Sports Radio Service


		ESPN talent wouldn't make grade on Dream Job By Amaury Pi Gonzalez November 27, 2004

	The ESPN reality show "Dream Job," which is produced in Bristol, is very hypocritical. When ESPN came on the air about 25 years ago, I remember their first SportsCenter anchor. He's a guy currently working as the television voice of the Cincinnati Reds, George Grande. Grande is a nice man, a conservative, very journalistic sports anchor. Now I think ESPN has degenerated to a situation that every anchor has to be funny. Chris Berman may have started that with his "back, back, back, back," baseball call and "He could...go...all...the...way" in football. I'm disappointed that ESPN, which should be only on sports, is trying to do what everyone else is doing, like "Fear Factor" and every other reality show they're imitating, and it's hypocritical, indeed. Some of the talent on ESPN, like Pedro Gomez, is very good at what they do, but there are a lot of reporters who wouldn't make it if they tried out for "Dream Job." I don't care for that show and I'll make a prediction - it won't last too much longer. Donald Trump is doing "The Apprentice" and saying "you're fired" every week, but it just came on the news Tuesday that Trump is going bankrupt in his casinos in Atlantic City. He should fire himself. "Dream Job" is not well-received. Some of the talent that works for ESPN Radio in this market (San Francisco) wouldn't make it if they had to be judged by the Woody Paiges and Stephen A. Smiths of the reporting world. Television is a different animal from radio. I happen to work in Spanish radio, where you control your own destiny. On TV, I used to produce a five-minute segment on Telemundo for the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news. Sometimes, if the director wants to cut, they usually cut the sports. Television is a lot of pressure, but there are some exceptions for those that have lasted a long time in this market, like Wayne Walker, formerly with KPIX-TV. He was highly rated with the women along with Mark Ibanez on KTVU and Gary Radnich on KRON. If you go through the last 25 to 30 years in the Bay Area, many guys on the air would not have made it here. People don't want a lot of b.s. - they want information and entertainment. The Dream Job deal is just a fantasy. It only applies to the ESPN way of thinking, but again, I don't think that show is going anywhere. ESPN is doing it because the other networks are doing reality shows, so they feel obligated to do it. That's why ESPN disappointed me. They're ESPN, supposedly the worldwide leader in sports. Why imitate ABC, NBC, or CBS? When I broke into this business, there weren't any shows like this, only the game of the week and Monday Night Football. What you did is go into a radio station and ask if they were looking for interns, or going to the games doing everything to help other people who were already established. You try to learn and see what somebody else does, then you find your niche, be it radio, TV or print. You didn't have to live to these "Dream Job" standards. It puts tremendous pressure on these kids to get a job in our profession, which is competitive as anything else, and very tough. You have to put a lot of obstacles on a lot of people, and that's not very good. Amaury Pi Gonzalez writes for various publications, is play-by-play announcer for the Giants and Mariners broadcasts, writes for this website and hosts Sportstalk on KVVN 1430 San Jose and KLIB 1110 Sacramento Radio and wishes you a happy thanksgiving.