I don’t know Norby Williamson. We’ve never spoken let alone had an email exchange. I’ve tried reaching out a few times over the years, but never heard back. Though we had no relationship or interactions, I have a great deal of respect for his body of work. You don’t enjoy four decades of success at ESPN without doing many things right. Among them, figuring out how to survive numerous executive changes.
Which is why it’s strange that Williamson’s exit comes after not being able to find common ground with ESPN’s president of content Burke Magnus.
According to the New York Post, Magnus and Williamson did not share a vision that aligned with ESPN’s long-term strategy. The issue had to be big because networks don’t move on from skilled executives with four decades of experience, especially when they have contracts in place through 2027.
The Pat McAfee saga has come up a lot in recent days because of how much attention it produced for Williamson. Most of it, didn’t help him. But that was only one situation. It was a strange battle to pick because Williamson had to know that ESPN sank large dollars into McAfee, and were going to give him every chance to succeed. Maybe prior wins over other top stars gave Norby a false sense of security, but McAfee was a different animal. Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, and Burke Magnus were all-in on him, and in a game of high-stakes Russian roulette, Norby wasn’t going to win.
I don’t know if Norby leaked information to the New York Post to make Pat McAfee look bad. It certainly looked that way, but it’d be unfair for me to say definitively that he did. Opinions of his style vary among talent, but that’s an issue most managers overcome. Executives and talent often have love-hate relationships.
However, when the executive who was promoted over you implements a plan, and you’re not on board with it, that becomes problematic. The McAfee move is the one situation we know there was disagreement on. How many others existed though? Disagreeing on talent, content, costs, etc. is fine, but once decisions are made, everyone has to buy in to move the company forward. Vision must be shared and embraced. Otherwise, workplace culture becomes compromised. When that happens, changes have to be made or further damage gets done.
I’ve gone through this situation myself. Once as a programmer, and once as a lead producer. It’s not fun being involved in a power struggle. Sometimes you have to let others know what will and won’t be tolerated. You also have to be a leader and make tough decisions. How you navigate complex matters speaks volumes about your leadership. Others internally take notice.
Magnus is well liked and respected by many I know in Bristol. Williamson has less fans but few argue with his credentials. If Norby wasn’t going to embrace Burke’s vision, then Magnus had to make this call. Pitaro and Iger did the right thing too by supporting it. They had to know this outcome was a possibility when they promoted Burke over Norby. There can’t be two top dogs pulling in opposite directions. That eventually creates internal chaos, and we already saw how that played out with the McAfee mess.
For McAfee, he comes out of this looking strong. Knowing his bosses had his back has to make him feel good about being in business with them. Hopefully he remembers that in the future if other situations arise. I’ve said before, Pat shouldn’t be taking on executives. He prevailed over Norby, and had a reason to defend his show and reputation, but these type of wars eventually have less favorable outcomes. Iger, Pitaro and Magnus are obviously invested in him and see him as a big part of ESPN’s future. Now it’s his turn to reward their faith.
More importantly, the entire company’s management team is now on notice. If Norby Williamson can be removed, so can others. Burke, Jimmy and Bob have a plan, and they’re going to do things a certain way. Anyone standing in the way of progress, won’t be part of the future. As I said earlier in this column, vision can’t be compromised. It’s hard enough to grow and win. Trying to do it with people on your team working against you affects morale and hitting your goals.
Only Burke, Norby and those close to the situation know how fractured this situation became. Regardless, ESPN is in better shape today than yesterday because there’s no longer a divide between two key executives. Now the question becomes, did they bet on the right horse, and was the right path taken? Given where the network is and wants to go, Iger and Pitaro made a smart bet. It’s now Burke’s job to prove them right.
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Thumbs Up
WWE/Lee Fitting: I was in Philadelphia over the weekend for WrestleMania 40. Kudos to all involved with the company. They couldn’t have hit a bigger homerun. The only negative was the weather on Saturday night, and that was beyond their control.
If you haven’t watched the WWE in a minute, take another look. There’s improved video production, fresh camera angles, and just a better look and feel for the presentation. Fitting earned high praise for his work from Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque following WrestleMania, and rightfully so. The upgrades are noticeable, and the biggest winners are the viewers who are seeing what a strong, creative approach can do for visual storytelling.
Ariel Helwani: Great interviewers understand the importance of asking short, open-ended questions, listening to the answers for key follow ups, and finding common ground with those they speak with. Helwani is extremely skilled in these areas. He advances conversations, often resulting in news. Dan Patrick, Howard Stern and Bob Costas are frequently mentioned as great interviewers. If Helwani keeps executing at a high level, he could one day join that group.
Dan Zaksheske: The former ESPN producer turned Outkick writer asked South Carolina Women’s Head Basketball Coach Dawn Staley if transgendered women should be able to play women’s college basketball. The clip has been viewed nearly twenty seven million times at the time of my writing this. It’s also been replayed across other media outlets. You can agree or disagree with Staley’s opinion. I’m more impressed by Zaksheske asking a tough question at a press conference. More times than not, pressers lack these type of moments.
Thumbs Down:
Infinity Sports Network: Rather than use BetQL, which made more sense, Audacy and Westwood One chose a name that means little to its talent, affiliates, listeners, and advertisers. CBS Sports Radio wasn’t perfect but the CBS name was known and respected. It was a better identity for a network than Infinity Sports. Giving affiliates less than two weeks to inform listeners, advertisers, and rebrand isn’t great either. Clearly the CBS partnership changed, making this situation necessary. However, it looks rushed, and feels like a temporary fix more than a long-term plan.
NFL Network: First came issues with Good Morning Football. Then last week, the network cut Melissa Stark, James Palmer, Andrew Siciliano, and Will Selva. The PR hits keep coming, and you have to assume there’s a plan in place to turn this around before next season. Whether it’s a good one or not, time will tell. For now, there’s little reason to trust or be excited about the league’s television network.
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.
