Will Boom Boom last in this ring?
Posted by Ed Sherman
at 4/6/2009 5:06 AM CDT on Chicago Business

It isn't just opening day for the White Sox and Cubs. Monday also marks the debut of Chicago's new sports talk station on the Internet at http://www.chicagosportswebio.com.

The brainchild of Mike North and Spectrum Entertainment President David Hernandez, the station is going to air 12 hours of sports talk from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Mr. North contends Webio will find an audience on the Internet.

For all his bold talk, it's still about content. The most interesting show looks to be the 3-6 p.m. pairing of Chet Coppock and Ray Mancini. Yes, that's the former lightweight champion known as "Boom Boom."

Mr. Mancini, 48, never has done radio and will do his portion of the show from his home in Los Angeles. So there's all sorts of potential for disaster here.

Webio, though, is confident Mr. Mancini with his high energy has a tremendous upside.

"It's definitely outside the box," said program director Jessie Rogers. "Will Boom Boom focus on Lou Piniella pinch hitting in the seventh inning? No. It's going to be a different kind of show. Chicago sports is going to be the backdrop. With Boom Boom, it's going to be unpredictable. If Mickey Rourke (a close friend of Mr. Mancini) isn't on the show in the first two weeks, I'll be surprised."

Mr. Mancini definitely is excited about the challenge. I recently talked to him for a Q/A.

How did this opportunity come about?

Mr. Mancini: I was here on Feb. 12 to do a boxing show at the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame. They asked me to appear on Mike North's ("Monsters in the Morning") show at 7:45 a.m. That's a little early. When we got done, they thanked me for coming on. I said, 'You get my butt up this early, I'm not going anywhere.' I did the rest of the show, trading punches, having fun. A few weeks later, Mike called and said he might have something for me.

It sounded interesting. They made me a lucrative offer. So I figured, let's try to take it to the next level.


What attracted you to this position?

I've been producing movies for 23 years. I've had my own company for 20 years. I still make appearances. I figured I still could do my other things and be able to do this three hours per day.

I really like the opportunity of being in the forefront of new technology. It's fun to do something new.


How much do you know about Chicago sports?

I'm a big sports fan. I am a Cubbies fan, but I like the Sox too. I follow the Bulls. I love the Bears. Chicago's always been my favorite city. Great sports fans. My son (17-year old Leonardo) is going to be my information guy. He knows the players better than they know themselves.


Will it be a problem doing a Chicago sports show from Los Angeles?

No. I can watch all the games out there. And I hope to get to town a few times a year. With Chet, it will feel like he's sitting right next to me. We've known each other for a long time. Chet interviewed me when he worked in Indianapolis in 1980. We're going to have fun.


What are listeners going to get from you on the show?

I will tell the truth. The one thing they'll get from me is that I will be brutally honest. If a guy stunk out the joint, I'll say it. I don't worry about what the athletes think. They make big money. They can take it. I'm not going to back down for anybody.