Nope, it’s not the replacement for Opie & Anthony, but a couple of dead coaches who came alive as Michigan dueled Ohio State to determine college football supremacy. (Yes, I am still licking my maize and blue wounds, but it was one helluva game.)
It’s interesting that in all the press coverage and hype surrounding the game of the year, game of the decade, or game of the century, there were discussions about other great rivalries. And of course Michigan/Ohio State is right up there with Ali/Frazier and the Yankees/Red Sox.
It wasn’t always that way. Over the years, Michigan/Ohio State was a pretty good game at the end of the Big Ten campaign, but it wasn’t until 1969 when it became the rivalry that it is today. And that had nothing to do with any players on the field, but instead, the two masterminds on the sidelines, Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes.
It was a great storyline. Bo was an assistant to Woody at OSU until he left Buckeye Nation and became head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. In their first match-up in 1969, Bo’s underdog Michigan team upset top-ranked Ohio State to win the Big Ten championship and go onto the Rose Bowl. It was one of the most remarkable games in college football history, and it set the tone for the gridiron war that continues to this day. For years, Bo and Woody battled it out, yard by yard, game by game, and the rivalry became nasty and delicious.
All of this reminds me of Matt Ragas’ "Cult Branding" book, where one of the rules of creating cult brands is to have an enemy. That is what Michigan and Ohio State became to one another, fueled by the epic battles of their two head coaches. Each team fed off the hatred for one another, and they both had a great personality as their head coach that personified the war.
And in radio, that’s what Howard Stern was about. In the early years, it was his "war" against Imus, "morning zoos," and eventually, Opie & Anthony, that helped keep his show a part of that "cult brand" status. Today, however, those wars seem about as dated as the WLS/WCFL rivalry back in the glory Top 40 days in Chicago. It’s fun to talk about, but we’ve moved on.
Maybe radio needs a Bo and Woody rivalry to help bring some much-needed attention to our sport… uh, industry. We’re in show business, it’s about entertainment, and radio’s personalities need to be about building those cult brands because "10-in-a-row" and "favorites of the ’80s, ’90s, and today" doesn’t get anyone excited enough to paint their faces anymore.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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