Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 16, 2009 at 09:49:17:
Webio executive backs Mancini
Posted by Ed Sherman
at 4/16/2009 5:38 AM CDT on Chicago Business
I wasn't surprised to get a call from Jesse Rogers Wednesday morning.
Mr. Rogers is the program director at the new Internet sports talk outlet, chicagosportswebio.com. He wanted to respond to an item I had about Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.
I noted the former boxer and late afternoon co-host with Chet Coppock mentioned Ben Wallace as if he still played for the Bulls during a discussion about the team Tuesday. It was an incredibly huge gaffe, spotlighting that Mr. Mancini, who is doing the show from Los Angeles, is out of touch when it comes to Chicago sports.
It would be akin to being on a Boston radio and talking about how the Red Sox look strong with Manny Ramirez in the lineup.
Mr. Rogers acknowledged Mr. Mancini committed an error; Mr. Coppock corrected him on the air. However, Mr. Rogers contends the boxer's overall package is strong.
"We knew going in that this wasn't going to be the every day talk show," Mr. Rogers said. "If you want to play a game of 'gotcha.' you'll catch some mistakes from Ray. But what Ray brings to the table outweighs those other things. There's so much positive with Ray, we'll put up with the mistakes."
Mr. Rogers thinks Mr. Mancini has shined in doing interviews with athletes and coaches. He pointed to a session with Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. Mr. Mancini said he would love the chance to talk to the team.
"We may lose the game, but we won't lose the fight," he told Mr. Quenneville.
Mr. Rogers said he told Mr. Coppock to have fun if Mr. Mancini screws up on the air. He labeled the boxer's remark about Mr. Mancini as being "funny bad."
"He made the mistake, they laughed about it, and they moved on," Mr. Rogers said.
Yes, they did. The question is: Will listeners do the same? Sometimes you only get one chance in the radio game.