Peter King gave strong consideration to leaving Sports Illustrated, his writing home since 1989, but when it came down to it, there was no place like home. King, one of the leading writers and NFL reporters in America, has signed a new multi-year extension of his contract with Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated Group.
There was strong interest in King from NBC, but in an interview with CNNMoney he said, “I am so bullish on the future of an independent site covering football with room to grow. And the backing of Time Inc. was really important, because the company has committed to expanding The MMQB with quality hires. That was significant.”
King’s website currently has four writers, three full-time editors and a videographer, in addition to King himself. He says they will probably add a video host, writer and possibly another editor in the upcoming months.
Going forward he stresses that developing talent is a big priority and he wants to get deeper involved in leadership and editing roles because the ability to write and report won’t last forever.
“I do not know where the coverage of football is headed. I want us to be first and fresh and different and cogent, and our bosses are letting us do that,” King said. “The future is a blur, but it’s an exciting blur.”
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
