When we did the June Lake Highlands Advocate Q&As with neighborhood celebrities, I interviewed Lake Highlands area natives Ben Rogers and Jeff Wade, a.k.a. Ben and Skin who once had a weekend show on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket and several months ago took over the drive-time slot at 105.3 The Fan.
Yesterday, The Fan listeners learned the Ben and Skin Show had been canceled. So sad, I think, that The Fan didn’t give these guys a chance and worse, wrecked their potential with an ineffective show format.
I am a pretty dedicated Ticket listener myself, but occassionally I have tuned in to hear what Ben, Skin and their third, Tim Cowlishaw, had to say. If anyone had a chance of grabbing those Ticket listeners who complain that The Hardline (4-7 p.m. show) has gone downhill since Greggo left (and they are out there) it was Ben and Skin. It was the show format —which I gather is determined by management —not the hosts, that wasn’t working. Instead of giving listeners wide-ranging witty banter from two hilarious dudes — Ben and Skin — peppered with expert sports talk from a real sports genius — Cowlishaw — they opted to open up the phone lines and let callers dominate the show. What I heard every time I tuned in was callers rambling and the hosts responding relatively kindly, which must have been tough for them, and was not nearly as funny as the confusion that normally ensues when they take a call on The Ticket. It’s not nearly as interesting listening to Joe from Garland voice uninformed opinions about the Rangers or hypothetical sports situations as it would have been listening to Ben, Skin and Cowlishaw do their thing. And it didn’t compare to the entertainment offered on the AM dial by the boys on the Hardline, but perhaps could have if given a little creative license and a little time.
Oh well, now I never need to tune into The Fan again.
