Papa Joe’s Family Of Listeners Expands Across Nation
Papa Joe Chevalier found the gift at a tender age.
Chevalier, the talk jock out of Chicago who’s heard in 70 cities daily including Spokane, discovered the power of persuasion as a grade schooler in 1960.
His class in Spring Grove, Pa., was united in support of John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, but somebody had to speak up for the other guy.
So Joe Chevalier was appointed to argue Richard Nixon’s presidential qualifications before the class election.
The school was Catholic, same as candidate Kennedy. “Nobody wanted to speak for Nixon so the nun picked me,” Chevalier said in a phone interview, “since I was always arguing anyway.”
Pictures of Kennedy were plastered all over the school.
“Everybody, including me, wanted Kennedy,” Chevalier laughs, “and we beat him 11-8.”
Chevalier is that tough to talk down. Make that impossible, because his show - heard here in the afternoons - is his home turf. Venture on the radio to argue with Papa Joe, and you give up homefield advantage.
The art of the argument in his case flowered on the debate team at Duquesne University. His grasp of a subject on Disagreement Day - an irregular feature on his show - usually comes in a rush.
A sportswriter in Pittsburgh, Chevalier’s interest in sports evolved from the names and numbers of technical recall to what people really want. They want to laugh, complain, argue, sometimes even listen. They want all the qualities of a good party.
Papa Joe throws a pretty good party.
“I doubt I could name one starting lineup in major league baseball,” he said. “As a kid I knew the second teams. I don’t sit here and try to impress people with numbers. I’d rather talk sports with a guy who can diagram a draw play than one who can name the starting lineup.”
Chevalier said when he worked in Pittsburgh at 26, covering the Penguins in their expansion year, he was the youngest writer to hold a National Hockey League press card.
“Of course, the cards were issued from Montreal and the name - Chevalier - didn’t hurt,” he says.
His future could include television, “but I have a great body for radio,” he said.
“I’d love to try it, but I’m not sure TV would work for me. I’m having fun now. I’ve bounced out of bed in the morning since I’ve had this gig. I can’t wait to get to work.
“We’ve had fan clubs for the show spring up from Sacramento to Jacksonville, from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon - radically different audiences regionally and culturally. It’s just been a lot of fun.”
Chevalier comes on here after local host Paul Seebeck. The morning slot on The Score is dominated by The Sports Babe from ESPN Radio in Bristol, Conn.
The Babe - Nancy Donnellan - got her break on KJR in Seattle. She’s still on KJR today - only with 129 other stations, including The Score.
The Sports Babe has no problem with listener response. Only a fraction of the calls to her make it on the air. Much of her time is spent with guests.
Again, her appeal is not so much information as showmanship.
Bob Stevens is manager of ESPN radio.
“She’s bold, opinionated, she knows what she’s talking about, but most of all she’s an entertainer,” Stevens said. “She’s the Rush Limbaugh of sports.”
Brian Paul is general manager of Spokane’s 24-hour sports station, The Score.
“We have good response to the Sports Babe in the morning,” he said, “and there seems to be a lot of people in Spokane who follow Papa Joe’s philosophy of sports. The majority of phone calls go to him.”
Chevalier says he’s not heard in as many cities as he’d like, but his market is growing.
“We’ve succeeded everywhere we’ve gone,” he said. “No city that I’m aware of has taken the show and said it stinks and left it.”
He says he likes to visit places where he’s a radio regular.
“I’ve never been to Spokane, but I’d like to make it for a Wazzu game sometime,” he said.
If he comes, listen for the party to come with him.
xxxx On the air Hear Papa Joe on AM 970 The Score, weekdays 1-5 p.m.