Last Tuesday morning it was officially "news" that 101.1 FM will be converting to a local sports talk station beginning January 1st. Proving the adage true that "the more things change, the more they stay the same", a cast of recycled characters are rumored to make their mark on the new era in broadcasting.

The man who was deemed responsible (fairly or unfairly) for driving 590 into the ground, Jason Barrett, will be navigating the radio ship. Some of his crew members are rumored to be Frank Cusumano, Bob Ramsey, Bryan Burwell and Randy Karraker. If the rumors hold true, this new radio station will essentially be a repeat of sports talk radio of yore.

This is all premature speculation and perhaps to an extent, over-reaction. I don't have sources nor do I know the inner-workings of the three sports talk stations. I do know that if a new FM sports talk radio station in town seeks to recreate a low risk, low reward product, then by golly, 101 has their cake baked.

But, if 101.1 -- or 590 or 1380 for that matter -- want to take a chance on young, local talent, I'm right here. See, I seem to fit the qualifications for doing a sports talk radio show in St. Louis quite well.

I can talk AND I can talk about sports.

As a bonus, I've been known to sprinkle in a good joke here and there.

Full disclosure: I do have a few cons working against me. I have zero knowledge of Western movies and never talk about Billikens basketball. I have also never appeared on local television.

Even so, I'm here to stand by me and say, "roll the dice; take a chance." Give me and my cohorts two hours a day and I guarantee you'll see a substantial increase in pageviews and visitors to your Web homepage thanks to the wonder of streaming audio. 

We come from a national sports humor site, with regular visitors from all over the country. It's almost as if Huey Lewis was describing our readership markets in "Heart of Rock and Roll". As you know, the Internet is not some flash in the pan, passing fad; it's here to stay. Why not dedicate company time and energy to developing the radio Web site as one of your product's cornerstones? It's cheap, economical and a tremendous avenue to sell your product.

Believe it or not, we have experience in radio in this market. We've chatted with great columnists, we've discussed things over a buffet and hell, we even created our own bits and segments at our online headquarters. Just listen and tell me it doesn't at least compare with the St. Louis market.

Check out these timeless audio sketch classics, and tell me they don't bring a smile to your face:

Softball Guy - meet the guy who takes rec-league softball way too seriously

The SC - listen to all the drama and tension unfold from Bristol, CT. You thought working at a sports station was supposed to be fun? Not at the WorldWide Leader in Sports. It's a soap opera.

WWE Store - ever wonder how pro wrestlers get the costumes and props necessary for their show? We did.

And who could forget the time Jeremy Schaap joined us to eulogize Barbaro?

Or the time Father O'Connell recited the Our Favre prayer?

What I'm saying is that if you want the same old song and dance to entertain your audience, go right ahead. But if you want to veer off course ever so slightly and give the young kids in Triple A a crack at the big leagues, we're right here. It's low risk, high reward. We already come with a national audience. Not only are you getting our radio talents capable of general conversation and sketch based comedy, you're also getting a national audience that has no other choice but to listen through YOUR Web site.

Think about it.