Should I Listen to This? – Dickie Speaks

Welcome to Should I Listen To This?, where we deep-dive into a podcast to find out what it’s about, what works, what doesn’t, and whether or not you need to make the all-important decision to hit subscribe and add it to your rotation.

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Podcast: Dickie Speaks

Network: Dick Vitale Online

What Is It?: It’s a weekly podcast hosted by Dick Vitale. Granted, it’s less of a podcast and more of an aside because each episode lasts only a couple minutes.

Who’s The Host?: It’s Dickie V, baby! The ESPN college basketball analyst gives his thoughts on some sports story from the previous week. There are no guests, and nothing but his voice.

What’s A Normal Episode Like?: It is literally Vitale leaving a long voicemail. It sounds like he’s making a phone call and he’s giving his take on some sports topic. Each episode lasts a minute or two and it doesn’t include any intro, outro, or sponsors. Vitale doesn’t stick to college basketball, either. In recent episodes, he talked about his work schedule, college basketball’s rules, and Ohio State/Michigan.

Who Is It For?: I’m genuinely unsure. You’ll get more Vitale during a game on ESPN and it’s not like he gives you any burning takes during the podcast. So, I’ll say it’s for Vitale fans who want a cherry on top of the Dukie V sundae.

Who Is It Not For?: Anyone who was happy ESPN took Vitale off Duke-UNC games and anyone who is going to comment on this review saying that they can’t stand his schtick.

How Many Episodes Are There?: There’s a new podcast released weekly. They usually show up on my feed on Mondays, though sometimes the episodes don’t come out until Tuesday.

Can I Jump Right In?: Yes. It’s a weekly show, so the episodes are fairly fresh.

What’s Not Great?: The audio quality is subpar. It sounds like Vitale is leaving a message on an old-school answering machine. It’s not unlistenable, but it’s far from the crisp clarity of typical broadcast audio. If the show was any longer than a minute or two, I wouldn’t be able to keep listening. On the bright side, I get to hear Vitale hit the end call button on his cordless home phone, or at least I think that’s what the beep is at the end of each episode.

The length is another not-so-great part of the show because I want more of Vitale. I’d prefer a well-produced show that lasts 15ish minutes. Even if it’s Vitale weighing in on 3-5 topics each week, that would be a lot better. It would give me more of a reason to want to listen in because there would be something of substance to listen to. Even five minutes would be better than 1-2 because Vitale could elaborate upon whatever statements he makes.

So, Should I Listen To This?: Not sure how I found this show, but I’ve been subscribed for months. We all have two minutes a week to hear the Gospel of Dick Vitale, even if it’s recorded on a can connected with a string. With his energetic delivery, Vitale could recite the phonebook and I’d listen.

And that’s wherein the divide lies. If you like Vitale, you will enjoy a couple more minutes of him. If you don’t like him, this won’t change your stance; in fact, listening to this show will probably have you finding Vitale more grating than you already think. If you’re still figuring out whether or not you even like Vitale, this show is a good way to get a small taste without having to fit college basketball into your schedule.

Bottom Line – TL;DR: Dickie Speaks, and I will listen, even if the audio quality kinda sucks.