Minus the riches and entourage of the Robert Palmer chicks, Tom Leyden is living every boy’s dream. The 27-year-old Hoboken resident is the host and executive producer of STT Sports Talk, an independently-produced radio show that airs on WEVD, New York – that’s at 1050 on your AM dial – on Monday nights from 8 to 9 p.m.
Sports have always been a part of Leyden’s life. A native of West Port Conn., Leyden grew up playing the big three all-American sports: football, basketball and baseball. Unfortunately, when Leyden attended Boston College, participating in sports was no longer an option.
“Boston College is a Division I school, so organized sports were out of the question,” said Leyden last week.
So, the athletic enthusiast turned his interest towards radio and television, with dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster.
After college, Leyden landed a job as an assistant to an executive at the National Football League. After four years with the NFL, he moved to the National Hockey League, where he sold advertising for the organization’s web site. Seven months ago, after reading an advertisement in a trade magazine selling time on WEVD, Leyden finally decided to pursue his lifelong dream.
“You buy an hour – actually 56 minutes – and you can do whatever you want in that time,” Leyden said last week. “You and I could just sit there and say each other’s name back and forth.”
Fortunately, Leyden uses the time more wisely. Along with co-hosts Tom Luzarraga and Doug Barker and producer Brian Matoren, Leyden spends the hour discussing “hot topics,” interviewing guests, answering call-ins, and predicting the five-day sports forecast.
“People don’t understand how I get the interviews,” Leyden said. “But working for the NFL and the NHL has helped me. I don’t lose my composure around the big names. I usually just leave a message on their answering machine. I figure you have one minute to say who you are, what you do, what you want and what they get. So I say, ‘I’m Tom. I do a radio show. I want you to come down, and you get a $50 gift certificate to Smith and Wollensky.'” (Smith and Wollensky, the famous steak house in Manhattan, is one of Leyden’s advertisers. Everyone who appears on the show gets the gift certificate.)
Obviously, Leyden’s approach has been effective. Over the last six months, with the help of the gift certificates, Leyden has lured many impressive names onto his show, including Robin Roberts from ESPN, Jim Nantz from CBS Sports, former L.A. Ram Jack Youngblood, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Doug Williams and the Commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber.
Leyden’s prior experience – particularly selling advertising space on NHL.com – has also helped him secure sponsors. Along with Smith and Wollensky, Laser One, Heineken and officialstuff.com advertise on Sports Talk.
The sponsors provide only enough income to allow Leyden to break even. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic.
“It’s fun, but it’s also hard work,” Leyden said. “A lot of people are misguided about what it takes to be on the air. Fortunately, I get satisfaction out of the whole process. And I’m going to keep the show going until I get what I want: a fulltime television or radio gig.”
Passing the ball
While Leyden is incredibly knowledgeable about sports, don’t expect an overly-opinionated host. A self-proclaimed Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Giants fan, he leaves most of the pontificating to his co-hosts.
“You won’t hear me being too biased,” said Leyden, who saves most of his opinions for the show’s “Final Thoughts,” editorial segment. “I usually pass that ball off to my fellow hosts.”
He did have some thoughts on the NBA quest for a championship ring. Like most basketball fans, he looks forward to a Knicks vs. Lakers final, but remains pragmatic.
“The Knicks are very strong,” he said. “But they still have some hurdles to climb before they get to the Lakers. And the Lakers have shown that they’re vulnerable.”
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