While many fans have complained about the fortune of the Cleveland Browns on the field since they returned to the NFL in 1999, they have established excellence in one area.  And that is being in the forefront of the Cleveland sports media.

This “tradition” didn’t start in with the rebirth of the franchise.  It really goes back to the early 60’s, and Art Modell.

The former owner of the Browns was a media darling, always glib and very friendly with the local scribes and broadcast media alike.

Modell started the practice, which continues today, of having one of the local television anchors as the team’s radio play-by-play people.  Since the mid 1960’s, we have seen Gib Shanley, Jim Graner, Nev Chandler, Jim Mueller, Casey Coleman, and now Jim Donovan at the voice of the Browns.

That way, the broadcaster and station has a vested interest in covering the local professional football team.

A few years ago, when the Browns’ local radio contract was up for grabs, they did something that can be considered ingenious, making both of the city’s sports talk stations the “Home of the Browns”.

They even have their own self-serving show on daily on WKNR, Cleveland Browns Daily, which runs year round, and is hosted by Nathan Zegura, listed on the Browns’ website as Senior Media Broadcaster.

Can you imagine the Indians or Cavaliers asking any radio station in the northeast Ohio area to put a daily, hourly show to talk about either of these franchises.

Apparently as part of this deal with the two stations, listeners get to hear the head coach’s daily press conference in which he gives very little to no information.

Terry Francona and Tyronn Lue speak to the media everyday before the game during the season too, it’s just that no one is interrupting the normal broadcast schedule to put them on the air.

When the Browns’ play a game, it is hard to find a station that isn’t carrying the broadcast, as they also include 98.5 FM as a “Home of the Browns”, and they have other stations in the Akron area too.

If you do a scan on your car radio during a Browns’ game, more often than not, you will find a station broadcasting the football game.

You have to admire the job they’ve done in this regard, and wonder why the other teams in the market don’t do the same thing.

Particularly, the Cleveland Indians, who need all the help they can get getting air time on local sports talk stations.

The past two days, with the Tribe in a prime position to make the playoffs, the bulk of the air time on sports talk radio was devoted to Josh Gordon, a receiver who has been suspended for 27 of the Browns’ last 32 games.

The stations will tell you the fans will provide the direction of their shows, but why wouldn’t fans talk about the Browns when it is all around them?

We have said in the past that the Indians made a terrible miscalculation by staying on WTAM, which dedicates very little non game time air to the team.  If they had gone to either WKNR or 92.3FM, do you think there would be more discussion about the team that fills their airwaves on most summer nights?

The Cavs have LeBron James and are NBA Champions.  They will hold the area’s interest no matter what they do for the foreseeable future.

You have to tip your hats to the way the Browns handle this part of their business.  Now, about the on the field stuff…

MW