Art Regner
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Art Regner is a sports radio broadcaster and author who has been on the Detroit sports airwaves, for WDFN and WXYT, since the 1990s. He is a native of Livonia, Michigan and graduated from Franklin High School. Regner is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has co-written two sports books on what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine and Detroit Red Wing.
[edit] Radio career
On April 2nd, 2007, Regner returned to WDFN Sports Radio 1130, debuting as a guest co-host on the Stoney & Wojo show for the Detroit Tigers home opener. Regner began his career at WDFN as an original on-air voice. He covered the Detroit Lions and Detroit Red Wings, hosting post game shows for each team. Regner became especially beloved for his passionate rants on WDFN's Detroit Lions' post game shows and for how he managed callers with similar frustrations. He also hosted a Red Wings weekly show with Chris Osgood as a frequent guest.
When WXYT won Detroit Tigers broadcast rights in 2000, the entire station adopted a Sports Talk format and Regner, along with other WDFN personalities like Pat Caputo, Marc Spindler and Terry Foster, joined "Team 1270". The station changed its tag line several times as both the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Lions eventually signed broadcast rights deals with WXYT and their FM partner WKRK respectively. Regner was a major pre and post game voice on Red Wing broadcasts and professed to be happier that he was "Lions Free".
In 2005, he became co-host of The Big Show with Doug Karsch, which aired weekdays from 3PM until 7PM in direct competition with WDFN's anchor show and ratings leader, Stoney and Wojo. Karsch and Regner were heavily promoted and often broadcast from locations, like the Tigers series in Chicago and 2006 play-offs in Yankee Stadium. Yet WXYT was constantly tinkering with their line-up, even dropping the all-sports format for a spell when Opie and Anthony replaced a local morning show hosted by Scott "The Gator" Anderson and Marc Spindler. In December 2006, Regner was fired from WXYT in an apparent cost-cutting move. A week later WKRK fired Mark Wilson and Rob Parker, hosts of Parker & The Man in a similar local sports radio downsize. These firings prompted many loyalists to email complaints to the stations.
Art is known for "Regnerisims", which are words that he made up. One of the lamest is "Joe-Mars", which is a name given to former Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer Joe Dumars.
Most recently he has rejoined WDFN 1130 in a part-time/guest fill-in role. Regner's non-compete clause after being released by WXYT ended March 29. He rejoined WDFN publicly on air for Detroit Tigers Opening Day, co-hosting with Mike Stone on April 2.
[edit] Bibliography
- Regner, Art. What it Means to Be a Wolverine: Michigan's Greatest Players, Talk about Michigan Football (What It Means) (with Kevin Allen, Nate Brown and foreword by Bo Schembechler). Triumph Books. 2005
- Regner, Art. What It Means to Be a Red Wing: Detroit's Greatest Players Talk About Detroit Hockey. (with Kevin Allen and foreword by Steve Yzerman). Triumph Books. 2006
