Thom Brennaman says he's "really nervous" about returning to broadcasting full-time.
Not about what some people are going to think of him taking over the 700 WLW weekday morning drive-time show some 4 1/2 years after his inappropriate hot-mic moment cost him his job as the Cincinnati Reds' television voice. And certainly not about slipping up and saying something inappropriate again on or off the air. He's paid his dues and grown from his mistake.
But at 61, Brennaman is taking on a whole new career challenge. And he's doing it on the station where his father, Marty, became a broadcasting legend calling Reds games. The younger Brennaman is jumping into a job held by other local radio legends, including Jim Scott and Mike McConnell, the latter who will officially sign off on Friday and turn the mic over to Brennaman.
There's a lot of pressure in doing his first talk show after decades of doing TV and radio play-by-play work, and Brennaman is hungry to earn the listeners' trust. He's agreed to a three-year contract with WLW, a deal that'll allow him to still call college football and basketball games for the CW Network.
"We came to Cincinnati when I was 10 years old because of my dad," Brennaman told me. "So I’ve had some family or my own personal connection to WLW for 51 of my 61 years. WLW is a big deal. I hope I can live up to the people who’ve done this job before me."
He will.
Brennaman is a great hire for WLW. I'm not just saying that because I work there occasionally as a contributing host. He's motivated and still at the top of his game. He's a versatile guy who understands local and national politics. He's truly sorry for making the homophobic slur in August 2020 during a commercial break while calling a Reds game in Kansas City.
He's an even better man now. He has shown over the past several months calling games part-time on The CW that he's deserving of the WLW job.
Brennaman's nervousness also reflects how grateful he is for the opportunity to return on air regularly, a second-chance he feared may never come.
What's great is he'll have an opportunity to encourage others about bouncing back from mistakes and forgiveness for four fours each weekday on Greater Cincinnati's top-rated radio station. Brennaman could've easily gone into hiding and never been heard from again. But it takes character to accept a mistake and face the people he hurt the most. He's developed relationships and understanding with those who were hurt by his three-letter word.
"In so many ways, it’s been a great thing that happened to me," Brennaman said. "The way it happened, of course, I wish it didn’t happen. You just have to find a way to keep the faith and keep going. Maybe I can help some people who are listening in that regard. It’s easy to say, 'I blew it and I’m the worst person in the world.' But how are you going to face that you made a mistake and bounce back?"
Brennaman has been preparing for months to replace the retiring McConnell. WLW leadership has been preparing for a wave of on-air hosts to begin retiring. Two years ago,
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