SportsCall is Auburn’s First and Auburn’s Favorite sports talk show. Founded in 1995 by Andy Burcham and Bill Cameron, the popular sports call-in show has been on the air for over 25 years!
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SportsCall began in 1995 when Bill Cameron, then of WMSP in Montgomery, got a call from John Rice in the Auburn area, saying that the area missed a sports-call in show. The two got together, came up with the name “SportsCall” to emphasize the callers, and started airing. The show began as a one-hour affair on August 1, 1995 with Bill Cameron as the sole host.
From there, the show expanded. John Rice was contacted by Fred Randall Hughey, the owner of Power 99 in nearby Tallassee (now 99.9 Kate FM), and he wanted to simulcast SportsCall. Quickly after the simulcast was introduced, the show stretched out to a two-hour format. With a new format, there also came staff additions, as Bill was joined by Barry McKnight as a co-host of SportsCall. Andy Burcham, the future voice of the Auburn Tigers, joined the SportsCall family once Barry left to join a sports show in Montgomery.
Other notable additions were pivotal during the early years of the show, as Jasher Cox and Dan Peck were added to the dynamic duo of Bill and Andy. Throughout the first few years, Auburn beat writers such as Bryan Matthews, Jason Caldwell, and Phillip Marshall would call into the show to give their insight into the latest news in Auburn athletics and the sports world. That core group of co-hosts would be the captains of the SportsCall ship well into the mid-2000s.
Not only was SportsCall a weekday sports talk show, but it also aired a special edition “SportsCall Tailgate Show” right before AU football games, and immediately after the game, “The Real Postgame Show” allowed the hosts to listen to fan reactions, hear player’s postgame interviews, and provide scoreboard updates. Bill Bailey and Will Moon became mainstays on the air to join the rotation of Bill Cameron, Andy Burcham, Jasher Cox, Dan Peck.
As the show transitioned into the 2010s, more changes took place, as Bill Cameron and Andy Burcham departed for new endeavors. Simulcasts became more expansive, as the show could be heard at different times on stations such as 99.9 Kate FM, Tiger 93.9, and 1230 WAUD. Taylor Jones, who started off as a producer on SportsCall, became a co-host of the show, and to increase their online presence, Corey Carpenter handled the tech duties for the show.
In the mid-2010s, Tom Peavy and Reid Slider joined the SportsCall family as co-hosts, and the show reached an important milestone, as SportsCall attended SEC Media Days for the first time in 2015. This allowed the show to be amongst the premier shows in the region, and be able to provide firsthand knowledge of what was happening in the world of the Southeastern Conference.
JJ Jackson took over as the full-time host in May 2018 and helped grow SportsCall exponentially. The show grew to feature a diverse guest list and games weekly to go along with the callers who love to voice their opinions on whatever is going on in the world of sports. SportsCall has also been able to recruit former Auburn football players, such as Trovon Reed, Jeff Whitaker Jr., and Deshaun Davis, to make appearances on the show and give a new perspective into what it’s like to be an Auburn athlete.
In January of 2023, Ryan Lavoie went from co-host to full time host, hoping to continue the expansion of the show.
With a now three-hour format, SportsCall is able to give listeners more sports analysis and guest segments. The show can be heard in radio stations as far as LaGrange, Georgia, and thanks to advancements in technology, the show can be heard nationwide via the Tiger Communications app. While some things have changed, there is still the same objective: to provide listeners with the most expert analysis available, all while allowing callers to voice their opinions and interact with the show hosts.
We’re proud to be Auburn’s First and Auburn’s Favorite Sports Talk Show!
