Danny Parkins (on right) and Carrington Harrison (on left) continue to deliver the best commentary on the hot topics in the local and national sports world. (Photo property of 610 Sports Radio)
By: Jacob Elyachar
There is only one sports radio show that I listen to in the Kansas City area and it is The Danny Parkins Show on 610 Sports Radio.
For four hours every weekday, host Danny Parkins and his co-host Carrington Harrison tackle the hottest current events in the sports community that range from the Kansas City Royals’ off-season to the latest happenings in the NCAA.
In the second installment of 5 Questions, the Sports Radio host talked about how he attracts his guests to come on the show, some of his most memorable moments of the year and what listeners can expect from the sports host in 2013.
Jacob Elyachar: What were your first impressions of Carrington?
Danny Parkins: I knew Carrington a little bit before he got paired with me for my show, so we did not go into the partnership totally blind. I think my first impression was probably one of apprehension because I had always done my show solo and did not really know what to expect. We were definitely rocky at the beginning and at times still are because we are very different people.
I’m type-A and he’s type-B so there is some genuine friction there. Call it whatever you want: ebony and ivory, an odd couple, whatever it is, it has not always been easy. But he makes the show better by getting me to relax, enjoy the job more, and by being funny so it’s more than worth the occasional conflict. Plus, conflict makes for good radio.
JE: Could you share with my readers, how you guys plan out each show?
DP: In a perfect world, we would both come in with four full hours of content every day and then pick the best four hours. But most days there isn’t that much to talk about. We have weekly guests like Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star every Monday at Noon and other segments that are weekly benchmarks and we plan the show around that.
The most important thing is figuring out what our lead topic is going to be and how we’re going to attack that. Then we line up any guests we need and fill in the rest of the show around that. Usually, we have half of it locked in the night before and figure out the rest when we get to work in the morning.
JE: “The Danny Parkins Show” has had incredible guest commentators that range from former Kansas City Chiefs to ESPN columnists. What are some of the things that attract them to come on the show in the first place and keep coming back to the show?
DP: We get our guests in a variety of ways. Some of them are paid exclusive contributors of the station but the vast majority of our guests are booked by Carrington or I sending an e-mail, text, or making a phone call. People in the media generally help each other out if they can so it’s not too hard to get guests to come on a show especially since we’re a pretty good station in a pretty good-sized market so they know they’re talking to a fairly significant audience and it’s worth their time. The key is doing a good job with the interview so they’ll come on again and I think we have a pretty good track record with that.
JE: What were your some of the most memorable moments from the year?
DP: The first thing that jumps out is our failed of Kansas City Royals owner David Glass interview at the All-Star Game in Kansas City. He did not like my line of questioning and put his microphone down and walked away three minutes into the interview. We do not really talk about that. Then, there was the time Carrington secretly recorded me when I was drunk at the American Royal and we played the audio on the air. We do not really talk about that either.
JE: What can listeners expect from “The Danny Parkins Show” in 2013?
DP: I want to beat Soren Petro in the ratings in 2013. He has a nine-year head start on us in this time slot and has never been beaten because he’s never gone against a local show. Nobody expects us to do it. If we do it in 2013, we will have done it in less than 16 months. I think it’s possible but most people think I’m crazy. If it happens I’m on record as saying I’ll throw a huge party for listeners where I’ll be picking up the bar tab…. so what other incentive do you need to listen?
For more information about the Danny Parkins show, visit the show’s website: http://www.610sports.com/Danny-Parkins/10047503
You can follow both Danny and Carrington on Twitter respectively at @DannyParkins & @cdotharrison
