The sudden dismissal of the entire morning show at Entercom modern rock KROQ-FM Los Angeles (106.7) two months ago has led to the launch of the podcast The No Sports Report. “I know first-hand about how hard things can be right now for people but above all else, I’m a sports fan and I’m in dire need to follow something right now,” said host Jensen Karp on a preview of the new show he’s hosting for the iHeartPodcast Network.
“Our society has correctly cancelled everything as the result of a global pandemic and now we are in an unprecedented time where we have no sports, so I’m here to ask what are the athletes doing now,” said Karp. “These are weird times for all of us, but for some reason I just keep thinking about these athletes. What are they doing? How are they holding up? I guess I’m used to seeing them every day and now I miss them. So that’s what I’m doing, I’m checking in and making sure they’re doing okay.”
The podcast features “fireside” chats with athletes, coaches, commentators and legends from the sports world who just like their fans are desperately missing the games they love. Guests have included legends like Sugar Ray Leonard, Adam Rippon, Gavin Lux and Jay Williams.
Karp may’ve been part of a morning crew at an alt-rock station, but his work as a comedian has led him to the world of sports in the past. He’s been part of the writing team for the ESPY Awards and the “NFL on Fox” show as well as a Sacha Baron Cohen film. His own life story is one that is probably worthy of a podcast by itself. Karp broke into the entertainment world at the age of 19 when Interscope Records signed him to a million-dollar record contract as rapper “Hot Karl,” drawing comparisons to Vanilla Ice. That led to his memoir, “Kanye Owes Me $300.”