The Spirit of the CyberRadio
Add to the names of the Revolutionaries Allen Popels, who a few months ago asked the question, "Is it too much to ask that we the hockey loving and Caps' fans have a broadcast fan forum for 30 or 60 minutes a week?" The Caps of course asked a similar question a few years back and answered it with the excellent "Caps Report," hosted by Mike Vogel and Spike Parker. Popels wanted his own show, on the weekend, a fan-driven one. He had technology at his disposal and did something about it. Beginning earlier this summer, every Sunday, he began hosting his one hour on the frontier air of cyberspace, 'CapitalFanatic: The Fan's Voice of the Washington Capitals.' (A podcast is available; and Popels makes his program available via iTunes.)
Yesterday Eric McErlain and Dmitry Chesnokov and I appeared as guests on Popel's program, where we discussed the recently completed Rookie Camp and a few other tidbits puck. Interestingly, we had no shortage of topics hockey to discuss for the full hour in the middle of summer. If we're invited back, we'll return. Telling, though, isn't it, that the region's hockey fans have their hockey audio itches scratched by the Caps themselves and their fans . . . and not say local radio?
Here I enter my broken record realm: it wasn't always thus. Once upon a time Scott Lynn of WTEM hosted a weekly Caps' radio forum on weekend mornings. One could find comparable programming on WTOP and WMAL in the days prior to TEM. One of the best things about our iconic and highly idiosyncratic radio personality Ken Beatrice was that in a sense every day was Caps' chat on his program: he never treated the Caps as a third- or fourth-tier tenant in town, and rather led a one-man campaign to make Washington a genuine sports town. He had his broadcast shortcomings to be sure, but his heart was in the right place. More importantly, he had media bosses supportive of his mission.
During yesterday's 'Netcast I had at times two trains of thought larger in context than the specific matters the four of us were discussing. One was of the caliber of expertise that was being shared. I'd really urge you to seek out Popel's podcast, fast forward through my meager prattlings, and listen closely to Eric McErlain's nuanced take on the Caps and especially the NHL more broadly. The guy knows the league, because he covers the league, and we're blessed that he possesses a passion for the local team as well. And Dmitry genuinely is a local expert on all things Russian hockey. The remarkable irony now abundantly broadcast and published, and filling the vast void, is that by virtue of their abdication of covering hockey professionally, as their trade has ever required, local media have unwittingly bred a cottage alternative industry of impassioned experts.
I challenge you to identify a single local sports anchor, on radio or TV, who knows one-tenth as much on hockey as McErlain, and can communicate it in as polished a fashion.
Flowers do bloom in deserts, you know.
Let me be clear: there are at times commendable attempts by local broadcast press to cover our game and our team. They tend to be ex-Redskins (not including John Riggins) now seated before studio microphones. That's interesting in itself; football players are perhaps best conditioned to appreciate the physical demands made of hockey players each night.
The other thought I had yesterday was more speculative about the near-term and more future impact of enterprises like Popel's, and especially of those that broaden the new media perspective. When, for instance, will we see fan- or team-inspired television/video programming adding to the chatter?
My prediction: within six months.
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