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Making plenty of waves.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

The difference between the two major sports-talk shows on local radio stations is like night and day.

As in, on a typical Sunday during the NFL season, would you rather go to your favorite sports bar at night, or during the day?

If you're the type of fan who arrives for the first game of the morning, sits at a table with a group of close friends, orders lunch and has in-depth discussions of the day's games with plenty of time set aside for reminiscing about your favorite moments and players from bygone eras, you're probably a fan of Steve Tannen's "Sports Talk" show on KPNW.

If, on the other hand, you're more likely to come in for the final game of the night, belly up to the bar and order what probably isn't your first beer of the day, then proceed to engage in heated - if only sometimes completely factual - debates with friend and stranger alike, odds are you prefer "The Sports Idol" on KSCR, hosted by Justin Myers.

Two years ago, the choice didn't exist. But when Myers won a contest and earned the chance to host his own show, Tannen - who has been hosting his show for nearly eight years - had some competition. KPNW has a much stronger signal, and Tannen has an established audience, but Myers is slowly building a following of his own.

And he's doing it just as Tannen did, by molding his show in his own image - Tannen, a middle-aged student of sports and its history, vs. Myers, a 26-year-old self-described "loudmouth" and "pot-stirrer" who never met an argument he didn't like.

"My show is set up to be different," Myers said recently. "He's established and has the bigger signal, so it's not going to help me to copy what he does. But also, I just think we're different. He's older, he's East Coast. I'm fiery, I have a little bit of a temper. And I think age makes a big difference in our opinions."

Tannen couldn't agree more. As evidence, he points to the issue of Terrell Owens, the NFL wide receiver who held out for more money from the...

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