I recently had a chance to sit down with CTV’s Andy Barbato to discuss the new sports talk radio show 10 Minute Major, which he hosts.
Whose idea was the sports talk radio show?
The guys at YMP (Your Media Productions) approached me with an idea. We all sat down and fine tuned it into what it is today. We all agreed that Northern Ontario was well overdue for a sports talk radio show.
What sports will you be covering, and which will you mostly be focusing on?
Since Sudbury is a “hockey crazed” town, we’ll be focusing mainly on hockey especially the Sudbury Wolves. But we want to give the audience a bit of everything. Three weeks a month we will have hockey related interviews. Once a month we will feature a special guest in the Sudbury sports community. For example. Laurentian University’s Athletic Director Peter Hellstrom, Mixed martial artists Mitch Gagnon, Olympic Gold medalists Tessa Bonhomme and Rebecca Johnston etc.
Do you plan to cover a lot of professional sports, or amateur?
We want to focus mostly on local sports and athletes in and around the Sudbury area. However, we are not opposed to branching out. If the right opportunity presents itself we would be more then happy to talk to “the pro’s.” We do plan on having some “local pro’s” on the show. Guys like Ottawa Senator Nick Foligno and Anaheim Duck’s assistant coach Mike Foligno.
What does a show like this bring to Northern Ontario?
10 Minute Major brings a lot to the North. It’s an opportunity for fans to get to know these athletes and sports ambassadors on a more personal level. We delve into personal topics with our interviewees, something you won’t here anywhere else.
Are there plans to cover Laurentian University’s sports?
Laurentian athletics/athletes will be one of our main focuses on the show. I’ll have an in depth conversation Laurentian University’s Athletic Director Peter Hellstrom about brining OUA hockey back to the north. We also plan to talk to Shawn Swords, the Voyageurs men’s basketball coach. As well as Hanmer native Katie Goggins, OUA all-star and Lady Vee’s captain. We want to touch on just about every sports angle you can think of at LU.
What do you think will interest students most about the program?
It’s a high energy show. It’s very loose and off the cuff and again, it gives listeners a chance to see these coaches, athletes etc. in a different and more casual setting.
Any additional comments?
10 Minute Major is exactly what the North has been missing. People up here love their sports and we want to give them a different way to embrace it. We have top notch guests every week. We are giving away great prizes every week. It’s fun, high paced, and we ask the questions nobody else does. You can listen on KFM 95.5 or you can watch on line at www.10minutemajor.com. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
The first two shows are up on the website, the first interview features Wolves captain Marcus Foligno, and the second features Wolves forward Eric O’Dell.
-Andy