For years he's been a regular participant in sports radio talk shows throughout the state and practically all over the southeast.

Now it's his turn to be the man behind the microphone to talk sports.

Greenville's Colin "Big C" MacGuire is in his second week of hosting a one-hour sports talk show on WGYV-AM 1380, and MacGuire says it's not as easy being a host instead of a regular on a call-in show.

"You got to do more prep work, and you got to carry the show kinda like carrying it on your back," MacGuire said.

So every weekday morning, MacGuire rises at 5:45 a.m. and begins to prepare for his show. He'll grab a newspaper or check out the web pages of area newspapers to get all the dirt about the area high schools and colleges before hitting the air waves for his one-hour show starting at 7 a.m.

For the past week and a half, it's been a slow go, MacGuire said.

"I would like more people to call me to make the show more fun," he said.

But he's steadily been building a faithful call-in base.

MacGuire also has put together regular segments during the week. Each Monday during high school football season he'll talk to Greenville High coach Mike Williams. Then on Tuesday he'll chat with Fort Dale Academy coach James "Speed" Sampley. Every Wednesday morning he plans to talk Georgiana football with coach Greg Ennis before talking Tiger football with McKenzie coach David Kirkland on Thursdays.

"It's like I tell the coaches, I'm the best (public relations) guy, beside the newspaper, they've got," he said followed by his signature raspy low-toned contagious laugh.

So how did MacGuire earn his own talk show?

He said that station owner Robert Williamson called him about six weeks about asking if he would sell advertising for the radio station. MacGuire has been relegated to his home for the last few months after having back surgery so the University of Alabama memorabilia salesman has been out of work for a while.

"Then (Robert) cast that line and hooked me," MacGuire said.

Williamson mentioned to MacGuire that he could sell advertising over the phone could quite possibly host his own sports talk-show.

No need to say any more. MacGuire only needed a few pointers about the radio board, and his show hit the airwaves on Aug. 29.

"I was a on shaky ground from a technical standpoint, but things got better every day," MacGuire said.

Now he's an old pro.

And his new peers in the sports talk show industry aren't surprised that MacGuire is now king of the Greenville airwaves each morning.

"He's got the three ingredients to be successful in the talk show business," said Barry McKnight, who is co-host of WMSP-AM 740's SportsLine with John (Longshore) and Barry in Montgomery. "You have to be knowledgeable, opinionated and entertaining. And that's Big C. There's no doubt that he'll make that show a success."