TOM CHARD Staff Writer
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
01-23-2005
Morning Jab's top cornerman one of the best ; Broadcasting veteran Frank Fixaris plays a big role in southern Maine's hit sports talk show.
Byline: TOM CHARD Staff Writer
Edition: Final
Section: Sports
Memo: THE FRANK FIXARIS FILE AGE: 70 BORN: Torrington, Conn. COLLEGE: Emerson College (Boston); degree speech (1956) RADIO CAREER: WCSH, 1956-59; WJAB, 1959-61; WPOR, 1961-65; WGAN, 1965-95; WLAM, 1997- 99; WJAB, 2000-present; color man, Maine Mariners, Portland Pirates, 1977-97 TV: WGAN/WGME Channel 13, 1965-1995, sports director, commentator
It's a Monday morning in early January and The Morning JAB's legion of listeners are burning up the phone lines eager to comment on the latest antics of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss.
The radio show's hosts, 'the Shoeman and Fix,' are more than willing to debate Moss's latest controversial moment during the opening round of the NFL playoffs. After all, controversy makes for good talk radio.
After a while, the topic of discussion shifts from Moss' simulated mooning of the crowd in Green Bay to his huge Afro. 'We're waiting for Fix to grow his hair out,' said Dave Schumacher, aka the Shoeman.
Across the desk at their studio in Portland, Frank Fixaris, aka Fix, chuckles.
'It must be a challenge for Moss to get his helmet on,' said Fixaris.
Sports talk radio is nothing if it isn't fun and the Shoeman and Fix have their share of fun every weekday morning. Over the last four years, the hosts, 40 years apart in age, have developed a strong following in the morning radio market in southern Maine.
While a large part of the show's appeal can be traced to what has been an incredible journey in New England sports over the last four years - two Super Bowl championships for the Patriots and last October's World Series victory by the Red Sox - the addition of Fixaris in January 2001 is seen as a key moment in the Morning Jab's development.
Fixaris, now 70, has been a fixture on the southern Maine sports scene for almost 50 years. A longtime sports anchor at WGME-TV, Fixaris has found a rewarding post-retirement job on the Morning Jab. His breadth of sports knowledge and his keen wit resonate with listeners.
'The way Frank conducts himself, he's a joy to work with,' Schumacher said. 'It's easy to see why he's so highly regarded as a broadcaster. He brings a lot of class to the show.'
CONNECTING WITH LISTENERS
The Morning JAB, heard on WJAB (1440 AM, 95.5 FM) covers what Maine fans want to talk about - the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, University of Maine basketball, football and hockey, high school sports and, yes, even the Celtics and the Bruins.
'The Shoeman and the Fix' steer callers through the topics of the day. They are helped out by a loyal audience that includes regular callers like Angry Al and Erroneous Eric. The show, which can be heard Monday through Thursday from 6-10 a.m., and on Fridays from 6- 9 a.m., also has regular guests like sportscasters Dale Arnold of WEEI-AM in Boston and Lee Goldberg of WCSH-TV and Mr. Basketball, Gary Krekorian.
Put it all together and you have a sports radio talk show that's found its niche. Since its debut in November 2000, the program has experienced steady ratings growth and has become a daily staple for Maine sports fans.
What started as an experiment with Schumacher and another host in the fall of 2000 has evolved into a popular sports talk fest that has filled a void in Greater Portland. It is the only regular local sports talk show in southern Maine. WZON (620 AM) in Bangor, with co- hosts Dale Duff and Clem Labree, offers a morning, afternoon and Sunday local sports talk show for eastern Maine listeners.
Schumacher, a native of Arlington, Mass., said the show had 'kind of a grass-roots appeal' when it started. But he added, 'I'm surprised at how well it's done. We didn't do any advertising at the beginning.'
Without Fixaris, it's doubtful the show would be the success it is. He gave the show a shot of instant credibility when he came aboard in January 2001.
Fixaris said his role at the beginning was to do the sports updates and jump in from time to time with the sports talk.
'I started doing more and more and this is what the show has developed into,' Fixaris said.
'A WALKING ENCYCLOPEDIA'
A native of Torrington, Conn., Fixaris started working in radio in 1956 for WCSH Radio, which was located in the old Congress Square Hotel.
'When I came to Portland, there were only three radio stations that people listened to,' said Fixaris. 'Now there are over 30.'
Fixaris worked at a couple of other radio jobs at different stations in the Greater Portland market. In the early 1960s, Fixaris was severely burned while sleeping at a camp on a lake. He required painful skin grafts on his hands, arms and legs and was out of work for over a year. He bounced back, continuing in radio before landing his dream job in 1965 as sports director of WGAN-TV (now WGME), Channel 13. Every Monday through Friday at 6 and 11 p.m., for close to 30 years, Fixaris came into southern Maine homes, giving the day's sports news and occasional commentary.
During the same time, he also did play-by-play of local high school football, basketball and the occasional baseball game on WGAN radio. Regular play-by-play coverage of Greater Portland teams in the Western Maine basketball tournaments ended when Fixaris and his sidekick, Dick Johnson, stopped doing it.
Fixaris, who enjoyed the work, was excellent at it, too. In the early 1970s, he was approached by the New York Islanders of the NHL, who asked if he might be interested in working for them. It wasn't a formal offer and nothing came of it, he said.
For several years, Fixaris was also the colorman on radio broadcasts for the AHL Maine Mariners and the Portland Pirates.
Schumacher, the operations manager for WJAB, is amazed by Fixaris' knowledge of sports.
'He'll come back after a commercial break with this little nugget of trivia,' said Schumacher. 'Something like - you know that so-and- so hit .305 for the 1949 Yankees. It's just amazes me that he remembers that stuff.
'Frank is a walking encyclopedia of sports.' A STYLE THAT FITS
In the sometimes shrill voice of sports talk radio, Fixaris offers a relaxed, unpretentious style. His rapport with Schumacher, 30, is one of the strengths of the show.
'Frank can relate to a younger guy because he has a sense of humor,' said JJ Jeffrey, an owner of WJAB's Atlantic Coast Radio. 'Frank and Shoe get along great. Frank also has a touch of sarcasm, which the listeners like to hear.'
Prior to the Morning Jab, WJAB aired nationally syndicated sports talk 24 hours a day.
'The syndicated morning show didn't fly,' Jeffrey said. 'Our listeners were telling us that we ought to have a local morning sports show. I told Frank what we were planning to do and asked if he would sit in on a few shows and tell me what he thought.'
Fixaris had been doing a daily sports report on WLAM in Lewiston and Portland. He was partnered with veteran radio personality Bud Sawyer. After Fixaris did the sports, he would joke for a few minutes with Sawyer. The banter between the old friends worked well. But WLAM eventually changed its format and Fixaris' position was cut.
It wasn't long after that that Jeffrey brought Fixaris aboard at WJAB. Fixaris and Jeffrey had known each other for years, having worked in radio together at the old WJAB, located on Main Street in Westbrook.
'Frank was my boss as the program director,' Jeffrey said. 'He was a big name even then. Frank is someone who has seen a lot of sports that our younger listeners and his co-host haven't. They respect his knowledge.'
Fixaris says he tries to maintain that knowledge by watching ESPN during the afternoon and reading the morning newspaper.
'You try to stockpile everything you see and read,' Fixaris said. 'ESPN News has the crawl at the bottom. I leave my house for work at 5:30 in the morning. There's a paper waiting for me at the station. You just try to keep your memory up. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't.'
Fixaris likes doing the show, but the one drawback, he said, is the repetition of topics.
'What you talk about in the first hour is likely to be what you talk about the whole program. By the third or fourth hour, you're often repeating yourself so you try to say the same thing in a different manner.'
Fixaris said Schumacher makes the show work because of his skill as a broadcaster.
'It's great working with Shoe,' Fixaris said. 'He's a terrific broadcaster. All the little things that run in between the show, the commercials, the Sporting News updates, he has to plug in. He hits the network on time without a hitch. He has all these musical bumps that he runs through the show. The reason the show goes so smoothly is because of him.
'I would say Shoe is the epitome of a sports fan, who over the course of these last few years, has picked up a lot of information. We're a good combination.'
TYING PAST WITH PRESENT
Later on that Monday morning show in early January, Fixaris is quick to quip that Brett Favre's 'riverboat gambler attitude' is perhaps a reason for his four interceptions against the Vikings.
The Randy Moss mooning is mentioned again, and Fixaris offers: 'You expect to turn on your TV and not see that stuff.'
The banter between Fixaris and Schumacher continues.
Shoe mentions that there seemed to be a lot of missed tackles in the Minnesota-Green Bay game. He asks Fixaris why: 'You're old school Fix,' Schumacher prods, 'and I mean really old school. Was the tackling better years ago?'
The Fix, who gives as good as he gets with the Shoe, answers in a straightforward manner. He says part of the reason we see poor tackling is that there's been a gradual breakdown in fundamentals over the years.
'Players are looking for the highlight-film hit,' Fixaris adds.
Fixaris, who was bothered by a stomach virus at the end of the year, says he'll continue doing the show as long as he feels up to it. A smoker for most of his life (he gets kidded by Angry Al about his habit), Fixaris said he has mild emphysema. One couldn't tell from the show. He still has a strong voice.
Besides his local sports knowledge, Fixaris provides a link to some of the top national sports events of the last half of the 20th century. It's a personal history that most sports talk show hosts can't match.
'I think some of the listeners enjoy the fact that I have that kind of knowledge,' Fixaris said. 'I went to the baseball parks that aren't even ballparks any longer. I was at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds.
'They're amazed when you talk about those parks and the dimensions. They get a kick out of it.'
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Staff photos by Gordon Chibroski It's a winning combination
weekdays on WJAB 1440 AM, 95.5 FM, the direction of Dave 'The
Shoeman' Schumacher, right, and the wit of Frank 'the Fix' Fixaris.
Frank Fixaris, who has been covering sports over southern Maine
airwaves since 1956, gives The Morning Jab a seasoned, well-
reasoned voice to the sometimes shrill sports-talk format.
Copyright 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
01-23-2005
Morning Jab's top cornerman one of the best ; Broadcasting veteran Frank Fixaris plays a big role in southern Maine's hit sports talk show.
Byline: TOM CHARD Staff Writer
Edition: Final
Section: Sports
Memo: THE FRANK FIXARIS FILE AGE: 70 BORN: Torrington, Conn. COLLEGE: Emerson College (Boston); degree speech (1956) RADIO CAREER: WCSH, 1956-59; WJAB, 1959-61; WPOR, 1961-65; WGAN, 1965-95; WLAM, 1997- 99; WJAB, 2000-present; color man, Maine Mariners, Portland Pirates, 1977-97 TV: WGAN/WGME Channel 13, 1965-1995, sports director, commentator
It's a Monday morning in early January and The Morning JAB's legion of listeners are burning up the phone lines eager to comment on the latest antics of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss.
The radio show's hosts, 'the Shoeman and Fix,' are more than willing to debate Moss's latest controversial moment during the opening round of the NFL playoffs. After all, controversy makes for good talk radio.
After a while, the topic of discussion shifts from Moss' simulated mooning of the crowd in Green Bay to his huge Afro. 'We're waiting for Fix to grow his hair out,' said Dave Schumacher, aka the Shoeman.
Across the desk at their studio in Portland, Frank Fixaris, aka Fix, chuckles.
'It must be a challenge for Moss to get his helmet on,' said Fixaris.
Sports talk radio is nothing if it isn't fun and the Shoeman and Fix have their share of fun every weekday morning. Over the last four years, the hosts, 40 years apart in age, have developed a strong following in the morning radio market in southern Maine.
While a large part of the show's appeal can be traced to what has been an incredible journey in New England sports over the last four years - two Super Bowl championships for the Patriots and last October's World Series victory by the Red Sox - the addition of Fixaris in January 2001 is seen as a key moment in the Morning Jab's development.
Fixaris, now 70, has been a fixture on the southern Maine sports scene for almost 50 years. A longtime sports anchor at WGME-TV, Fixaris has found a rewarding post-retirement job on the Morning Jab. His breadth of sports knowledge and his keen wit resonate with listeners.
'The way Frank conducts himself, he's a joy to work with,' Schumacher said. 'It's easy to see why he's so highly regarded as a broadcaster. He brings a lot of class to the show.'
CONNECTING WITH LISTENERS
The Morning JAB, heard on WJAB (1440 AM, 95.5 FM) covers what Maine fans want to talk about - the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, University of Maine basketball, football and hockey, high school sports and, yes, even the Celtics and the Bruins.
'The Shoeman and the Fix' steer callers through the topics of the day. They are helped out by a loyal audience that includes regular callers like Angry Al and Erroneous Eric. The show, which can be heard Monday through Thursday from 6-10 a.m., and on Fridays from 6- 9 a.m., also has regular guests like sportscasters Dale Arnold of WEEI-AM in Boston and Lee Goldberg of WCSH-TV and Mr. Basketball, Gary Krekorian.
Put it all together and you have a sports radio talk show that's found its niche. Since its debut in November 2000, the program has experienced steady ratings growth and has become a daily staple for Maine sports fans.
What started as an experiment with Schumacher and another host in the fall of 2000 has evolved into a popular sports talk fest that has filled a void in Greater Portland. It is the only regular local sports talk show in southern Maine. WZON (620 AM) in Bangor, with co- hosts Dale Duff and Clem Labree, offers a morning, afternoon and Sunday local sports talk show for eastern Maine listeners.
Schumacher, a native of Arlington, Mass., said the show had 'kind of a grass-roots appeal' when it started. But he added, 'I'm surprised at how well it's done. We didn't do any advertising at the beginning.'
Without Fixaris, it's doubtful the show would be the success it is. He gave the show a shot of instant credibility when he came aboard in January 2001.
Fixaris said his role at the beginning was to do the sports updates and jump in from time to time with the sports talk.
'I started doing more and more and this is what the show has developed into,' Fixaris said.
'A WALKING ENCYCLOPEDIA'
A native of Torrington, Conn., Fixaris started working in radio in 1956 for WCSH Radio, which was located in the old Congress Square Hotel.
'When I came to Portland, there were only three radio stations that people listened to,' said Fixaris. 'Now there are over 30.'
Fixaris worked at a couple of other radio jobs at different stations in the Greater Portland market. In the early 1960s, Fixaris was severely burned while sleeping at a camp on a lake. He required painful skin grafts on his hands, arms and legs and was out of work for over a year. He bounced back, continuing in radio before landing his dream job in 1965 as sports director of WGAN-TV (now WGME), Channel 13. Every Monday through Friday at 6 and 11 p.m., for close to 30 years, Fixaris came into southern Maine homes, giving the day's sports news and occasional commentary.
During the same time, he also did play-by-play of local high school football, basketball and the occasional baseball game on WGAN radio. Regular play-by-play coverage of Greater Portland teams in the Western Maine basketball tournaments ended when Fixaris and his sidekick, Dick Johnson, stopped doing it.
Fixaris, who enjoyed the work, was excellent at it, too. In the early 1970s, he was approached by the New York Islanders of the NHL, who asked if he might be interested in working for them. It wasn't a formal offer and nothing came of it, he said.
For several years, Fixaris was also the colorman on radio broadcasts for the AHL Maine Mariners and the Portland Pirates.
Schumacher, the operations manager for WJAB, is amazed by Fixaris' knowledge of sports.
'He'll come back after a commercial break with this little nugget of trivia,' said Schumacher. 'Something like - you know that so-and- so hit .305 for the 1949 Yankees. It's just amazes me that he remembers that stuff.
'Frank is a walking encyclopedia of sports.' A STYLE THAT FITS
In the sometimes shrill voice of sports talk radio, Fixaris offers a relaxed, unpretentious style. His rapport with Schumacher, 30, is one of the strengths of the show.
'Frank can relate to a younger guy because he has a sense of humor,' said JJ Jeffrey, an owner of WJAB's Atlantic Coast Radio. 'Frank and Shoe get along great. Frank also has a touch of sarcasm, which the listeners like to hear.'
Prior to the Morning Jab, WJAB aired nationally syndicated sports talk 24 hours a day.
'The syndicated morning show didn't fly,' Jeffrey said. 'Our listeners were telling us that we ought to have a local morning sports show. I told Frank what we were planning to do and asked if he would sit in on a few shows and tell me what he thought.'
Fixaris had been doing a daily sports report on WLAM in Lewiston and Portland. He was partnered with veteran radio personality Bud Sawyer. After Fixaris did the sports, he would joke for a few minutes with Sawyer. The banter between the old friends worked well. But WLAM eventually changed its format and Fixaris' position was cut.
It wasn't long after that that Jeffrey brought Fixaris aboard at WJAB. Fixaris and Jeffrey had known each other for years, having worked in radio together at the old WJAB, located on Main Street in Westbrook.
'Frank was my boss as the program director,' Jeffrey said. 'He was a big name even then. Frank is someone who has seen a lot of sports that our younger listeners and his co-host haven't. They respect his knowledge.'
Fixaris says he tries to maintain that knowledge by watching ESPN during the afternoon and reading the morning newspaper.
'You try to stockpile everything you see and read,' Fixaris said. 'ESPN News has the crawl at the bottom. I leave my house for work at 5:30 in the morning. There's a paper waiting for me at the station. You just try to keep your memory up. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't.'
Fixaris likes doing the show, but the one drawback, he said, is the repetition of topics.
'What you talk about in the first hour is likely to be what you talk about the whole program. By the third or fourth hour, you're often repeating yourself so you try to say the same thing in a different manner.'
Fixaris said Schumacher makes the show work because of his skill as a broadcaster.
'It's great working with Shoe,' Fixaris said. 'He's a terrific broadcaster. All the little things that run in between the show, the commercials, the Sporting News updates, he has to plug in. He hits the network on time without a hitch. He has all these musical bumps that he runs through the show. The reason the show goes so smoothly is because of him.
'I would say Shoe is the epitome of a sports fan, who over the course of these last few years, has picked up a lot of information. We're a good combination.'
TYING PAST WITH PRESENT
Later on that Monday morning show in early January, Fixaris is quick to quip that Brett Favre's 'riverboat gambler attitude' is perhaps a reason for his four interceptions against the Vikings.
The Randy Moss mooning is mentioned again, and Fixaris offers: 'You expect to turn on your TV and not see that stuff.'
The banter between Fixaris and Schumacher continues.
Shoe mentions that there seemed to be a lot of missed tackles in the Minnesota-Green Bay game. He asks Fixaris why: 'You're old school Fix,' Schumacher prods, 'and I mean really old school. Was the tackling better years ago?'
The Fix, who gives as good as he gets with the Shoe, answers in a straightforward manner. He says part of the reason we see poor tackling is that there's been a gradual breakdown in fundamentals over the years.
'Players are looking for the highlight-film hit,' Fixaris adds.
Fixaris, who was bothered by a stomach virus at the end of the year, says he'll continue doing the show as long as he feels up to it. A smoker for most of his life (he gets kidded by Angry Al about his habit), Fixaris said he has mild emphysema. One couldn't tell from the show. He still has a strong voice.
Besides his local sports knowledge, Fixaris provides a link to some of the top national sports events of the last half of the 20th century. It's a personal history that most sports talk show hosts can't match.
'I think some of the listeners enjoy the fact that I have that kind of knowledge,' Fixaris said. 'I went to the baseball parks that aren't even ballparks any longer. I was at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds.
'They're amazed when you talk about those parks and the dimensions. They get a kick out of it.'
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Staff photos by Gordon Chibroski It's a winning combination
weekdays on WJAB 1440 AM, 95.5 FM, the direction of Dave 'The
Shoeman' Schumacher, right, and the wit of Frank 'the Fix' Fixaris.
Frank Fixaris, who has been covering sports over southern Maine
airwaves since 1956, gives The Morning Jab a seasoned, well-
reasoned voice to the sometimes shrill sports-talk format.
Copyright 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
