The OKC radiowaves are a little less stuttery.
Over the past couple of days, I’ve received multiple emails from concerned readers asking the whereabouts of Sports Animal radio host and Porky Pig voice impersonator Pat Jones.
Apparently, the former OSU head football coach has been noticeably absent this week from his hour on the Sports Animal in Oklahoma City, and our readers who still listen to sports radio are concerned!
Naturally, the first thing I did was Google “Pat Jones Sports Animal.” I noticed his station bio was still online. Normally, that’s a good sign and an indication that all is well, but after clicking on it, I realized the Sports Animal Webmaster – Jiggin’ Joggin’ Jim – hasn’t updated the site since 2012:
After that, I asked around the Ogle Mole Network and learned that Coach Jones – along with others “in the office and on other stations” – was let go as part of an ongoing staffing purge by Cumulus Media.
One Mole summed it up by saying it was a “nationwide bloodbath.”
I guess the news has been taken pretty hard by Pat’s most loyal fans and advertisers. Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler – a longtime sponsor of the coach’s Jonesing for Johnnie’s radio hour – even poured a little Theta Sauce out for their homie:
If Johnnie’s is looking for a new place to spend their advertising dollars, I have a “More Shredded Cheese, Please” podcast idea I’d like to pitch. Does anyone know their contact info? Johnnie’s, first-time caller here, and I’ll take my answer off the air.
For what it’s worth, I always thought Pat Jones was good at his job. He had a nice, folksy, matter-of-fact charm, and it was refreshing to get real football insight from the only modern-era coach to lead OSU to a winless season. That said, the news of his departure doesn’t come as a shock.
As anyone who’s abandoned terrestrial radio for podcasts and streaming knows, the medium is struggling for relevance in today’s attention economy. Ad dollars have dried up alongside listeners, and stations are opting for cheaper talent over seasoned pros like Coach Jones.
I guess I’m part of the problem. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, I was a loyal radio listener. My car presets were The Sports Animal, The Katt, and whatever alternative station was on air. I rarely missed Rick and Brad Theatre in the morning and tuned in to The Sports Animal throughout the day.
These days, about the only time I tune in is while waiting in the school pick-up line during football season, hoping for local sports coverage but usually getting bombarded with ads for car dealerships, tax attorneys, and enhancement pills—or two old men playing Name That Tune.
Anyway, we wish Coach Jones the best of luck doing whatever it is old football coaches who dabbled in sports radio while living in semi-retirement do.
If any Moles have details or news about other local radio personalities caught up in the latest Cumulus purge, hit us up on the TLO Tip Line.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
