Wild 107.5 KXJM

I will admit, I have not been an avid longtime listener to The Game. But lately I have found myself sitting in parking lots with the radio running long after I have arrived to my destination because I am soaking up all that they’re dishing out.
Heck, I am listening to it right now.
My sole purpose of listening is to get all the details about the Blazers. So this rating is based on listening to The Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano.
I agree with Chuck. I’ve listened a few times in the morning, today included, and my words to my husband were similar in comparing them to a college radio station (minus the part about snorting coke.)
They provide me with the information I need on all things Blazers, and that’s all I need them for.

They play live Blazers and Ducks games, and they brought back the Jim Rome Show to Portland. That’s worth 5 stars. I can’t say the same for their original programming.
The Morning Sports Page sounds like two frat boys, who just snorted two pounds of coke, with a show on a 10,000 watt college radio station. Calling their listeners «douchebags» for three hours every morning is very unprofessional, and their opinions of sports don’t branch out much farther than the Blazers are the best thing that ever happened in the history of mankind.
Canzano’s show is three hours of pro-​Blazers and pro-​Beavers talk, while anything Ducks related gets one compliment for every three snide remarks made about the U of O.
There’s just too much Blazers/​Beavers/​Ducks chat M-​F. They hardly discuss baseball, which I believe Major League Baseball has a much bigger following in Portland than one might think, hence some possible new listeners. It took them a while to discuss the University of Portland Pilots Men’s basketball team, who 1080 The Fan’s «Isaac & Big Zuke» show mentioned that team’s prediction to finish high in their conference.
This station has potential, since they hold the rights to Blazers and Ducks games. But I believe they need to make some staff and programming changes soon.

I am all over the board with this review, because the consistency of the on air staff is likewise all over the board. The national stuff (Jim Rome, Fox Sports Radio content) is fine. My issues revolve around the local yokels, so I’ll start in the morning and work my way up:
Morning Sports Page 6am-​9pm
Talent: Gavin Dawson aka the People’s Champ, Chad Dooing aka Chad in Portland aka CIP aka the Body.
Sometimes when I listen to this show it’s even, balanced and informative. I’d love to say that’s the norm, but I think it tends to be the exception. More often than not, someone is childishly yelling at a caller who just called them out on the carpet for saying something dumb or impulsive, or challenged their man hood. One morning I listened to a train wreck as ex Beaverton Beaver and Oregon Duck Anthony Newman indirectly lambasted Dawson for being critical of the Oregon Ducks team and their fan base. The best part of the interview was listening to Dawson sheepishly respond to Newman, as if he knew he was walking on thin ice with his Oregon pre game show partner. Maybe it’s because he’s getting used to the job of being a primary broadcaster, but as Dawson has gotten comfortable on the air he has developed a desperate «please like me and believe that I am cool» tone to his voice. Dooling sounds like I guy who once worked at a sports bar. He’s fine, I guess. They have other spot up people, but it’s primarily a two man show. The nail in the coffin for me was when I once heard this absolutely ridiculous segment they called ground and pound. This is a segment where the hosts give a verbal description of how they are going to drop a pop culture/​sports related celeb to the ground, and then beat them up MMA style. MMA, in my opinion, is human cock fighting and does not belong in the same conversation as traditional sports, period. I do understand that a portion of the audience for this show resides in greater Clark County, Gresham, and various other havens for white trash, wal mart shopping, pick up truck driving, rednecks. Knowing that, I get that they are catering to their demographic. So between that garbage, and the seeming need to drop «douche bag» or «Jobber» into every segment I’d just go ahead and skip the show. (UPDATE: They seemingly have done away with ground and pound, but they have this «Bigger Dance» contest where dudes get to pick the hottest chicks out of a field of presumably 64 that is worse. Nothing like a bunch of losers comparing women whom they couldn’t bed even if said women were in a morgue. Best of all, the grand prize has something to do with NASCAR and going to a NASCAR race or something. So the applicants will primarily be from Vancouver… NICE)
The Bald Faced Truth 3pm-​6pm
Talent: John Canzano
Canzano is a lot like Neil Diamond: you either love him or hate him. I fall into the stratification of love him. His blunt honesty and directness are refreshing. He does not care if he’s right or wrong, but he does care that the truth comes out. People with soft, sensitive feelings shouldn’t listen to him because he will likely irritate them with his judgmental delivery. I think the world has gone soft, and anyone who has an opinion and has the stones to deliver said opinion should be emulated and look up to. When he’s wrong, he admits it. Best of all, if someone disagrees with him he doesn’t call them names or dismiss them, he is respectful of the individuals opinion and simply disagrees. Listen to this show, it incorporates real life situations to sports. Athletes aren’t superheros, they sit on the toilet just like you and me. John Canzano humanizes sports, and that a very good thing in my opinion.
UPDATE:
Wheels at work Noon-​3pm
Talent: Brian Wheeler, Kenny Vance
New time slot, basically same opinion.
I guess if you like Brian Wheeler, you’d maybe like this show. I have just started trying to give Wheeler a chance in play by play announcing of Blazer games, and my frustration listening to him makes it impossible to like him in any other format. I wish I could separate my disappointment in his blatant homer calling of the Blazer games, or his NBA JAM dunk calls that are about as exciting as puns are funny, or the fact that he is constantly leaving me lost as to WHAT HE HELL is actually going on in a given game. His show is stale, and very un-​opinionated. If the sound of Brian Wheeler had a flavor, it would be Vanilla. He is a company employee, and a waste of time to listen to if you are looking for content that goes beyond his «sports graffiti» statement segment (train wreck). Love Kenny Vance however. He is a peach, and I will never forget him blowing up on air years ago telling a caller to shut his pie hole. This is post
Strong At Night 6pm-​7pm
John Strong (AKA John Canzano’s producer) is a good kid. He means well, but he likes soccer. I have no strong opinion, no pun intended.

Wow, I feel like I’m going against the grain here big time, but isn’t that the kinda horse-​shit they encouraged in elementary school?
I have five words for Chuck, and Alex, and the other Unilocalers who ripped Jammin a new one:
WAY BACK WEST COAST WEDNESDAYS
Warren G? Nate Dogg? N.W.A. Jurrasic 5? What about just the «west coast is the best coast» spirit?
You people make me sick! You should be ashamed of yourselves!
OK, well I guess it’s not that big of a deal, but I don’t take my hip hop lightly. And so what I like the well-​known stuff, and don’t know much underground hip hop, but I certainly know a good beat when I hear one.
This is the only decent hip/​hop station in all of Portland, so let me enjoy it while it is here. Honestly I would prefer a non-​stop late 80’s early 90’s hip hop channel (god can you imagine the never ending SWV, TLC, Jodeci, et al), but I guess that just isn’t entirely trendy enough yet. I will cross my little crusty fingers and wait for the day people appreciate this genre again. Someone once described my personal taste in music and men as «a closeted chola circa 1995.» I carry that title with pride.
And yes, commercials blow, but mute the hoe!
Thank you Jammin 95 for keepin it real.
*EDIT 5/​10/​2008* No worries!!! Jammin 95 is now switching to 107.5 beginning Monday ⁵⁄₁₂. You can’t shut us down! We’re gonna keep Portland hoppin till the end of time!

When Jammin first came along, it was supposed to Portland’s premier hip hop station that would satisfy the heaps of Portlanders who were asking for it. Their shows were urban from the DJs to the music, to the guests. Even Rasheed Wallace had his own show and called 95.5 the «ill’st hip hop in Portland.» But add a couple of a years at #1, some corporate sponsors and the content of the station changed dramatically. Gone are the underground music with regional flavor in the NorthWest and enter the mounds of celebrity juice and mainstream hip hop.
The retro hour is usually filled with DJ mixes of pioneering 80s hip hop acts but nothing that would otherwise suggest that this station is any more easier to listen to than other competitors. They will play certain songs over and over during the hour and they essentially will start chiming in the same stuff as Z100, especially during the weekend hot mixes. The morning shows were decent, but the humor level has gone way down, at least for me. Even the prizes are nothing to boast about and unfortunately neither is this station.

i forgot to charge my ipod, so im stuck listening to the radio.
i forgot what radio life is like before my ipod. man does it SUCK.
we aren’t from the south so quit playing south music!!!
p. s. their stupid commercial drives me nuts. shut up shut up!!!

Hands down, worst station in Portland.
Most annoying commercials you could imagine.
Most annoying dj’s as well.
Tends to play the same 5 songs in constant rotation.
For a glimpse at what a good hip hop station sounds like, try tuning into KBOO on Saturdays at 9 pm.

If I could give it 0 stars I would. The morning show on this station is the most annoying thing in the world. Worst than nails on a chalkboard, than a bikini without a wax, its even worse than a suger free/​half caff/​soy/​cinamon dolce latte from starbucks. Yuck.
The music is way to pop hip hop.
If they palyed a wider variety of hip hops than I might actually listen. But I just can’t hear the same Nick Cannon song seven times in one hour.