JT The Brick Releases New Book

8-6-13

John Tournour, also known as FOX sports talker JT the Brick, has released a new book entitled "The Handoff." The book describes how Tournour made it in sports talk after leaving a lucrative position at Merrill Lynch to pursue his dream. Tournour's hardest challenge would come when his best friend and industry mentor, Andrew Ashwood, was diagnosed with cancer. Tournour details his journey through radio, with the help of Ashwood, and how he learned life?s most important lessons just as he was losing his friend.

Tournour writes, ?As I look back, I realize that while Andrew truly felt that he would win, that he would survive, he also felt a sense of urgency. As I look back at those thirteen months, what I feel now is a kind of frenzy. Everything felt contracted, moving at a much faster pace. And every moment seemed critical.? A portion of sales from THE HANDOFF will benefit City of Hope, a leading cancer center where Andrew Ashwood received treatment.

?JT has captured the magic of a great friendship mixed with the dynamic moving parts of our sports world -- a perfect combination,? said Julie Talbott, a colleague of Ashwood and Tournour, and President of Content and Affiliate Services for National Media Groups, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. ?Thanks to JT and City of Hope, this book will help others going through a similar emotional journey.?

Tournour began his radio career in 1995 after winning Jim Rome's first annual Great American Smack-Off. In 2001, Fox Sports Radio hired Tournour. He's been working for the Oakland Raiders for the past 15 years, doing pre-game, post-game, and now the weekly Raiders Report. He lives in Las Vegas with his family.

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WEEI-FM Picks up The Brick

J.T. ?The Brick? will return to the station?s lineup Monday. Entercom Boston VP of Programming Jason Wolfe said, ?Even though he?s a diehard Yankee fan, J.T.?s show has always been extremely popular here in Boston. The show was a winner for us when we aired it years ago, and I?m very pleased to be able to bring him back now. Adding J.T.?s show provides a great balance to our overnight portfolio as we already air a very solid program in ESPN Radio?s SportsCenter Tonight on 850 AM.??I?m thrilled to be back on WEEI and to bring my passion and energy back to Boston,? said J.T. ?We had tremendous success for over a decade and I'm confident that we will win again.?J.T. joined FOX Sports Radio as the afternoon host in June 2001, and began hosting the weekday evening program ?FOX GameTime React? in 2002. In 2009, he took over the 1-6 a.m. weekday timeslot and the program can currently be heard on approximately 260 affiliates across the nation, as well as iHeartRadio, the FOX Sports app and XM Channel 169. Before joining FOX Sports Radio, J.T. hosted the overnight show on the Sports Fan Radio Network for six years. Not content with doing just one show each day, J.T. then went on to host both his overnight show and a national afternoon show for SportsFan. He also spent six years as host of the Oakland Raiders pre- and post-game shows for KTCT-AM 1050 in San Francisco and the weekly Raider TV show, ?Behind the Shield,? on FOX Sports Bay Area.

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(PROGRAMMING) An Interview With J.T. "The Brick"

11-2-2012

J.T. ?The Brick? joined FOX Sports Radio as the afternoon host in June
2001, and later became host of FOX GameTime React. Today, J.T. continues to deliver the latest sports news and information as he catches fans up on the day?s biggest events during his self-titled FOX Sports Radio overnight program. I spoke to J.T. about his career, the industry and his election prediction.

RL: You've obviously struck a nerve in the sports radio talk-show
business. What do you attribute your success to?

JT: My work ethic has been the key to any success I've had throughout my
career. I came from a sales background, and understood quickly that I
had to learn the business side of sports talk radio as I was
developing my on- air style. I enjoyed working long hours while
interacting with sports fans throughout the country, and always
understood that the audience had to be treated with respect if they
were going to stick around. My father will always remain my mentor and
he taught me at an early age that you need to outwork your competition
each day.

RL: I say the host makes the show, not the callers. You agree?

JT: Any good host controls the content and pace of their show, but good
callers and opinions can enhance sports talk radio. Hosting a national
show, I enjoy hearing the opinions of listeners in every market,
especially when they have a solid opinion or suggestion about what's
happening in their area in regard to a team or particular player.
Sometimes an educated fan who is a season ticket holder and lives and
dies with their local team or players may know a lot about a topic and
can benefit the show. I pride myself on giving strong opinions during
my show each night, and understand when to back up a solid caller who
makes a good point.

RL: How would you assess the state of radio these days?

JT: I'm excited about the state of radio as we?re slowly coming out of
this economic downturn. Sports radio continues to grow at an
accelerated pace and listeners continue to flock to this format. I'm
excited about iHeartRadio, satellite radio and other formats which
give listeners many choices for entertainment, and allows them to stay
connected 24/7. FOX Sports Radio and my show are available on all of
these. Working for Clear Channel/Premiere since 2001 has been an
honor, and it's exciting to see what lies ahead in the near future.
I'm always excited about sports because it's the ultimate reality show
and something exciting happens every few hours.

RL: If you didn't do sports-talk radio, what would you do?

JT: If I wasn't in radio, I would be in sales. To be successful in sales
you have to work extremely long, hard hours while building
relationships with valued customers. I would want to be in a career
where I could achieve my goals while having an unlimited upside. I'm
always thankful I decided to get into this business and have had
tremendous management and friends around to help achieve many of my
goals. I'm excited about what this industry has in store, and I'm
confident my best work is still to come.

RL: Who's going to win the election? Romney or Obama.

JT: I'm a political junkie, and can?t wait for election day. Living
in Las Vegas, I have seen the worst of the political ads. I think it?s
going to be a very close election and it?s hard to say who will win -
I didn't think the San Francisco Giants would make the playoffs six
months ago, let alone win the World Series.

Rich Lieberman is a veteran SF Bay Area news blogger covering radio and TV since 2001.His media blog, "415 Media" (http://www.richliebermanreport.blogspot.com) is the #1-read industry sheet in SF.

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