[August 02, 2011] Sports radio turns to youthful influence Tweet Aug 02, 2011 (Erie Times-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Jim LeCorchick has been a radio broadcaster long enough to recognize change when he hears it. And certainly when he engin-eers it. LeCorchick, Erie's longtime play-by-play announcer and sports talk-show host, has for much of the past year-plus shared his studio with three young broadcasters whose opinions help set their show's agenda, and might one day set the sports agenda in other markets. Sean Amicucci, Chris McDonald and Jack Quinn can be heard weekdays from 5-7 p.m. on WFNN-AM/1330, "The Fan," a Fox Sports Radio partner owned by Connoisseur Radio. LeCorchick's show, The Sports Blitz, bites into local and national topics, taking advantage of the news of the moment, callers' comments and the experience and interest of each of the hosts. Any number from one to four of them might be in the studio on a given day. "It's like being in the army, I just started bringing these guys in," LeCorchick said. "I put a lot of thought into this over the years, and it's just refreshing to have three young guys that love Erie and national sports so much." Amicucci, a Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy alumnus, graduated from Gannon with a communication arts degree. He was involved with Gannon radio station WERG-FM/90.5, where he hosted alternative rock and sports talk shows and called Gannon basketball games. During his senior year, Amicucci, 25, was asked by LeCorchick to call an Erie BayHawks game, and from there started as a player on The Sports Blitz roster. McDowell alumnus McDonald graduated from St. Vincent College with a communications degree. McDonald, 25, helped produce broadcasts for LeCorchick, but LeCorchick realized McDonald was knowledgeable on sports and gave him a turn on air. Quinn, 23, is a communications major at Penn State Behrend. He has been appearing on radio with LeCorchick since he was a freshman at Cathedral Prep, doing a Sunday morning show focusing on high school football and basketball. To prepare for a show, the crew spends an hour or two browsing websites and reading newspapers to come up with national and local sports topics they think will spark the listeners interest. "I go to about 10 different websites, including ESPN, CBS Sports, and some Cleveland and Pittsburgh websites, then read the paper for college and high school sports," Quinn said. With an inexhaustible array of topics, as many as four different voices in the Boston Store Place studio, and listeners calling in to share their thoughts, there are plenty of sparring opinions. But by the commercial break the hosts already are past any disagreements that might emerge. "We realize that our opinions are our own and we don't get offended," Amicucci said. "Sometimes we get aggravated, but it's good to have that edge, to attract listeners and callers. But when we're off air we're cool with each other's opinion." The three have all become good friends outside the studio, often watching sporting events together or calling each other when they see a big play. "It's a very nice dynamic. We give each other a ring when there's a big sports event, we go to a lot of games together. It's very inclusive," Amicucci said. And their mentor is a part of that. "Jim does a very good job of not having a superior vibe about him. He is the boss, but is also a very good friend," Amicucci said. Thanks to their experience at WFNN, each broadcaster hopes to eventually further his career in bigger markets. But they're fully enjoying their time in Erie, and with LeCorchick. None of this would have been possible, they said, without his work on their behalf and trust in them. "He has taken us young kids and has made us into what we are on the radio," McDonald said. DAN DiBACCO can be reached at 870-1724 or by e-mail To see more of the Erie Times-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.GoErie.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Erie Times-News, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]