Gino Torretta to host 10 a.m.-to-noon show on WQAM

For the second consecutive month, WQAM-560 has hired a former UM football star to host a weekday talk show.

WQAM will announce this week that former Canes quarterback Gino Torretta will do a 10 a.m.-to-noon show beginning Sept. 7. Orlando Alzugaray will shift to the 7-to-10 p.m. slot, replacing Kevin Rogers, who was offered part-time work.

Steve White, fired as 790 The Ticket's program director last year, will be Torretta's cohost.

``We are always looking to upgrade, and this is a tremendous opportunity,'' WQAM general manager Joe Bell said. ``He's a former Heisman Trophy winner, played at Miami and is a local businessman.''

Torretta works in the financial industry, and WQAM hopes his connections can lead to advertising opportunities. Torretta also owns Touchdown Radio Network and announces college games.

Bell said the move is ``absolutely not'' a demotion for Alzugaray, who declined to comment. WQAM would have been better off insisting that noon-to-3 p.m. host Michael Irvin, who is doing his show from Dallas, be paired with Alzugaray or someone else who has a better knowledge of South Florida sports than Kevin Kiley does.

Kiley's information about local sports is superficial or sometimes inaccurate, such as claiming Cameron Wake excels when in pass coverage. (Huh? We hope Kiley meant pass rush.)

And Kiley speaks entirely too much, considering Irvin is the show's star. After an interview Monday, Irvin playfully chided Kiley: ``Can we not give a dissertation? Can we just let [the guests] speak?''



(miamiherald.com)