Growing up in New York, Mike Valenti always and only wanted to do sports radio. As the first in his family to go to college, Valenti was attracted to MSU’s highly regarded School of Journalism—and he always liked Spartans sports as a kid.
“Once you see Michigan State, other schools are going to have a hard time competing,” says Valenti. “MSU had options, whether it was Impact Radio or the State News, and it felt like a community.”
For Rico Beard, he fell in love with MSU while visiting his brother in East Lansing, also noting the university’s community ethos despite its size.
“It exposed me to so many opportunities,” says Beard.
Together, Valenti and Beard host the highly rated “The Valenti Show with Rico” on 97.1 The Ticket, one of Detroit’s top radio stations. Valenti says the mission of the show is simple: to entertain.
“People get lost in the shuffle of what we do,” says Valenti. “It’s infotainment. It’s about entertaining that person who may only tune if for 12 minutes a week. What are you going to do for them? We’re going to take every segment and we’re going to push. I’m not Walter Cronkite. We have opinions.”
When it comes to their alma mater, those opinions come through loud and clear. While Mike and Rico love MSU, they aren’t afraid to speak their minds when they feel it’s warranted.
“You cannot be afraid to be critical. With a lot of fan bases, they only want to hear that they’re pretty,” says Beard. “You don’t want to be that guy who’s always telling you it’s all sunshine and roses when the world’s burning down around you. It’s OK to say ‘Guys, you can be better. You should be better. Here’s how you can be better.’”
“We all want the same thing: we want to win,” says Valenti. “But it’s not my job to tell you it’s all right when it isn’t. I have a right to be passionate about it. I went to school there, and I love MSU. My kid sister went there. It means a lot to me and my family. If people don’t like the things I say, too bad.”
Valenti and Beard are equally critical of college athletics in general. They feel there has been a connection breakdown between teams and fans in recent years.
“We’re losing out on the ability to know who’s on your team,” says Valenti. “Nobody knows more about Michigan State football than Rico. And when he tells me he’s going to need a media guide before we watch that first game together, that’s a problem.”
“You got to watch players grow. They were yours. Now they’re rental players,” says Beard. “It’s like changing the oil in a rental car. You don’t; you just turn it in.”
When it comes to their own industry, the duo say broadcast radio as a medium is shrinking as more and more people get audio content from their phones.
“The model used to be we provide the content, and they will come to us,” Valenti says. “That’s archaic. We provide the content, and now we place it in as many places as possible for you to hear it—package it up neatly so they can just reach out and grab it.”
The duo’s advice for today’s young people entering this tumultuous industry is to be open and willing to do new things and attack new challenges. “You have to differentiate yourself,” says Valenti. “You need to have something to say that’s interesting and stand by your convictions—and you better not play it safe.”
“Don’t just be part of the hot take society,” adds Beard. “Stand on your own feet, and don’t try to succeed by bringing others down.”
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