Dan Lebatard annexes the Local Hour. To his credit, Dan Lebatard warned us: trimming an hour off his national show would mean changes to what was the local hour. Since the pandemic times began, I’ve come accustomed to binge listen to only the local hours of the Dan Lebatard Show podcast. The Shipping Container cast of characters really do shine on their own. Chris, Billy, and Anthony flow with an undeniable chemistry, and they compliment each other well, while Roy is Roy. This week’s shows have Lebatard reclaiming his local hour territory, along with lisping Mike Ryan, back from paternity leave. The vibe was definitely different. It felt more scripted. Lebatard had to bring in his smarter-than-you persona and subject the underlings to his radio-critiquing quips. Even the local hour co-MVP Chris Cote (Billy’s other co-MVP) was out of his element, seemingly somewhat nervous with the boss back in the office. At least Billy Gil still brought the heat per the usual. Maybe it was just the new format jitters being worked out. Still waiting on Stugotz’s grand re-entrance to the local hour party.