The Brothers Kamenetzky have this novel idea.

It involves taking a blog they've been crafting on the Lakers for the past five-plus seasons and squishing into as many multi-tasking, double-helix platforms as today's technology will allow.

With ESPN fully ingrained in their DNA, Andy and Brian Kamenetzky's weekend sports-talk show called "ESPNLA On Air," as well as their contributions to the "Lakers Zone" pregame talk on KSPN-AM (710), are the most visible parts of this burgeoning mini-media empire. It's how a once-bartender and former school teacher can morph into a dual 24/7 career, enjoyably juggling all the elements together as one small happy family.

"To their credit, having put us both through college, our parents are extremely supportive of the fact that neither of us have seemed to have a real job," Brian, who at 35 is about 3 1/2 years younger than Andy, was saying the other day after the two wrapped up a half-hour podcast in the KSPN studios at L.A. Live and were about to head across the street to Staples Center to do a live chat while witnessing the Lakers' destruction of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With all the places one can go now to digest Laker information, the Kamenetzky's approach - attention to detail while covering the team as credentialed journalists, while

adding their own snarky, smart commentary propped up by whatever pop culture or deadpan line that comes out of their comedy-writing heads - deftly cuts through

Their regular Saturday show (now noon-2 p.m.) might spray to all fields, but their Laker-centric observations play well into their strengths.

It's a sibling tag-team that might draw a Darwinistic natural comparison to another famous ESPN brother act - Randy and Jason Sklar.

Do they know each other? Funny you should ask.

Andy Kamenetzky went to elementary school with the Sklar twins while growing up in St. Louis and was often mistaken as a third brother. It got so confusing when the three were together the Sklar's mother made Andy a T-shirt that read: "I'm not a Sklar."

Andy went off to USC to major in theatre arts, with the goal of acting as well as screenwriting. Brian graduated from Vanderbilt with a history and poli-sci degree, then moved to L.A. to join Andy in their career pursuit. Whatever that might be.

While attending a Sklar comedy act at an L.A. club, the Kamenetzkys were introduced to an ESPN magazine editor and started submitting pieces to the publication. One of them, a feature on the bass fishing exploits of Mike Iaconelli ("Fishing on the Edge"), evolved into a 2005 book.

The Kamenetzkys parlayed that into a four-year blogging gig at the Los Angeles Times, while also doing work for ESPN.com and co-hosting with Steve Mason on his short-lived afternoon solo show.

When ESPN launched its Los Angeles-only website last year, they came on board, marketing themselves as a two-for-one kind of package deal.

Their on-air chemistry might be a product of their upbringing - there's enough distance in years to make things easier on their relationship while also being supportive.

"We always got along probably because we didn't have a lot of overlap growing up," said Brian, who lives with his wife and 1-year-old in West Hollywood. "He wasn't around for those `prime arguing' years when we were both teenagers. Plus, he set a very low bar - all I had to do was make decent grades. He took the bullet for a lot of stuff."

Adds Andy, living in the mid-Wilshire district with his wife, who is expecting: "We had the occasional fistfight, but I gave him my ID when I turned 21. What could have been a better present?"

With an ever-changing media landscape for the Kamenetzkys to conquer - including a new Facebook postgame chat - their foray into podcasting has naturally energized and polished up their sports-talk venture. They've been able to try some material out on the podcast - even edit something out that didn't fly - before it pops back into their heads during their live radio show. The podcast, conversely, allows them to go off onto as many commercial-free tangents as they like.

"It lets us push the envelope," Andy said. "We've been able to work in some running jokes - like some Nic Cage soundbites - that we just find to be hysterical. But the live radio show is really a fun challenge. We don't want to sound like everyone else, all blustery or hyperbole, or it would sound fake."

Added Brian: "For us, the radio show fits in well with what we're doing. And whatever voice we've started on the blog and the podcast, we have to continue on the radio. And the worst thing is to pretend you know something - you don't have to be the expert or someone will call you out on it.

Andy popped back in: "As we do more and more radio, find our voice and style and keep honing it, it'll get better and better. If we pretend to be more than we are, we'll just be transparent."

That could be an unwise wisecrack in the genetic code.

This is the first of a four-part annual series about the best and worst of the L.A. sports media.

Today: Sports-talk hosts

Jan. 21: TV anchor/ reporters

Jan. 28: Game analysts

Feb. 4: Game play-by-play

THE 19TH ANNUAL TOP 10 OF L.A. SPORTS-TALK SHOW HOSTS

1. (tie) STEVE MASON and JOHN IRELAND

710-AM weekday afternoon drive-time

A station promo for the show has Mason on the record saying his goal this year is to win a Golden Mike thing. Two words on that: Over. Rated. This is way better. Considering their often opposing stances on issues, their teamwork on working both ends of an argument in a respectful way, which draws in smarter contributions from callers' and the ability to share a laugh leaves us more consistently satisfied when stuck in traffic. Last year: No. 1 (tie).

3. (tie) PETROS PAPADAKIS and MATT "MONEY" SMITH

570-AM weekday afternoons

Their former "Fake Hour" from 3-4 p.m. has been renamed "The Commercial-free First Hour," leading into their national Fox Sports Radio show. But you can't fake us — it's still not long enough to develop much of an ongoing conversation about L.A.-based topics. Not that we're pulling out our hair about it (and if we were, Petros' new ads could find us rejuvenation). But in light of today's remote show that promises a "Crappy Holiday Gift Swap," we're willing to give back as much airtime that Pat O'Brien name-drops out of each afternoon in return for an expanded, earlier PMS window. Last year: No. 3 (tie).

5. (tie) KEN LEVINE and JOSH SUCHON

790-AM "Dodger Talk"

Levine says in the upcoming season they hope to integrate more production into "Dodger Talk" — highlights from around the league, more interviews and sound bites. "KABC has been incredibly enthusiastic and supportive of the show," he said. "I'm really looking forward to it. And with a good starting rotation in place, I think this could be a good year for the Dodgers." Just keep keeping it real. Last year: No. 5 (tie).

7. A MARTINEZ

710-AM weeknights and "Laker Talk"

Now that he's brought his A-game to the adult table, he could easily win strongest sports-talk arm-wrestling competition. If there was no drug testing. Last year: No. 8 tie with Brian Long.

8. (tie) ANDY and BRIAN KAMENETZKY

710-AM weekends

Kamenetzky comic relief is welcome in an otherwise crazed Laker land of fans. "If we just played it straight all the time, we'd get burned out and bored," Andy says. As would we. Last year: Honorable mention.

10. BETO DURAN

710-AM Lakers reporter

You bet he's got a nice upside, with hustle, a great attitude and a sharp sense of humor when given an opportunity. Last year: No. 10

Honorable mention: Isaac Lowenkron, 980-AM Clippers talk; Jeff Biggs, 830-AM; Dave Miller, 710-AM Laker talk; Nick Nickson, 1150-AM Kings talk; David Vassegh, 570-AM UCLA talk, Rex Hudler, 830-AM "Wonder Dog Hour" weekends; Mark Willard, 710-AM.

THE BOTTOM FIVE

1. MAX KELLERMAN

710-AM weekday late morning/early afternoon

Too soon? Maybe not soon enough for a maxed-out intervention, lest we smell a crash-and-burnout. In the couple of weeks since this piece of work was recruited to butt out Andrew Siciliano and Mychal Thompson, Kellerman shows all the migraine-inducing signs of rubbing Southern California listeners every which wrong way with no happy ending. The rat-a-tat-tatter New York transplant who has the unique inability to slow down and pronounce his own name has to realize this local listening base isn't full of pent-up complainers who need an outlet or someone to commiserate with. Name recognition might have gotten him here, and a game plan to be a polarizing force might force the issue. But all that might do is counteract whatever energy, sports smarts and wise cracking he has to offer. Listeners will disengage in an L.A. minute, unless M.T. comes back or Marcellus Wiley is signed to dilute the toxicity. Otherwise, we expect to keep hearing things from his colleagues like: "Max is the best thing we have at the station — and he'll be the first to tell you that." Last year: Unranked.

2. LEE "HACKSAW" HAMILTON

1090-AM weekday late morning/early afternoon

Twenty-five years ago, he started his four-hour drive-time show on 690-AM, and now look at him — still a master at baiting listeners into thinking they need to call in and trade barbs with "The Franchise" (not his real nickname). Now at double-X, he's still as explosive as Montezuma's Revenge. Last year: No. 5, bottom 5.

3. ROGER LODGE

830-AM weekday mornings

A recent postings on the Twitter account of Rogelio Chavez (his real name) is from Nov. 26 that reads: "BLAKE GRIFFIN IS DELICIOUS" with about 30 exclamation points. Sweet! Last year: No. 1, bottom 5.

4. According to whitepages.com, there are 84 people in the United States named Lee Klein. That's all?

5. This space saved for any current program director not brave enough to hire Joe McDonnell.

THE GREAT EIGHT SYNDICATED RADIO HOSTS HEARD IN L.A.

1. Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith, 570-AM weekday afternoons

2. Jim Rome, 570-AM weekday mornings

3. Dan Patrick, 570-AM weekday morning drive

4. Jason Smith, 710-AM weekday late nights

5. Tony Bruno, 570-AM weeknights

6. Colin Cowherd, 710-AM weekday mornings

7. (tie) Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, 710-AM weekday early mornings

The worst: Pat O'Brien, Steve Hartman and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs, 570-AM weekday afternoons.

THE GREATER EIGHT OF L.A. SPORTS NEWS UPDATES

1. Bill Seward, KFWB (980)

2. David Courtney, KSPN (710)

3. Thom Looney, KLAC (570)

4. Randy Kerdoon, KNX (1070)

5. Bret Lewis, KFWB (980)

6. Ted Sobel, KFWB (980)

7. Rich Marotta, KFI (640)

8. Dave Joseph, KLAC (570)

The worst: Steve Grad, KNX (1070)

More media notes on the blog: www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth