What happened to Tirrell?

capitalcityguy

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2007
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Des Moines
I'd like to know what, if anything, has happened to him. I know there's been a lot of changes in station ownership in the industry, so he could have been a casuality of change.
 

cycloneworld

Facebook Knows All
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Mar 20, 2006
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I rarely ever listened to his show...I always want to give the local shows the benefit of the doubt that I'd rather listen to Larry Cotlar for 8 hours a day than 1 hour of Marty's show.

I know many disagree, but I've been listening to Garman and Cotlar on 1700 lately and the show isn't too bad. Garman is entertaining...Larry, notsomuch. But it beats the hell out of Rome.

As for 1460, Travis & Tim are god awful...beyond terrible. I'm not sure how they are still on the air. I'm a big Miller & Deace and Murph & Andy fan. And I'll listen to Miller & Brinson but I do agree that Brinson just doesn't seem to "get it" here.
 

jcats322

Active Member
Oct 6, 2007
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West Des Moines
I swear on Tuesday I heard and advertisement on 1700 with Marty saying a "new" Marty and Miller show was going to start up with the "Miller" being a former UCLA linebacker who also played in the pros for the Redskins (and others who I can't remember).

He said something like "The new Marty and Miller, part of the Marty and McDermott show."

I heard this too. I think the promo said Jamir Miller but I was not paying terribly close attention.
 

garn91

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Jun 1, 2006
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Ankeny
I'd like to know what, if anything, has happened to him. I know there's been a lot of changes in station ownership in the industry, so he could have been a casuality of change.

Tirrell isn't an employee of 1700, never has been, he and his group purchase the time from 1700 for his national & local show, same goes for the Iowa Sports Connection group.

BTW, I wouldn't put much faith in the program guide on 1700's website. It still lists Brian Kenny & Erik Kuselias as ESPN hosts. Kuselias hasn't been on ESPN for nearly a year and Kenny left ESPN earlier this fall for the MLB Network.
 

troutslayer

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Oct 28, 2011
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Tirrell: Goofy, kind of a tool
Miller and Brinson: I like Miller, but Brinson doesn't have a clue, and has that animated radio voice that sounds like he's about to throw up
Travis and Tim: I like Tim, but Travis can be a d-bag
Miller and Deace: Both are blowhards. Deace knows everything (just ask him) and pretends to be an ISU fan (he's diehard Michigan), and Miller is a homer
Cotlar: Great rolodex, but terrible interviewer
 

Cydkar

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Apr 12, 2006
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Tirrell isn't an employee of 1700, never has been, he and his group purchase the time from 1700 for his national & local show, same goes for the Iowa Sports Connection group.

BTW, I wouldn't put much faith in the program guide on 1700's website. It still lists Brian Kenny & Erik Kuselias as ESPN hosts. Kuselias hasn't been on ESPN for nearly a year and Kenny left ESPN earlier this fall for the MLB Network.

Kuselias is now polluting the Golf Channel.
 

cybsball20

Well-Known Member
Nov 26, 2006
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Des Moines, IA
Tirrell: Goofy, kind of a tool
Miller and Brinson: I like Miller, but Brinson doesn't have a clue, and has that animated radio voice that sounds like he's about to throw up
Travis and Tim: I like Tim, but Travis can be a d-bag
Miller and Deace: Both are blowhards. Deace knows everything (just ask him) and pretends to be an ISU fan (he's diehard Michigan), and Miller is a homer
Cotlar: Great rolodex, but terrible interviewer


You are forgetting that when Tirrell doesn't have anything to say he will make up lies... That doesn't equate to a good host.
 

ISUAlum2002

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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Toon Town, IA
still no one has an idea what happened?

I can't believe nothing of substance has come out yet.

A friend of mine called 1700am yesterday and asked where he was. All they would say is that he is "on hiatus at this time, and we hope to have him back on the air very soon."

Something pretty substantial must have happened. I mean, we're right in the busiest sports talk timeframe....when the college football regular season is finishing up, NFL is past the halfway point of the season, and college basketball is cranking up. This is the time to be getting the ratings.
 

isustud07

Member
Sep 3, 2009
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Toyota is rumored to be no longer sponsoring him and therefore he lost his biggest source of income for the show. They have to find another company to replace those ad dollars before they can continue the show.
 

kilroy

Well-Known Member
Jun 10, 2010
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hills to flat lands
I stopped listening to KXNO during that dbag's tenure. I came back when he left. Now I only listen when they have Kaplan or CW on. When Brinson talks I have a stick to bite down on just like a Civil War amputation.


THIS x10000


And there's the rub. Matty P was the biggest db blowhard we've had in the DM market, but at least he took a hard line. Brinson is just lost in this market. So lost that he's entirely irrelevant when it comes to breaking down any issue that locals actually care about.

KXNO had a chance to get it right by hiring a local guy who could break something down without being a db. Just find someone with a brain and a spine. This is why Miller and Deace are infinitely more enjoyable than anyone in the market. It's not even close, in my opinion.

THIS THIS THIS x10000000

Plus the stupid radio tower wont transmit anywhere out side of 30miles from des moines. I can get omaha, cedar rapids, sometimes Chicago and KC but not des moines. STUPID.
 

Cyathon

New Member
Nov 19, 2011
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I can go hot or cold or Marty, but let's see if this analysis makes sense (sorry, this might get long)....

At 1700 AM, The Champ (and 97.3 FM and 98.3 FM), Cumulus Media bought Citadel Broadcasting in a deal worth 2.4 Billion. Cumulus now owns and operates over 500 radio stations across the country. This deal was announced back in March. Cumulus has finally got around to tweaking their new properties. As accurately mentioned in an earlier thread, Tirrell has NEVER been an employee of 1700 AM, The Champ or Cumulus. He buys the 2:00 - 6:00 time slot with the help of Steve Luebke (Toyota of DSM) and other sponsors. Rumor has it (and not surprizingly) Tirrell was behind on his bill to the station after The Docs (DSM Orthopedic, the other large financial backer of Tirrell) bailed on him. Cumulus, running this like a biz and has no interest in delinquent deadbeats, gave him 24 hours to pay up and he couldn't. Welcome to a biz that requires prompt bill payment.

Thus the response to the post above when 1700 was called, Cumulus said they would love to have Marty puchasing the airtime where they can each make a profit, but Marty can't pay his bills and the new company doesn't want deadbeats.

If you notice, the Local Sports Connection high school show is no longer on 1700 either. Another notorious for struggling to pay his bills timely, M.R., has his group yanked off the air right before the state high school football finals! Nice for a group focusing on high school sports.

My two cents..... Thoughts?
 
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drednot57

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Apr 26, 2010
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THIS x10000




THIS THIS THIS x10000000

Plus the stupid radio tower wont transmit anywhere out side of 30miles from des moines. I can get omaha, cedar rapids, sometimes Chicago and KC but not des moines. STUPID.
KXNO broadcasts 12,000 watts daytime and 2,000 nighttime (IIRC), hence their limited signal. Iowa has only one 50,000 watt clear channel AM station (three guesses and the first two don't count). You want a clear signal, use the iHeart radio app on your pc, tablet comp., or smart phone.
 

garn91

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Jun 1, 2006
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THIS THIS THIS x10000000

Plus the stupid radio tower wont transmit anywhere out side of 30miles from des moines. I can get omaha, cedar rapids, sometimes Chicago and KC but not des moines. STUPID.

No, it's not stupid.

Here’s good explanation from the FCC as to why AM radio stations reduces their power at night. A thing I learned in college while I was studying broadcasting is that the further down you are on the AM dial, the further your signal can go. KWMT because of their location on the dial, has the single largest daytime coverage area of any radio station in the state. That would also explain why reception of Chicago radio station is the norm in Iowa from about Des Moines east.

Why AM Radio Stations Must Reduce Power, Change Operations, or Cease Broadcasting at Night | FCC.gov

Most AM radio stations are required by the FCC's rules to reduce their power or cease operating at night in order to avoid interference to other AM stations. FCC rules governing the daytime and nighttime operation of AM radio stations are a consequence of the laws of physics. Because of the way in which the relatively long wavelengths (see
Footnote 1) of AM radio signals interact with the ionized layers of the ionosphere miles above the earth's surface, the propagation of AM radio waves changes drastically from daytime to nighttime. This change in AM radio propagation occurs at sunset due to radical shifts in the ionospheric layers, which persist throughout the night. During daytime hours when ionospheric reflection does not occur to any great degree, AM signals travel principally by conduction over the surface of the earth. This is known as "groundwave" propagation. Useful daytime AM service is generally limited to a radius of no more than about 100 miles (162 km), even for the most powerful stations.

However, during nighttime hours the AM signals can travel over hundreds of miles by reflection from the ionosphere, a phenomenon called "skywave" propagation. (Shortwave stations, which operate using AM modulation on several bands between between 2.3 MHz and 26.1 MHz, also use this phenomenon to broadcast still greater distances, up to thousands of miles.) Because of this change in signal propagation from daytime to nighttime, if every AM station kept its daytime operating power at night, massive interference would result. ( For a similar description, see Hours of Daytime-Only AM Broadcast Stations, First Report and Order, BC Docket 82-538, 95 FCC 2d 1032 (1983) [ PDF ] and related [ MO&O ]).


KXNO broadcasts 12,000 watts daytime and 2,000 nighttime (IIRC), hence their limited signal. Iowa has only one 50,000 watt clear channel AM station (three guesses and the first two don't count). You want a clear signal, use the iHeart radio app on your pc, tablet comp., or smart phone.

KXNO operates at 5,000 watts, but operates on a directional night-time attenna, here's KXNO's coverage map: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=KXNO&sr=Y&s=C

Actually, there are 2 50,000 watt "clear channel" AM stations in Iowa and even then, they shift their nighttime signal around to not interfere with other 50,000 watt clear channel stations that operate on or near their frequency. An example of this is Omaha's KFAB at 1110 on the dial, they are a 50,000 watt signal that shifts their signal to the west so as to not to interferre with KMOX out of St. Louis and another 50,000 watt clear channel signal in Charlotte, NC that operates at 1110 on the dial.
 
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westcyedclone

Member
Jan 22, 2010
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Waukee
Was he on today? His show isn't on the website anymore?
1700 The Champ

Marty is the best talk radio guy in the market. IMO
He is also a financial supporter of ISU. I know for a fact that he has multiple tickets in the Jack Trice Club. Not only do the tickets in there cost big money, I believe you have to make a hefty donation just to get them.
 

Senolcyc

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Marty is the best talk radio guy in the market. IMO
He is also a financial supporter of ISU. I know for a fact that he has multiple tickets in the Jack Trice Club. Not only do the tickets in there cost big money, I believe you have to make a hefty donation just to get them.


You're confusing booster with mooch.
 

AllN4Cy

Active Member
Sep 9, 2010
206
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Grimes
Tirrell doesn't pass the smell test to me. He sounds sketchy, he has several sketchy incidents in the past, he makes up rumors and claims to have great inside sources, and his on-air mannerisms are annoying. I can't stand listening to him so I don't.

The best on air are Murph and Andy. They don't always agree, but they don't tear each other apart for having different opinions and are able to have an educated conversation about the topic. They also are more a variety show which is a nice change of pace.

Miller and Deace are okay. Deace does have a freakish memory when it comes to football statistics, especially Big Ten. He's a bit condescending to other earthlings which is annoying, especially when he tries to introduce political discussions into sports talk. Miller seems like he'd be okay to have a beer with, as long as there was no conversation regarding EIU. These guys are almost entirely focused on talking Iowa and Iowa State, Big Ten and Big XII which I like too.

Miller and Brinson cover only sports, but also seem to cover all sports, which is also a different angle than the other two shows above. Miller is a bit of a Debbie Downer, but he has to bring that angle since Brinson is Mr. Sunshine all the time. Brinson has a HUGE rolodex and brings a lot of first hand experience and knowledge of pro and college teams that no one else can provide in the local market. I enjoy their show most of the time.

Out of Bounds sucks. Garmen is fine, but Cotlar is just bad, and unfortnately for Garmen, it makes him look bad too. Cotlar will say something, Garmen will disagree, then Cotlar will completely renig and try to convince Garmen that he was trying to say what Garmen said. It gets old fast.

T-n-T is just turrbl. There really is no excuse for KXNO to have that show on the air. Bad.