Nick Wright, our 2009 Best Of winner for Best Sports Personality, is taking over 610 Sports' afternoon drive-time shift -- from 2 to 6 p.m. -- which puts him head-to-head with his rival, Sports Radio 810 WHB's Kevin Kietzman.
Previously, Chris Hamblin filled 610's afternoon time slot. The Chris and Cowboy Show ended when Cory "Cowboy" Anderson left in February. Today is Hamblin's last day in the afternoon slot. Wright's previous shift was from 9 to 11 a.m.
Wright and the station officially signed the contract giving him the drive-time shift this week. "From the time I was 12, I said, 'I want to go to Syracuse, I want to do sports talk
radio, I want to do it in KC, I want the afternoon drive,'" Wright says. "It's very, very rare that someone is fortunate enough to get to
do exactly what they've always wanted to do. The challenge for me is to now take this advantage and make the most of it. And if I do make
the most of it, then there will be a sensible, likable alternative to Kevin Kietzman that,
in short order, maybe won't be the alternative, but will be the default. That's my goal."
Wright's taking over the biggest time slot in sports radio just as baseball season begins, and he's previously admitted that the MLB's not his strong suit. "I will say that I'm a football and basketball fan first," Wright says. "This will be a really good test. But we've brought in a producer from WGN Chicago, Mark Carman, and he'll be my right hand man. In the age of the Internet, people are not coming to me to find out what a guy's batting average is. They're coming to me for entertainment and insight. I'll have the insight. The question is, can I be entertaining enough?"
He's got this to say to his doubters: "The fact is that there's only two people, Jason Whitlock and Kevin
Kietzman, that matter in sports radio in this town," Wright says. "They're both very
smart, they're both very good at what they do, and they're both
polarizing. ... I know I'm smarter than those guys, but more importantly,
I'm honest to a flaw. ...The biggest knock on Kietzman is that people
think he's fake and sensationalist. People listen by default. I know I
know our teams, our players, and our fanbase better than he does."
Wright starts tomorrow, when he'll be broadcasting live after the Royals game from 5 to 7 p.m. His first full shift starts Friday, and he'll be broadcasting live from Kauffman Stadium on Monday (opening day).
Art via 610 Sports.
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