Vancouver sports fans will have a new late-night show when Off the Rush launches on Pulse 107.7 FM on Monday, September 28.
The launch follows a shift in local sports radio. Rogers closed Sportsnet 650 in July, ending its daily local sports programming. Off the Rush gives fans another regular place to hear sports talk, this time from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Tanbir Rana will host the show with co-host Brian Rai and producer Karan Dhindsa, who goes by KD. The two-hour program will air Monday through Friday. Together, the team wants to build a nightly conversation around the stories Lower Mainland fans are following.
More than a Canucks show
The Vancouver Canucks will feature prominently, but the hosts plan to cover more than hockey. They’ll discuss the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB and soccer, along with breaking stories from across the sports world.
Rana and his co-hosts are Canucks fans themselves. Still, they see room for conversations that reflect the many teams people across the region follow. That range is part of the show’s appeal for fans whose interests extend beyond hockey.
A Canucks debate might give way to a conversation about the Seahawks or Blue Jays. Then the hosts could turn to the NBA story fans are arguing about that night. The late slot gives them a chance to react to games and news as the day winds down.
The team says it wants candid conversations, including disagreements and opinions that challenge the usual sports radio take.
“We don’t want to sound like everybody else. We want real conversations, real debates and real opinions,” the team said in its announcement. “We’re not looking to create controversy just for attention, but we’re also not going to avoid a conversation because it might get people talking.”
That approach will shape the show beyond its choice of sports. The hosts want to ask questions, defend their views and leave room for listeners to disagree. They say the aim is an honest discussion, even when a topic divides fans.
Local voices and special guests
The team also plans to bring guests into the studio. It expects to speak with people connected to sports and recognizable personalities from Vancouver and beyond. The hosts have not named their first guests yet.
Off the Rush also wants to bring a stronger Vancouver and Lower Mainland perspective to national sports stories. That means covering the teams local fans follow, while giving those fans space to challenge the hosts. The show could move from a Canucks game to an NFL result without leaving that local perspective behind.
The team hopes those conversations will keep going after the final whistle. Listeners can expect strong opinions, lively disagreements and a changing mix of guests as the show finds its voice.
Off the Rush premieres Monday, September 28, on Pulse 107.7 FM. It will air every weekday from 10 p.m. to midnight. Listeners can tune in on the radio or visit pulsefm.ca.
