome/Patrick are just able to get guests on a regular basis that the Team 1040 can't/hasn't.

And GoToBreak, I have to agree, but at the same time, I don't think Donny is the one to change him.

Couldn't disagree more with RadioUgly ...
For the life of me, who cares about American college anything ... what about Canadian college sports ... there's a helluva lot to talk about ... they need the exposure and people like 1040 ignore them ..
As for the NBA, look what happened in Vancouver.  Nobody cares.
And MLB, Toronto I should cheer on?  C'mon.

Give the college kids in Canada more exposure.  Not just hockey.

Rome and company talk about everything U.S. ... where's Canada in their mix?

Although they may rehash topics. You would think they would save there best interviews, comments, callers for the Sportsnet/TV Hour. Remember the show is on a 12:00 AM, you have put me to sleep because it takes so long to get the show going. I think they only take 2 or three calls the entire hour
at the end of the hour.  I guess there satisfied !

1040 is not a hard Sport talking station. Did they bring up the Boxing that was in town a couple of weeks ago? Did they bring on Sugar Ray Lenord after all he was in town. Have you ever thought about interviewing a sport referee of any kind. I wonder what they have to say. What about an interview with the British Columbia Lacrosse Association.  Nice job producer getting Steve Nash on the phone time to expand the phone directory.

Quoted from Logintoday

Couldn't disagree more with RadioUgly ...
For the life of me, who cares about American college anything ... what about Canadian college sports ... there's a helluva lot to talk about ... they need the exposure and people like 1040 ignore them ..
As for the NBA, look what happened in Vancouver.  Nobody cares.
And MLB, Toronto I should cheer on?  C'mon.

Give the college kids in Canada more exposure.  Not just hockey.

Rome and company talk about everything U.S. ... where's Canada in their mix?

If you think nobody cares about the NBA and MLB in Vancouver, then even less care about Canadian College sports.  If it had an audience and people cared they would cover it.

It's the same reason outside of the stadium issue they don't pay attention to the Whitecaps, because nobody cares...Same with the Canadians, nobody cares.

We live in a front running down and that's just the way it is. You'll have a lot more people caring about the Mariners, Blue Jays, Seahawks, Sonics and Raptors then you will Vancouver/Canadian minor and college athletics.

I'm one of the few who does care, but in terms of broad based appeal there just isn't any.  And Rome has a very loyal following even north of the border.