I've got a radio in my office and I often have it tuned to a sports talk show during the day. My rotation is either 1500, KFAN, or 690 when I'm listening to talk radio (not music). I've sampled all of the weekday shows of all 3 stations for a while now and if you're interested in my opinion, I'll share it here.
Early Morning:
1500 - Mike & Mike - Boring at times. Without question the blandest of all shows. They're not really funny but they only talk sports, which if you want your morning fill of it, you won't find anything better. Probably give the broadest national perspective on a topic of any show.
1130 - Superstar Mike Morris. - Spends way too much time talking about metal rock. Really don't care about it. Do like Sludge's humor. Do some good bits every so often. Some dude named MeatSauce is a good bit as well. Rosen is usually on from 8-9 AM and that's always enjoyable. Often has me laughing at some of their conversations, like a couple of weeks ago when they ambushed a Canadian radio show's producer on air calling KFAN for reaction to the Koivu extension. Laughed my butt off.
690 - Stephen A. Smith - Absolutey brutal. Only listen if the other 2 shows are talking about boring subjects and I'm not in the mood to listen to music. Why won't he just go away?
Mid Morning:
1500 - Cowherd - Actually like listening to him. He's incredibly stubburn and when he's wrong (put in a box), he'll make it personal to the person/caller calling him out. Usually though, he does a good job putting the mouth-breathers in their place. Hates biased fans and that's fun to see him rip on them.
1130 - PA - Needs a sidekick. Listening to him talk for 3 hours is difficult. He has all of these strange voices that get old quickly. Admits he's not an expert on things other than the NFL and the NBA, which I appreciate the honesty but he's a freakin sports talk show host...he should be able to speak to/about college athletics and the other major sports without sounding like an idiot, especially when there's not much humor in his show.
690 - Dan Patrick - Ugh. He used to be so good on the radio. Now he comes across as pathetic. I just don't find him funny. Was at his best back in the day with Rob Dibble. He trys waaaaaay too hard to seem young and hip. Gives a good national perspective at times and does good interviews with Reggie Miller, Barkley, Costos, etc but when he goes off topic, it's a tough listen.
Lunch time
1500 - Ruesse and Mackey (with Souch at 2 PM) - Actually not too bad. Stays on topic. Reusse gives alot of history behind a local topic. I don't find them funny at all and rarely break any news as Reusse has written himself out of his connections over the years but if you want something local put into perspective, this is the best show.
1130 - Common Man - Honestly, I used to hate the guy and I know hate is a strong word. He actually is OK now. Love his soundbites and his conversations with Rosen from 2-3 (love Rosen BTW). Doesn't take himself seriously at all, which is the exact opposite from what follows him on his station. Won't get anything useful in terms of sports talk or some new idea but I've found that he's at least talking sports more than he used to and it tends to have a pretty funny spin. I never in 1 million years thought I'd say this (as I actually wrote a letter to KFAN 10 years ago telling them to fire his butt because of how awful he was) but his show can be listenable.
690 - Jim Rome - Without question, the most polarizing sports talk personality. People either love him or hate him. I'm in the former. Not a funnier show out there. His bit of ripping on his listeners emails and calls despite them being a big reason why people listen is hilarious at times. He's one big bit himself and his interviews aren't nearly as good as he thinks they are but over the years I've found myself laughing so hard I cried at some of the segments on his show related to his callers and emailers.
Afternoon drive
1500 - Souch - Not a sports talk show so I'm not going to share my opinion.
1130 - Barriero - Just brutal. The most miserable person in the world. Constantly negative. Every compliment is backhanded. His sidekick Justin Gaard is just as bad. Sarcastically negative almost all of the time. Their main goal appears to be to tick off their listeners. They can't honestly believe all that they say, can they? Never seen someone go further out of his way to not be a homer. What he doesn't seem to understand is there is a middle ground somewhere between being a complete dipwad and an unabashed homer. I've gone a whole month without listening to him and that streak may never end.
690 - Tim Brando - If you like College Football talk, this would be your show. Granted it's heavily tilted towards the SEC but I'll be honest with you...it's a nice change of pace listening to CF talk in June and July. Also talks alot of College Basketball, but mostly just in season. Not a bad national show.
