He`s rude. He`s crude. And, to the folks at WMAQ-Ch. 5, he`s family.
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Love him or hate him, Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael, all 6 feet 2 inches, 265 pounds of him, has made quite a splash in his first season as Channel 5`s studio analyst.
”Steve appeals to the dark side of everyone,” says Channel 5 sports director Mark Giangreco, who usually plays straight man to McMichael.
”Everybody has that in them. There`s a little pro wrestling thing in all of us. Steve appeals to that element.”
McMichael`s analytical contributions have been few, but his off-the-wall stunts, from ribald comments to cutting off reporter Tom Shaer`s tie, have left Giangreco cringing at times.
”There have been some weeks when he`s offended some people and said some things you don`t say on television, but I think we`ve gotten past that,” says Giangreco.
”My job is to keep him harnessed,” adds Giangreco, who doesn`t mind that the ”Twin Peaks” quality of ”Sports Sunday” has sent its ratings through the roof.
Last year, ”Sports Sunday” finished second to WBBM-Ch. 2`s ”Bears Extra” during the October sweeps period (a 9.5 Nielsen rating with a 20 share for Channel 2 to 8.5/17 for Channel 5). This year, the Channel 5 show leapfrogged into first (10.3/20-8.1/17).
Last week, ”Sports Sunday” had a 10.8/21, just edging ”Bears Extra”
(8.8/21). ”Bears Extra,” however, started a half-hour later than usual due to network commitments. ”I`m sure some people have tired of it (after 10 weeks),” says Giangreco. ”We`re working on ways to keep it fresh.”
McMichael, 33, replaced Dave Duerson, who was released by the Bears during the summer. With a gaping hole in the Sunday night
everybody`s-got-to-talk-to-a-Bear format, Giangreco and his staff were talking about replacements.
McMichael`s name came up, even though the 11-year veteran was holding out at the time. Contacts were made through McMichael`s agent, Larry Bales, and the day McMichael signed his new Bears contract, he called Channel 5.
”We said, `What the heck, why don`t we give it a shot? Let`s go unconventional, let`s give it a try,` ” recalls Giangreco. ”We`re taking a big chance. It`s definitely pushing the outside of the envelope, but let`s live on the edge.”
Living on the edge isn`t that difficult compared to the other Sunday night Bears shows, with coach Mike Ditka on Channel 2, running back Neal Anderson on WLS-Ch. 7 and quarterback Mike Tomczak on WGN-Ch. 9. Those shows concentrate on highlights and analysis.
”Neal is very personable and very smooth,” says Giangreco, ”and Mike Ditka`s Mike Ditka. But when you come right down to it, it`s just rehashing the game. And anyone who cares, they saw the highlights all day long.
”So we give them everything up top-we give them a full-game package, then we go to McMichael. Sure, we show a couple of the big plays, but, basically, it`s McMichael doing his shtick. Sometimes, it works; sometimes, it doesn`t.
”He`s no dummy. He`s got something planned all the time. I never know what`s coming. A lot of people think he`s lewd and crude and rude. And a lot of people love him.”
Giangreco says most of his mail has been anti-McMichael. And, after a chat, McMichael has backed off from some of his more outrageous remarks. Last Sunday night, he appeared almost sedate.
”His presence is outrageous enough,” says Giangreco. ”There`s that threat of him doing something that keeps people interested.”
McMichael, Ditka, Anderson and Tomczak are the Sunday night Bears stars. But there`s more.
At 6 p.m. Saturdays, Channel 5 carries what could be called ”The Hub Arkush Hour”-back-to-back 30-minute programs featuring the Bears radio analyst. Wayne Larrivee joins Arkush for ”Bears Report,” while Giangreco co- hosts ”Pro Football Weekly on TV.”
”They`re very separate projects,” says Arkush, who also is publisher of Pro Football Weekly. ”The Pro Football Weekly show is compiled by my staff at the publication. We have an associate producer, (former Channel 9 sports anchor) Bob Hillman, for `Chicago Bears Weekly.` ”
Arkush laughs at the suggestion he`s being overexposed. ”I`m overworked,” he says. ”It was a concern at the beginning that, with these two shows on back-to-back, people might not be able to differentiate between the two. But so far, I`m getting a very clearly defined reaction to the two shows. And it`s been very positive.”
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The difference in Arkush`s participation is that for ”CBW,” he`s just a paid employee, while his publishing company owns ”PFW on TV.”
And what does Arkush think of McMichael`s show?
”To me, it`s entertainment,” says Arkush, ”it`s not really Bears analysis. It`s not the kind of thing I want my kids watching. But at least once a week, I get one good belly laugh out of it.”
– Local sportscaster Les Grobstein joins the jet set this weekend when he broadcasts the Arena Football League exhibition game in Paris between the Dallas Texans and Art Schlichter`s Detroit Drive (heard locally on
Northbrook`s WKTA-AM at 2:15 p.m. Friday). Grobstein will make a quick return for Saturday night`s UIC hockey game on WCBR-FM ”if I can find the Pavilion,” he says.
– Upcoming ESPN college football games: West Virginia-South Carolina Thanksgiving Day; Virginia-Virginia Tech at 3 p.m. Nov. 24; Syracuse-Miami
(Fla.) at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24.