‘CCO sounding more appealing…
Since I’ve been a kid, AM 830 WCCO has always been considered an “old person’s radio station.” It’s a reputation the station has done little to disabuse, until recently.
But now, ‘CCO is making changes. A lot of changes. And most of them are for the better. Gone are blowhards like Dark Star, Tim Russell, Jeff McKinney and Erik Eskola. Letting these guys go are good examples of weight loss success stories. Good riddance. Mike Max is still around, but what’s a person to do? But with two recent hires, ‘CCO just got a whole lot more interesting.
A couple weeks ago, the “Evil Neighbor” hired Tommy Miscke for their late-shift. Mischke’s brand of wackiness was a long-time favorite of mind on his previous radio home, KSTP AM 1500. But Mischke was let go a couple years ago, so the Cities’ radio airwaves have been bereft of Mischke and calls from recognizable regulars like Undertaker Fred.
Mischke’s a big upgrade, but not a reason to get overly excited if that was the only change; but today, ‘CCO added yet another top talent who’s been off-the-air for over a year; longtime KFAN AM 1130 flagship personality, Chad Hartman, the son of Sid Hartman, has been hired for the morning drive shift (9 AM to noon), bringing the younger Hartman to his father’s radio home at last.
Hartman’s hiring could mean ‘CCO has more on its mind than improving their AM shift Arbitrons. Hartman was a long-time play-by-play host for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and while ‘CCO is publicly believed to be pursuing the Minnesota Twins broadcast rights when they come up for bid again (their current home is AM 1500), the hiring of Hartman now positions ‘CCO to make a serious run at the Wolves broadcast rights once that contract expires (their current home is KFAN AM 1130).
While Hartman is known as an overall sport fan, he has long preferred to cover the Wolves, rather than the Twins. His morning drive show will likely be a mix of national and local news, as well as some sports talk.
With ‘CCO hiring Hartman, the Twin Cities now has three major AM stations specializing in sports to one degree or another: KFAN, ‘CCO and, thanks to a recent format change and a shift in ESPN Radio’s allegiance, KSTP AM 1500 as well.
