I wish to comment on the racism that is occurring within the Cleveland sports media. No television station has a black person hosting a show or a segment. Fox Sports Ohio has Kendall Lewis being a sidekick to Les Levine, and Austin Carr and Campy Russell co-hosting Cavaliers programming. Occasionally, Roger Brown co-hosts Bruce Drennan’s show, ironically called “All Bets are Off” after his gambling conviction and jail sentence. Drennan gets a job opportunity while in jail and qualified black sports personalities can’t even get an interview. The other television stations don’t have any black sports reporters.
It gets worse. The radio stations do not have any blacks hosting a daily or weekly show. There are many black sports personalities that are more qualified that the hosts that are on those stations.
The on-air staff on WKNR can only be described as laughable. People such as Kenny Roda, Greg Brinda, Munch Bishop and Aaron Goldhammer hosts shows, while qualified announcers such as Austin Carr, Ronnie Duncan, Branson Wright, Roger Brown, Hanford Dixon, Skip Brown and Tony Jones can’t host a show on that station or any other.
That is a travesty. All of the announcers on WKNR1 and WKNR2 have the same preppy attitudes on sports. WTAM at least has Art McKoy hosting a show. However, only Andre Knott does sports on that station and that is primarily during the Browns season.
Also, the majority print media is not blameless. The Plain Dealer has two black sports writers, Branson Wright and Elton Alexander. However, their two columnists (Bill Livingston and Bud Shaw) share the same dim, blighted, disgruntled, bitter view. Sort of like “Archie Bunker on Sports.” You can interchange their names and you couldn’t tell the difference between their columns.
Roger Brown was at least a recognizable name at the Plain Dealer. People liked him or didn’t like him, but he did what a columnist should do: Provoke thought and reaction. Livingston and Shaw could disappear from the pages of the Plain Dealer and would not be missed by anyone except their friends and family.
Branson Wright covers the Cavs and Elton Alexander covers auto racing and local colleges. Outside of that, there aren’t any black sports reporters at the PD. Austin Carr, Campy Russell and Scott Williams co-host Cavs basketball programming at Fox Sports Ohio. Roger Brown and Andre Knott occasionally co-host with Bruce Drennan on STO. Andre also provides Browns coverage on WTAM. Hanford Dixon and Reggie Langhorne co-host Browns programming on WOIO. That’s about it.
For a city that is over 60 percent black, a football team that is about 60 percent black, and a basketball team that has a black coach and about 80 percent of the team black, this is reprehensible. The good-old boy network of Cleveland sports media needs to be dismantled. It would be refreshing to hear a different point-of-view. I know what I am talking about.
I am a part-time sports media personality in Cleveland. Plain Dealer reporter John Petkovic did an article about Tony Jones and me last November. The article reflected that a different opinion from a different perspective is refreshing. Give some of the qualified blacks an opportunity to present their perspectives. We will exceed all expectations! Our word is our bond.
Delvis Valentine
Cleveland

This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2007.

9 replies on “Reader: Where are the Black Guys in Cleveland Sports Media?”

  1. This guy is right. I listen to Tony Jones on his Internet Radio Show. I live in the ATL but from Cleveland. Check Tone out, when he does get his chance he’s going to blow up!
    E

  2. I’d like to comment on the racism prevelant in Cleveland sports. There are like only three white guys on the Cavs and the Browns are aptly named too. The Indians are a fine mix of nationalities but there isn’t an Indian on the team so I am sure that is wrong too. Quit crying racism. I miss Kendall Lewis on the radio too but people should be able to hire who they want. I think that the Irish are probably under-represented in Cleveland sports but no one says anything about that. Usually when people cry “Racism” there is none to be found.

  3. I am a diehard sports fan and frequent many of the radio, television, and print outlets you discuss in your article. I think that you are way off base on why the black guys you mention above are not getting interviews. They stink. The problem is that they stink just as bad as the white guys that are already on air and have an established audience. If the black guys stunk just a little less than the white guys they might get a chance because these outlets need to feel comfortable that they can keep and/or improve on the numbers. Now get to work and quit whining.
    Oh yeah and audience demographics may have something to do with the decisions made my these media outlets – please provide these in your next article. I’m sure the PD, WKNR, WTAM, etc. will be more than happy to provide them in response to this article.

  4. You two anonymous geniuses. The writer is correct. Jim Donovan is Irish and he is hosting every sport. And the last anonymous writer. Every time someone challenges the so-called white supremacy, you and like-minded people always say that theyare whining. You are whining. WKNR’s ratings are so bad that they need a change.

  5. You are correct, they do need a change. I haven’t listened to WKNR in a long time, probably since Kendall left. I think Duncan had a show on there that was terrible and Roger Brown is controversial just to be controversial. Roda sucks and Brinda has been bad for a long time although I used to enjoy him. I don’t know about Munch’s show, never heard it. How come no one is pontificating on how racist sports are though? Because as long as the white guy gets the shaft its fine. Demographics play a huge roll in how these decsions are made. Blacks will never be as represented in all areas of life in America because they are a smaller portion of the population. Again, in areas where they dominate (sports primarily), no one says word one about it.

  7. The So Called Negro can’t get a break in this country. Kill the Devils!

  9. lol i had no idea andre knott was black until i saw a picture of him. There are a bunch of people that call the cavs that are black.
    and most people put art mccoy in the same category as the french guy on wtam am.
    i really think it wouldnt make a difference if i saw or heard a black guy reporting on sports as long as they were good at it (and no not all the current sports reporters are good but as mentioned there already is an established base)

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