by Scott Brown, Vancouver Sun
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Former Global morning anchor Steve Darling is back in broadcasting following his unsuccessful stint as a politician.
Darling has been named co-host, along with James Cybulski and Mira Laurence, of Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup morning show (6-10 am M-F) on Sportsnet 650, a new Vancouver all-sports radio station that launches Sept. 4.
Darling was host of Global News Morning from 2001 until last year when he left the network after being shuffled out of the anchor seat. His departure caused an outcry among viewers. A Facebook group called Steve Darling Deserved Better Treatment attracted more than 25,000 members.
He later ran unsuccessfully for the B.C. Liberals in the May 9 election, losing the Burnaby-Lougheed riding to NDP candidate Katrina Chen.
Darling started out his broadcasting career in the sports departments of CKWX, CHRX, JR-FM and BCTV.
Cybulski, a former Vancouver bureau chief (2000-2004) with The Score, also hosted Sportsnet Connected here for three seasons (2013-2016). Cybulski jumped to News 1130 last year after Rogers Media slashed operations at Sportsnet Pacific. The Ottawa native has also worked for TSN and Team 1040.
Laurence, meanwhile, spent more than a decade presenting sports on CTV Vancouver Island before falling victim to network cuts in 2014.
Sportsnet 650 will be the home station for Vancouver Canucks games.
READ MUCH MORE SPORTS NEWS FROM THE VANCOUVER SUN HERE
Steve Darling? Wow, just awful.
Could Be End 650 am For Good and What Gonna Happen To Onair Staff on 650 am
Is NHL hockey on radio still a valuable commodity? Once upon a time you’d hear Canucks game coverage from a nearby vehicle while driving in the city. It’s ten years or more since I last heard that.
Good Move! Many don’t remember, before Steve moved into Global mornings, he was doing sports on the newscasts. I wasn’t aware of the stations he worked at prior. James is solid and Mira is a knock out! What a great team. I look forward to their debut
Good for Steve Darling,
Great to see my buddy, Steve, land back on his feet in ray-dee oh. Steve, demonized on this site by former news announcers who hate sports (admit it) started his career as a operator and producer in sports radio, so he essentially returns to the “devil that he knows”. The difference between this new morning trio and Brother Jake is that, Brother Jake knows very little about sports while the newcomers know a LOT more about sports than most, including the retired newscasters who know zero !
A lot goes with the Canucks whether they are good or not and having the rights gets you access to the team at a different level than if you do not. Team 1040 better grease the Lions and the Whitecaps because if they lose one of them they will be left with the Giants and the Canadians.
Sounds like Waldo is a little jealous. Steve is a good talent. Very personable and knows his stuff. I worked with him at JR before his move to TV. He’ll be a good anchor for 650
Awesome I’m Happy for Steve I always watched him on Globsl
This is outstanding news that Steve Darling will be heard again on radio, doing sports. He is a true pro & a great guy to work with.
Jealous? No, They had a chance to have a great morning show, they chose not to.
Good to hear that James and Mira are back on the air .. .Steve Darling? what happens if this doesn’t pan out? back to wanna be politician? Sorry, i remember him as a sports guy on BCTV/Global and sure he was good in the ‘awe shucks’ kind of way..but how will that convert to radio?
So what else will be on 650? They have a morning show.. and hockey games when the season is on..but what else? and WHO else?? IF they want real competition against TSN radio they have to have a strong mid day and afternoon show.. plus something for evenings and pre/post game.
What happened to the rumor that 650 is “negotiating” with TSN radio to move some of them over? if this station is launching September 4th.. they better start the promo machine no? or is this all the hype for now. .and we just stay tuned?
Rumour has it Sat will be in the midday.
Not sure Sat in the midday is a huge splash. Who’s he with?
Interesting now that two former Global TV personalities have landed at Rogers. Is it possible that those guys will also end up on air at CITY TV?
Steve Darling fit his role of a co-host of a morning TV show, but I don’t think it’ll translate well to sports radio. Would male listeners not want “hard-hitting”, “controversial”, “tell it like it is” commentary? Is that what Steve Darling is going to deliver? Note: the reason Bro Jake and Pratt can’t get away with this is they aren’t perceived to possess the knowledge to support it. No one really respects either of their opinions. I see James Cybulski as a Matt Price-equivalent who needs a motormouth like Matt Sekeres to act as the reasonable one.
Steve Darling would have been MUCH better suited to replace Simi Sara or Steele/Drex on NW and he’d attract a much larger audience than a gig on 650
Congrats Steve & co!
Hopefully this goes in a better direction than Sportsnet “Pacific” Raptors/Blue Jays/Leafs Central
Gregg Evans – you might have something with your comment as CITY is bringing evening news back in 2018- maybe Steve will be the new anchor??? Time will only tell!!!!
@ Wayne
Sports radio in Canada seems to do best when the morning show is a light-hearted recap of the previous day’s score/highlights etc. This is why Bob McCown’s show on The Fan in Toronto does so well in the afternoon slot, but was a flop when they moved him to the mornings. Mornings need to be lighter.
When Steve moved to TV I remember thinking “he’s a sports radio guy; is this going to work?”.
Pros make it work.
They are all welcome to this mess. I’m finished with 650 when they sign off on August 28.
@Duncan Richmond
I’m sure Steve Darling is a real professional.
Have a look at what the target market thinks
http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?t=2165807&page=39
Canuck fans know the score of last night’s games well before the morning after. They want insight and insider info about the Canucks, and that’s pretty much all they want. I think even going up against Bro Jake and Pratt, Steve, Mira and James will lose and be replaced quickly.
And had Sat been given the morning slot at 650, it would have been a much bigger story for the target audience
I agree with Wayne.
Sports radio fans want hard insight and insider info.
Steve Darling can/will provide very little of either.
– And who is he “connected” with in the sports world… for key interviews?
This move makes about as much sense as putting Bro Jake on TSN 1040.
Steve Darling is a “local media personality”. He should be hosting charity auctions somewhere.
He’s not your #1 morning drive guy on a big market Sports Radio station.
Whoever (in Toronto) made this hire has miss-read this market by 2500 miles.
Actually, the biggest issue TSN1040 has had is their horrendous female numbers. That’s why they have a lot of diesel truck repair companies, construction outhouse providers and erection doctor advertisements.
Darling seems to have more female appeal than both hosts on TSN1040’s morning show and if this is coupled with the other two members all they would need is to attract a satisfactory number of female listeners and take half of TSN1040’s numbers thanks to the Canuck games and talk and they might see success on the horizon.
I’m sure that will move the ratings needle.
I’m guessing Dave Gerry and Simi Sara weren’t available?
Rintoul and Andrew Walker drivetime shift.
Steve Darling is reading sports on News1130 this morning, under the usual Sportsnet Radio label used on that station. It’s not clear whether Rick Dhaliwal is simply on holiday or elsewhere.
“Dynamic”? Steve is the antithesis of dynamic. I get sleepy just looking at his picture. CISL is a good station now, but will die a lingering death as a sports outlet.
It’s summer time.. . I’m sure Rick is on holidays… and well let’s face it Steve might need to brush up on the old sports skills, as he’s been doing news and the wanna be politician thing of late..
Just practicing up, before the start of the new station I am sure.. nothing devious about that..
I feel like Steve will be the 3rd wheel of this morning show.. Mira and James will be the show, and Steve is there as the ‘side kick’..
When Darling did some fill-in at NW, he was as boring at best and like the rest, which was the beginning of the end for me even though I was really done before they tried him. Hopefully he finds a ‘personality’ before this latest attempt at a radio career. But, on the plus side, radio is for lazy people, so he might make it this time.