Friday, June 01, 2007

Tucker to Leave KARN, Return to Sports Hall of Fame

I should never comment on Little Rock radio. Never having enjoyed "insider" status, nor being elevated to "beloved," it's risky business. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to say that most of us KARM alumni were able to breeze through the first month.

Of course, it's not the same stations as when I worked there. KARN is, from what I hear, pretty much hard-core corporate radio.

I almost made an unflattering comparison, but thought better of it. Hell, it's only radio and a hundred years from now, who will care anyway?

There are worse places than KARN. Ray Tucker seems to be a nice man and the Sports Hall of Fame must be exceptionally kind and patient folks.

Here is what Arkansas Business reported.

Longtime Arkansas sports broadcasting talent Ray Tucker, who in April took over the early-evening sports talk show "Sports Rap" on KARN-AM, 920/FM, 102.5, is leaving the show and returning to his post as executive director of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Arkansasbusiness.com has learned.

Neal Gladner, KARN's general manager, was out of town and unavailable for comment on Friday. (For the latest comments from Tucker, click here to read Jim Harris' Playing Field blog.)

Tucker, who in the past frequently broadcast in several capacities for KARN sports news rival KABZ-FM, 103.7 "The Buzz," including appearances on the popular afternoon show "Drive Time Sports," resigned as executive director of the Sports Hall of Fame after agreeing to do the show. But the hall's board of directors voted to take Tucker back as director earlier this week, sources told Arkansasbusiness.com.

The move leaves KARN without a host after June, when Tucker will depart the station's marquee sports show, which airs on 27 stations statewide weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Arkansas Radio Network.

Former host Chuck Barrett led the program for six years but left in early April to pursue personal business interests. He has since started his own sports show, which airs in northwest Arkansas on ESPN Sports Radio's KTTG-FM, 96.3, in Fort Smith and KFAY-AM, 1030, in Fayetteville. That show also bears the "Sports Rap" name.

Tucker was previously a television sports anchor, spending 14 years at KTHV-TV, Channel 11.


And I have no gripe with Neal Gladner whatsoever. There are MUCH worse people in Arkansas radio.

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