Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) — January 30, 2026, Hour 1

Hosts: Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon
Theme: Kentucky snow removal drama, UK basketball under Mark Pope vs. Calipari at Arkansas, Lexington news, local banter, and community calls.

Episode Overview

The KSR crew kicks off Hour 1 with an in-depth (and very lively) discussion about Lexington’s ongoing snow removal woes, community frustrations, and winter weather stories. They transition into University of Kentucky basketball talk, particularly focusing on the looming game against Arkansas and how the fan base feels about Coach Calipari a year after his departure. The show keeps its trademark mix of humor, honest opinions, local flavor, and fan engagement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lexington’s Snow Removal Crisis

• Topic: Listeners and hosts vent about slow snow and ice removal in Lexington neighborhoods.
• Lexington vs. Louisville:
  • Matt: “Shannon, you and I, we're basically like rolling in the streets in Louisville… we could like bathe in the middle” (04:04).
  • Shannon: “I wouldn't recommend it, but. Yeah, you could, because they're that clean.” (04:12)
• Neighborhood Frustrations:
  • Ryan: Main roads are cleared, but neighborhood streets remain impassable.

    "It's a little frustrating just for the neighborhood streets, but really, the main thoroughfares are clear." (04:51)

  • Drew: Describes his own failed attempts to break up ice:

    “I had hammers, ice picks, shovels, hammers. Cannot break it up.” (06:44, 06:55)

  • Shannon (mocking video): “He's just kind of pawing at it like a cat would.” (09:10)
  • Drew: “My porch, I fell down yesterday. I told the Amazon guy, throw it to me. Like there's nothing.” (06:33)
• City’s Response: Matt summarizes the patience plea from Lexington officials; hosts debate how much patience is fair.
• Grading the Cleanup:
  • Drew: “I'll give them a C minus.” (11:46)
  • Ryan: “C minus.” (11:54)

Memorable Quote:

• Matt, on Ryan’s “technique”:

  “I want you to tweet out that video so people can at least see your technique and then they can judge your technique...” (10:50)

2. UK Basketball: Calipari’s Arkansas vs. Pope’s Wildcats

• Pre-game Pulse:
  • Matt to Drew: “A year after that, where is the UK fan base on Cal today versus where it was last year?” (13:01)
  • Drew: “This year...I have honestly haven't thought about him that much at all... it's not nearly what it was a year ago.” (13:46)
• Cheering for/against Cal:
  • Matt:

    “I do want him to lose in the same way that I want Duke to lose and I want Louisville to lose... Arkansas, since Cal's been there, is in that group for me.” (15:13)

  • Shannon:

    “Arkansas has always been in that group because I hated them going back to the 90s... now that Caliper is there, it gives me even more reason to hate him.” (16:25)

  • Drew:

    “They're kind of out of sight and out of mind this year. Last year been different though, right?” (17:20)

• On the State of UK Basketball:
  • Discussion around whether the fanbase would still want Cal as coach if given the option:
    • Shannon: “I would say there's probably at least 25%.” (26:06)
    • Ryan: “I think maybe 15 or 20...” (28:08)
    • Drew: “I think it's less than 10%. I think you are high.” (28:42)
  • Matt: Points out that, statistically, UK and Arkansas have had similar results post-Cal.

Notable Quote:

• Drew:

  “We remember those last four years. More tournament games last year than Cal did in four years.” (28:47)

3. Community Calls and Lexington Banter

• Snow Business Opportunity:

  • Matt: Mentions seeing people offering to shovel driveways for pay:

    “On my street there was a group of... Mexican guys who were knocking on every door asking if people wanted them to shovel the pay. ...that seems like a good way to make, I would think, Ryan, a good little bit of money, right?” (23:12)

  • Drew: Shares story of young men from Pikeville cleaning his parents’ driveway.

• Cool Snow Removal Tech:

  • Matt: Describes New York-style snow-melting machines:

    “They’re just taking bulldozers and loading up the snow and putting it in the truck and setting it on fire...” (24:20)

  • Drew: “They call them the hot tubs, hot dogs...I don’t know how it works where that water goes...” (25:03)

• Lexington’s “Bead Statue” Debate:

  • Drew: “There's not one person in this city that likes that.” (43:46)
  • Matt: Reads a text in support of the artwork, sparking comic debate.
  • Ryan: “Take your balls somewhere else.” [re: sculpture] (44:09)

4. Coach Mark Pope’s Comments on Recruiting

• Topic: Pope claims the lackluster season and lack of commitments might entice new recruits.
• Ryan: Skeptical:

  “I don’t buy it. I don’t know if a recruit’s going to be sitting there buying it. Look at how they play and dysfunctional their offense is what makes you want.” (44:56)

• Drew: Unimpressed with the spin:

  “This is what I talk about. Everything is not perfect. Like, when things are bad, him saying, well, recruits like bad. That's not true, and we're not going to believe that.” (45:39)

• Shannon: “That answer reminds me of...Vanderbilt would get a good basketball player come there because I knew they could play and be the guy on the team. ...that sounds like what Kentucky basketball is becoming.” (46:05)

5. Lighter & Local: Arkansas Stories, Diamonds, and Hot Springs

• Arkansas Road Trip Fears:
  • Ryan: Tells of a scary night in the Ozarks out of fuel (30:40)
  • Drew: “We did vote who we were going to eat first." (31:07)
• Weird Attractions:
  • Caller: Highlights Crater of Diamonds State Park where you can dig for and keep diamonds (37:02)
  • Ryan: “Uncle Sam diamond he was talking about was down there.” (39:18)
• Hot Springs:
  • Drew/Matt: Mention Arkansas hot springs, where people go for therapeutic soaks (38:45)

6. Notable KSR Moment: The Baby Announcement

• Listener ‘Scotty’ recalls how his wife staged a surprise, using KSR for their baby announcement.

  “She just randomly put it on. And then I heard you say my name...that was a genuine reaction.” (47:44 - 48:22)

• Matt: “Very cool. First ever KSR baby announcement happened this week.” (50:29)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Snow removal outrage in Lexington begins: 03:07
• Hosts debate city’s response & personal stories: 04:51 – 12:08
• Calipari at Arkansas & UK basketball state: 13:01 – 17:20
• How much do fans still want Cal?: 25:59 – 28:53
• Lexington bead statue / local art debate: 43:13 – 44:09
• Coach Pope recruiting comments analyzed: 44:11 – 47:23
• Arkansas weird travel & attractions: 29:12 – 39:18
• Scotty’s baby announcement recap: 47:23 – 50:29

Notable Quotes

• Matt (on snow-clearing video): “I want you to tweet out that video so people can at least see your technique...” (10:50)
• Drew (on UK/Calipari): “More tournament games last year than Cal did in four years.” (28:47)
• Ryan (on Pope recruiting answer): “Look at how they play and dysfunctional their offense is what makes you want.” (44:56)
• Matt (on community entrepreneurial snow shoveling): “That seems like a good way to make...a good little bit of money, right?” (23:12)
• Shannon (on Ryan’s ice-breaking): “He's just kind of pawing at it like a cat would.” (09:10)
• Caller (on his daughter's entrepreneurialism): “She wanted to think of ways that she could earn money so that she could pay for college.” (35:30)

Summary Tone & Style

The tone is classic KSR: irreverent, local, sports-focused but loaded with comic relief and relatable tales. There’s a lot of friendly ribbing (especially about Ryan’s snow-shoveling) alongside honest, critical discussions of UK basketball’s trajectory and local news. Listener calls further emphasize community, both in comic fashion and genuine moments (as with the baby announcement).

For New Listeners

This episode will hook you with its mix of down-to-earth, Kentucky-centric humor, and insightful, sometimes biting, but always authentic UK sports talk. If you want personalities who speak frankly about both basketball drama and the everyday civic gripes of Kentucky life, KSR delivers it here—commercials aside, this is a tight hour of local radio gold.