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Commentary Local sportscasters moving on to bigger markets, challenges By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN When they arrived in Medford, Ben Becker and Chris Egan were budding television sports anchors with high expectations and virtually no experience. But by their own admission, they were both green and rough around the edges. Medford ranks No. 143 out of the 212 television markets in the country with four commercial television stations. Three (KDRV, KOBI and KTVL) produce news shows with their own. Personalities like Becker and Egan contribute to that. Now, Egan and Becker are moving on to bigger markets and bigger challenges. Egan, 25, has already started on a new job as weekend news anchor and reporter for KTRV of Boise, Idaho, a Fox affiliate. "I'm here getting used to everything," says Egan. "We have new, modern equipment and it's going to be a nice opportunity." Becker, 28, has taken a job at Fort Myers, Fla. as sports anchor for WINK, a CBS network affiliate. Fort Myers, just north of Miami, is the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, a veritable haven for golfers, tennis players and surfers, and an area full of Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and Miami Heat fans. "I haven't even been there and I know it's going to be a great job," says Becker. "It's an ideal place for a sports guy to go.'' Becker says he's stocking up on sun tan lotion, new shorts and lightweight cotton shirts for his move to Florida. "I'm not very good at golf, and I need to get better," says Becker. "But what a great place to learn. It's going to be fun to hang out in the sun for most of the year." Becker says he's grown as a broadcaster. Perhaps best known for his work on KDRV's Friday night Football Blitz high school football show. "Our ratings for news and sports have been high most of the time I've been here," says Becker. "I hope I had something to do with that." Becker says he had to learn to tone down his enthusiasm and energy level on the air. "I was rough and I tended to be too loud," says Becker. "People were telling me, `Be quiet, Ben."' Egan feels reporting news, instead of sports, will quicken his move toward the larger market of Seattle, which is home for him. "My wife and I are both from the Seattle area, and we want to get back closer to our families," says Egan. "I figured this move might help me get there faster." Egan's colleagues at KOBI say he will be sorely missed by the station. "Chris has a winning personality and he's an easy person to deal with and watch on television," says long-time KOBI news anchor and reporter Chris Corchran. "He has a great work ethic, the best I've ever seen in this market. "He's always packing a camera with him, even if he's not working," says Corchran. "A lot of times, his poor wife (Melanie) had to go with him when he would shoot extra things, even on a day off, to make his product better.' On Friday nights, Egan was a crazed news man in search of high school scores as air time approached, according to Corchran. "Every once in a while, you could hear him yell out, `I need scores," says Corchran. "He would even have his wife in there. "I heard him tell her once to try to get the Illinois Valley score on a Friday night," says Corchran. "He said, "Call the Cave Junction Dairy Queen, if you have to."' Egan says says his Sports Challenge on KOBI may have been his most popular and successful segment, although his station's ratings for Friday night prep football and basketball ratings were consistently high. In nearly two years at Channel 5, Egan made his Sports Challenge show -- where he took on area viewers in competition of their choice -- very popular by being able to laugh at himself and his athletic shortcomings. He tried to keep his athletic talents, and ego, out of his shows to keep a humble, light touch. "I'm leaving a bunch of unanswered letters and challenges," says Egan. "I've gotten over 300 challenges since we started. I didn't get to many of them." The good thing, Egan says, is the station plans to continue the Sports Challenge. Mark Redal, Egan's assistant, will apparently assume the shows. Perhaps the most memorable Sports Challenge confrontation involving Egan came against young Medford boxer Troy Wohosky of the Bulldog Boxing Club. This challenge went so well, the station uses it as a promotional piece. In the commercial for the show, Egan is down near his corner after being tagged twice by Wohosky. The young boxer actually landed two solid shots to the head of the dazed Egan. "I told him not to hit me in the nose or mouth because I didn't want to go on camera with a broken nose or jaw, or with blood all over me" says Egan. "But he did it, anyway." Redal is shown encouraging Egan to get up. Egan appears reluctant to take more punishment. He wasn't totally faking it. In the Sports Challenge, Egan also brawled with the Rogue Rangers in ice hockey at The RRRink. "They beat me up pretty good," says Egan. "And they made fun of my skating. They kind of toyed with me." Egan also engaged in pistol shooting, and he had planned to wrestle every starting member of Crater High's state championship team. Fortunately for Egan, he didn't get to that show before he left. "Chris told me he never wanted to win a sports challenge," says Corchran. "He's one of a few who learned that the reporter can't be the star. The subject has to be the star, or it doesn't work." (Randy Hammericksen is the Mail Tribune's sports columnist. He can be reached at 776-4499.) Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.