Incognito mode is good for more than porn.
21. Tom Leach. On Sunday mornings, after getting home from an early church service, the University of Kentucky football and men’s basketball radio play-by-play announcer had a routine. While he planned his week in his home office, Leach liked to listen “Sunday Morning Sports Talk” on WLAP-AM 630.
20. A disappointed listener. Leach was among the displeased when “Sunday Morning Sports Talk” and its three hosts, Mark Buerger, Larry Vaught and Anthony White, were among the casualties of the recent nationwide job reductions by iHeart Media, owner of WLAP.
19. “Caught up in a business decision.” Said Leach: “They had a good show that was doing well that just kind of got caught up in a bigger business decision. It wasn’t a reflection of the show.”
18. Back to life. Leach took matters into his own hands. He bought the three-hour morning time block in which “Sunday Morning Sports Talk” used to air. That’s why, after a two-week hiatus, the show returned this past Sunday.
17. A matter of revenue. Now, Leach is attempting to replicate the same financial model that supports the UK announcer’s syndicated Monday-through-Friday morning show “The Leach Report” to make “Sunday Morning Sports Talk” viable long-term.
16. Two sponsors so far. Kentucky Branded and Country Boy Brewing have signed on to sponsor “Sunday Morning Sports Talk.”
15. “Thrilled at response.” With the unexpected return of the show to the airwaves, Leach said he is “thrilled at the response from listeners. It makes me optimistic we can make a go of it.”
14. A lineup change. In the two weeks “Sunday Morning Sports Talk” was off the air, Buerger found he enjoyed his new-found free time. So he announced Sunday he was leaving the program. Replacing him will be the show’s former producer, Curtis Burch.
13. Eleven was enough. After 11 years hosting the show, Buerger said, “I hadn’t gotten to hang out with my wife on a Sunday morning in a really long time. And it was pretty nice. … So when it became apparent that Curtis was going to be available and the continuity of the show wasn’t going to be affected, it was a lot easier to (leave).”