Monday, February 16, 2009

Top 5 Charlotte sports radio personalities

Charlotte’s best sports radio personalities ever:

5. Matt Pinto:
I don’t think we ever had a sports talker as knowledgeable as Pinto, who was also the radio voice of the Charlotte Hornets in the '90s. He was smart on so many topics, and his presentation was much different than what we hear today, when so many guys sound alike - and rant alike.

4. Gerry Vaillancourt:
He was on WFNZ and later on WBT radio, whose 50,000 watt signal reached up and down the East Coast. A former coach, he really knew basketball and could talk it about as well as anyone in the country. He had a tendency to go overboard, but we enjoyed his passion. He teamed with Pinto and with Michelle Tafoya (Mickey Conley), and that was sports-radio magic.

3. Mark Packer (left): He’s created a brand at WFNZ right now around his afternoon show and his “Southern Fried Football” packages. Packer’s rolodex is amazing and the guests he gets make his show.

2. Gary Williams:
Since he left for a satellite radio gig, there’s been a big hole in Charlotte’s current sports talk universe. Williams was knowledgeable and down to earth. He did great research and more than many sports talk guys, he almost always had a few facts to back up his opinions.

1. John Kilgo:
The guy has incredible local history and has seen so much. He also has an opinion and a strong one at that. Kilgo makes you take sides, but he always makes you listen. He’s one of the best things, still, on local radio, doing guest spots on Packer’s show.
- Langston Wertz Jr.

85 comments:

Anonymous said...

What, no T-Bone, no QCB? What is the world coming to? lol

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't put Jerry Vaillancort in that class. He was no more than a Shill for George Shinn, and he's doing the same thing in N.O.

Unknown said...

I guess it's true...opinions are like Escalades everyone has one.

Anonymous said...

What a time for this to be printed, WFNZ is unlistenable from 11:00 to 3:00 with more made up words, talking over each other, sticking up for the mistakes of pro jocks. Put Mac back here and get a real am drive guy to work with Jim before you drive him out the door.

DJTet said...

How could you leave Steve Czaban off the list? The Czaban and Penner show was clearly the most informative and entertaining local show WFNZ has produced. Vallaincourt was good until he got on WBT (Conley/Tafoya was long gone by the time he moved to WBT.) Also, I've been listening to sports talk in Charlotte for over 20 years, Kilgo hasn't even been relevant in that time span. I don't see how he could be #1 when he hasn't even had a steady daily job since before the city had a major-league sports team. Henry Boggins talked sports more regularly than Kilgo has in the past 2 decades.

Anonymous said...

Brentson Buckner is good but he's more of a secondary guy...he shouldn't be initiating the conversation or greeting the callers.

However, Frank Garcia is horrible. He's stupid, a punk, retarded, and a punk. I can't listen to him and have to switch to satellite when he's on. Buckner is going to go down in flames with Garcia and it's not his fault.

Anonymous said...

Jerry V? No. Not funny, not entertainingn, not interesting. He was an azz.

Go ahead and do your Bottom 5 please. And the mush-mouthed unintelligible QCB better be on there.

Anonymous said...

Gerry V wasnt REALLY doing talk at WBT. He did the hornets games, maybe an hour here & there on the sports huddle & post game. He did his style of sports talk at fnz & it was good before he ran tafoya off. Throw me in the pool? please. 10-4 on the shinn comment. Remember when Gerry V would have NO calls & he would lecture us on how to be REAL fans. whatever.

How about Czaban? Packer is a farce of himself at this point. Packer will be ok though because WBT is so baaaad in afternoon drive now. Pinto was best all around. Kilgo? Really? He makes Raiford look good.

Doc said...

I have to agree that the Czaban and Penner show was the best ever in town.

Anonymous said...

Packer has no business on this list. Outside of ACC/SEC football, basketball and the Panthers he has no real knowledge of any other sports. More importantly, he doesn't care about anything else. I stopped listening to that clown a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

This is like ranking my five favorite headaches...who cares?

Anonymous said...

Gary Williams was the best, along with the "old man" Jim Celania, whose still younger than me. Packer is like listening to "Rush Limpbull on sports.He does have good guests I'll agree. Frank and Buck need a much smaller radio show in a much smaller city. McClean has that snorting donkey laugh that is so annoying along with that awful cohost Bonehead or something. There is none better than Kilgo, Celania, and Williams. If Gary is going to satellite radio, then he may be back soon....Sirrius-XM is going bankrupt!

Anonymous said...

This previous comment sums up my thoughts perfectly:

What a time for this to be printed, WFNZ is unlistenable from 11:00 to 3:00 with more made up words, talking over each other, sticking up for the mistakes of pro jocks. Put Mac back here and get a real am drive guy to work with Jim before you drive him out the door.

Anonymous said...

For a city of Charlotte's size it is unfortunate that we only have one choice. WFNZ is a JOKE. MArk Packer is the most arrogant individual you will ever meet. His sidekick (QCB) is a racist who gets away with saying things a white man could never say. John Kilgo would be better off singink Polka in a retirement home. Any advertiser stupid enought to spend money on any local show stupid. The managamenent at WFNZ seem to think they can put this trash on the air and folks will listen due to the lack of competetion. Gary Williams was a joke! Talk about arrogant. At least the national shows understand the role of the support staff. No silly T-Bone and Gump. I agree with other posters Steve Czban was great. And one other thing WFNZ...why do your run promos that are 2 years old? And why does your golf show sound like it is taped in bathroom. Thanks for letting me vent. Now off to listen to sports talk on the internet. In closing I will say that FNZ was real good when Ethan and Dino talked football.

Anonymous said...

There was a time in the late 90's when Gerry V was on WBT for 5 hours a day. And that was not including Hornet programming. He started off in '96 doing 3-6:30p on 99.3 WBT-FM, then simulcasted 6:30-8p on both WBT AM & FM. Whether you liked him or not, to say he was only on WBT here and there for regular sports talk is not accurate...he had a full-fledged sports talk show most days, and even Saturdays.

The Sports Huddle show folded before Gerry arrived.

Anonymous said...

Although he never quite worked out here due to issues with management, I always enjoyed Sandy Penner. I though he was very entertaining and quite brilliant. I also thought Dave Jagler was a great partner for GW in the morning. Frank Garcia is annoying as heck, so I usually have to turn the station when he is on. Buck is pretty good on most days.

Anonymous said...

I live in Matthews so this post really does not apply to me. Unless I get in my car and drive towards Charlotte I cannot hear WFNZ.

If WBT had any idea how to boost revenue they could take thier FM signal and make it sports talk headed by Jim Szoke. Jim is witty, knowledgable and respected.

WFNZ gets beat in the ratings by Spanish Stations. Packer even admits that.

Thanks Observer for finally standing up for yourself. WFNZ constantly blast the Observer. It is about time you gibe us the opportunity to repay the favor.

I would ask all that dislike FNZ to NEVER listen. If you dislike the station but still listen it only helps them in the ratings. Another thing would be to boycott the advertisors. Especially the one with the snotty nosed kid that speaks for his dads mortgage company.

Anonymous said...

Celania is a tresure - too bad he has to work with that donkey McClain. I could take McClain ok when he was with Penner, but since then I've just tolerated him out of lack of other choices. Losing Gary Williams was a big blow to the morning slot.

Anonymous said...

You were right to Gary Williams on that list. I miss Williams. He and Yarborough and Celania had great chemistry. The best morning show Charlotte ever had.

Will the morning's get better, because it's tough to listen to now. They should find someone else to mix with Celania, and put Yarborough back on in the morning.

Packer's schtick is getting old though. What does he really know about sports anyway? I bet even he'd admit his show isn't about information or intelligent sports talk. If I wanted to hear smack talk and people putting down my team, I'd go visit a trailer park. So no thanks. I'd rather listen to music in the afternoon than hear Packer's drivel.

Anonymous said...

Chris McClain is one of the most underrated sports talk host imo!He knows his stuff and is a very entertaining witty host!!I liked them better at the 11am slot!!frank & Buck wtf are they going to talk about besides football there basketball anaylsis is very suspect!!Packers co-hosts really make that show great & Packer is a a pretty Damn good host!

Anonymous said...

Lists like these always have short memories. Except for Kilgo, the list goes back about 10 years. And it's titled "the best ever?" How about the best over the past 10 years.

A true list would include Gary Sparber who was at BT in the eighties. He was the first Hornets' television announcer. He had a GREAT talk show that had intelligent conversation with both guest and callers.

John Kilgo started his talk show on Sunday nights on Big WAYS in the 1970s. His would probably be second behind Sparber.

Probably need to throw in Bob Lamie at WSOC in the late 60s and early 70s. He was a walking sports encyclopedia. He did Carolina Cougars play-by-play and most recently has been the voice of the Indianapolis Colts. There is no one in the history of Charlotte radio that could hold Lamie's jock when it comes to sports knowledge.

Any list HAS to include these three.

Anonymous said...

With the lack of local competition WFNZ's quality has deteriated. This is the worst line-up I heard since they have been on-air. Please get some talent or continue this dreadful spiral.

Anonymous said...

Mark Packer may be a great guy in person, but his "self-important" radio persona is getting old. I mainly still listen to the show because of the great variety of co-hosts. I love what Kilgo brings to the mix, and Giminski is great as well. I could do without the QCB sideshow act. He's only funny on rare occasions, and it's starting to get stale.

Anonymous said...

talk radio is meant to entertain & provoke thought. the morning guys do both and come with original takes, celania is hilarious and i think he & mac will keep developing good chemistry. Packs' show is just stale, if you ran a show from 2 years ago you'd hear the same thing as yesterday. i actually think brentson buckner has some good insight, is funny and is 1 of a few former athletes who i enjoy listening to. garcia on the other hand has just 1 schtick: play the devils advocate and try & create controversy. comes across pretty transparent. in my opinion, the 3 greatest talents have all left: Gdub, czaban & penner.

Anonymous said...

"The Suit" needs to get cracking, because this current "new" line-up is almost unbearable at times. I often find myself switching over to WBT - especially from 10am-3pm. This mid-day lineup needs to be reworked.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping for a Penner comback. "Penner III"!!!

Anonymous said...

Here's my top 5:

5) Dave Jaigler
4) Gary Williams
3) Jim Szoke
2) Sandy Penner
1) Steve Czaban

Notice the pattern: None work for WFNZ, and only 1 is even here anymore. I used to listen to the Morning Sports Page and Primetime religiously, but the loss of Williams and the deterioration of the Whiner Line to becoming nothing more than a cussing contest have made the shows difficult to listen. Czaban & Penner was the best show we ever had. Jaigler was great on MSP and doing Charlotte 49er hoops games. Szoke is hilarious and smart (favorite line, when Don Beaver wanted to buy the Twins, move them to the Triad and make the Knights their AAA team, "Hey, Charlotte, here's your big chance to play second fiddle to Greensboro. Right.")

Anonymous said...

"The Suit" is just a pawn for CBS. He is creating a "listener advisory board" (copy WBT) but it will be full of puppets. WFNZ had a forum on thier website but the negative post were immediately deleted and they have now taken down the board. QCB is unbearable. I agree with one poster that many times I find his comments to be racist. I would not be surprised if Packer does not pay him from his earnings and QCB is basically a subcontractor.

I am in the minority on these boards but I found Gary Williams to come across as a spoiled silver spooned brat. He loved to throw names and talk about who he was with and who he knew. But I look for him to be back in Charlotte by the end of Summer. Celania is a "has been". I will say thank goodness Chuck Howard is no longer at the station. Talk about arrogant!

This really is a management problem. I saw in the paper a couple of months ago where the station (FNZ) was for sale. That may have quite alot to due with why they have cheap untalented "personalities"

Anonymous said...

I think a Penner & Celania show with Mark Yarboro as a side-kick would be entertaining.

Anonymous said...

Sandy Penner!! Hands down..the most knowledgeable ever

Anonymous said...

True or False... Sandy Penner was one of the best WFNZ hosts ever? That would be True! Whatdaya think about that?

Anonymous said...

I hate to see anyone lose a job, but Garcia needs to be reassigned! Maybe he is trying to hard, but it's just not working for me. He does fairly well as a guest, but trying to carry a show is just too much for him. Maybe a different format would work for him. Buckner is ok, but after football season is over, both these guys struggle to have a credible opinion.

Anonymous said...

He Langston:

Has FNZ Management called you to ask WTF is up with this article?

Anonymous said...

I can't believe Charles H. Crutchfield was not listed. The long-time president of WBT did the first college football on radio, and continued on, allowing the new idea to grow to what it is today.

Anonymous said...

If you want to talk about knowledgable (although mainly about the NFL) Bill Rozinski should be on this list. Big Bill was fun to listen to and he knew his stuff.

FNZ's lineup now is unbearable. I can't stand caller-driven shows. That's why The Morning Sports Page with Williams and Celania was so good. They occasionally had callers, but it was mostly informative. McClain, Buckner, Garcia and Packer simply cater to the lowest common denominator.

Anonymous said...

I moved to Charlotte a few months ago from San Diego. What a dissapointment Charlotte Sports Talk Radio was found to be. I do not know the history like most of you posters but I can say NONE of the current staff at your sports station would last over a month in San Diego.

Anonymous said...

Good idea for a list, Langston - these types of lists always are interesting to debate.

I agree with several posters about Sandy Penner. I thought he was great. I liked Steve Czaban when he did his local show, but his current national show is pretty bad. He's trying way too hard to be cynical and edgy.

I like Packer's show, but the quality varies greatly with the guests. Sometimes, they go overboard with the gimmicks like the "Whiner Line" and the QCB picks.

I believe John Kilgo also does the radio broadcasts of Davidson basketball. I remember him hosting the Dean Smith Show back in the day - he's a good broadcaster who has seen it all.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and Jerry Vallaincourt shouldn't be on this list. Like others have said, he was a total mouthpiece for George Shinn.

Anonymous said...

McClain and the Old Man are good.

Buckner and Garcia are absolute garbage. And I do mean absolute, undeniable garbage.

Packer is nothing more than a comedian who just says "that is why we will just have to wait and see what happens when they tee it up". Donkey.

DJTet said...

To further elaborate for any WFNZ monkeys that are no reading this bashing section, I am someone who used to listen to WBT for 10+ hours a day craving a 24 hour sports radio station. I listened to Gerry V and Micky on that station in the 1400s that went dead. I listened to Gerry V and Matt Pinto in the very early days before FNZ was even FNZ. I heard Gerry V's massive show on WBT, jump in the pool.

I used to listen to FNZ for 10+ hours a day. I remember when they used to run Jim Rome at 10 pm for four delayed (but oh so delicious hours.) I remember all the local shows, as I stated much earlier Czaban and Penner was head and shoulders the best thing we've ever had in Charlotte.


I currently listen to FNZ for about 5 minutes a day, if that. I am your target audience, and I've been completely turned off in the last three years. Your station needs a talent overhaul. I'd love to help.

Anonymous said...

McClain has grown on me over the years - I couldn't stand his show for a while, but he better now. Penner was good, Howard was funny at times, Celania is entertaining, Gary Williams was so-so, Packer is personally annoying, but his show is pretty good at times depending on the guests. Frank and Buck - ugh! Dave Jaggler was great, Ray Farmer was awful. Shawn Wheeler was good.

Anonymous said...

Let me put another spin on this for you guys. I work third shift and can only pickup 610. The overnight show is HORRIBLE! Some reformed alcoholic wanting me to share my life story with very little sports talk. So take what you can get during the day and be happy.

Anonymous said...

Loved Gary Williams but those other 2 guys made the show hard to listen to.
I guarantee that ESPN radio during drive time would get huge ratings here in Charlotte.

Anonymous said...

Gary Williams has the biggest Napolen Complex of any individual that has ever walked the face of this earth. Most companies would fire someone with a DUI but at CBS Radio it is a badge of honor. But then again just look at management.

Anonymous said...

I went to satellite a year ago. I missed the mornings on FNZ but absolutely not the rest of the lineup.

Jerry V. was good for a while but became a Hornets apologist for when things turned sour. I felt bad for him, having tow a really bad company line.

Packer, I think, is bored. His show shows a lack of inspiration.

Gary Williams is actually off to a nice start.

Anonymous said...

Simple as this. I live in Charlotte, and fall in the target audience range. I NO LONGER LISTEN TO WFNZ.

I regliously listened to the MSP until 3 weeks ago when GDUB left.

No knock on McClain, the chemistry isn't there yet.

3pm Packer is a joke. Like said before, run a show from 3 years ago, and it sounds the same. And I need more then Packer saying "lets just tee it up..ect ect" or "I could care less" ect ect.

WFNZ needs an overhaul SERIOUSLY...
My days now are filled with music.

Anonymous said...

I am not a Gary Williams fan. Yes, he was a little Napoleon-y and a little silver spoon-y, but he was still GOOD. Very good, in fact. Celania and the others gave his show chemistry and made it fun.

The rest is GARBAGE. Packer being on this list is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

I am in the audience demographic as well. I agree with the person who wrote that WFNZ is in need of an overhaul. Cannot and will not listen to these amateurs anymore.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the others who wrote...

What a time for this to be printed, WFNZ is unlistenable from 11:00 to 3:00 with more made up words, talking over each other, sticking up for the mistakes of pro jocks. Put Mac back here and get a real am drive guy to work with Jim before you drive him out the door.

Anonymous said...

Why can't we move McClain back to where he was for a couple hours? Why can't we get Jim Rome like the rest of the country? However, the best thing on FNZ is Colin Cowherd on ESPN. The McCLain morning show is embarraqsing considering the size the Charlotte market is.

Anonymous said...

I think McClain was better on the mid-day slot. The chemistry on the MSP show was much better with Williams, even Howard & Celaina had better chemistry. McClain & Celania is just not happening. I miss "Yarbs" in the morning as well. Frank & Buck just stinks. Packer's act is getting so stale I can only tolerate it when certain guests like Kilgo or G-man are in the house. And QCB has had a good run, but even his act is getting lame. Need some new life there.

Anonymous said...

Get rid of THE MAC and Bring back Gary Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm with J back there. Czaban was by far the most informative and entertaining sportscaster on Charlotte radio. Penner was OK but not very entertaining on his own (See the " ...and Billy Show)

Gary Williams and Jags were great. I was happy to see Jags get a break into the big time.

Jim Szoke is a pro. I like him.

As for FNZ, they have just imploded. I'm a 25-54 male sports junkie and occasionally listen to Cowherd if I'm in the car around noon. Unfortunately, I am now relegated to listening to WBT during morning/afternoon drive time because I'm too cheap to pay for satellite radio.

Anonymous said...

Charlotte NC has a token sports radio station.

It blows hard.

Recently I gave D.J. Stout some constructive comments on his station. Some were positive, some were not. I touched on all the local shows. He acknowledged each comment, except for my comments on Mark Packer.

Mark must have blackmail material on people at the station. D.J. totally ignored my comments on Mark.

The content of Primetime is embarrassing and when I have guests in town, I pretend that Charlotte does not have a sports radio station. The only reason I occasionally listen is to update my list of sponsors on FNZ. I refuse to support any business that supports FNZ.

Anonymous said...

WFNZ today is pure rubbish, its audience is the trailer parks of Gastonia and Concord and college sports fans who never took a class...

here's to intelligent sports radio making a comeback one day - with NO SOUND EFFECTS or characters....

Anonymous said...

Clear Channel should make 96.1 FM sports talk

Anonymous said...

Just a couple of comments:
- I used to listen to Gerry V religiously and miss him quite a bit.

- The new lineup at WFNZ is okay, but not nearly as good as it was just last month before they changed it. Mac and Celania have gelled together much quicker than I expected, but I preferred Mac at midday much much MUCH more than in the mornings. His loud style is a little too much for my liking in the morning. It does wake you up though.

The 4 Horsemen show is the best thing on FNZ now. Wish they could expand it.

Frank and Buck need a lot of work. It was unbearable listening to them try and dissect NASCAR today. Love them during football season, but I won't be listening to them between now and the NFL draft. I'll listen to them around draft time and tune them out until August.

As for Packer, he's stale. Same thing every day on the show. I don't listen to him very often.

So....Mac and Celania = good
4 Horsemen = great
Frank and Buck = pretty bad
Packman = old and stale

Anonymous said...

Mark Packer does NOT deserve to be on this list of top radio personalities. He is absolutely HORRIBLE. He is sexist, rude, and annoying. I imagine that the only reason he got (and has kept) his job is because of his father. And further, the callers on his show do nothing but cuss and insult each other. On the drive home in the evening, I switch to another station.

Anonymous said...

WFNZ is horrible ever since Gary left. Mac can't even run a show without feedback. He can't stand on his own two feet. I get so sick of hearing about the ACC. Hey guys! Now that Gary is gone, we never hear anything about the home town team ever... Best business opportunity in town is Sports Media Coverage of local teams.

Anonymous said...

Please give us ESPN Radio.

Anonymous said...

Langston, I think you need to stick to video game reviews because you obviously have no clue about local sports talk radio. John Kilgo was a joke as a sports talk radio host, and is equally as bad as a play-by-play announcer. Hell, he couldn't even pronounce "radio", instead saying "turn your "redio" down. He would hardly acknowledge the existence of the Hornets when they started-up in Charlotte and you couldn't say anything bad about UNC.

I also can't believe you would include Packer who has let the idiots on his show bash you and others at the Observer. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing his name in the paper. Now if you wanted to list the 5 worst "personalities" in Charlotte sports talk radio, he would be an overwhelming #1.

Anonymous said...

On today's "Primetime with the Packman" show, Mark Packer actually said the Daytona 500 should always be 200 miles.

WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?

Packer can even get simple facts straight. What a dumb_ _ _.

The race I watched was 152 laps and 380 miles.

Anonymous said...

Don Russell from WBT here. Most of y'all weren't around when WBT started Sports Talk in the early 80's but the best guy we ever had was Gary Sparber. Steve Martin was the Sports Director then and hired him from Spartanburg. Gary knew everyting and could say it in about 10 seconds. He took a lot of calls and was always entertaining. Unfortunately, he's out of the business.

Anonymous said...

If you call DJ Stout (try to find a time when the station is not baby sitting his father)you will find here is a guy that is in Waaaay over his head. The station was much better under Kellog.

Jim Celania is horrible. The sound effects machines are ridiculous. Sounds like something your would hear on a morning zoo show.

The best move the staion made in the last year was firing Chuck Howard. I was tired of hearing him talk about his wife and "The Sauce Monkey" and BTW his restaurant is horrible. He is your typical Buffalo loud mouth.

Anonymous said...

Hi Don.


Would you mind very much restarting Sports Talk in Charlotte?

At this moment, you have no competition.

Anonymous said...

T-Mac Tim McKyer was good.

Anonymous said...

A Charlotte legend on this board. Mr.Russell why not take your FM signal and make it sports talk? You have the best in the business at 1JPP. Szoke is a pro and Sharon Thorsland is a very good female reporter. Brett McMillian knows more about NASCAR than anyone in this town. If you could only get Hancock to quit stuttering.

Anonymous said...

Did Sparber have throat cancer? One of the former Hornets Play-By-Play men had some issues with thier voice. Sparber was excellent and was very knowledgeable.

Anonymous said...

Packer rules, hands down, not even close. Don't even mention Jerry V. in the same sentence with him. In fact, why mention Jerry V. at all?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 5:40,

How does Packer rule? As several have already mentioned, you could skip his show for several years and when you listened again, it would be the same trash-talking Duke vs. Carolina, Clemson vs. South Carolina, etc. Unless you're related to him or work for WFNZ, you can't be serious.

Packer should be excluded from this list simply for giving airtime to QCB. I guess that's what you get when you do your job interviews while waiting in line at Wendy's since that's where he found that "talent."

Anonymous said...

I liked Packer's show for a while, but now it is really getting blah.. If not for some of the decent guests, I'd never listen. As soon as QCB comes on, I usually tune out. He was kind of funny in the beginning, but now it's getting stale. I think Gary Williams is a big loss- he knew his stuff. He sometimes came off as a bit of a jerk, but I enjoyed "The Page" much better than the current morning lineup. Jim is entertaining in the right setting, but I just don't care for The Mack Attack.. I was a big Penner fan before he left.

Anonymous said...

The problem with Packer is he is not a sports fan. When he goes on vacation (6 months out of the year) he admits he doesn't watch sports and could care less what happened while he was gone.

He used his father's connections to build his radio show to what it is, and he had some very entertaining segments, but its been the same old show for years now. He ran off Heyseed and anyone else that challenged him. Reminds me of Howard Stern running off Jackie Martling.

Packer has to be the only sports talk radio personality that does not have his own opinion on controversial topics. His last opinion was coming out against the basketball arena, but that was soon put down by DJ when he realized if they didn't have an NBA team, what would they talk about after college basketball ended.

Anonymous said...

jerry v was the biggest blowhard to ever push his lips to a mic. he talked to just hear himself. he should not be on any list except list for guys with eddie munster hair.

Anonymous said...

Frank Garcia is a F'n JOKE! The man is terrible. He stumbles on every other word and has NO CLUE what he is talking about if it isnt football. I use to like Buc but that has changed in the last few weeks. Buck is nothing but a Walmart heel fan! The man played football for Clemson and Ill be damned if he isnt the biggest Walmart Holes fan in the QC! WTF?? If I were a Tiger fan I would disown his ass in a heartbeat.

Packer is a Joke too.. What a waste of air time he is. No way he should be on this list. Who cares whos in his roledex? Just because he kisses ass doesnt mean he is worth a crap on the radio..

Kilgo is the biggest Joke on the list. The man lived through the best years of Charlotte 49ers basketball as the PBP announcer and graduated from Charlotte but he is just like Buc. Another damn Wal-Mart Tarhole!!!

WFNZ & The O are the biggest wastes of space in the QC!!!

Anonymous said...

The loss of Williams in the morning is going to hurt WFNZ. Mac is a joke and annoying as hell. Advice, you don't have to belly laugh at every comment

Anonymous said...

And here is the 5 worst in Charlotte Sports Talk Radio:

5. Gump

4. The Hit Man

3. Richard Walker

2. T-Bone

1. BY FAR- Hayseed

Anonymous said...

I read all 77 comments so far, and I think there was exactly 1 that said Packer was worth a hoot.

At least on some of the other guys the opinion was split. Not with Packer. He is a disgrace. What a joke.

Anonymous said...

If you picked the 5 worst ever in Charlotte it would be:
1. Frank Garcia
2. Frank Garcia
3. Frank Garcia
4. Frank Garcia
5. Frank Garcia
He is the worst anywhere I have ever listened.
As far as Packer, he is only a legend in his own mind.

Anonymous said...

There is only one word to describe anyone who thinks QCB is a racist...THUG.

Unknown said...

You can't take QCB so seriously. He is on the show to rile people up and from what I've read...it's working.

Anonymous said...

Here is my take on WFNZ.

Morning Show
Glad Gary Williams is gone. I got so damn tired hearing him talk about Seinfeld episodes instead of sports.
Mac - Mac at least listens to all sides and is certainly not arrogant. Goofy as hell, but not arrogant.As Spock used to say. there is no sign of intelligent life here.
Frank & Buck - Very simply the worst show ever. It was hilarious listening to them trying to break down a basketball game.Would be like me trying to describe brain surgery. I quit listening to them after less than a week.
Packer -Old worn out show.This show never was sports talk, just trash talk.Packer is an arrogant no nothing. Quit listening a year ago.

Anonymous said...

How can Czaban/Penner/Jageler be left off the list!?!? Those 3 and Williams would give you a lineup as good as any in the country.

Packer is a complete joke.

Anonymous said...

Like it or not, the difference in the morning show since GW left is palpable. You don't know what you have until you don't have it. I see now that he was, as Jim and Mark use to say, the glue that made that morning show work. I listen to Cowherd and that's it. If we had an alternative in this town, I'd probably give it a shot. I'd much rather hear Mike&Mike in the AM then what we have now. Oh, and the lottery numbers have become real OLD!!

Anonymous said...

FNZ (or FNA as it is now called) is a toilet. They hire the cheapest talent available (Mac, Frank, Buck) and throw them at us, and we have no choice, because they are the only game in town. It enrages me that their self-promoting ads laud them as the number one sports talk station in Charlotte. Number one out of one! Great one guys. I now have satellite radio, and rarely listen, and I hope that others are doing the same. Oh yeah, PacMan is a self-important arrogant windbag who really knows nothing about sports...just listen to him talk about anything besides college and nfl football. I'm glad his Dad got him into broadcasting. Also, I have never seen a group of callers who know less about sports. Ignorant rednecks. I actually went to UNC, and it embarasses me to hear these hicks talk out of their ass about the Tarheels. Stop calling!

suraj said...

thank you.