Wednesday, Nov. 6, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
It's been one week, and Jim Rome is still jammed up.
His phone lines are jammed. His fax machine is jammed. His e-mail is jammed.
That's how it has been ever since KVEG 840-AM dropped Jim Rome's nationally syndicated sports-talk show "The Sports Jungle" last Wednesday without notice.
"They're real unhappy," Rome said of his Las Vegas listeners. "That's how our listening audience is. You either love the show or hate the show, but there's always a reaction.
"The listeners don't want to be told 'You lose. Deal with it.' That's not good enough for them. They want a piece of somebody and are looking to vent somewhere."
The replacement was Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a call-in therapist with an attitude 180 degrees away from the caustic Rome, who gained fame when he was floored by Jim Everett. During Rome's ESPN2 talk show, he insisted on calling the NFL quarterback "Chris Everett," in reference to his wimpy play, and ended up prostrate on the set.
"The Sports Jungle," which normally airs from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., emanates from the Premiere Radio Networks studios in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and is heard in 24 markets.
That number will return to 25 once Rome returns to Las Vegas, probably before the end of the year. He is in negotiations with two local stations, but declines to reveal them. Sources confirm KENO 1460-AM is the front-runner.
"KVEG was a strong station and Vegas is one of my favorite markets," Rome said. "The listeners there have great energy. They're very active on the fax machines.
"But I'm not mad at KVEG for dropping the show. I know I'll go across town and bring in (ratings) for someone else."
According to KVEG, Rome was let go due to a format change.
"We're kind of evolving from a hard-core sports-talk format into a more generalized all-talk format," KVEG program director Alan Eisenson said. "It was necessary to move the Jim Rome show."
Still on KVEG's menu is Scott Ferrall, whose full-throttle, call-in show airs from 7-9 p.m. Station sources claim Ferrall is the next to go, but Eisenson claims nothing is set.
"Right now, we are still in the process of formulating our nighttime programming, so I can't really say," he said.
Static
* RAH, RAH: UNLV football color commentator Tony Cordasco committed the ultimate broadcast sin during last Saturday's game at Texas Christian: He cheered in the press box. Down 42-27 in the waning minutes, Rebels defensive back Jermaine Webster scooped up a fumble and made a bid for the end zone. Over the airwaves, Cordasco's shouts of "Go! Go! Go!" and his shouted tips to Webster -- "Don't try to juke!" -- drowned out play-by-play man Dave McCann, who was attempting to tell listeners what was happening. Webster eventually was tackled at the TCU 10-yard line, right about the time Cordasco's objectivity was sacked.
* GOULET OL'E: Thank you, ESPN. The all-sports cable network's college basketball promos once again feature theatrical legend Robert Goulet. Introduced to an entirely different generation with his ads from a year ago, the 62-year-old Las Vegan once again sings the praises of college hoops, such as his tribute to ESPN announcer Dick Vitale, sung to the tune of "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy:" "What the hell's a Diaper Dandy? Or Dipsy-doo Dunk-aroo?"
* SPINNING THE DIAL: The HBO (Prime Cable Channel 38) series "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" continues Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. with an undercover probe of sports betting on campus, filmed before Boston College football players were implicating in gambling on college games. Other segments include "Anatomy of a Deal," an inside look at the $120 mil. signing of Shaquille O'Neal, "Titletown, USA," a story on the unique municipal ownership of the Green Bay Packers, and "Gabe's Story," an inspirational tale of high school football player Gabe Lane, who is 20-years old and has Down syndrome. ... Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona is trading in his cleats for a microphone. The admitted cocaine addict will do a series of TV interviews with dignitaries such as Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela for the same local station that has exclusive rights to his games. ... David Kenin was fired as president of CBS Sports and will be replaced by IMG negotiator Sean McManus. Kenin's departure comes three years after CBS lost its NFL package to Fox. McManus, the son of ABC sportscaster Jim McKay, has been involved with rights negotiations for the Olympics and other major packages involving baseball, college football, golf and tennis.
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