The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

So what are your thoughts of The Nick Cattles Show on 94.1 so far?

Better - much better! I could use less baseball talk, but that's just me.

Not even close...he blows fatso away by a country mile! Hopefully we won't have to hear about JMPoo and mike schicman, or however you spell it, anymore!

Infinitely better. Can only get better soon as he gets a read on our area as well. He's still keeping it kind of nationally generic. I know with our area there is a big cross section of favorite major league teams. Specifically with all the military and people from all over the country.

He's been great to listen to. He's had ODU interviews several times but I don't commute late enough to hear them.

I disagree with him sometimes... but that's to be expected. He is far more entertaining than Tony. His show is also very well planned and organized.

If he talks more about sports than food he is already ahead of Mercurio.

I'm not a fan, at least not yet. He is annoying to me in a different way than Mercurio.
First, he talks waaaaaaay too slow. He has very uncomfortable pauses in his sentences.
Second, he beats a dead horse for nearly the entire show. No topic should last more than 15-20 minutes unless you have a guest(s) on the show.
Third, (and this is my pet peeve) I dislike too much talk about "off the field" crap. Why not celebrate the accomplishments that occur on the field. Each day should have a review of the superlatives that took place the previous day.
Last, when on the afternoon drive slot on a radio station that has sports talk all day long, the last thing I need is a 2 hour discussion on the same topic that Mike and Mike, Cowherd, and Van Pelt talked about all day long too. Understand that your listeners may have heard this already. Add something new or keep the discussion to a minimum. Don't give me 2 hours of ranting about Penn St.


I expect that he will have more interviews down the road so I won't beat him up over being the "one many show" (which can be extremely boring) early in his new job.
Note: I'm a firm believer that talk shows are far better with two hosts when compared to just one.

I think he's an upgrade but I've already began to sour on him as well. He does beat a dead horse and seems to try and bait people to call in or respond by over driving topics with generic and tired takes. His take on Dwight Howard has been uninformed, but driven on getting responses.

He appears smarter than that, his knowledge of sports is greater than some of the recent segments he's conducted. If he sticks to his own take on sports and build off of that rather than try and just provoke people to call I will have more respect and be more likely to listen long term.

(08-14-2012 04:03 PM)odusteeler Wrote:  Better - much better! I could use less baseball talk, but that's just me.

The very reason I haven't listened yet. I hate baseball. I blackout all sports talk programs on TV and radio between April and football season... then at the beginning of football season, I blackout anything that isn't dedicated to football only (NFL Live/College Gameday/Scoreboard) until after the World Series. I will likely not listen to Cattles until NCAABB season gets underway.

He is certainly more polished and professional than Tony ever was. But, I would like more local talk and less national. I really dont care too much, at least to the detail Nick goes, about whats happening in NY, LA, Boston, Miami, etc.

One thing Tony did bring to the table was many interesting guest. Tony had numerous relationships he had built over the years, so I did enjoy that part of his show.

Just as someone else commented, I'll give Nick a break in regards to his lack of more guests. I'm sure as time goes by he will develop those relationshipe as well.

(08-15-2012 07:07 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  I think he's an upgrade but I've already began to sour on him as well. He does beat a dead horse and seems to try and bait people to call in or respond by over driving topics with generic and tired takes. His take on Dwight Howard has been uninformed, but driven on getting responses.

He appears smarter than that, his knowledge of sports is greater than some of the recent segments he's conducted. If he sticks to his own take on sports and build off of that rather than try and just provoke people to call I will have more respect and be more likely to listen long term.

I appreciate the fact that he will let callers get their point across without drowning them out or hanging up on them like Mercurio used to do.

Their rates they can charge advertisers is driven by ratings and by the nature of the show by call count. Of course he will be driven by getting responses. If they can't advertise and bring in revenue they'll die.

(08-15-2012 11:18 AM)ODU True Blue Wrote:  Their rates they can charge advertisers is driven by ratings and by the nature of the show by call count. Of course he will be driven by getting responses. If they can't advertise and bring in revenue they'll die.

Doesn't translate to great radio when you cater to driving calls. I understand the premise, but don't have to like it. I still enjoy the show to a degree and am willing to give it a chance.

(08-15-2012 08:07 AM)ODU1986 Wrote:  He is certainly more polished and professional than Tony ever was. But, I would like more local talk and less national. I really dont care too much, at least to the detail Nick goes, about whats happening in NY, LA, Boston, Miami, etc.

I think the local will come. He has to learn the area and local stuff--if he started talking and was uninformed that would not come across well at all.

(08-15-2012 08:07 AM)ODU1986 Wrote:  One thing Tony did bring to the table was many interesting guest. Tony had numerous relationships he had built over the years, so I did enjoy that part of his show.

Ehh. I didn't care much for "interviews" with owners of the car dealerships he was at. I don't care much for George Allen's views on sports. Rosenfield? Eh. Mike Shickman? WTF? Who cares?

I'm enjoying the show. It's started to become an option for me on the drive home and it wasn't for a long time.

Has anyone heard his talk about ODU or his interviews involving the school?

Needs more local stuff, spends too much time on the NFL. He stays on one subject for too long. During one of the best Olympics ever, he spent very little time talking about them. Doesn't talk about local sports or athletes very often. He needs to dig a little and get some scoops. If they want a nation show, 94.1 could leave it on the ESPN feed. This is our station, it should be our show, not the NFL for 4 hours. He is professional, doesn't berate callers, so will keep listening for now.

Sorry... but I can't stand to listen to him for most of the same points made above (beating a dead horse, not enough local coverage, lack of interviews, etc). He just doesn't hold my attention. Tony may have been rude and brash, but he was entertaining... the way he berated some of the callers was just hilarious to me. Nick Cattles' akward pauses in his speech remind me of a poor man's Jim Rome. IMO he's gotta come better than what he's shown so far.

I'm still looking at it as glass half full for the time being. Bored to death with the national stuff also. But hoping he's just getting used to the area. If he does proceed to keep regergitating the same national news that I hear during my 15 minute commute to work at 5:30 I won't tune in... and to be completely honest.. I listened for the first couple weeks but I haven't lately. I always check when I get in the car... depending on the topic I stay or change channel. Just about every day the last week+ I've changed the channel.

I'm sure he's just getting used to the area give him time. He came from a national sports city to a minor league town, national matters up there, he'll change up his programming once he gets settled.

That said it's very surprising that Tonys show sucked for so long. We may not have the teams but we sure have the athletes. Ask LT, Bruse Smith, Iverson, Brooks, Curry for an interview, they aren't doing anything right now. Even current players; Uptons, Harvin, Taylor, Verlander. We have several olympic athletes. Coaches, W&M and ODU are givens, but what about their coordinators, even high school coaches. We live in a sports gem, there is no reason for us to have subpar sports coverage.