November 20, 2020
Alex Trebek is a “tough act to follow” as host of Jeopardy. In entertainment/music/radio/sports, what others come to mind as tough acts to follow?
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Rick Vaughn, KENZ: Dick Clark still hasn’t been replaced. John Madden has also never been replaced as an NFL analyst. As much as I like Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah still hasn’t been replaced. Still a void in Harry Caray’s footsteps. Java Joel, Javajoelmurphy@gmail.com: Howard Stern was a pretty tough act to follow. Ask Rover, Adam Corolla, and (especially) David Lee Roth.
Jon Zellner, iHeartMedia: Entertainment: Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas. Radio: Ryan Seacrest, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern. Sports: LeBron James, Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo. Music: Beyonce, Adam Levine, Taylor Swift. Mark Adams, KYLD & KIOI: Kurt Cobain … impossible would be the word not tough. Kobe, WZNE: Well, as we can see, Tom Brady, and Jimmy Fallon will be a tough act to follow whenever he leaves The Tonight Show. Jagger, jaggerwthrowdown@gmail.com: Tom Brady without a doubt. Cal Riken, Jr. and Derek Jeter were also tough acts to follow. Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia: Bobby Bones, Elvis Duran, Angi Taylor, Howard Stern, The Breakfast Club, Rush Limbaugh, Delilah, Bob & Tom, The Greaseman, and Greg Thunder on KDWB. To name a few. |
Toby Knapp, WASH: Tom Brady. Daniel Craig as James Bond. The Beatles in Music. In radio, for me personally. Spyder Harrison, Albie Dee, and Loo Katz. In records, Bobbi Silver. Heather Deluca, WSJO: Locally, an iconic TV news anchor, Jim Gardner, from Channel 6 Action News. He’s an institution in Philly and the tri-state area.
Bob Patrick, WXLK: Howard Stern when he was on terrestrial radio. Mike Schmidt – HOF Phillies 3rd baseman. The Beatles. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Matt “MJ” Johnson, matthot1079@hotmail.com: There’s no one in a position to assume the Howard Stern mantle. Bill Belichick would certainly be a tough one to follow. Drew Carey could replace Pat Sajak, that would be a smooth transition. Ryan Seacrest amply replaced Dick Clark as America’s DJ. Mike “OD” O’Donnell, WKRZ: No one has come along and replaced Rodney Dangerfield as the king of the one-liners, he would go on and on forever. I was always a huge David Letterman fan and no one is ever going to replace him in my mind. Joey Brooks, WKSS: As a Patriots fan, it’s looking like Tom Brady.
Chris Michaels, FM100: Howard Stern would be a very, very tough one to follow, and from the sports world, the head coach of Alabama Nick Sabin. He’s had a tremendous amount of success there so when he retires, I wouldn’t want to be the guy to follow in his footsteps. Robyn Lane, WRAT: Like Alex Trebek, Johnny Carson was irreplaceable! |
Justin Chase, Beasley Media Group: We saw it years ago when Howard Stern left terrestrial radio which was tough for a lot of Rock stations. Rush Limbaugh will be another tough one to follow. That’s going to be a very difficult dilemma for a lot of Talk stations and the AM Band in general. He’s a big draw to a lot of brands in our business.
Jana Sutter, WXXL: Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Dom Theodore, Radio Animal Media Strategies: I’ve seen the movie a hundred times. You never want to be the morning show that immediately follows a superstar show. It almost never works. The show that replaces the one in the middle might have a shot. Kevin Kash, WWEG: Tom Brady is a tough act to follow. I’m sure Cam Newton would agree. Howard Stern would be a good example in radio. The TV character Fonzie was a tough act to follow on Happy Days. Ayyyyy! Jason Squires, KFRR: Vince McMahon (sorry Tony Khan) |
Mike McVay, McVay Media: When Gerry House departed WSIX / Nashville some years ago, they wisely put an afternoon talent into the slot for a year and then brought in the entire Bobby Bones Show as an intact product. That one year served as a cleansing of the palette. I did something similar when Bill Bailey departed WAKY / Louisville in the early 80s. However, today, when there are so many more options for entertainment, replacing a legend who passed away, is different than replacing one who retired or resigned. Tom Bergeron, who was best known for Dancing with the Stars, would be an excellent replacement for Alex Trebek.
Randi West, WRMF: I think Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern in our business are hard to replace. Loyal fans.
Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: Ryan Seacrest will be tough to follow whenever that day comes, and we’re all seeing that Tom Brady is a pretty tough act to follow.
Valentine, WBHT: Elvis Duran, he’s one of a kind and may never be replaced. You’re also never going to get another David Letterman.
Bartel, WKTU: Baseball: Babe Ruth. Basketball: Michael Jordan. Radio: Casey Kasem.
Jeremy Rice, WBLI: John Adams probably felt like that after following George Washington – the John Adams miniseries was amazing! How about the artists that REPLACED themselves at #1 on the Top 40 chart, including Elvis, The Beatles, and Boys II Men…now that’s cool!
Buzz Knight, Buzz Knight Media: John Lennon immediately comes to mind. Now more than ever his voice is so missed for his beauty, integrity, courage, and creativity. An impossible act to follow!Next Week’s Question Of The Week:
What are your choices this year for: Top 3 Pop Songs, Top 2 Most Influential Pop Artists, Surprise Hit of the Year?
e-Mail your responses to: jodorisio@deanemediasolutions.com or bburke@deanemediasolutions.com
