Tony Rizzo on the Radio

Infobox Radio Show
show_name = Rizzo on the Radio


imagesize = 200px
caption = Tony Rizzo
format = Sports Talk
runtime = 10am - 12pm Weekdays
opentheme = Ready to Go by Republica
endtheme = Here (In Your Arms) by hellogoodbye
home_station = ESPN 850 WKNR
starring = Tony Rizzo
producer = Aaron Goldhammer
call screener = Bernard Bokenyi
broadcast_location = Cleveland, Ohio
first_aired = February 27, 2007

"Rizzo on the Radio" airs from 10:00-12:00 on ESPN 850 WKNR, Cleveland's only all-sports radio station. [ [http://www.espncleveland.com/schedule/program.shtml Weekday Programming] , WKNR. Accessed May 22, 2007.] The show is hosted by radio veteran and current WJW Fox 8 sports anchor Tony Rizzo.

This show in part had its roots on the old WHK 1420-AM back in the mid-90's, when it too featured an all-sports format. WHK had been acquired by OmniAmerica, the then-owner of WMJI-FM, and Rizzo was a fixture on that stations' popular "Lanigan, Webster & Malone" morning show as the sports update anchor. "The Rizz Show" aired from 12:00-3:00 in the afternoon from April 1994 to June 1996, when WHK was sold to Salem Communications and converted it to a religious format. Rizzo stayed at WMJI until 1997, when he became WJW-TV's sports director.

The current show debuted Monday, February 26, 2007 as part of a reformatted programming lineup at WKNR, which saw an ownership change weeks earlier (coincidentally, from Salem Communications to Good Karma Broadcasting). Greg Brinda had previously held the 9:00-12:00 timeslot. [Benson, John. [http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18244715&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6 "Dialing it up a notch"] , "News-Herald", April 22, 2007. Accessed May 20, 2007.]

Rizzo Bits

Who Said That? A contest that Rizzo originated in the mid 90's on WHK 1420 that involves a selected a radio soundbite from the world of sports. Callers and e-mailers then call the show and provide guesses for a grand prize. In the new incarnation of Rizzo's show, show producer Aaron Goldhammer selects the soundbite. The first run-through took almost six weeks and eventually turned out to be none other than obscure Celtics reserve guard Jerry Sichting. The third, and longest "Who Said That" (lasting 8 weeks) turned out to be Jim Kensil, deceased former President of the New York Jets. On September 24th, 2007 Rizzo announced that this contest would be on hiatus due to the success of the Cleveland Indians after it took just over seven weeks to identify a quote made by Canadian Olympic figure skater Brian Orser. The contest has been reinstated, and the current clip has been airing since November 27th, 2007 making it the the longest aired clip.

Trivia TuesdayTypically a Cleveland-based trivia question, though it has morphed into a day just for callers, minus the trivia.

Survey WednesdaySurvey Wednesday consists of five questions that Rizzo and "Hammer" come up with and callers can answer. They range all across the board from What girl would you like to play twister with to Who should be the starting Browns quarterback next year.

Free Food FridayRizzo and Goldhammer lobby for free food from a restaurant or other food establishment in order to obtain free food and give the establishment some advertisement.

RPI Caller RankingsEvery other Friday, Rizzo and Goldhammer meticulously compile a top-five caller ranking list based on the quality of a given individual's phone calls from the prior two weeks.

Show OpenThe show kicks off each week with a compilation of soundbites from previous shows and other popular movies. The running time of the often-amended intro now exceeds four minutes.

John ShaverListeners of the show understand that this is a purely mythical individual. It started during an early "Who Said That," when one listener guessed "John Shaver." Both Rizzo and Goldhammer had no idea who Shaver was. Over time, listeners called and e-mailed some guesses about Shaver, eventually making humorous and implausible suggestions.Mike Nugent (lead singer from the band Sight Unseen) Sundays. Nooj delivers his weekly John Shaver report and discusses any John Shaver related news. Also gives word to any John Shaver songs in the can and information on how to buy his John Shaver song CD.

Buckeye HonksIn this regular segment, Rizzo and Goldhammer do a back-and-forth on Ohio State with Goldhammer taking an anti-Buckeye position and Rizzo disputing the take.

Selector AIt was noticed that a light on the studio's control board labeled "Selector A" never turned off or burned out. The hosts and callers occasionally requested a "Selector A Update" in which Goldhammer, after a long introduction stating the date, time and weather conditions in Cleveland, would proclaim that Selector A was "still on." The bit was retired when the show moved to a new studio that did not have a "Selector A."

Guests

Rizzo's guests have included Mark Shapiro, Ryan Garko, Travis Hafner, Braylon Edwards, Joe Thomas, Cory Snyder, Joe Montana (Rizzo Hung up on him multiple times), Chris Russo from "Mike and the Mad Dog", Chris Rose, Gary Baxter, Brad Daugherty, Paul Dolan, Chris Daughtry, Dan McDowell, Rick Bucher, Chris Miller, Stephen A. Smith, Rachel Nichols, Mike Lupica, Fred McLeod, Gary Sinise, Rusty Wallace, Bernie Kosar, Anthony Gonzalez and Michael Reghi

References