Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Matt Jones and the KSR crew
Theme: Weather wars, Kentucky Basketball, and more local Kentucky news.

Episode Overview

This episode brings lighthearted humor and classic KSR banter as Matt Jones and crew discuss the upcoming major snowstorm (“Snowmageddon”), local weather personalities, the night’s UK basketball matchup against Texas, wacky Kentucky news (catfish harvesting arrests!), and fan interaction. The tone is lively and colloquial, blending sports updates with local culture and running show in-jokes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrating the "Lock of the Year"

[00:35–02:06]

• The crew celebrates Matt’s successful “lock of the year” sports bet.
  • Matt Jones: “I've never gotten the lock of the year wrong. That's why they do one a year and you got to go back to 1961 to find one that didn't hit... City College in New York... versus Villanova got that wrong.” ([01:17])
  • They joke about the legend and tease the idea of a second lock this year.
• Banter about lack of sleep and feeling rejuvenated after finally resting.

2. The Impending Historic Snowstorm — ‘Snowmageddon’

[02:21–15:46]

• Anticipation builds for a huge snowstorm, which Matt dubs a “weatherman Super Bowl.”
• Matt details the “combatants” of Kentucky weather: a humorous roll call of local meteorologists, their personalities, and their snow prediction rivalries.
  • Chris Bailey: “He is in some ways the people's weatherman.” ([07:03])
  • Bill Meck: “Looks like your middle school science teacher... sneakily funny... Odd. Climate change denier weather band.” ([07:53])
  • TG Shuck (Thunderstruck): “You thought he left, but he came back to show the next generation weather can still happen.” ([09:16])
  • Louisville’s Mark Weinberg: “This is Dennis Rodman... all he wants is accuracy... He’s about the accuracy.” ([11:02–11:43])
  • Bryce Jones, Ryan Hall Y’all, and J. Cardozzi—each receives characterization and fan banter.
• Matt encourages fans to tag him in weatherman feuds and model sniping on social media.
  • Notable quote: “When you see them sniping at each other, tag me. Okay. I want to retweet the snipes, any little grudges...” ([14:43])

Notable Moment - The Weather Model Drama

• Multiple weather models referenced—the Euro, BOP, Cook models.
• Matt delights in watching the weathermen “sniping” at each other online.
• Shannon describes how Ryan Hall, Y’all has become a Gen Z favorite, with up to 3 million subscribers.
  • Shannon: “Ryan Hall's got like over 2 million subscribers... 3 million... He does, I think, the whole country.” ([18:34–18:38])

3. UK Basketball vs. Texas Preview

[20:02–24:54]

• Texas is described as a quietly strong opponent with major road wins.
  • Shannon: “Texas is probably the best team in the SEC that we don't talk about. That nobody talks about. They are sneaky good. They beat Alabama. At Alabama.” ([20:48])
• The team discusses UK's tendency to start games slowly.
  • Matt Jones: “If we could just be average and not poopy time awful in the first half, it would be even better.” ([22:46])
  • Etta May: “It blows my mind how it's happened this many times. It's a year and a half, and after the LSU game, we're like, this cannot happen again. And then three days later…” ([22:57])
• They stress the importance of tonight’s game and the need for a strong start, especially against a dangerous offensive team.

4. Basketball Transfer News: The Bediako Situation

[25:08–29:42]

• Alabama basketball’s Charles Bediako gets a temporary restraining order to play, despite leaving for the G League and returning.
• Debate on fairness: Should players be allowed to return from pro leagues mid-season? The crew is skeptical but acknowledges how the COVID eligibility window creates oddities.
  • Shannon: “It just doesn't smell right. It just doesn't feel right that he played college ball, went to play pro ball. Now he wants to come back and play college ball. This doesn't seem right.” ([28:05])

5. Show Running Gag: The ‘Eat Alone Challenge’

[31:42–33:50]

• Next week, Ryan Lemond must eat alone every night, a challenge he dreads.
  • Shannon: “I just don't like hanging out by myself, period.” ([33:20])
• Matt instructs that fans may say hello to Ryan at restaurants, but no one is allowed to sit with him.

6. Who Should Be on a KSR Mural?

[33:57–36:04]

• Listener asks which Kentucky athletes should appear on a potential mural at KSBar.
• Matt’s choices: Anthony Davis, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Benny Snell, Jared Lorenzen, Sydney McLaughlin (honorable mention: Ryan Howard, Georgia Amoore).
• The group discusses personal connections to these athletes and why they’ve made a mark on KSR history.

7. Bizarre Kentucky News: Catfish Harvesting Scandal

[38:25–41:33]

• Matt describes a major investigation into illegal catfish harvesting—over 100 people have been arrested, with up to 2,000 at risk.
  • Matt Jones: “...they took too many of the public ones and then they put them in their private ones to act like they had grown up. It sounds illegal... they've already arrested like 100 people, and they say when the probe is over, maybe 2,000 people in Kentucky could be arrested for catfish harvesting.” ([39:43])
• Banter ensues about burying ponds and being on the run from authorities.

8. Don Lemon Rumor / Internet News Bubble

[37:39–43:31]

• A listener presses Matt on his opinion about something Don Lemon allegedly did in Minnesota, but the crew is clueless.
• They all joke about the disconnected nature of personal internet feeds.
  • Etta May: “I've not thought of him ever until this moment. So he's not been on my algorithm.” ([43:17])
• Matt wryly points out their news cycles only include what their algorithms serve up.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Matt Jones on weather drama:
  “Snowstorms are why they [weathermen] exist... It's like Super Bowl week. They should all have to have a media scrum today...” ([04:28])

• On Mark Weinberg, Louisville’s ‘bad boy’ weatherman:
  “He’s oddly the most provocative but the most conservative in his predictions because he thinks all... people are like snow hoes... They just throw out big snow reports, get people scared, and then it doesn’t snow.” ([11:12–11:37])

• On the meteorologist rivalry:
  “Bailey and Weinberg need to just go at each other now. You got two days here to get at it.” ([15:10])

• On Kentucky basketball’s slow starts:
  “You can do both. You can applaud whatever [Calipari] does at halftime and go, how about we don’t fall down 15 points in the first half?” ([23:44])

• On catfish harvesting arrests:
  “If you are an illegal catfish harvester... you’ve been put on notice here on KSR because they say there are 2000 of you... They're coming for you.” ([40:14])

• On personal news bubbles:
  “We all have our own news cycles and algorithms.” ([43:29])

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---|---|---| | Lock of the Year & Banter | 00:35–02:06 | | Epic Snowstorm Prepping & Meteorologist Roll Call | 04:21–15:46 | | Ryan Hall Y’all and the Gen Z Weather Takeover | 17:47–18:38 | | UK vs. Texas Basketball Preview | 20:02–24:54 | | NCAA Basketball Transfer Issue: Bediako Case | 25:08–29:42 | | Eat Alone Challenge Announcement | 31:42–33:50 | | Mural Brainstorm (KSR Icons) | 33:57–36:04 | | Catfish Harvesting Scandal | 38:25–41:33 | | Don Lemon News Bubble | 37:39–43:31 |

Tone & Style

• Language: Light, humorous, and conversational. Frequent callbacks to local personalities and show inside jokes.
• Atmosphere: The show is both informative (regarding sports and local snow happenings) and playfully irreverent—classic to KSR’s brand.

Summary for New Listeners

This fast-paced episode blends discussion of Kentucky sports (mainly UK basketball), local news, and pop culture with a uniquely local twist. The upcoming snowstorm allows for a playful look at Kentucky’s weatherman rivalries, complete with personal anecdotes and predictions. The hosts balance sports analysis with humorous perspectives on odd Kentucky news, making it engaging whether you’re a diehard UK fan or just love local flavor and offbeat sports radio banter.

If you want to follow the snowstorm drama, the UK basketball rollercoaster, or laugh at the idea of rogue catfish thieves—all seasoned with Kentucky flair and fan community spirit—this is a prime example of the KSR experience.