Mark Madden - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Mark has been at the top of the ratings in Pittsburgh for 25 straight years for a reason. He brings that old school Pittsburgh cultural perspective to the modern day while still analyzing every situation completely objectively. You might not like him because he makes fun of your favorite player for focusing too much on their social media clout, rap career, or personal achievements rather than dedicating themselves to their team, results, and winning football games but there is no questioning Mark’s greatness. If you don’t listen, you’re probably a fan boy.

Incredible dedication to the show. A pessimistic but realistic view of the Pittsburgh sports landscape. Fun and informative.

I really enjoy the show and it is still very good since the change to the new format. However, the Pregame show podcast seems to include all segments but the following two hours only include the top of the hour monologue and the guest interviews. That was hardly ever the case before the current format. Also, can we take the podcast up to “The List” part of the show. I get that the last hour is repeated after this portion. Finally, can this be edited better. Some segments start partially into the broadcast. I don’t remember it happening much before this current format. If that is a tactic to get to listen live, I can’t because of work. If this can’t be improved, maybe this is partially why Mark says there has never been a better time to not listen to the show. Lol

As an out of towner I’m glad the Madden podcast is finally available via iTunes because the other shows are borderline insufferable.

Cook and Joe are okay...

The Fan Morning Show is awful...

The PM team is awful - Poni is fine, but Mueller is wholly unqualified and out of his element.

Crowley is okay- but thinks he’s the coolest, funniest dude on the 🌎 - he’s not.

But Madden is great! No holes in his game. Funny, knowledgeable and a straight-shooter. Best in the business!

Madden understands what the Steelers are and are not. He uses facts, stats, and logic to back up his arguments while mixing in some talking junk which makes me laugh. I wish I woulda subbed sooner.

Spicoli

The Good - Madden doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him, which comes in handy when he rips apart Pittsburgh fans who can be a bit dim. He also does a great job at interviewing, and he gets some fantastic guests. He can be hilarious, especially when he’s hanging up on callers who don’t agree with him. He also knows hockey better than anyone in the local sports talk scene, and he’s well connected in the NHL world.

The Bad - He’s old, cranky and arrogant. You can hear the flem in his throat when he talks, and it’s pretty gross. His mouth is always full of saliva, so you get to hear him chew his spit and you can almost feel the spittle through the speakers when he slobbers words and smacks his lips. He often ends his sentences/thoughts with a hard “UH”, which is strange considering he reads his monologues. His monologues are usually just his column he writes for the local paper.

He’s obsessed with Liverpool soccer, so if there is a game on during the show, he will interrupt himself constantly to tell the audience what’s happening. It’s weird, but unique, I’ll give him that. No one in Pittsburgh except the Madden sycophants care about Liverpool soccer, but his ratings are so good, he doesn’t care. He proves this by threatening to quit constantly.

His memory slips often, and he garbles words or flat out misspeaks, and rarely corrects himself which can be annoying... but more frustrating is how he talks over EVERYONE, even his guests. It’s his show, and I understand when he does it to the average caller, but he does it to his guests as well, which gets tiresome. You can often hear the frustration in his guests’ voices.

His arrogance is off the charts, so if that particular personality trait bothers you, don’t bother tuning in. You won’t like him or the show. (There’s nothing like listening to someone brag about their supposed high IQ over and over. It’s like listening to Al Bundy talk about his 4 TD game at Polk High). He is also pretty vulgar, so he has that going for him.

He also gets fixated on a topic and will beat it into the ground for weeks or months. If you are a regular or semi-regular listener, you know this. Even if you agree with his POV, it’s exhausting. If you don’t agree, you’ll turn him off or tune him out. An example of this... he HATES Pitt, and he suffers from Kenny Pickett Syndrome (KPS). He can’t bash Pickett enough, even after the guy is long gone from the Steelers. It’s a bit demented.

All in all, he’s an acquired taste. He likes what he likes, and hates what he hates. His ratings show people are tuning in, even if many in his audience hate-listen.