There was a long-running radio show on WGN in Chicago that started off with the title "Ben Bentley and the Sports Writers.'' The televised version debuted in 1985 as "The Sports Writers on TV.''
The conversations would take place in a dimly lit studio that appeared to be in a basement. Cigar smoke plumed across the table as the conversation took place.
Bentley, a well-known ring announcer in Chicago during boxing's glory decades, was the moderator. Bill Gleason, Bill Jauss and Rick Telander were the regular panelists, with frequent appearances from Lester Munson and Joe Mooshil.
The show could be seen in the Twin Cities on cable TV. Dark Star was a man of growing legend in these parts. He saw "The Sports Writers" as brilliant in its simplicity, and also as a formula to grow his brand.
That's right: brand.
It is my contention that in the mid-'80s, a decade before promoters, marketers and executives were attaching "brand'' to individuals and companies that don't actually make anything, Dark Star knew all about it.
Come to think of it, the Kardashians have Dark Star to thank for their fame. He was the founder of branding, turning one phone call to a radio show in 1985 with the scoop that Bud Grant was going to resign again into an unstoppable force on the Minnesota media scene.
A decade later, Dark Star went to Mike Max, 31 and still working part-time gigs in the Twin Cities sports media, and said: "We can have a show like 'The Sports Writers.' ''
