The NBA Playoffs. The NHL Playoffs. Baseball. Football. Golf. Just thought I’d keep you all updated on sports. This week, we’ll talk about what it’s like to cover sports with one of my favorite radio hosts, Dan Graca.
Before we get into Episode 111, as a reminder, The Bridge is broadcast as a one-hour radio show Monday through Friday on Sports Radio America at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. A brand new show airs on Wednesdays, then is released as a podcast on iTunes and on this website immediately following the episode. You can listen to the show live on Wednesday night on Sports Radio America here or through the TuneIn app. Additional bonus content, including a weekly gambling segment, can be found exclusively on this podcast.
- “Sports News Read Like Real News” throwback from around this time last year told the tale of LeBron James as the heckled and as the heckler, with one fan boasting his Division III stats to The King before LBJ took out some anger on a reporter in the postgame presser (2:11).
- The Bridge Question of the Week is: What will be your favorite sport to gamble on, and why? Leave a voicemail or text in your answer to 929-BRIDGE7, that’s 929-274-3437, and you’ll make it on the next show.
- “The What??” — Highlighting some of the best soundbites and quotes from the latest week in sports. We’ve got LeBron’s “photographic” memory, but it not being the spectacle it was made out to be (10:20).
- This week’s guest is Dan Graca, who you can hear across the sports dial on SiriusXM and ESPN Radio nationally or in New York, and can also see on SNY. Dan has been in sports broadcasting for more than 15 years, working his way through radio from an internship to a national show, and has now broadened his horizons to include multiple stations, shows and TV gigs along the way. I first came across Dan on the airwaves of Mad Dog Sports Radio when he then hosted Mad Dog Sports Radio Tonight from 7 to 11 p.m. Eastern Time, which quickly became one of my favorite shows on the channel. I eventually worked up the courage to call in (the first time I ever called in to a sports show) and eventually became less of a stranger and more of a weekly contributor. Dan would definitely be listed as one of my influencers for giving me the confidence and motivation to get back behind the microphone a couple years after my college days to start up this podcast, evolve that to include weekly guests from around sports media, and use this show as a platform for a career in sports radio. Which, as most of you know, I’ve been lucky enough to have started, currently as an associate producer for ACC Radio on SiriusXM channel 371. Now, even further thanks to Dan for taking some time to switch things up and jump on my show, though this wasn’t easy. I pride myself on researching my guests and scouring the internet to come up with questions that they don’t normally get asked, but Dan Graca is a ghost on the internet. If anything, that should be listed on his bio if he had one anywhere to list it. We’ll chat about how he deciding to pursue sports radio and some of his early roles in the industry, the highs and lows of the different chapters of his career, what goes into his shows, what his roles are now and much more.
- Follow Dan on Twitter -> @DanGraca. The interview starts at the 25:31 mark.
– In the interview, we discuss:
When he knew he wanted to pursue sports broadcasting (25:58), what some of his early roles were getting started in the industry (27:15), if there was a low point in the early going (28:39), when he got his first break to get on air (30:02), his path in radio at ESPN and to SiriusXM (31:26), when he moved from the update side of radio to the on air side (33:51), how his show changed from then to now (34:57), what it was like having a four hour show on Mad Dog Sports Radio (36:39), dealing with critics, moving on from a weekly show on MDSR (40:54), what his day-to-day is like (44:33), finding his radio voice (45:59), being “star struck” (47:10), making it in the business for 15 years (48:33), how he’s evolved in sports broadcasting (49:28) and having to dress well for TV (50:37).
Eazy (or) Pass, featuring some quick-hitting questions (52:11)
* Thoughts on his Jets and taking Sam Darnold as their pick (52:20)
* New York baseball (53:34)
* Any Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo stories (55:04)
* Favorite poster in his childhood bedroom (55:56)
* Best Halloween costume (56:30)
* Favorite children’s game that he would win now (56:53)
* First concert and/or album (57:49)
* Go-to karaoke song (58:45)
* He was in a band?! (59:31)
Call in or text the show 24/7 at 929-BRIDGE7, that’s (929) 274-3437. Contact the show with your questions, comments, stories or hot takes and you might be featured in the next installment of The Bridge.
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You can listen to the show live on Wednesday nights at 8 ET via Sports Radio America or the TuneIn app.
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Email the show at media [at] lundinbridge [dot] com and follow the host on Twitter @lundinbridge.
Show music: ‘Actionable’ and ‘Epic,’ courtesy of www.bensound.com.
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