The Andrew Krystal experiment at Sportsnet’s the Fan 590 has ended less than a year after it started. “Andrew is moving on to pursue other opportunities within Rogers and we wish him the very best” said Program Director Don Kollins. “A job posting will go up tomorrow for Andrew’s replacement” added Kollins. Although he didn’t say, I expect a summer of the Rog and co to fill in.

Krystal’s run in Toronto, his second, has been rocky from the get go. He is in his 3rd time slot since coming last July. Originally Krystal was slated in the old Bullpen slot, currently held by Jeff Blair. A few months after failing to find an audience in post morning drive and the Fan’s inability to lure a morning alternative, Krystal moved to mornings. Krystal struggled in that morning slot as well, first acting solo and then a failed attempt at co-hosted show with Jeremy Roenick and then later Greg Brady.

The morning gig only lasted 5 months and Krystal was pulled off of mornings in February. He returned to take the old Greg Brady slot (which became vaccant after Brady moved to mornings with Jim Lang), after hockey central to lead in to his buddy Bob McCown’s Prime Time Sports. Krystal was head to head with the only syndicated out of town day time show over at TSN Radio, The Dan Patrick show, the only show that showed a ratings competition with the Fan. It spoke volumes about Krystal’s inability to maintain an audience, given that Patrick is based in the USA and speaks 99% of the time about sports not played on ice.

I said this from the beginning, I don’t blame Andrew Krystal for this failure at the Fan 590. Krystal is a really bright guy, who knows talk radio. He never should have been put on an all sports radio station. He was set up to fail. Right from the beginning you could tell that he was a proverbial fish out of water. His questions and comments to those “in the game” only went so deep and it made for poor sports radio. He was at his best when he talked public issues, politics etc that crossed into the sports realm.

I can’t see Krystal on another currently owned Rogers station in Toronto. I can’t see him doing sports TV either. Where that lands him I have no idea. Personally, if I were running 640 Toronto I would grab him and put him up against McCown and Tory. I think he would do well there.

So, a little less than a year after Andrew Krystal returned to Toronto, the plug has been pulled. Let’s hope he resurfaces in a format more suitable to his immense talents.

TSM

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