We turned the microscope around to let fans, readers, and listeners pass judgment on our city’s sports media. Here’s a summary of our methodology, our findings, and the official power rankings.
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Buffalo Sports Media Power Rankings: Top 10 Overall
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Sports media members empower themselves as judge, jury, and executioner of the teams they cover.  We thought it’s only fair to turn the microscope around to let fans, readers, and listeners pass judgment on them. TrendingBuffalo.com conducted a Buffalo Sports Media survey on May 29 to find out how our sports media members stack up. Here’s a summary of our findings.  Please let us know what you think in the comments section below.

About the rankings:

  • Our unscientific methodology started with a survey on this site asking respondents to rank several Buffalo sports media members in four different categories (influence, knowledge, insight, and entertainment value) using a 5 point scale.  Overall ranking is based on the averaged combined score of all submissions.
  • There were 441 responses over 24 hour period.  We could’ve gone longer to establish a larger sample size but were excited to start processing the stats.  Also, the short time frame helped to limit opportunities for ballot stuffing. 
  • The survey list included the following 20 media members:
    Adam Benigni – WGRZ
    Bob DiCesare – TBN
    Bucky Gleason – TBN
    Chris Brown – Buffalo Bills
    Chris Parker – WGR
    Ed Kilgore – WGRZ
    Howard Simon – WGR
    Jay Skurski – TBN
    Jeff Russo – WKBW
    Jeremy White – WGR
    Jerry Sullivan – TBN
    Joe Buscaglia – WGR
    John Murphy – WIVB
    John Vogl – TBN
    Mark Gaughan – TBN
    Mike Harrington – TBN
    Mike Robitaille – WGR
    Mike Schopp – WGR
    Paul Hamilton – WGR
    Tim Graham – TBN
  • In the interest of simplifying the process for voters, some people who probably should’ve been included were left off the initial list. Shawn Stepner, Stu Boyar, and Ben Hayes all contribute solid coverage on their respective TV stations.  Paul Peck did the same until recently and continues to serve as the voice of UB football.  Rich Gaenzler (aka “The Bull” from 103.3 The Edge) has successfully juggled music and sports guy roles for years.  The same can be said for Shredd and Ragan.  Kevin Snow is the lead writer for Sabres.com.  Sal Capaccio established a strong online following before returning to Buffalo and joining the staff at WGR.  Brad Riter now hosts a daily podcast.  Inevitably, someone has also been off THIS list.  I apologize in advance.  Use the comment section below to let me know who I forgot.
  • It’s not a perfect study but it’s meant to be fun and spur conversation.  If you’ve got something to say, again, use the comment section.
  • Congrats to our winners.  Thanks to our voters.  We expect to revisit this list occasionally. More to come.

Here are the links to the results for each category of the Buffalo Sports Media survey.

 

 

17 Comments

  3. Just absurd as I’ve said earlier. The next story anyone on WGR breaks other than maybe Hamilton will be the first. They’re all just yakkers. They have no information like people at TBN or Benigni or Murphy.

    Pretty obvious TBN is the biggest sports media power player in the area, followed by Murphy. And even at that, Tim Graham? When was the last time anyone talked about anything he’s written other than that one large Bills takeout recently? Too new. Left in ’06. Doesn’t even belong on this list. Maybe a year from now? OK. Not now. And on top of that, he clearly figured out how to stuff friends to vote for him.

    If I’d rate TBN power brokers, it would go Sullivan, Gleason (yes, a dope but EVERYONE talks about him), Gaughan, Harrington (the best one on Twitter by a mile), high school guy McShea, Vogl and only then would Graham even be considered. Graham would be No. 7 in HIS OWN PLACE. Come on, people.

    Sullivan HAS TO BE No. 1 on this list. No one else in town EVEN CLOSE. And I don’t even like half of what he says, especially on radio. But step back and think. Clearly the most influential guy in town.

    Overall on the top 10, I don’t like him much but how is SCHOPP not on here? Afternoon drive host. I like the comment before — everyone who voted listens to WGR driving to work in the morning so that’s who they voted for (Roby, Hamilton, Simon, White all AM guys). Buscaglia is young but clearly rising.

    Again, mostly stupid.

  4. You ppl r fos..no local medoa grts info b4 national medoa..i can get aame info as any of them from twitter.. ubp r dumb thinking murphy has any knowledge

  5. Derrick: The rankings are objective? We have no proof they were properly tallied other than a site with no previous credibility saying so. And if one of the people on there stuffs the ballot, how exactly is that objective?

    My opinion is NO MORE valid than others but I’m entitled to it too.

  7. marc..apologies…went back on other thread to see your response..missed before….

    National awards mean jack…..All the TBN guys have them..sullivan, gleason, harrington for baseball, vogl, mcshea…they all do… No one thinks of Tim Graham when they think of the Buffalo media, that’s all I’m saying. I’ve never met the guy or anything so there’s nothing behind my opinion other than my opinion… He can write. But in terms of local sports media POWER rankings, he’s of little influence…..Taht’s all i’m saying.

  8. LOLOLOL Wrong again. Apparently alot of people think of Graham LOLOLOL. For awards I doubt any of those guys have them in more than one sport and I know they didn’t have a rep that got them hired by ESPN…. Besides your WHOLE POINT was that he shouldn’t qualify cuz he doesn’t cover sports in Buffalo anymore. I just showed you he does but you ignore that.

    Conversation over pal. Can’t have a discussion with people that are so myopic they don’t grasp reality. Only what you have going on in your head is reality.

    Pretty sure you’re either dense or a bitter guy in sports media who thinks he desrved to be ranked higher. Peace bro.

  9. Good points Marc and I’ll add my 2 cents:

    1. This was a quick poll and mostly voted on by people who are on Twitter. Not exactly a diverse group of the 400+ people who voted.

    2. Three reasons why I think GR is on there so much. Only “sports” talk radio in town, the decline of broadcast news sports and the host of this site is bucking to get back on GR radio.

    I like your rankings Marc better than this list. It is flawed for sure

  10. I’m biased towards radio because I work in broadcasting but I think WGR sets the agenda in WNY more than TBN does. My tastes don’t agree with the rankings but I can’t argue them. They look fine to me which is why I was turned off by Rick’s haterade.

    For the record I don’t work in sports and I’m not on the air but I do know some people on the list. I’ll admit I voted twice….. once on my Mac and once on my phone. I like Graham more for his work on WGR but I respect his TBN work alot. His show with Joe Buscaglia was the smartest football talk we’ve had around here in years.

  11. Host of this site bucking to get back on WGR and a friend of Tim Graham. Marc serving as a psuedo-agent. That about says it all.

    “The biggest power broker in Buffalo sports media” opened his new job today announcing he’s at TBN to run a blog. Yawn. Carry on with your little web site.

    • And a few days later Buffalo News specifically names graham as a reason they’re going to start charging you money to read their site. I think that says something. Maybe you’ll do better in the power rankings next year “Rick.”

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