A couple of quick news items you may not be aware of from the sports media universe. Consider it a second shorter version of the Under The Radar column, right before the holidays. Here’s the latest.
- 17 years and 4 months. That’s how long Boers and Bernstein have occupied the airwaves on 670 The Score in Chicago. With holiday vacations coming up, and Terry Boers exiting the radio station in early January, the popular duo are wrapping up their final show together today. Who the station inserts into afternoons with Dan Bernstein in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, Boers and Bernstein had one hell of a run. Congratulations to both men on their success over the past 208 months.
- With FOX Sports 1 looking to add a live morning show in 2017, the first test run will be given to Nick Wright and Cris Carter. The two men will work together December 26-30, filling in for Colin Cowherd on The Herd. FS1 boss Jamie Horowitz told Mike McCarthy of the Sporting News that he’d prefer the morning show originate from New York instead of Los Angeles. The new show is likely to air 6a-9:30a and Horowitz is hopeful it will rate well and serve as a strong lead in to Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, the same way Bayless and Sharpe’s show has helped increase viewers for Cowherd’s program.
- Speaking of FOX Sports 1, according to Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, the network had strong interest in Bomani Jones who recently signed a new contract with ESPN. Deitsch says FS1 hoped to feature Jones on both radio and TV. He’ll now have an opportunity to increase his profile on the four letter network after the company announced it would develop additional projects for Jones in the future.
- Alpha Media in Portland continues to increase its Seattle influence. The company has announced that its sports station 750 The Game will become Portland’s home for Seattle Mariners baseball starting in 2017. Alpha OM Bruce Collins says “we are thrilled to be Portland’s home for Mariners baseball. The Seattle Mariners have a strong following in Portland, and the future of this organization is extremely bright.”
- In Houston, SportsTalk 790 is adjusting the hours of a few of its shows. Starting January 2nd, The Proper Gentlemen featuring Lance Zierlein and Matt Thomas will end an hour early and broadcast from 6a-9a. In The Trenches with Greg Koch and N.D. Kalu will shift from 10a-12p to 9a-11a. The Bottom Line with Adam Clanton and Sean Jones will move from 12p-3p to 11a-2p, and Josh Innes’ afternoon program slides from 3p-7p to 2p-6p.
- WGR in Buffalo came under fire after Bills general manager Doug Whaley appeared on the station’s morning show last week and during the course of a twenty minute interview wasn’t asked about Bills head coach Rex Ryan‘s future. Jeremy White and Sal Capaccio conducted the interview, and White acknowledged that although Whaley’s history of avoiding conversations of a similar nature gave him reason to believe that Whaley wouldn’t have added anything to the discussion, he probably should have asked so the audience wouldn’t feel he avoided the subject. The beauty of live radio, you live and learn something new each day.
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.
