Our second installment of a ‘Day Spent With’ offers a peek inside the world of FOX Sports Radio. This particular project was done on location in Las Vegas during Super Bowl week. In addition to sitting with The Doug Gottlieb Show, The Odd Couple, and Covino & Rich on Media Row, Derek Futterman also observed the Dan Patrick Show live from Fontainebleau. My thanks to Don Martin, Scott Shapiro, and all of the on-air talent and behind the scenes staff who made time to chat with Derek to capture what goes into a day of programming on the national level.
Over the next seven weeks, we’re aiming to highlight a day in the life of a program director, market manager, social media manager, and media buyer. We will also spend time with a sports betting network and sports digital show. We have also left one slot open to see which of a few possibilities makes the most sense as we move deeper into the series. If you or your brand are interested in being part of the series, pitches can be sent by email to JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.
With regards to FOX Sports Radio, the network is operating on a high level. But what goes into making that happen? How do they keep things seamless when operating from two Las Vegas locations and a studio in Los Angeles? Which small details make a big difference in helping a national brand stand out? Derek went searching for answers, and here’s what he found out.
– Jason Barrett
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When you step through the doors at NFL Media Row from the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, there’s a wide variety of media outlets. Standing out among them is FOX Sports Radio. The nationally distributed outlet featuring a deep roster of talent, engineers, producers and additional personnel are on the scene to provide the most compelling and entertaining experience for its audience and radio partners leading up to the biggest game in sports.
The lightbulbs illuminating the FOX Sports Radio set, which was located across the room from the main entrance, originally glowed yellow. What might be glossed over by others isn’t ignored by Dave Weiss. The VP of Sports Marketing for iHeart Los Angeles makes a run to a nearby store to purchase over a hundred white light bulbs to help the network generate greater attention. With over 170 entities fusing radio, television and digital media all in one space, FOX Sports Radio knows its presentation and business strategy must stand out.
The idea for the set was sketched out on paper between Weiss and Don Martin, the executive vice president of programming for the sports division of iHeartMedia. FOX Sports Radio programming is syndicated on over 600 affiliated stations around the United States, rendering it one of the nation’s largest providers of audio content. Moreover, the national radio platform is ranked No. 4 overall out of 1200 digital streaming stations available for listeners on iHeart app.
“We are here to show everybody that we’re going to be wherever our audience is [and that] our content’s going to get to you,” Martin said. “We are massive content providers; that’s what we do.”
Martin works alongside Scott Shapiro, senior vice president of sports at Premiere Networks and FOX Sports Radio. Although listeners are primarily privy to the talent, a team of network professionals are diligently preparing, booking guests, managing audio levels, clipping content for social media, and providing on-site feedback.
“We need to have compelling talent because our affiliates come to us and say, ‘We feel proud being aligned with you guys,’” Shapiro explained, “but it’s on the air; it’s behind the scenes – we’re real proud of the people we have.”
Afternoon host Doug Gottlieb is broadcasting from his 11th Super Bowl championship week, something he began doing during his time with ESPN and CBS Sports Radio. While he examines the upcoming game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Gottlieb opens his program by remarking about the value of broadcasting at Media Row. Before an announcement is made about FOX Sports, ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery agreeing in principle to launch a new direct-to-consumer streaming service, Gottlieb and update anchor Dan Beyer debate the value of cutting the cord.
As an experienced radio veteran, Gottlieb tries to keep the audience in mind when choosing topics. Knowing guest access increases during the special week of live shows, Gottlieb interviews 19 people in three days on his program. While all of those interviews will not air on the radio due to time constraints, Gottlieb and the FOX Sports Radio team determine a means of distribution, potentially through the one-hour podcast that comes after the show.
“I love the mental gymnastics of being able to go from one guest to the next and know enough about their history to ask them questions that can start to get them talking, and then maybe you can get them to a topic which I find interesting. That’s really what my concern is,” Gottlieb said. “The delivery of it – obviously with podcasting, it makes it way easier – and we can extend it even into the weekend; we can cut it up in segments.”
With a deluge of media outlets and a maelstrom of content permeating the landscape in Las Vegas, understanding how fundamental adaptability is in the context of a broadcast is essential for success. Gottlieb was supposed to have an interview with former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff at approximately 12:25 p.m. EST, but a preceding conversation he was participating in ran long. The podcast co-hosts ended up arriving a few minutes later, leading Gottlieb to have to make a decision about his show.
“In my mind I have to factor in, ‘Okay, I think he’s a great source of information. [He has] been a GM in this league; he’s worked with [Bill] Belichick,’” Gottlieb recalled thinking. “‘This year, there are two teams that are built very, very differently, so I have things that I want to get out of him, plus I have to get his plug, and his plug is with his co-host of his podcast.’”
A few hours earlier, the ability of FOX Sports Radio hosts to comprehend the situation and garner unparalleled conversation was evident at the Dan Patrick Show. Chris Simms came to the program for an interview, which Patrick began by asking his guest to respond with a question. While they were not playing a game of Jeopardy!, a longstanding broadcast quiz show, Patrick proffered the question without a rationale.
Known for his interviewing expertise and prowess, he listened to what Simms was thinking and let those perspectives guide the conversation rather than determining its overall flow. Even though Patrick and his staff prepare in advance for their interviews, there are moments when instinctive direction takes over to make conversations more valuable.
In this case, Patrick was broadcasting in front of a live audience at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a new hotel that opened last December. Scheduling the Dan Patrick Show during Super Bowl week worked out, providing space in the pool complex to construct a hybrid radio and television set to air away from their regular studio in Milford, CT.
Throughout the show, Patrick and the ‘Danettes,’ his team of producers, interact with the audience, cultivating a congenial, welcoming atmosphere. Following the opening ‘Morning Meeting’ segment, Patrick’s program starts with applause from an audience draped by the nighttime sky and falling raindrops.
Patrick then welcomed Albert Breer, senior reporter and lead content strategist for Monday Morning Quarterback. Other guests included the aforementioned Simms, ESPN Monday Night Football color commentator and former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman, and FOX Sports college football analyst and former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn.
“We’re surprisingly unrehearsed on this show,” executive producer Paul Pabst said. “I think sometimes ideas 15 seconds before are sometimes better than a week before. Sometimes you plan them out, but I handle the content, so I ran back to start preparing the next segment because Troy Aikman’s coming on and I want to get a couple of ideas on the screen for Dan to play off of.”
While Patrick is interviewing a guest, Pabst will write ideas that appear on his screen or communicate through talkback functionality. Pabst affirms that Patrick does not need the assistance and can easily ace the interview assignment, but the varied perspectives help enhance the subject matter. The other ‘Danettes,’ which include Patrick “Seton” O’Connor, Marvin Prince and Todd Fritz, also work on various aspects of the show while being part of the conversation.
The program does not have a set in stone rundown, preferring instead to monitor the conversational pattern. In the case of a live show, the cast like to measure the audience reactions. Airing live from Las Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl, much of the content focus is on the league championship game, but there were also other points in which the show offered their perspectives and viewpoints.
Between the traditional blocks, which are aired on FOX Sports Radio and streamed live on Peacock, the show took part in activities proprietary to each medium. Radio listeners heard specific advertising reads, and streaming viewers saw live look-ins that included football-oriented games and brand activations.
“If you’re watching, I’m just complementing what you’re watching, whereas if it’s radio I have to create what you’re listening to,” Patrick said. “I just try to not get in the way of what we’re cooking on a grill because it’s there. No matter what I say, I can’t make it any better than what you see.”
After the show ended, Patrick and the ‘Danettes’ stayed on stage and conducted a meet-and-greet with every audience member. They had personal interactions, making the experience all the more meaningful and memorable to their fans. There was one long-time caller of the show they met in person for the first time, granting them time to reminisce and reflect on the past.
Patrick then went back to work, narrating live reads to use on the radio the next day so he would have more time to interact with the audience. Pabst recognized the importance of demonstrating gratitude when he attended an episode of The View in 1996 where Garth Brooks performed and then stayed for an hour to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone in the crowd.
“I tell our guys after every show that when we’re at the Super Bowl, everybody gets a picture — everybody. No matter how long the line is, we’re going to stay there until we all take pictures and just to talk to them,” Patrick said. “The fact that they’ll wait; they’re here for three hours; they waited in the rain; they came up and they’re only there for 60 seconds, but that’s pretty cool. We’re lucky to have loyal fans, and I tell these guys, ‘Never ever take it for granted. Never.’”
Later in the afternoon back at Media Row, Steve Covino and Rich Davis broadcast from the FOX Sports Radio set, reviewing their experience at Super Bowl Opening Night from Allegiant Stadium. Both co-hosts brought energy and a dynamic feel to the air, something that has been part of the show from their early days working together at SiriusXM.
“If you can’t bring it for those two hours, honestly go home,” Covino said. “That’s how I feel about it. I’m not always feeling great, but for those two hours you’ve got to suck it up and really bring your best.”
“I know I have a very small attention span,” Davis added. “In my mind I’m like, ‘Would I be bored by this?,’ and if I am, I move on quickly, so I feel like I’m a good gauge because I have a bad attention span, so I feel like I like to move quick [and with] high energy.”
The second hour involved Super Bowl trivia that implemented historic facts about the game into the show, granting a different way to display both personality and revelry. From there, the conversation honed in on the NBA Dunk Contest before transitioning to an update, during which Covino and Davis gave their reactions to sports news in real time.
“When you listen to FOX Sports Radio, you know that it thrives on personality and it’s really distinct,” Covino said. “It’s personality-driven, so to be part of what we call ‘The Premiere Sports Lineup in the Nation!’ and know that it’s the personality they’re looking for and they’re not trying to change what you do – they want you to be the best you – I think it’s awesome.”
Rob Parker continued the momentum from the FOX Sports Radio lineup, which starts early in morning drive with 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, which also broadcast from Las Vegas this week. Parker works on The Odd Couple with his co-host Chris Broussard, who was on the air remotely due to his television obligations. Aside from a location for remote interviews to take place, FOX Sports 1 was not present at Media Row this year, which also included The Herd with Colin Cowherd simulcast on FOX Sports Radio.
“It takes a whole village to move a TV broadcast, and frankly we provide the guests for them right here on this set,” Shapiro said. “They have great guests all week, so they’re still going to feel the flavor of being in Vegas, but frankly the content of the show [is] paramount, and they feel with the production; with all the moving pieces of TV, they can achieve a great show from our LA studio.”
Although Parker acknowledged that the show is not as good when one of them is working remotely, the rapport between the co-hosts makes it seem like there is no difference. Leading up to the program, the hosts express their opinions and share ideas with executive producer Robert Guerra. The communication between Parker and Broussard is kept to a minimum in order to craft a genuine program.
“We want the show to be as organic and real rather than me and Chris hashing it out already,” Parker said, “so I think that the way we do it is great so that everything – our natural reactions – are all fresh and new.”
Hosting in the evening daypart, it is incumbent on the program to provide viewers with new content rather than repeating what was stated earlier in the show. As a result, the preparation process varies and contains an active effort to refrain from recapitulation to hold the interest and attention of the listener. One of the segments on Tuesday’s show involved Broussard discussing how Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could have already passed Tom Brady without even being better than Joe Montana first. The third hour involved a conversation about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy going beyond his perceived role as a game manager.
“We’re always looking for fresh, new angles,” says Parker. “Things that happened the night before really don’t normally affect how we do our show because it’s old news by the time we get on at 7pm EST. We’ve got to give people something fresh; something to look forward to.”
Super Bowl Media Row finds itself in a state of transition as radio outlets no longer dominate the room. By an independent count, more than half of the broadcasting stations in the convention center were either television or digital brands. Don Martin surmises that Media Row will be intact in the next decade and will be better than ever because of consistent improvement. Whether the entity will still be known as FOX Sports Radio going forward, however, remains to be seen as the media ecosystem continues to modify with altered consumption habits and emerging technology.
“It’s going to probably outlive itself because what’s a radio?,” Martin said. “Now most of it’s on a phone; it’s a stream. It’s the one thing we call it until the whole industry decides to call it something else.”
“This week, the numbers are only growing for consumption of this sport,” Shapiro added. “There’s no event certainly in this country that can compete with it, and frankly given the growth; given the downsizing of many other things in the television medium, this still rises to the top.”
Regardless where the show takes place, the mission behind the content is always to appeal to the listener and create a personal connection. Evincing a sincere appreciation and humility towards consumers has drawn dedication towards hosts and network’s wide array of premium programming. The future composition of media may be somewhat ambiguous, but FOX Sports Radio remains ready to meet its audience where they are, inviting them to tune in.
Patrick is set to retire at the end of 2027, an announcement he made after signing a contract extension with iHeartMedia and NBC Sports, and is part of a lineup committed to its listeners. Tuesday’s edition of his show accrued a favorable review, although he considers himself to be hypercritical and always aiming to improve. Nonetheless, he is starting to see more of the program’s victories because he wants his colleagues to be proud of the end product.
“You’re trying to get a flow to the show and have some topics; good guests; interactions; laughs,” Patrick said. “The audience is into it, so you’re putting it into a blender and you’re going, ‘Alright, let’s see what we got.’ I think you would like the taste of this show for the lack of a better description. Coming out of the blender, it tastes alright.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing 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.
