At 1:44 p.m. Tuesday, Dan Bernstein reappeared on X.
He hadn’t posted since March 14, which ended up being his last day on The Score, where he worked for 30 years. The night before, Bernstein exploded with a series of posts toward an X user who questioned his ethics as a fisherman. A week later, he was fired.
His post this week wasn’t to berate. It was to celebrate. As the Sun-Times reported Monday, Bernstein is launching a daily podcast with Matt Abbatacola, his former producer at The Score, that will debut Aug. 25. Bernstein posted a link to “Dan Bernstein Unfiltered” on Apple Podcasts.
On Wednesday, the show ranked sixth among the platform’s sports podcasts — and no one had heard it yet. It dropped to 15th on Thursday.
This isn’t Bernstein’s first foray into podcasting. He co-hosted the Bulls podcast “Organizations Win Championships” with his son, Jason. It was a fun listen, but it was a rather informal production that gave Bernstein the chance to work with his son. His “Unfiltered” show figures to be a different animal.
Hubbard Radio, which operates three stations in Chicago among its 54 in nine markets, is investing heavily in its podcast platform, the Gamut Podcast Network, a group of shows created by Hubbard’s stations. Beneath that umbrella is the new 312 Sports, which is producing Bernstein’s show and is looking to become a player in this market.
Bernstein and Abbatacola also will co-host a Bears podcast that will launch Aug. 26, and 312 Sports has plans to introduce other shows as seasons begin, presumably covering other pro teams in town. It promises wide distribution and interactive live streams. Bernstein might not be able to yell at callers, but he certainly can let a YouTube viewer have it.
That begs the question: Which Bernstein is the audience going to get? The one who often tore into callers with Terry Boers on the “Boers and Bernstein” show? Or the one who had mellowed since being moved from afternoons to middays in 2018?
“Unfiltered” would lead one to believe that nothing will be off limits. But this isn’t exactly the best time to be a talk-show host. Just ask Stephen Colbert. And Bernstein’s political leanings are well-known, although he has spoken less about them on the air.
That said, for those who want a taste of what sports radio used to be, this show might be it. Bernstein is the type of host who isn’t afraid of on-air conflict. He welcomes it. He has sought it. And with Abbatacola, he’ll get it.
Fans of “Boers and Bernstein” will remember fondly all of the times Abbatacola picked at Bernstein like he was a scab. Abbatacola, who produced the show for 14 years, was better than anyone at challenging Bernstein, and sometimes it led to confrontation.
But it made for great radio.
That’s what’s missing in local sports radio. When Harry Teinowitz died, many of the stories shared were about his time on ESPN 1000 with Dan McNeil and John Jurkovic. It was rife with conflict, though it often went too far. Pushing it to the edge without falling is the trick.
Everyone is trying so hard to be nice on the air. No one has to be mean, but this is sports radio. It’s supposed to be based on arguments and feelings. Yes, break down the Bears’ battle at left tackle, but don’t do it like you’re chatting over lattes. Even just a trace of tension can perk up your ears and draw you into the conversation.
If Bernstein is truly unfiltered, this show could be a hit, especially for longtime Scoreheads. He and Abbatacola figure to bring back that “B&B” vibe. Maybe they’ll pull out a Ouija board and conjure the spirits of McNeil and Mike North, two original rabble rousers at The Score.
At the beginning of each “Boers and Bernstein” show, Boers would say, “We’re going to do the best we can to keep you informed, entertained, perhaps have a laugh or two along the way.” They key word was “entertained.” Sports talk here used to be more entertaining. It largely has become bland, falling victim to the sensitivities of the time. It’s called a “show” for a reason.
Bernstein and Abbatacola can bring that back on a medium that appears to be safe from cancelers, even from the FCC. We should get a read on that in the first episode, when Bernstein will cover his “time off the air, offering reflections on his personal and professional journey, and share what you can expect daily,” according to the release that announced the show.
“Dan’s thoughtful and honest perspective has captured the pulse of this city for decades,” Hubbard Chicago market president Keith Lawless said in the release. “His new show on 312 Sports will give listeners the kind of honest conversation they can’t get anywhere else.”
Press releases are known for hyperbole, but that statement might be on the mark.
Remote patrol
The Bills-Bears preseason game Sunday will air nationally on Fox. Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver have the call.
• DePaul men’s basketball games will no longer air on The Score. They’ll be available on SiriusXM and the Blue Demons app.
• ESPN picked up the Mets-Cubs game Sept. 24, a Wednesday night.