8
2009
RIP "The Steve Czaban Show"
An article by WhoDey
The bad news that had been rumored was confirmed yesterday. In a post on his site, czabe.com, Steve Czaban confirmed Monday that The Steve Czaban Show (formerly The First Team on Fox) will be coming to an end in a couple of weeks:
To all of my listeners at Fox Sports Radio, I wanted to let you know that come the end of the month I will be parting on good terms with the network. I have had a great 7 year run and appreciate the opportunity to have been such a part of everyone’s radio life.
The last show will broadcast on December 23rd. The post referenced above was a little nicer than his original post on Monday, which was subsequently taken down. Here’s a little snippet:
File this one under “Horrible and Ironic Ways (For Your Radio Show) To Die.”
My contract with Fox Sports Radio has not been renewed. The last day of the “Steve Czaban Show” is scheduled for December 23rd.
Steven A. Smith will be my permanent replacement.
Now, you can chew on that one for a bit.
Okay, you still with me? Good. Here’s all I’m going to say.
This was not my choice, or desire. My agent wanted me to spin it in one of those “we decided to mutually part ways” for anybody who wanted to know. But I’m not good at lying. And besides, you deserve the truth.
The letter from the network read (in part) as follows. “As you know, our decision not to renew Steve’s contract was not made in haste. He has performed for us on air brilliantly, and has been a tremendous asset to our network for many years. It was only after much contemplation that we made the tough decision to move in a different direction.”
You can see why someone probably chimed in his ear that it would be in his best interests to take that original post down. Regardless, it sounds like Clear Channel (Fox Sports Radio’s parent) is deciding to make yet another misguided programming decision. The new management in the last year has done the following:
- Removed Andrew Siciliano’s excellent show and replaced it with two illiterate, shouting idiots from a local LA show
- Moved popular JT The Brick into a time slot with virtually no East Coast listeners
- Brought back Tony Bruno, who has worked virtually everywhere and never lasted anywhere for a reason
- Cancelled an extremely popular morning show and replaced it with another shouting idiot, this time from the East Coast
I could almost deal with this if I thought it was entirely a money decision. After all, Clear Channel hasn’t exactly been the most profitable company around. But I can’t believe a national personality like Stephen A Smith, despite being pretty universally unliked, is that much cheaper, if at all, than Czaban. So I’m a bit baffled as to the decision making here. Clearly, Clear Channel management has “listener satisfaction” somewhere behind “clean office toilets” on the priority list.
Let’s stop dwelling on the unhappy future ahead. Instead, let’s look back at the past – the excellent show that was The Steve Czaban Show. It really was the best show going on radio in the last few years. The host, Steve Czaban, was very good at playing the everyman sports host. He also worked exceptionally well with his co-host and friend, Scott Linn, who let him toe the line just enough to keep him from being fired without preventing him from being edgy and entertaining. The show lost a little bit when Fox Sports let go of Al Galdi in January, but additional commentary from the show’s producer Steve Soloman provided some great extra humor (he was definitely an upgrade from the show’s previous producer, Jay Cottrell).
A lot of what made The Steven Czaban Show entertaining was the regular daily segments. ”I’m so done with”, “This might be a dumb question”, and others were great chances to get callers to bring some humor while staying with a general theme. Plus, the addition of text messaging throughout the show made it that much more interactive, and allowed for a lot of additional content and humor coming from Czaban’s savvy listeners.
The show will definitely be missed. I, for one, doubt I’ll be listening to much more Fox Sports Radio after this. Here’s hoping that Czabe and the crew reemerge elsewhere in the near future (you can still catch him on his local afternoon show in 980AM in Washington, DC).
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I'm not too familiar with the Steve Czaban show, but am very familiar with JT the Brick….since I usually like to stay up until 1am to listen to a few minutes of his show. He is my favorite sports guy on the radio, always wondered why he was on so late.
JMV is off WNDE, Czabe is off in the a.m. I just went back podcasts for my morning and after work drive thanks to these things. What happened to good drive time sports talk radio. If you live in Indianapolis you dont get anything good in the am or pm drive time without having satellite.
I just don't get it.. I'm done with Fox sports.. Czabe's show was not just good but frequently great. This show was how I started every morning…
I'm so done with Fox Sports. This might be a dumb question but do I really have to the four letter? Lock it up, XM/Sirius will bring the boys back.
I'm so clueless I thought that JMV and Czabe were just off around the holidays because I hadn't heard anything else. Mark Patrick sucks, not a fan of Steven A., and it looks like it's time to go satellite. Indy radio sucks right now.
I'll be looking for Czabe to emerge somewhere.
I have XM and live in Indy. There really is not much else to listen to sportswise on satellite in the am. I loath SAS and find M&M boring. Not having the Czabe in the am drive really sux.
The dumbest move ever made by fox was to replace Czaban with a screaming egotist that thinks he speaks for the whole black race . SAS is so /////////////
AM radio once again has become unbearable to listen to. JMV and The Czabe gone, I guess I will have to hum to and from work now….
After emailing FoxSportsRadio 3 times and NOT getting a reply to "what happened to Czabe", I finally see the truth here. I've already told FoxSportsRadio to "consider me gone to Mike and Mike". To make matters worse, they replace the "greatest" with a basketball head bigot!
Excellent write up! I can't agree more with what you have said. I have listened to the Steve Czaban show daily for the past 6 years. The show was so entertaining and fun that I often listened to it during both the first run as well as the later re-load many days. Czaban's ability to provide cutting and witty insight while not being a loudmouth and blowhard ( Steven A Smith ) was refreshing and made us feel like he was one of our friends. Czaban was not a company "yes man" who compromised his show to make management happy. Czaban remained true to his fans and in the end they dumped him for a piece of crap named Steven A Smith. Clear Channel will see as their ratings in the Czaban time slot's not only drop but instead plumment to the levels that will make them wonder if anybody is listening. I will bet that Clear Channel will fire and replace Steven Smith before the summer. Steven A Smith sucked at ESPN and he will show everyone that ESPN knew what they were doing when they fired him. Steve Czaban will emerge again on the national airwaves and I will again be a loyal listener as will his thousands and thousands of fans. I am saddend by the loss of the Steve Czaban show but as stated he will be back and we will all be the ones who benefit for it . See you soon Czabe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regards, Dave Edwards
Mega dittos Dave Edwards. I feel like I lost a friend.
He is back!!!
Czabe will be back on sporting news radio!!!
Echo that! Excellent writeup, so I won't add much hot air to the discussion. The Czabe show was refreshing yet still on point with sports, not a lot of fluff. And you could tell that real, down to earth, sports fans were calling/texting in to the show. Many times it was laugh out loud funny. Right now I'm pretty p'od, and I won't listen to that channel on the dial at all, much as I like Roger Wyland.
Fox has been overtaken by a bunch of idiots (in other words, a bunch of college MBAs become managers that went to their management 101 book to look like they know what the hell they are doing……obviously they don't).
I wouldn't listen to Steven "A-hole" Smith if I had to choose between him and the noise that was broadcast in the beginning of "Live and Let Die" that killed a guy.
What a shame the LOUDEST is now in rather than the wittiest and most entertaining. Fox should really think about professional wrestling next.
Time for satellite !!!! Oh what the hell, it was time anyway………….
Steven A Smith is a loud mouth!!! First fox gives us Tony Bruno primetime and now him!! Why?????
Now I have to choose between mike and mike or s.a smith? Thanks alot for ruining my morning commute!!!! czabe rules!!!!!!!!!!
I am disgusted with the replacement of Czabe…..Really steve smith? The only listeners they will have for him is his family if they can even tollerate him. Getting rid of Czabe was a big mistake. He will be back bigger and better..
Steven A Smith just plain useless.A screamer with zero knowledge.Bring bac Steve Czaban.
No longer a reason to tune in your site.
smith is the worst radio man ever! I will never listen to fox again
I am really upset with this new format FOX has given us.The ratings will prove FOX SPORTS management were horribly wrong and should be fired.I do not like the stephen a show and i am 'nevermind'.FOX if you want to cancel a show get rid of myers and hartman show,that is the laziest show on radio.
Finally some answers to one of the two greatest questions of all time! What is the meaning of life? And what happened to the Steve Czaban Show? What a revealing article! Insider information along with brilliant analysis of how FOX's new management has obviously adopted a new business model. "Maybe if we suck enough we can get deep enough into bankrupcy to qualify for some of 'Obama's stash' before the tarp funds are all spent buyng Senators' votes." What great minds these new execs are! The Czab will be back better than ever, just wait. Hope he damands a huge contract with a fat bonus that makes Tim Geither send a busload of rent a mob ACORN protestors to his house!
Do you have an rss feed (or whatever its called)? I couldn't find it. Sorry, but I am not blonde
Do you have an rss feed (or whatever its called)? I couldn't find it. Sorry, but I am blonde