Mo Egger is a lifelong Cincinnati sports fan and gets the chance every week day to talk about his teams on the radio. He works for both ESPN 1530 and 700 WLW as a sports talk show host. His talk show from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 1530 is a must-listen on the ride home from school for all local sports fans. After months of being a daily listener, I decided to reach out to him for the chance to talk to him about the ever-changing radio industry, his career, and of course, Cincinnati sports.
- When did you realize that you wanted to pursue a career in radio and what do you like the most about your job?
Mo Egger: When I was a kid, I was kind of a nerd. I listened to 700 WLW and sports talk radio when I was a kid. I was a terrible athlete so those dreams that most kids have about playing pro sports, I had them, but I knew pretty early that they weren’t going to come true. I love talking about sports as much as anybody. Even more than listening to the play-by-play of games, I’ve always enjoyed opinion sort of stuff. I listened to sports talk radio and heard those guys arguing with callers. I have a strong take on local teams and thought “Wow, you can get paid to do that? That sounds pretty good.” I wanted to be in radio, specifically sports radio, ever since I can remember, at least since I was 11 or 12 years old.
- As a kid, who was your favorite athlete and were there any radio personalities who inspired you to become a radio host?
ME: I don’t know if there was a specific personality. I grew up loving the NBA—Marv Albert was probably my favorite broadcaster but he really wasn’t a radio host or a talk show host. I always thought it was a cool profession. I thought the people who did it sounded like me arguing with my buddies as a kid. In terms of my favorite athlete as a kid, my favorite of all time had to be Bernard King, who played for the New York Knicks. Also, Barry Larkin was huge when I was a kid. The Bengals were actually good when I was a kid, with Boomer Esiason, so those would probably be my “big three.” And it’s going to be hard to find anybody my age that didn’t idolize Michael Jordan so he would obviously have to go on the list too.
- What was your first job in the radio industry and where do you want to go in your career?
ME: My first job was actually at WLW and I’ve been there since I was 19. My first job was when I was in college at the University of Dayton in the summer between my sophomore and junior years. I was hired to play the religious tapes that they roll on Sunday mornings. I would get up, work from five to nine, and would literally just sit there playing religious programs. I started working my way up and I’ve been with the same company ever since. As far as what I want to do, it sounds pokey, but I want to keep on doing what I do now. I really have my dream job—I do a radio show in a city that my family is from and I talk about the teams that I like. It would be really hard for me to go somewhere and talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Miami Marlins. What I like about my job is that I care about the teams I talk about and talk about stuff that matters to me. Hopefully that comes across and makes listening to the show more fun. The best radio hosts are the ones who genuinely care about the things they say and I get the chance to do that.
- Where do you see the future of radio with the rise in technology such as live streaming, blogging, and Twitter?
ME: I think it’s good and I think it can supplement what we do. I don’t think radio is ever going to go away. People have been predicting the death of radio for decades. People thought that TV was going to kill it, people thought that satellite radio was going to kill it, people thought that the Internet was going to kill it and it’s still around. I think the new technology makes radio hosts a little bit more versatile. It’s become more engaging and we have to become more immediate. If I have an opinion on something, I can’t wait until three o’clock the next day to say it. I have to Tweet it or write about it. I also think that the next wave of radio hosts is going to be found on the Internet. They’re going to be found on YouTube and they’re going to do their own podcasts. I tell kids all the time, especially college students, when I was in college, you had to get on a campus radio station, which no one had ever heard of. Now you don’t have to—it’s great if you are, but you can do your own podcast or make your own YouTube videos and send them to everybody in order to have them go viral. That way more people see it than would ever hear you on a college radio station. Also, some small market stations have completely eliminated local programming so those opportunities just aren’t there anymore; you have to create your own. I do think it can give younger people a jump start on a career, a jump start on becoming comfortable in front of a microphone, and becoming comfortable on camera. I really do think that the impact of the new technologies is being felt now obviously, but it’s really going to be felt in ten to twelve years when radio stations are looking for the next wave of talent.
- What is a typical day like for you?
ME: I get up around seven and the first thing I do is jot down the three, four, or five things that people are talking about. Obviously there’s a lot of reading and watching involved. Usually I’ll write on my blog for about two hours and then I go into the radio station. My producer and I meet around ten to talk about the day’s show, what we’re going to talk about, different angles, and plan out stories. Then we go our separate ways—she’ll do her job and book guests. Then for me, it’s like taking a test—I spend the three or four hours before the show studying for a test. Reading, talking to people, coming up with angles, researching topics, and the test is at three o’clock. Eleven to three is the part that’s not that much fun but three to six is the fun part. It’s just like anything else, it’s all about preparation. It’s all about forming a plan for the show and making sure that I have enough content. It’s all about making sure I’m on top of what people are talking about. That’s how I spend most of the day and then three o’clock hits and if I did a good job from ten to three, then three to six will go well and if we didn’t, then three to six will be a struggle.
- Who is your favorite guest that you have had on your radio show before?
ME: The coolest experience talking to somebody would have to be when we did the show from the Baseball Tonight set and talking to Barry Larkin. It was a big deal for me and that was a very cool experience. We tend not to do guests for the sake of doing guests. We tend to make them topical and make them timely by bringing in somebody who can add something to the discussion. The one thing I wish we did more of would be long interviews where you can get to know people, but that’s really hard to do. My favorite person to have on consistently is Chris Mack, the coach of Xavier, because he’s funny and always insightful. He likes to give it to me a little bit because I’m a UC fan. He’s always is willing to go on, always friendly, and always accommodating.
- What advice would you give a high school or college student interested in pursuing a career in radio?
ME: The number one thing is don’t wait for a radio station to hire you, do it now. Buy podcasting software, do a daily video on YouTube, write as much as possible, or start a blog. Do it now. I believe that these forums will be where people are going to be hired from. I think the earlier you start, the better you’re going to be. I always tell people that I was lucky enough to start working at WLW at an early age and I knew that I was surrounded by people who were really good and who I could pattern myself after. I always tell people who want to work in radio to listen to the radio. If I wanted to learn to be a great rock guitarist, I would pay attention to and listen to the great rock guitarists. If I was going to be a quarterback, I want to watch Tom Brady and I want to pattern myself after him. Find the people that you like, find the people that you think are good, and not just sports, but in all disciplines, and listen to them. Listen to what makes them sound compelling, what makes them interesting, and listen to how they bring up different angles. I think the one thing we don’t do enough of is listening to those who are good at it. Find the people you really like, “like” doesn’t have to mean agree with, and find the people who are good. Some of the people I listen to the most are some of the people who I disagree with most of the time. Listen to the radio, listen to people as much as you can, and find what you can apply to your own skill set when you listen to others.
- As a lifelong Cincinnati sports fan, which team (from a specific year) is your favorite of all time and why?
ME: The 1992 UC Final Four team. It’s because, number one, they went to the Final Four. Number two, it’s not that they came from nowhere but they’re a team that people have forgotten. It was a program that hadn’t been relevant nationally in a long time but it was really before people cared about UC basketball. I was a freshman in high school and I loved those guys. I could give you details from every game. I could talk abut Nick van Exel going wall-to-wall at the end of the half against Brooklyn College and I could talk about them beating Memphis four times and stopping Penny Hardaway. I just liked that team because it was a team that the country didn’t pay much attention to and they came out of nowhere. That’s my favorite of all time and the one that I put on a pedestal.
- What does the tradition of Opening Day in Cincinnati mean to you?
ME: It’s bigger here than anywhere else. It’s a big deal everywhere but not what it is here. That’s not cliché, it’s true. I don’t really get worked up about the fact that the Mariners and A’s played in Japan or that the season doesn’t necessarily begin in Cincinnati anymore. I think it’s very cool that they let the Reds open up at home every year. I think it’s cool that it’s a big deal to the city. I went to every Opening day from ’97 to 2009 with my dad and I think about him and those memories with him since he’s not with me anymore. It made fathers and sons and traditions. It means a party and everybody loves a party.
- What are your thoughts on the new Joey Votto deal and can they still sign Brandon Phillips?
ME: I think it’s going to be really hard to sign him. I don’t know how you can financially make that work. I like it but I have questions just like everyone else does. I think it’s fair to wonder how they’re going to pay for it. I think you need to remember that the owner of the team is a good business man and he’s wealthy for a reason. He’s wealthy because he’s spent a lifetime making sound financial and business decisions and done so with a lot of homework. I think you have to keep in mind that this is not a person who accumulated a lot of wealth by just throwing dollars around. I think if the Reds are really good over the next four or five years, we’re going to be more than okay with paying an older Joey Votto, even if he clogs up the roster. I think it puts a lot of pressure on the Reds, which I like, and the Reds have to do a better job in their farm system because they’re not going to be major players in free agency. I love the message that it sends that we’re no longer going to be a team that settles for mediocrity. We’re going for it and we’re trying to win championships. That’s something that I don’t think this team has conveyed to its fan base successfully for a very long time.
- With Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder out of the Central Division, how well can the Reds do this year?
ME: It’s the most interesting division in baseball. If you listen to the experts, nobody has a feel for who the favorite should be. I still think St. Louis is going to be very good once Chris Carpenter comes back. I think people underestimate the influence of Dave Duncan, their pitching coach. I still think Milwaukee is going to be fine. They weren’t a very good defensive team last year and they’re going to have to be better this year. The Reds have question marks. Bronson Arroyo is going to start thirty plus games for them. He’s going to have to look more like the guy we saw in 2010. Scott Rolen has to hold up for 120 games. I think they’re equipped to compete but I haven’t picked them to win the division quite yet. I think they will be a playoff team and they’ve answered a lot of questions, but they have some major issues to address.
- After UC’s basketball program has had a few down seasons and having some of its player serve suspensions for the Crosstown Shootout brawl, how miraculous of a turn-around was it for them as they made the Sweet Sixteen this season?
ME: It was awesome. This was not a great team by any stretch. I thought the way they responded after the Shootout was great. I thought the way they played after the Shootout was really special. I don’t think most teams would have emerged from it for the better in the way that they did. It took a lot of mental toughness for them to make the season about more than just the fight. I’m happy for those involved with the program because people wrote them off, stopped going, stopped caring. They made people start caring and getting emotional about UC basketball again, that’s why it was special. When they beat Florida State, I thought of the people who abandoned the program, the people who stopped going, and I thought of the people who would laugh at me for still being a fan of the team. I felt bad for them because they missed what ended up being a pretty good time. They missed what ended up being a really fun, endearing team. And it made the last six years worth it. It was finally the payoff for their patience. I think that’s all sports fans want. We’re willing to be patient but we want a payoff. This year’s basketball season was a major payoff, at least for me.
- After Kentucky’s success as a “one-and-done” type of program, will other programs attempt the same style and how does it affect college basketball, if at all?
ME: I don’t think it affects college basketball as a whole. I think most programs in the country would like to have Anthony Davis. I think most programs in the country would like to have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I think most programs would like to have Marquis Teague and John Wall. If you don’t want your coach to get those players then you don’t want your coach to do everything he can to win. Is Duke going to start recruiting waves of players who leave after their freshman year? Sure, if they can get them. Would programs that can’t do it be able to do it? No. Kentucky is still going to gobble up the best players. I don’t think it affects the sport. I don’t think it’s going to really change anything. If anything, it gets people talking about the rule and maybe that will change, but probably not. I think some are overstating the impact and I don’t think there’s going to be much of one.
- How do you think the Bengals can improve their roster in the NFL Draft?
ME: They have to get a guy who can block and open up holes in the running game. They have to get a guard and they’ve done that in free agency. They want to run the ball better and they have to run the ball better. They have to have starters who can beat people at the point of attack, and up front, in the middle of the offensive line. The line was deficient last year. Nate Livingston and Bobby Williams aren’t going to cut it. They need to add somebody else to the interior of the offensive line. I’m a firm believer in this NFL, where people are throwing the football all over the place, that you can’t have enough good defensive backs. They need defensive backs. They need a corner, they probably still need a safety, and if they can get more than one at each position then I would probably be in favor of it. People are throwing the ball all over the place in this league. We sometimes talk about the third corner being the guy who’s your third best corner and he better be really good because he’s going to be on the field more than fifty percent of the time. Especially with the Leon Hall injury, they need guys who can play in the secondary and play at a high level. They have to find those guys in the draft.
- After the Bengals went 9-7 last year and made the playoffs, Xavier and UC made the Sweet Sixteen, and the Reds have a great chance in the Central, how does this year stack up with the best years in Cincinnati sports?
ME: It’s getting up there. Certainly in recent history we haven’t had a year like this. Think of 1990, the last year both teams were really good, but other than that there haven’t been many years like this. I would look at 2009 and 2010, when UC won all of their games in football and went to bowl games both seasons, the Reds followed it up with a division-winning season, and XU went to the Sweet Sixteen in ’09 and 2010, so that might be as good of a stretch. But in terms of an individual year, there haven’t been many like this.
