Our recent “Superheroes” blogs apparently touched a nerve, especially with the scores of radio pros who have found themselves on the beach in the past year or so.  (“On the beach” is a quaint term that is an injustice to those who are out of work with no prospects in sight.”)

On top of this, my remarks at theNAB’s “Stimulus Czar” session directly addressed the need for radio to use its night and late night real estate to grow new talent, rather than voicetrack.  Between the economy and PPM, owners and CEOs have less incentive to develop new shows to replace aging franchises, much less to promote the great brands they already have on the air.

But the real issue is simply how many wonderfully talented jocks, teams, and personalities are idling away on the shelf with no place to go.  While not every station should be personality-driven, neither should there be 10 juke boxes in a market either.  And with all those HD2 channels wasting away, you could put together some pretty killer personality content from just the “spare parts” that are out there looking for a job.

Or you could make the case that these under-utilized HD resources could become the incubators for fledgling high school and college kids who are dying to entertain and hone their crafts.  (Think Kimmel and Conan.)

But the first group – unemployed all-stars – is the focus of this blog.  And with no offense meant to anyone who appears on the list below – or those who don’t – here’s a little game I started to play.  What would a very cool and competitive station sound like, made up solely of talented jocks who are out of work?

So, here’s my first pass at what would be a very potent lineup (yes, some players are out of position, but hey, it’s a fantasy radio league, right?).  I think this group could compete in any market in America.  And they’re probably more affordable than you think.

6-9a Adam Carolla

9a-Noon  Tommy Griffiths

Noon-3p Cerphe

3-6p Stoney and Wojo

6-10p Dave Lawrence

10p-2a Tony Magoo

2-6a Warren Kluck

And to manage this menagerie, let’s put Larry Sharp in the PD’s chair, with Chris Crowley as APD. And to handle weekends, and music director duties, how about Marci Wiser?

This was easy, and I know I’m missing some incredibly talented folks, so perhaps that’s where you come in. What does your radio fantasy team look like?  And if you’re an unemployed all-star, please submit your team and don’t be bashful about inserting yourself in the starting lineup.

For an industry that claims to be about content, it is truly amazing how many great content creators and producers are riding the bench.