Emerging from the azure of refreshing water, Matt “Money” Smith was approached by a man who had just been laid off from his job. The people accompanying him seemed somewhat incredulous that he had the aplomb to approach Smith, an established media personality at the local and national levels. Nonetheless, he initiated a conversation starting with a compliment about how the Petros and Money afternoon radio program was part of his daily drive home from work and would consistently leave him in a good mood. The discourse ended up lasting nearly 20 minutes and stood out to Smith, although it was not the first time he had been made privy to such sentiments.
Over the 16 years the program has been broadcast on AM 570 LA Sports, it has left an indelible impact on sports fans and media consumers alike. Smith has been told by the son of a listener that the show used to be on during car rides home from school, leading him to play the program for his progeny. Longevity is often pursued in sports media but rarely attained, and in today’s dynamic media marketplace filled with multiple sources of dissemination and niche content offerings, determining how to stand out can be an arduous task.
“I am willing to adapt to what the situation calls for [and] what the partner calls for,” Smith said. “I’m not rigid in my ways [and] I don’t feel like I have to be a particular character.”
The program, however, spans beyond broaching topics that are simply centered around sports. Part of the identity of Petros and Money is derived by discussing culture, politics, history, music and other genres. When the program launched in the summer of 2007, they decided to close out the show with the “Not Sports Report,” a half-hour dedicated to highlighting things outside of the game. As time went on though, Smith and Papadakis recognized that they enjoyed conversing about what interested them and anticipated that it would resonate with consumers. Because of this, they eliminated the segment to lift the hypothetical content restriction assumed therein.
“It’s like, ‘Well, I think we know what our audience likes. Let’s talk about this and see if it works,’ and sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t,” Smith said. “If it does, great. You end up getting response and you focus on that response a little bit throughout the show. And if it doesn’t, you just move on and make a note that, ‘Alright, that didn’t work,’ and, ‘Let’s not go back to that again.’”
Smith moved to the program after a stint working alongside Joe Grande on Good Times, ending when the station eventually deemed it wanted to alter its afternoon drive program. This decision was in close proximity to the cessation of 1540 The Ticket, an outlet Papadakis had previously worked for and resigned from in order to focus on his television endeavors.
“We just said, ‘Okay, this is just lined up,’” Smith recalled. “We’re talking about changing things and he’s now got no show, so let’s just put this together and make it work.”
In beginning a program together in the sports talk radio format, they both recognized that they did not want to do things in a conventional manner. Introducing and continuously discussing one primary topic throughout the show, they felt, would prove tedious to the listeners.
“Now in the era of podcasting, so many radio shows had to completely reconfigure and change their approach to how they did their show because so many more people want to podcast it now as opposed to [listening] to it live, and they want that original content,” Smith explained. “They’re listening to a podcast, and our podcast numbers are great because we’re not repeating ourselves.”
Following a successful first two years broadcasting solely to the Los Angeles marketplace, the program was added to the FOX Sports Radio lineup. While the decision augmented exposure for the program, there were complaints brought forth about its content. The program at its core though is centered on Los Angeles, part of the reason why Smith believes it ultimately did not last at the national level.
“We are this community, and we’re not someone who wants to talk Cowboys; Lakers; Yankees and whatever,” Smith said. “The interesting thing is we still have people that listen from all those markets. We get it all the time because of the iHeartRadio app because they can stream the show live and they can podcast [it].”
Episodes of the show begin with a split-top story, which is presented by one of the hosts and is either an original angle to an existing headline or something entirely new. When it was revealed that Super Bowl LX will be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Smith used the time to reminisce on the last time the game was in the marketplace, doing so in a self-deprecating manner. The second hour leads with a top story, while the third has a flip-top story, all employing similar philosophies of offering original content.
“Maybe we’ll replay an interview from the first hour because it’s so good and it’s the main topic of the day – we’ll give you that – but outside of that, we’re each going to do a story [and] be the driver,” Smith said. “The idea behind it is one of us drives and the other one is along for the ride for each of those.”
There are various ways to appeal to an audience in the moment, such as through a particular interview or topic, but a challenge throughout the industry comes in retaining people’s attention. The goal is to render the show quotidian within the purview of consumption habits, eliciting fervent interest towards the program and what they have to say. Although the media landscape looked different at the time, Smith became more attuned to the audience when he worked at KROQ on the Kevin and Bean morning show.
Although he was still a college student aspiring to become a lawyer or politician, Smith refined his schedule to fit in the morning program role by waking up at 3:30 a.m. every day. He would arrive at the studio by 4:30 a.m. ahead of the show’s first hour at 5 a.m. Five hours later, the show was off the air and he was on the way to Pepperdine University to take his classes so he could earn a degree. Smith also took a job as a valet at the Chart House for four nights a week in order to make ends meet.
“I basically worked and had very little time for play, which was fine,” Smith said. “I still managed to have a good time and enjoy myself, but at the same time I also was busting my ass, and that’s what radio is. You’re going to work.”
During his tenure with the station, Smith received his signature “Money” pseudonym, a moniker with a derivation that remains somewhat ambiguous to this day. Many morning shows at the time had nicknames for on-air personalities, the rationale of which he believes granted him the sobriquet.
Smith also happened to forge a friendship with sports anchor Jimmy Kimmel, who went on to host his eponymous late-night television talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on ABC. Smith has fond memories of Kimmel, who would motivate others to perform at their best and find an entertaining way to deliver sports news. Before his stint in late-night television, Kimmel began hosting The Man Show with Adam Corolla, leading Smith to eventually take over the sports anchor role after the initial hire did not work out.
At the time of the inquiry to return, Smith was working at DreamWorks as a record producer and received permission from his boss to return on the air, figuring that it would be good for business. Smith eventually became the music director of KROQ where he was responsible for various facets of the station while working full time on Kevin and Bean. Approximately three years later, he received a call from the Los Angeles Lakers offering him the role as the team’s pregame and postgame show host on the team’s flagship station, AM 570 LA Sports. The first person he called pertaining to the role was Kimmel to discuss whether he should take the chance.
“We talked for about an hour and he was just like, ‘This is easy. That’s the Lakers,’” Smith recalls Kimmel stating. “‘It’s a premier brand and it’s listened to by such a diverse cross section of people in LA from the most wealthy hedge fund operators to the biggest names in Hollywood to the biggest athletes, so just go get it and remember you’re performing every time you turn on the mic for all those people.’”
In moving to the Lakers role, Smith had to alter his approach to the programming by being more straightforward rather than comedic and irreverent, although he maintained elements of that within his hosting style. The brand equity associated with his “Money” nickname was valuable to the team, explained program director Don Martin, and it is something that continues to be part of his on-air identity to this day. Looking back on it, Smith realizes the postgame show kept elements of his personality alive in the marketplace and where he continued to build an audience.
“I like to think that my postgame show was, above anything else, kind of fun,” Smith said. “I would kind of screw around with the callers, maybe without them realizing I was, and sort of people that listened regularly were in on the joke and it just kind of became a really fun sort of community of people that really enjoyed listening to that postgame show.”
When the Lakers switched flagship stations to ESPN LA 710, Smith shared that he was made to believe the team wanted him to continue in his role on the new outlet. In a decision that he believes many people were surprised about, he opted to remain with AM 570 LA Sports in order to continue co-hosting Petros and Money. Evidently, Smith would rather host the radio program than be on studio coverage surrounding the game.
Although the outlet is in competition with ESPN LA 710 for listenership, it remains focused on the factors it can control and interpreting ratings as a tool for business. According to Smith, Martin realizes that as long as the ratings are good enough that the show can be sold, he is not acutely worried about where the program places compared to others.
“We’ve always had great partnerships with our clients and with the products we endorse and the people that we endorse, and because of that we’ve never had to deal with the ratings game,” Smith said, “so I’m very thankful that Don thinks of it on that level because not enough people do and it [makes] so much more sense to do it that way than figure out what the 2700 people with people meters thought.”
The show has its fair share of recurring guests, including Don MacLean, James Bergener, Orel Hershiser and David Vassegh, all of whom have built rapport and familiarity with the audience. All of these recurring guests have their own jingles before they take the air, further associating them with a distinct sonic identity.
There are several instances where Smith has to host the show remotely because of his play-by-play announcing obligations as the radio voice of the Los Angeles Chargers. Prior to joining the team’s broadcasts on KFI, Smith had deft play-by-play experience working on college basketball, football and NFL games for Compass Media Networks. Additionally, he called games on television for both the Pac-12 Network and the NFL on FOX.
Whereas he previously needed to find an iHeartMedia affiliate to use ISDN lines to connect back to the Los Angeles studio or another studio, Smith is now able to broadcast the program from virtually anywhere. Although he and Papadakis are familiar with their proclivities and the style of the show, Smith knows it is better to broadcast in the studio whenever possible.
The Petros and Money program discuss the Chargers on the air in addition to the other sports teams in the Los Angeles marketplace, but the preparation for the show starkly contrasts that of the game. Smith usually puts in six to 10 hours of work before any given matchup in order to learn about the teams, extrapolate storylines and watch relevant film. Discussing the team on the air and on two podcasts per week also complements this work and allows him to seamlessly include analyst Daniel Jeremiah and reporter Shannon Farren.
“I look at it as you’re a professional play-by-play voice, and treat the game and treat the team and treat the players with respect,” Smith said. “Tell the story of what’s going on in that particular game and do not ever make it about you.”
Even though Smith is responsible for keeping viewers informed without the presence of a visual aid, he makes it a point to implement his colleagues. Jeremiah, a former college quarterback and football scout, provides insightful, esoteric knowledge and opinions on both teams during the course of the contest. Rather than being verbose, Smith emphasizes being succinct and compendious while remaining genuine with the listeners.
“I’m excited to be here – I don’t care what the record is; I don’t care what the score is,” Smith said. “Now if it’s very disappointing, you want to reflect what you think the fan is feeling as well. You don’t want to be feeding them whipped cream on a plate of dirt because of what they’re listening to. We know how passionate fans are, and you only get 17 of these games a year so each one is important.”
Smith wishes that he was still working in television after spending several years broadcasting on NFL Network, initially starting as a fantasy football analyst. During his time with the league-owned media entity, he hosted the NFL Now studio program and also contributed to coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine, NFL Draft and Super Bowl. Even with these responsibilities, he always maintained his commitment to Petros and Money and being a versatile on-air talent. While he is motivated to provide for his family, he also enjoys his work and looks forward to all of his assignments throughout the year.
“People are fun,” Smith said. “Surrounding yourself with great people is a great way to live, and I think if I wasn’t working, I’d probably just drop dead.”
Even though he does not see the program continuing for another two decades, Smith has no plans to leave the Petros and Money. Having the ability and the platform to promulgate his thoughts and creativity to the marketplace is something he does not take for granted, and he displays his appreciation for the fans during the program’s various live remote broadcasts.
Working with Papadakis in addition to longtime engineer Ronnie Facio and producer Tim Cates, the four-person team is keenly focused on providing listeners with captivating and apropos content related to sports in the marketplace and other unrelated subjects. From anchoring a sports segment on a hit morning show to crafting a top-rated afternoon program of his own, Smith has built an ethos with fans as a trusted and genuine voice within and beyond the hills of Hollywood.
“When your name is on the business, it certainly changes a lot,” Smith said. “You have a lot more responsibility, a lot more accountability and certainly you’re now searching because you’re painting the canvas every day,” Smith said. “You’re not handing the paint to the painter and maybe editing a little bit here and there or touching up something here or there. It’s you that’s doing the painting.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
