WZON’s talk show not funny> Hannigan, HangTime need some direction

Although it was billed as a local afternoon radio sports show when it first went on Bangor’s WZON (620 AM) this fall, HangTime seems like it can’t decide whether it’s a sports show or one of those Saturday Night Live skits that drags on way too long.

It has become a strange blend of comedy, variety and sports – like a “David Letterman meets SportsCenter” thing except it’s not as funny as the Late Show and less information-packed than ESPN’s staple show.

This review has been in the works for several weeks, partly because it kept getting postponed and partly because of the hope the show would get better, or find its niche.

It sounds like the show’s host, University of Maine hockey radio voice Dan Hannigan, decided long ago that humor would be a vital ingredient in the show’s recipe – whether it fit in or not.

Although it has had its funny moments, the show’s heavy reliance on humor has led to exchanges and bits that are forced and range from silly to downright sophomoric.

At times, inappropriate jokes are made about subjects that don’t lend themselves to laughs (re: a HangTime promotional spot, modelled after SNL’s “Deep Thoughts” sketch, in which Hannigan talks about how a fictional movie suicide inspired the name of the show).

One of the main problems with HangTime is its format seems aimless much of the time.

Hannigan and engineer/sidekick Carey Haskell spent 12 minutes last Thursday talking about an episode of “The Six Million Dollar Man” playing on their studio television set. The pair gave a brief synopsis of what they thought was going on before briefly debating whether guest star Chuck Connors would beat Lee Majors (Steve Austin) in a fight since Connors played “The Rifleman” and Majors played the bionic man.

Perhaps Hannigan himself summed it up best when he said the following to Haskell during Monday’s show:

“We just spent two minutes on absolutely nothing Carey. What are we doing here?”

The numerous interruptions make it hard for listeners to stay with it. The musical interludes or bumper music signalling commercial breaks last as long as a minute. It almost seems like they’re just trying to kill time.

That’s not to say HangTime doesn’t have its highlights:

The crunchtime trivia segments in which callers and notable local sports figures try to answer a succession of rapid-fire trivia questions for prizes.

The HangTime Archives segments which look back on vintage sports moments and feature the actual radio calls of famous games and plays.

Hannigan has also done some interesting and, at times, amusing interviews, but there haven’t been enough of them, given the spacious, two-hour block of time at his disposal.

Other features such as “MomTime” – when Hannigan has his mother, Grace Hannigan, on live to pit her NFL picks against those of a random caller each week – don’t quite work. Although funny at times, it’s not original. It’s like watching David Letterman’s mother do Olympic reports all over again.

That leads in to the other problem with the show. The comedy spots have been done before. If you want to see Deep Thoughts or Fuzzy Memories, you can watch Saturday Night Live. If you want sarcastic humor or family members interviewing political and sports figures, watch Letterman.

As the radio voice of Black Bear hockey, Hannigan is solid. As host of an afternoon radio show, he could be better.

Listeners would be better served if Hannigan dropped humor for humor’s sake and decided whether to make HangTime a solid sports show with a bit of variety, or a variety show with a bit of sports.