BSM Podcast
PASR63: Danny Parkins – 610 Sports
“Know your place. I did not have any ratings track record of success. It would have cost them nothing to fire me. I asked a pretty bold series of questions without the safety net of ratings success, or a track record, or reputation in town, or anything like that. You have to build up some collateral before taking that big of a swing” – Danny Parkins
Danny Parkins got the highly-coveted broadcasting degree from Syracuse. You know, the same one that’s supposed to get you right in the door at any station in the country that you so desire.
At least, that’s what he thought.
Instead, Parkins had to find a way to make money in other ways when he was starting out. And those were fun too, for a time.
Eventually, Danny really got rolling on the air. Currently hosting afternoon drive on 610 Sports in Kansas City, Parkins has accomplished a lot more than many in the industry, and he’s not even 30 years old.
Hear about his sports radio philosophy, how he almost got fired, how he once spent thousands of dollars at a strip club, and a whole lot more on this episode of The PASR.
INSIDE THIS EPISODE
- Becoming interested in doing sports radio during High School
- Coming up thru Syracuse with Nick Wright, Mike Meltser & Andrew Fillipponi
- Moving to Chicago after college and making a living playing poker
- Going back to Syracuse to start his radio career making $9.00 per hour
- Getting a tip about an opening in Kansas City thanks to Nick Wright
- Pursuing the lead by taking an aggressive approach with PD Ryan Maguire
- How he developed a rapport with Syracuse Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim
- Feeling like he was officially in the business when he signed his first contract
- Almost getting fired after pissing off Royals Owner David Glass
- The advice he passes along to young people in dealing with tough situations
- What makes his show unique and how 610 compares to WHB in Kansas City
- Campaigning on-air to be moved into afternoons when Nick Wright left KC
- Developing a partnership with Carrington Harrison after a rough start
- Understanding roles on a show and why it’s critical to have a good team behind you
- What his Program Director would say are areas where he has to improve
- The height of his poker success, and spending a lot of money in strip clubs
- Why callers, poor preparation, and forced contrarian takes turn him off
- The keys to preparing with a co-host and not letting it all out before showtime
FROM THE GUEST
- Danny’s Twitter handle: @DannyParkins
FROM ZACH
The Podcast About Sports Radio is proud to partner with Barrett Sports Media, home of the sports radio industry’s premier website barrettsportsmedia.com. For the latest sports radio news around the country, as well as insights, and opinions from Jason Barrett and some of the brightest minds in the sports radio industry, visit barrettsportsmedia.com.
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Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.
Brady Farkas is a sports radio professional with 5+ years of experience as a Program Director, On-Air Personality, Assistant Program Director and Producer in Burlington, VT and Albany, NY. He’s well versed in content creation, developing ideas to generate ratings and revenue, working in a team environment, and improving and growing digital content thru the use of social media, audio/video, and station websites. His primary goal is to host a daily sports talk program for a company/station that is dedicated to serving sports fans. You can find him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady and reach him by email at bradyfarkas@gmail.com.
Stephen Strom can be heard hosting ‘The Sports Talkers Podcast’ for Barrett Sports Media. In addition to hosting here, Stephen works as a broadcasting assistant for the Miami Heat and color analyst for Nova Southeastern. Additional career experiences include working for SiriusXM, performing analyst duties for Princeton basketball, and hosting shows for TalkNorth.com. You can find him on Twitter @SStrom_.
Brady Farkas is a sports radio professional with 5+ years of experience as a Program Director, On-Air Personality, Assistant Program Director and Producer in Burlington, VT and Albany, NY. He’s well versed in content creation, developing ideas to generate ratings and revenue, working in a team environment, and improving and growing digital content thru the use of social media, audio/video, and station websites. His primary goal is to host a daily sports talk program for a company/station that is dedicated to serving sports fans. You can find him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady and reach him by email at bradyfarkas@gmail.com.