Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1 (2026-02-03)

Host: Matt Jones with Shannon, Drew, and callers
Date: February 3, 2026
Main Theme: KSR crew previews their Super Bowl trip, discusses Kentucky weather woes and politics, talk UK sports (injuries, team updates), and open the lines for their "Ask Anything Tuesday."

Overview

The KSR crew—Matt Jones, Drew, and Shannon—broadcasts live from Louisville in a rare full-staff appearance. The team is preparing to leave for the Super Bowl in San Francisco and spends this episode discussing pre-trip chaos, NFL media obligations, Louisville vs. Lexington culture, local Kentucky issues (particularly school closings and road conditions), UK basketball injuries, internet misinformation, and takes listener calls about everything from weather anxieties to aphantasia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Super Bowl Media Preparations and Radio Row

• The crew is excited for their Super Bowl trip, with a mix of anticipation ("I'm packed. I don't know if everything I have is what I need… But I'm ready and excited." – Drew, 04:07) and mild dread about their packed schedule of athlete interviews.
• Discussion about the setup of Radio Row in San Francisco and the NFL's heavy emphasis on video podcasting and live shows.
  • "Everything's a video setup now. Like, it's not even really radio… It's really video podcast production." – Matt Jones, 13:19
• The discomfort with sponsor-driven interviews:
  • “So, for instance, we have to interview Mike Golic Senior about Dexcom. How does one even do that? So, Mike, tell me about your friends at Dexcom…” – Matt Jones, 14:09
  • The team jokes about acting disinterested or uninformed about certain guests and sponsors, and how to fill awkward interview slots.

Missing Out on the "Super Bowl Media Dance Party"

• The crew laments missing the legendary Super Bowl Media Dance Party due to their arrival time.
  • “If you wanted to see Adam Schefter grind it out, tonight’s the night… chance for HR violations out the wazoo, right?” – Matt Jones, 10:06
  • Drew theorizes about which members of the media would be the wildest on the dance floor, and jokes about Billy’s propensity to network.

Weather Issues & Local Politics

• A recurring thread is the gridlock and bad weather in Kentucky, particularly in Lexington, with schools closed for days.
  • “Seven days out of school… My neighborhood was so bad, WKYT went live from my street twice last night.” – Drew, 06:14 / 06:37
• Praise for Mayor Gordon’s unusual public accountability over the city’s snow clearing failures.
  • “She did say, look, it was very unique, difficult circumstances. With that said, we’ve got to do better than this.” – Matt Jones, 07:20
• The hosts joke about pothole damage, the state of suburban roads, responsibilities for shoveling sidewalks, and “burbs” living.

The “Ask Anything Tuesday” Segment

• The hour features the show's signature open lines for any topic:
  • Sports (UK basketball injuries, football recruiting, coaching updates)
  • Life issues (weather anxieties, quirks like aphantasia)
  • Pop culture and random personal anecdotes

Comedic Banter and Memorable Moments

• Shannon’s “ICE” T-shirt confusion:
  • Matt spots Shannon in a shirt that simply says “ICE.”
  • Matt: “Are you wanting to insert yourself into this right now?” (22:19)
  • Shannon: “Didn’t even think about it.” (23:19)
  • The crew riffs on how Shannon’s innocence could accidentally land him in trouble, comparing it to wearing an “I love Donald” (Duck) T-shirt to a political rally.
• Billy’s Packing & Travel Anxieties:
  • Billy, part of the crew, is portrayed as an anxious traveler, particularly about what to pack and losing his ID, which Matt and Drew joke about repeatedly.

UK Basketball Injuries & Team Updates

• Ongoing discussion and comic exasperation with UK basketball’s spate of injuries:
  • “Are there any… at some point can’t be a coincidence?” – Matt Jones, 26:04
  • The crew debates the role of training, luck, and even superstitions (including blaming the haunted Annabelle doll) for the persistent ankle injuries.

Internet Misinformation & Facebook Fables

• Matt vented about false viral stories passing as fact on Facebook, urging listeners to help older family members understand what's real:
  • “…stop believing Facebook… just because it’s on a graphic… Old people and some young people just think cause it’s on Facebook and they put up a graphic, it has to be true.” – Matt Jones, 29:48
  • The whole team shares examples, from fake player transactions to Michael Jordan “calling out” NCAA refs, and express concern for the general public’s media literacy.

Listener Calls: The Quirky and the Genuine

• Memorable Calls:
  • Aphantasia: A listener explains he can’t visualize images in his mind, eliciting surprise and sympathy from the team.
    • Matt: “Have you gone to the doctor?”
    • Shannon later reads texts confirming other listeners experience the same, identifying it as “aphantasia” (43:12).
  • San Francisco Trivia: Callers reminisce about the city, referencing historical earthquakes (“Do you worry about going out there?” – Bob, 38:39) and 19th-century plagues (“Used to, did you know they had a plague in San Francisco?” – Matt Jones, 44:56).
  • UK Sports Questions: Callers praise the KSR team, bring up recruiting, and try to stir up good-natured beef for interviews with NFL personalities.

Kentucky Football Coaching (“Will Stein Era”)

• Discussion on new UK offensive coordinator Will Stein’s interviews, his recruiting mentality, and optimism:
  • “Will Stein said yesterday there’s no reason we can’t win at Kentucky and there’s no reason we can’t win quickly.” – Matt Jones, 48:05
  • "It’s not Mark Pope saying we’ve got a Ferrari and we’re going to drive it. But… he literally said, 'I don’t understand why this can’t be a destination.'" – Matt Jones, 50:10

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “We’re flying to the Super Bowl here at 3 o’clock this afternoon… Well, I say we, not Ryan and Shannon.”
  — Matt Jones, 03:14

• “We got the map of radio row. We’re in, like, prime territory.”
  — Matt Jones, 04:14

• “We’re gonna walk in there the first day and just be guesting left and right.”
  — Matt Jones, 05:11

• “My neighborhood was so bad, WKYT went live from my street twice last night. I must have one of the worst neighborhoods in Lexington.”
  — Drew, 06:37

• “She did say, look, it was very unique, difficult circumstances… With that said, we’ve got to do better than this.”
  — Matt Jones, 07:20

• “If you wanted to see Adam Schefter grind it out, tonight’s the night… a chance for HR violations out the wazoo...”
  — Matt Jones, 10:06

• “I have to… we have to interview Mike Golic Senior about Dexcom. How does one even do that?”
  — Matt Jones, 14:09

• “Old people and some young people just think cause it’s on Facebook and they put up a graphic, it has to be true.”
  — Matt Jones, 29:48

• “It’s called aphantasia…”
  — Shannon, 43:12

• “Will Stein said yesterday there’s no reason we can’t win at Kentucky and there’s no reason we can’t win quickly.”
  — Matt Jones, 48:05

Important Timestamps

• 03:14–06:37: Super Bowl trip logistics, crew all together, jokes about who’s missing and NFL Radio Row prep.
• 06:44–08:19: Lexington snow & ice woes, mayor’s apology, suburban vs. city lifestyle ribbing.
• 09:37–11:03: Excitement (and confusion) about the Super Bowl trip, food plans in San Francisco.
• 13:19–14:28: Behind-the-scenes at Radio Row: shift from “just radio” to video-podcast production.
• 14:09–15:24: Awkwardness of sponsor-driven athlete interviews.
• 20:00–24:14: “ICE” T-shirt discussion and comedic confusion.
• 29:48–34:09: Internet misinformation and Facebook hoaxes.
• 35:00–36:00: Aphantasia (lack of mental imagery) call-in segment.
• 44:56–46:48: San Francisco plague trivia.
• 48:05–50:10: Will Stein’s football recruiting and coaching optimism.

Tone & Style

Conversational, quick-witted, loaded with inside jokes, playful ribbing, and loyal to Kentucky sports fandom. The hosts mix genuine sports analysis with a comedic take on travel woes, local politics, internet culture, and Kentucky’s quirks.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a classic KSR blend: Matt, Drew, and Shannon joke about Super Bowl travel chaos, share the latest Louisville-Lexington weather drama, skewer both social media gullibility and Kentucky basketball’s injury bug, and riff off-the-cuff with listeners on everything from weird cognitive phenomena to local politics and UK sports. If you want the pulse of Kentucky sports fandom—served with honesty and humor—this episode delivers.