AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 10
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
790 the Dawg?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s been some recent “noise” on the various GT message boards regarding the recent hiring of David Pollack as talent on 790 the Zones afternoon drive show.
Alot of emails and phone calls and various complaints have found their way to the powers that be at 790 and they’ve reacted in a manner that can only be described as defensive. They went so far as to pick out a few over the top emails that they could read on the air, painting the GT fan base in the worst possible light.
Their stance is that David Pollack was hired simply because he’s a local guy who played football at both the NCAA and NFL levels and as someone who can contribute to the show.
What they fail to understand, to be completely honest, is that the hiring of David Pollack is simply another straw tossed onto the backs of GT fans who are trying to understand how 790 is supposed to be considered Georgia Tech’s “flagship” station.
By all accounts, David Pollack is a good guy. But lets consider the following as factors that have agitated the Georgia Tech fanbase in the past week.
1) David Pollack is interviewed several weeks ago and calls Georgia Tech “irrelevant”.
2) 790 starts a media blitz of sorts announcing the biggest hiring in the history of the station.
3) David Pollack is introduced as the new member of the afternoon drive show amidst a steady background of the UGA fight song and during a radio show broadcast from Vince Dooley’s house.
What do you think UGA fans would do if Joe Hamilton or George Godsey were suddenly added to a big sports talk show on a “flagship” UGA channel and it was broadcast from George O’Leary’s house? The agitation in the GT fanbase would pale in comparison to the outrage and ugliness you’d see from the “dawg nation”. Just look at the silliness over the Moreno “hurdle” this past week. (You didn’t see GT fans get upset when PJ Daniels hurdled a Clemson defender a few years ago…talk about a thin-skinned fan base…)
During their defensive rebuttal, 790 is trying to have their cake and eat it too. They’re trying to tell disgruntled GT listeners that they hired the guy because of his football knowledge while also pimping out a myriad UGA connections (fight song, Dooley’s house?) in a weak attempt to pull ratings from 680 the Fan’s ‘Buck and Kincade’ show which features former Georgia QB Buck Belue.
If 790 would “man up” and admit they hired Pollack because they want to pander to more UGA fans and improve their ratings, it would be understandable. Its just insulting to be told that GT fans are out of line and that 790 had no ulterior motives.
All in all…the real tragedy here is the loss of Home Team Brandon Leak…unless of course they are going to have David Pollack giving away Papa John’s pizzas at the GT home games…like his predecessor used to do. That might be worth all the aggravation when you really think about it…
Go Jackets!
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