Mike North branches out with Las Vegas venture
Las Vegas always seems to offer a little something for everyone who visits.
Soon there will be one more spot to consider for the 37 million tourists who visit Vegas annually, and it will be aimed directly at sports fans and the radio stations that bring them their sports.
“Score! Be The Legend” — an interactive and technologically advanced venue — is the brainchild of Fox Sports Radio host and Daily Herald columnist Mike North and his business partner, Jim Beckman.
The venue, located inside the Luxor hotel, is part broadcast facility, part Hall of Fame, and part retail shop. It will offer fans the opportunity to watch live radio broadcasts, attend autograph signings, explore photo opportunities, view sports memorabilia or just browse the retail shop.
The Hall of Fame should be a big draw, according to North.
“It's a huge space where there are interactive exhibits — shooting the puck on a mini ice rink, changing a tire on a race car, agility tests,” he said. “The only Hall of Fame that isn't involved with us yet is the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
“People who can't make it to other Hall of Fames can come to Las Vegas and see huge exhibits from various sports,” North added.
And radio stations managers who may have thought twice about the expense of remote broadcasts from Las Vegas now have a reason to reconsider — because the “Score! Be the Legend” space should make their lives easier.
“Instead of getting on the plane with all your equipment, this has everything already set up,” North said. “So you can just come to Las Vegas from any radio station in the country and rent the studio right there on the Strip.
“What I eventually want to do is sell advertising on the place, like the Nike studio or whatever, and have the radio stations come in for a minimal cost and incidental charges — give the rooms away for free — and save the radio stations a bundle.”
North, who will be doing shows from the Luxor about once a month to start off, has been in talks with several radio outlets, but didn't want to go into detail on the negotiations.
He did say, however, that his dream lineup would include Dan Patrick, Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow.
“Mix it up a little bit,” he said. “It doesn't matter if you're liberal, conservative, sports talk, general talk … that space will be available for all the people to do their shows.”
As for the venue being named the Score?
“It freaked me out,” North admitted. “(Beckman's) got a patent for it. It's the 'Score! Be the Legend' — not the Score radio station. I did find it odd.
“I asked him when he thought of the name, and he said three years ago. And I said, 'And you didn't have me in mind?' He said, 'I have to be honest, I had never heard of you.' ”
The grand opening is set for Dec. 4, and former NFL quarterback Warren Moon will be among other celebrities expected to attend.