After a few days away on business, I’m happy to get back on track and bring you up to speed on some recent developments inside the sports media industry. As always, if you have a news tip to share or a great story that you feel would be beneficial to others in the industry to be aware of, please send it to JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me.
- Former WDAE weekday host, and NFL player Ian Beckles has signed on to be part of a Sunday show on 102.5 The Bone in Tampa. The new program debuts on Sunday August 7th and will air from 11a-1p. Beckles is expected to be teamed with Mike Calta and Drew Garabo.
- Speaking of WDAE, the radio station has added former Tampa Tribune Buccaneers beat reporter Roy Cummings as a special Bucs training camp correspondent. He’ll file a daily practice report and appear on the radio station’s key weekday programs.
- Congratulations is in order for Mike Pearson who has been promoted to Assistant Program Director of SB Nation Radio (formerly Yahoo). Pearson has been a part of the Houston based network since 2012 and will work under PD Craig Larson.
- Multiple sources have told BSM that the Los Angeles Rams have undergone a series of changes with their plans for their radio broadcast team. The team originally wanted Andrew Siciliano and Eric Dickerson to anchor the broadcast, but insiders say that neither are expected to be a part of it. It’s unclear of why talks broke down, but the latest scuttlebutt is that the team is now strongly considering JB Long and Maurice Jones-Drew.
- Denver sports radio personalities Nate Lundy and Shawn Drotar announced on social media that they have launched the 5280 Sports Network, a Denver-centric website with a focus on pro and college sports, and featuring exclusive podcasts and video. The site went live yesterday. You can check it out by clicking here.
- Portland sports radio stations 910 ESPN (KMTT) and 1080 The FAN (KFXX) have reached a multi-year agreement with the Washington State-IMG Sports Network. Beginning with the 2016 college football season, 910 ESPN-Portland will serve as the Portland affiliate for Cougar game-day broadcasts, with select games also to air on 1080 The FAN.
- Joe Ferreira has left Learfield Communications to take a new position as the VP of Content Strategy for CSN Mid-Atlantic. Ferreira posted on Facebook that he’ll be leading a talented team of studio news, original programming, digital, and scheduling execs including on-air talent. His first day on the job will be Monday August 1st.
- Boston radio personality Keith Rice has been added as a blog-contributor to WEEI.com.
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.
