Who is Tony Basillio by the way? Is this an east Tennessee name?

[orange parmejohn]

Thanks. So basically on his website he provides the Cliff Notes from VN and other boards, adds his, or his contributors', spin. For some who live out of state/country and can't spend hours culling, he provides a service.

I like his show. One stop rumor shopping. Swain's show is good but it is annoying hearing him always say" I knew that but didn't say anything." Basilio blabs everything he hears and I like that.

 

[RollerVol]

he plays guitar also...I actually like him...he tries to keep it real and on an even playing field...

PS. He loves the Vols to death...:rock:

GO VOLS...BEAT HUSKERS!

 

[Poppa T]

I like his show. One stop rumor shopping. Swain's show is good but it is annoying hearing him always say" I knew that but didn't say anything." Basilio blabs everything he hears and I like that.

"One stop rumor shopping" ... excellent analogy. I like that description.

 

[Backwards K]

He went to UT, but is originally from up north, I believe Philadelphia. He has long bought time on local radio and sold the show himself. He does a good job firing up a certain segment of the fanbase by ranting on whatever the overreaction of the day is. He claims to have sources, but pretty much culls his information from message boards and spits it back out on his show and website.

Very accurate description. I'd add:
--Never played a sport and has no real understanding of any of them
--Has no contacts other than Anonymous
--Whines about everything connected to the University
--Has a dozen or so hardcore fans who call every day and whine about whatever Tony is whining about
--Wants every coach at UT fired
--Does very little if any show prep which leads him to whining about the same topic every day for months on end
--Has bought time on every smaller station in the Knoxville area before eventually being run off
--Caters to the "nattering nabobs of negativity" inside the UT fanbase
--And finally, listening to his show is a lot like a trip to Dollywood. Listening to him and his callers make you feel a lot better about yourself.

As a disclaimer, I do enjoy listening to the show during the week after a UT loss because most of the mouth breathers who call his show are very entertaining to listen to. (The majority of them believe professional wrestling is real and the moon landings were fake.)

 

[GAVol]

Maybe ask him before lighting him up next time. Lord

The OP regularly starts threads that make it seem as if he ate paint and then decided to share a thought. Forgive people if they are a little irritable with him.

 

[Manvol]

Shock Jock Pot Stirrer Extraordinaire

BS

 

[emzeeee]

The OP regularly starts threads that make it seem as if he ate paint and then decided to share a thought. Forgive people if they are a little irritable with him.

I'm personally a fan of the Sherwin Williams Outgoing Orange (SW 6641).

 

[Volanta]

Damn dude. I think you took this way out of context. People are bigger in different regions/markets and it's not a name that you hear everywhere else. And I'm not talking about "what country is this name from", I mean is he big in East TN? Is he big in the south as a whole? Is he big nationally and I've just missed out? Pretty sure that's the question.

LOL!!!! Exactly

 

[Stoked]

I'm from KY and we only have a handful of surnames so forgive me :crazy:. But what's an East Tennessee name?

 

[northknoxvol]

A really good guy who does a great job with his radio show. Keeps it real and does not toe the company line like others in town. He wants this place to enjoy some good times aka winning times. Name a coach over there right now that does not deserve scrutiny. Dave Hart has put UT sports in the diamond cutter and we are laying on the mat.

 

[508mikey]

He claims to have sources, but pretty much culls his information from message boards and spits it back out on his show and website.

Media -- circa 2016

 

[Roustabout]

Tony is the Bailey's Building & Loans of UT talk radio. If he was half as bad as many on here are painting , he'd never have made it this long.

 

[Volanta]

His show is really good, pretty funny too.

 

[Orange Swagger]

Years ago, I pulled into a Pilot and Tony was there doing his show. Saw my to boys and was very engaging and treated them with respect. No matter what everyone says, he bleeds orange and is a really nice guy.

 

[Backwards K]

He use a term often "punk and clown". You fit this term perfectly, mainly because you don't know what you're talking about and you're talking out of your a$$. You don't know him. If you did you would know everything you just Said was BS. Good guy, works hard, does A TON for the community here. 99.1 would love you.

You mad, bro.:lolabove:

Oh. I do listen to the show and find it entertaining but the guy is lazy and that's why he is on stations that are just a step above CB channel 19.....or he is relegated to facebook. He wants to be relevant but that would just take too much work.

I never said he's a bad guy, it's just his show is what it is. He serves a purpose for people like you in that he is Knoxville's sports version of Wayne's World.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

TB doesn't hide behind a keyboard anonymously with his criticisms. If anybody has an issue with anything that he says he is very accessible. You can text him. You can e-mail him and he will reply. You can call the show and your comments will not be screened.

He was instrumental in getting Tony Robinson back into the UT family. He raises money for good causes constantly. He promoted rounding up unused game tickets and entertaining dozens of at risk kids with parents in prison and hosted them at a Circle Park tailgate. He raised thousands of dollars for the Sevier County fire relief on one day's notice. He raises money and food donations for Fish Hospitality Pantry year round.

You'd think that he'd stolen wives and girlfriends and lunch money from some of the posters making these idiotic, false, hate filled comments on here.

 

[Backwards K]

TGO, nothing hate filled about my comments. I told you I listen to the show but my description is fair. The only things I should temper are:
--He has some understanding of sports...not any deeper than any of his callers, tho
--He does have a few contacts but I'm not sure any inside the UT AD
--Some of the callers may believe the moon landings were real.

Tony serves a certain market and his dozen or so callers are very loyal to him. Others like me do listen for the pure entertainment of it. However, it is not a show you go to for inside information or any deep discussion of any sport at UT or not. Irrational opinions abound but in some years (or decades) that's good to hear too.

I do applaud Tony for getting Tony Robinson back into Knoxville and giving him the respect he deserves. Further, there are times he does a good job of raising money or awareness for a local matter. Plus, he has a working knowledge of old time wrestling, which is also entertaining.

My description may come off as harsh to you but when you look at it, it's a good description as I see it. Would love to hear defense of TB and not attacks against those who see the show for what it is. It's like professional wrestling.....most of it's not real but it is entertaining.

Now you on the other hand, I am appalled at some of your "hate filled" rants about certain coaches, past and present.

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

Just curious.

First man on the moon IMO.

 

[DownNDirty]

I don't really need to carry water for Tony Basilio but I will put my .02 in here. Basilio is the best radio personality in the market by far. I'm saying this as a business owner who also has 17 years of radio experience in the Tri-Cities (just do it for fun). I listen to his show several times a week on average and he always is engaging and his show is fun and informative.

Basilio loves the Vols and really wants to love Butch Jones. This kind of season absolutely murders someone like him business wise though. When the Vols are good advertising is up and overall morale is up. Do you know how much advertising dollars go down when the team isn't good? It's pretty important for a guy like him to have UT athletics be "good" because it's his lifeblood. Controversy may create some short term spike in listeners but being good will move the peg a whole lot more. Do you all even realize the difference in the dollars you stand to make by doing remotes for happy UT supporters as opposed to having a crappy team and not being able to get these remotes as frequently?

And Basilio really does a lot for the community and it's not a put on to look better. He's a genuine guy who loves UT and just happens to call it like he sees it. Is he perfect? Absolutely not. But he's also not going to let the Knoxville media dictate his storylines.

But of course I'm just a Butch Jones hater so nothing I say really means anything.

 

[mackievol]

Typical volnation. I love his post game shows (both football and basketball) and I listen to a few of his shows during the week. He bleeds orange more than most of us and does more for the community than any hack in town.

Show me the last time Swain and his little closet bulldog fan "Seth" did anything for this community besides ask stupid questions at press conferences and complain about all things VOLS. :loco:

 

[1972 Grad]

Tony is Carmen's nephew. Carmen passed away but TB's father (Carmen's brother) is still alive and about 90 years old. A WWII vet that has occasionally been on the show.

I didn't know that, but I do remember Carmen boxing on tv when I was a kid. I have never heard Tony's show, though.

 

[Roustabout]

TB doesn't hide behind a keyboard anonymously with his criticisms. If anybody has an issue with anything that he says he is very accessible. You can text him. You can e-mail him and he will reply. You can call the show and your comments will not be screened.

He was instrumental in getting Tony Robinson back into the UT family. He raises money for good causes constantly. He promoted rounding up unused game tickets and entertaining dozens of at risk kids with parents in prison and hosted them at a Circle Park tailgate. He raised thousands of dollars for the Sevier County fire relief on one day's notice. He raises money and food donations for Fish Hospitality Pantry year round.

You'd think that he'd stolen wives and girlfriends and lunch money from some of the posters making these idiotic, false, hate filled comments on here.

Amen. Recently had a deal where fans could donate their tickets so under privileged kids to a game. These character assassinations by anonymous people (some apparently in the UTAD) is ****ing pathetic.

 

[82_VOL_83]

I enjoy listening to him. Very entertaining show. Knows a lot of people. Doesn't stay between the lines and not afraid to call out UT personnel unlike the state run media, aka 990 & 99.1.

Ticks a lot of people off with raw, unfiltered comments. Gives credit when credit is due. Gives criticism when criticism is due.

And what the heck does "east Tennessee name" have to do with it? His blood is as orange as anyone else's. Get over your "carpet bagger" mentality when someone doesn't have some last name like Johnson, Smith, Davis, etc...the war ended a long time ago.

The War never ended.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

I love Tony's show. I love it even more when Beano is on there with him as they have good chemistry. Tony does stir the pot some but some of you need to understand that radio is as much entertainment as it is information. I find his show engaging and hilarious. Especially when he just absolutely rails on somebody and then follows that up with "no offense." LOL as if that makes all the ripping he just did forgivable.

 

[Imallvol]

Standard guest are coach Jerry Glanville, Danny Parker, Mike Huniguin (Gridiron Now), Tony Robinson, Jerry Colquitt and "X" has some of the most accurate recruiting valuations around.