| Genre | Sports talk/hot talk |
|---|---|
| Running time | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Weekdays |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | WKNR AM 850 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Starring | Tony Rizzo |
| Air dates | since February 27, 2007 |
| Website | espncleveland.com/reallybigshow |
The Really Big Show — originally known as Rizzo on the Radio[1] — is an American radio show that airs from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on WKNR AM 850 in Cleveland, OH.[2] The show is hosted by longtime Cleveland TV and radio personality Tony Rizzo (b. April 24, 1961 in Garfield Heights, OH), with sports anchor/sidekick Aaron Goldhammer (a.k.a. "Hammer") and producer/sidekicks Casey Kulas and Chrissy Prebonick.
This show in part had its roots on WHK AM 1420 in the mid-1990s, when it featured an all-sports format (that was in competition with WKNR at the time). WHK had been acquired by OmniAmerica, the then-owner of WMJI FM 105.7, and Rizzo was a fixture on that stations' popular Lanigan, Webster & Malone (Later Lanigan and Malone) morning show as the sports anchor from 1986-1997. While still a part of WMJI's morning show, Rizzo also hosted The Rizz Show, which aired weekdays from noon - 3 p.m. on WHK from April 1994 to June 1996, when WHK was sold to Salem Communications and converted to a religious format. Rizzo stayed at WMJI until September 1997, when he became Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW-TV 8's sports director (a post he left at the end of 2010).
The current show debuted Monday, February 26, 2007 as part of a revamped programming lineup at WKNR, following an ownership change weeks earlier from Salem Communications to Good Karma Broadcasting.[3]
While theoretically a sports talk show, The Really Big Show frequently becomes a free-wheeling program that deviates into other subject matter, such as interviews with politicians and celebrities, pop culture, events in and around Cleveland, family stories, previous jobs/experiences, and the crew's personal lives.
Due to the show's high ratings and popularity, Rizzo and the crew have been invited six times between 2009 and 2010 to serve as substitute hosts for The Jim Rome Show, which is nationally syndicated by Premiere Networks.
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Notable former members of the show include producer/sidekick Josh Sabo (2007-2009), sports anchor Jeff Thomas (2007-2010), producer/sidekick Chris Fedor (2010-2011), and Browns beat reporter Darryl Ruiter (2007-2010)
The Really Big Show has been a source for criticism.
A lot of the listeners have stated both on and off the air a downward trend in the quality of the show. These complaints range from the dismissal of previous show crew members Josh Sabo and Jeff Thomas, the addition of Chris Fedor (the "Negative Ned" nickname--coined by Rizzo--stems from Fedor's perceived tendency to quickly and matter-of-factly point out the shortcomings of local teams and players, while glowingly praising opposing teams and players), the bumper music that has been made up of pop music acts such as Justin Bieber and Boys Like Girls, and a perceived lack of ability to voice one's opinions fully, without getting cut off or "run". Fedor has since been reassigned to afternoon drive.[4]
Aaron Goldhammer has been criticized for his "quick trigger finger" in running callers, his tendency to knock the "Cleveland perspective" of topics, and his outspoken hatred of what he deems to be stereotypical Ohio State Buckeye fans (OSU has a significant following in the Northeast Ohio region). He has even been featured in a regular column by Chris "Hiko" Hutchinsen on TheClevelandFan.com [5] in a feature trying to figure out whom the writer dislikes more.
In 2011, the show expanded from three hours to four. This forced WKNR to move the first hour of The Jim Rome Show over to sister station WWGK AM 1540, whose signal is not as strong as WKNR's. This move (which Rizzo--now a minority owner of Good Karma Broadcasting--has publicly stated he was against) has been criticized by some due to Rome's popularity in Cleveland. Rizzo has also expressed displeasure about the fact that due to the conflict during the noon hour, he is now unable to be a substiute host for Rome, as he had been during previous years.