Love him or hate him

Love him or hate him - and there are plenty of folks on both sides - David Pratt is a ratings juggernaut for the TEAM 1040. Pratt’s afternoon daily talk fest, The Pratt and Taylor Show, virtually owns the Vancouver radio market in the category of Men 25 – 54 and ranks a close second in market share for males 18 – 49. Whether being hailed or derided, one thing is clear: David Pratt is the undisputed king of Vancouver Sports Talk Radio. Over dinner at Vancouver’s Q4 al Centro, Pratt ditched his signature leather pants and engaged writers Joe Leary and Jim Gordon in conversation.  

Leary: Did you ever see yourself being in sports talk radio?

Pratt: There’s no question. When I was in high school, the CKLG Boss Jocks came to play an exhibition basketball game at lunch with the Langley Senior Secondary cheerleaders; kind of a Harlem Globetrotters thing. The first time I saw that act, I went, “I want to be one of those guys” and got hooked on the idea of doing radio. Radio has always been my first love. To do what I’ve been able to do over the last 35 years, there’s never been a doubt in my mind from day one—I wanted to do this from the time I was 17 years old.

Gordon: Does today’s broadcasting industry discourage you at all?  Pratt: No, not at all, in fact just the opposite! When I first got into the business, radio stations were all owned by families. It was a very mom-and-pop business. There were no corporate giants running the show. The problem was that there were often bizarre decisions made for no particularly good reason other than you had somebody in middle management that had a particular agenda, so a lot of really weird stuff happened. The good thing now is that it is a business and it’s treated like one and success is rewarded.

Leary: At what point did you decide to throw your hat in the sports radio ring?

Pratt: I was working at TSN in 1989 and we were on our way to Seattle to cover a Blue Jays game. We punched the radio to KJR (AM950), which had changed to an all-sports format. It had been launched two years earlier at The FAN in New York, which I had never heard. My cameraman Roger Williams said, “Dave, you’re better than that.” I looked at him and said, “Yeah, I can do that.” That’s when I phoned Jim Pattison and we set up the sports stuff at CHRX (AM 600) and it took off from there. From the first time I heard real sports talk radio, I had no doubt. I had the same belief and the same conviction that this would work in Vancouver. It just took a little while to convince everyone else.

Gordon: If you’re Mayor, what’s the first thing you do?

Pratt: You mean after the hangover? Certainly the number-one thing that I’d be doing is getting rid of the bike lanes. It’s a nightmare and one of the worst things ever inflicted upon the city. The bikes lanes are a visible example of politicians who hide their true intentions to get elected and then spring it on an unsuspecting public once they get in. If somebody had said to you, “Support me as Mayor and I’ll pour cement barriers throughout the downtown core and destroy businesses, wipe out jobs and raise your taxes,” what do you think the odds of them getting elected would be?

Leary: You’ve been pretty vocal in your opposition to the current Vancouver City Council. What do you say to those that say there is no place for politics on sports radio, so shut up and talk sports?

Pratt: At the end of the day, we are in the entertainment business and it’s part of your responsibility. I don’t care whether you’re an actor, singer, a comedian or a talk-show host; your job is to push emotional buttons. There is nothing in this city that evokes more emotion than the bike lanes. It’s an emotional button and it needs to be pushed.

Gordon: If you could promote anyone or anything you want, what would it be?

Pratt: I would do whatever it takes to find a cure for cancer. I lost both my mom and dad to cancer and it’s the most insidious disease. Paul Carson is the latest person I’ve lost to it and I don’t think that there is anywhere near, enough money, effort or commitment to finding a cure. It’s probably affected me more in my life than anything else

Leary: You can be a polarizing figure and there are sports fans out there that think you’re completely full of shit. What do you say to them?  Pratt: Thanks for listening!  Gordon: Worst interview you’ve ever done?

Pratt: It was the first year we were on the air at TEAM 1040 and we have golfer David Duvall on the phone from Oregon to do some stuff for Nike. He was in the process of trying to make this huge comeback after falling from grace. Literally, a couple of seconds before Duvall comes on to do the interview, some PR guy comes on the line and says, “Don’t ask him about his comeback.” That was the only thing we wanted to talk to him about—being the former number-one player in the world. He’s crashed and burned and is trying to get his game back together so I asked him how he felt about his comeback. He starts to answer and then the phone goes dead —click! The interview lasted less than three seconds.

Leary: Dream guest?

Pratt: If it was my last show, my all-time guest on my way out the door would be Don Cherry. The Bucket List guest that I would love to have on that I’ve never had would be Charles Barkley. The guest that I would walk away from and say that I’m not interested in; there are two: Gary Bettman and Brian Burke.

Leary: Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Pratt: I would’ve gone to New York. That may sound like some sort of a Sinatra song but in my 20s I had an opportunity to go and turned it down. I was intimidated and it scared the hell out of me and I didn’t think I was ready. Looking back at it, I was more than ready and could have easily competed and done well there; I know I could have. But at the time, New York just seemed way too big. And if I have one regret, it’s not going—not because of what I could have or couldn’t have done—it’s because at this stage in my life, it’s not knowing. That’s the only regret.

Q4 al Centro, one of the city’s premier restaurants—whether it’s pizza, pasta or one of Vancouver’s best meatballs. 780 Richards St., 604-687-4444, q4restaurant.com

Interview | Joe Leary and Jim Gordon

Photos | Todd Duncan