I listened to the Finals of the Top Fan Contest not just out of curiosity, but also as research for just what it takes to become a successful talk radio star.
Thomas Plungin came out flat and uninspired. He kept saying "Ummm, ahhhh, You know" a lot even though some of the judges felt the opposite which amused me. I felt as though he was a bit nervous and unsure how to handle the whole situation. The judges also said they didn't get a feel for his humor which had shown itself in previous rounds. This made me laugh as they gave me the exact same criticism at the semifinals but never mentioned my humor from the auditions.
Being as he went first I thought this was a huge disadvantage because at least the other competitiors would hear the judges critiques and be able to work a few of the kinks out.
Josh Taylor was up next. Josh made the semifinals last year coming up just short to the winner Chris Mueller. I think Josh has a lot of talent, but in my opinion, he sounds soft at times, and a bit hard to understand. He does have a good sense of humor and does have unique ways of making his points. I thought he was good this year but again, not great. I felt the same way last year. He nailed it in the semifinals but was a bit tentative in last year's finals and still got second place. The point I disagreed most with that he made was Michael Vick and how he only made one mistake. Vick should have spent the whole time he was incarcerated planning how to improve his image when he got out. And sorry but going to a strip club isn't the way to go.
Third up was "Steel Town" Tony Brown. Solid voice and he knew how to make some points, but a lot of his arguments lacked substance. I remember from the semifinals he wasn't nearly as good on the knowledge as every other contestant and his inclusion in these finals left a lot of people bewildered unless of course you were part of his Fan Club. He hesitated quite a bit when asked questions. As a broadcaster in training I notice spots of dead air. I do have to agree with his suggestion that College Athletes deserve to get more of a piece of the pie.
The final guy to go was Michael Grau. I know that his voice made me listen during the semifinals and I knew he would definitely make the finals and would have to be considered the front runner. Michael did not really disappoint. He started off a LITTLE shaky, but he quickly found his legs. I thought he sounded effortless on the air, and showed good chemistry with the other on-air personalities he was bantering back and forth with.
My wife and I were eating dinner and discussing all of this and the way we broke it down was:
1st - Michael Grau
2nd - Josh Taylor
3rd - Tony Brown
4th - Thomas Plungin
They did not announce the other placements but Michael did in fact earn the title of Top Fan 2.
Big congratulations to Michael as he pursues his career in broadcasting. I still think I am better though ;-)
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