30 years.
9 different markets.
12 different stations.
7 different companies.
Sports media is what I’ve spent the bulk of my life doing, and it’s been a passion project. I’ve had a plethora of bucket list experiences. However, the best part of my journey has been the opportunity to discover and mentor so many different talents. I’ve been fortunate to work with many unique individuals who are, to this day, enjoying success on national or major market stages.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at many conferences with both aspiring professionals, and seasoned veterans, of our industry. Once we’re done comparing thoughts on our fantasy football rosters or talking about how our favorite teams are doing…the discussion inevitably shifts to one question:
WHAT KIND OF TALENT DO YOU LOOK FOR?
Having spent almost my entire career as a Program Director/Content Manager, I’ve developed a set of criteria for the kind of individuals I’d want to hire. As the sports media landscape (and media landscape in general) has changed, my take on this question has morphed along with it.
So, for my first Barrett Sports Media piece, I thought I’d give everyone a snapshot of what my ideal talent would be like.
If I could create a sports-talk talent for 2021 that we could win with, they would have the following traits. Who knows, maybe this can be Elon Musk’s next pet project…right after he builds that Starbucks on Mars and pushes Dogecoin to $1.
THEY CAN TELL ME SOMETHING THAT I DON’T KNOW OR HAVEN’T HEARD
Go channel surfing on any given day and you’re likely to hear many of the same things being said over and over and over.
It’s nauseating.
The world is SATURDATED with sports media. Now more than ever, standing out is at a premium.
I want to hire a person that tells me something I don’t know or haven’t heard someplace else.
Working in Chicago (as I do) the hot button topic this week was the Bears drafting of Ohio State QB Justin Fields. Everyone had a take on it. The people that stood out the most were the ones that gave me a reason for it being either good or bad that I hadn’t heard. Maybe it was a story from his playing days or a stat that I wasn’t aware of. Finding unique perspectives on the stories of the day are rare and difficult to come by.
THEY HAVE LED AND CONTINUE TO LEAD INTERESTING LIVES.
If your life’s work is your only hobby, you probably aren’t going to be ideal for me.
If you want to make it in this business, you must be an interesting person. People who have had many different life experiences (regardless of age) tend to be people that I look for. I want someone who is perpetually curious and has used that curiosity to explore what the world has to offer. These are the kind of people that draw an audience. You feel compelled to listen to them.
One of the first things I do when I interview a talent candidate is to find out just how interesting they are. It can be a complicated process.
The one thing you NEVER want to do, is put people on the spot by asking things like:
“So, tell me a bit about yourself.”
“What’s the best concert you ever went to?”
“Tell me about the most amazing experience you had in the business.”
Those types of things are rarely top-of-mind and candidates often struggle to give you answers.
I’ve learned to get people to open up to me by opening up to them first. For example, I started one job interview by casually telling the candidate about a new bourbon that I had sampled at a dinner the previous night. The candidate then went into how they had toured the Jack Daniel’s distillery once and how amazing the experience was. I then segued into telling them about my last trip to Lexington and we started comparing cities we had visited and our perspectives on each locale. In about fifteen minutes of casual conversation, I found out exactly what I wanted to know.
THEY CAN TALK THE TALK OF GAMBLING.
This criterion is one of the newest additions for me.
As we slog towards the inevitability of sports gambling being legal in all fifty states, the prerequisite for a successful sports-talk show host needs to include knowing the ins and outs of handicapping…at least at the basic level.
Yes, gambling is a vice, but it’s one that the ideal sports-talk talent should partake in responsibly. Why? Well, because every other sports fan is, and you must know your audience.
Over $21 billion was wagered in sports handicapping in the US in 2020. Yes, the same 2020 that saw the nation’s economy ravaged by the COVID induced recession. The advent of app-based gaming in states where it’s legal has made throwing pocket change on parlays as easy as tapping 1-2-3.
The new revenue stream of sports gambling is a lifeline to sports media outlets who saw advertising vanish into thin air over the last 2 years. Any talent I would hire would have to embrace it and help me make money.
THEY AREN’T AN ASSHOLE
Let’s face it. The media, as an industry, gave safe harbor to a lot of scumbags over the years.
Second, third, fourth, and FIFTH chances were given to people simply because they were good at their jobs.
No matter what corner of the building you worked in, if your ratings were good and/or you were bringing in money, you could essentially do whatever you wanted.
I remember one co-worker, who knew I was gay, once called me a ‘c***sucker’ in full earshot of other colleagues. As offended as I was, I knew that talking to my boss or HR about it would be a road to nowhere because of how much money this person was bringing into the building. So, I just laughed it off and walked away.
Those days, thankfully, are coming to an end. It’s just a shame that so many people had to endure what they did over the years.
I’ve always maintained that being great at what you do, in ANY walk of life, doesn’t give you license to be an asshole. Our industry is no exception. Anyone can have a bad day. Ask anyone that’s worked with me and they’ve probably seen a few of mine. That behavior can’t be the norm and the stress of being an on-air performer can no longer be used as an excuse.
No one wants to work with someone who lacks basic social skills. If you’re generally aloof or unpleasant to be around…there isn’t a place for you on my team, no matter how good you are.
Ryan Maguire is a columnist for BSM, and a longtime sports and news radio program director. He has managed KIRO-FM in Seattle, WQAM in Miami, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, 610 Sports in Kansas City, and 105.7/1250 The Fan in Milwaukee. Presently, Ryan serves as the Executive Producer of Chicago White Sox baseball on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. Originally from Michigan, Ryan still holds out hope that the Detroit Lions will one day deliver a Super Bowl title. He can be reached on Twitter @RMaguire1701.
