I attended ESPN Media Day last Wednesday in Bristol, CT. My thanks to Josh Krulewitz and the PR staff for the invite and hospitality. The event was well organized, informative, and offered access to key people. It was worth a day away from conference planning. I try to support brands and individuals who support us, and whether I’m offering praise or criticism, I try to be fair. Key people at the company understand that, which is why we’ve had a good professional relationship since 2015.
I’ll share shortly how brands can benefit from last week’s event but first I have to weigh in on Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith’s remarks. Their panel led by Mike Foss, which included Mike Greenberg, Scott Van Pelt, and Elle Duncan was outstanding.
Starting with Stephen A., he talked candidly about the separation between First Take and Undisputed. Smith said that the biggest misnomer ever made was that there was competition in the 10am hour. Over 1,600 shows aired, with Undisputed finishing within half of First Take’s ratings just twice. Yet media outlets covered the competition as if it was a close battle.
As Smith discussed the issue, Scott Van Pelt reminded the room that FS1 put up billboards in Bristol letting everyone know they were coming. Smith followed up with ‘they never arrived’. Elle Duncan then added ‘waiting’. Stephen A’s competitive spirit came out, as he discussed his drive to annihilate his competition. Whoever he goes up against, he intends to take them down. Pat McAfee then injected humor into the panel, thanking Mr. Annihilation for wiping everyone out so he has a good lead in at 12pm.
What Stephen A. said was accurate. The competition between First Take and Undisputed was not close. Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith’s prior relationship, and ESPN and FS1 wanting to own the daily sports conversation certainly warrants coverage. Shannon Sharpe later switching sides added another layer to it. That said, media outlets cared more about the potential story than the public did. The numbers don’t lie.
Pat McAfee’s comments about the media created the biggest buzz in the room. Andrew Marchand asked Pat about the media’s coverage of him and his show, and he took aim at Marchand, and then at Awful Announcing. He told Andrew how he feels, why he feels how he does, and explained how his reporting affected his show and staff. That doesn’t mean Andrew did anything wrong. He was doing his job covering a story. However, it showed that Pat is going to speak his mind, and tell you where he stands face to face. I had no problem with his remarks. In fact, I respect him for being open in the room.
Pat’s verbal lashing of Awful Announcing was even harsher. He ripped the outlet for trying to make him look bad, and stealing his work to drive clicks. Other hosts agreed. Pat did get defensive over Alex Sherman’s question about journalistic standards, but most people don’t mistake Pat for a journalist, they see him as an entertainer. Elle Duncan made that point in response to Sherman’s question.
I wrote previously how I felt Pat could’ve handled a prior situation with management better. I’ve criticized him before for being too thin skinned. I stand by what I wrote. However, I’m a fan of Pat’s work, and have said that he’s an asset for ESPN. It’s why I went over, said hello, shook his hand, and complimented his work. We can disagree over one issue. It won’t stop me from offering praise when it’s warranted.
Though Smith and McAfee’s remarks grabbed the headlines, I was most impressed by ESPN’s gameplan. I’ve written before how local outlets should be creating their own Upfronts to build stronger interest from advertisers. It works just as effectively if your goal is to increase coverage and improve media relationships. ESPN took one day, showcased their top talent and executives, created an informative agenda, provided transportation, food, access, a tour of their studios, and a parting gift, made a number of news announcements, and used time on site to strengthen ties between the company and media members, while increasing coverage of their work. That’s just really smart business.
Featuring the right people in the room matters, but offering the right topics, and details on key issues is also important. Think about what benefits your advertisers or local media outlets, and serve it to them. If you do, you’ll reap the rewards later.
Jimmy Pitaro for instance talked openly about the company’s interest in local sports rights, the growth of ESPN’s studio shows, and the company’s future direct-to-consumer product (billed as ‘flagship’ but to be renamed later). He also weighed in on succeeding Bob Iger, and the recent decision against Venu Sports. Though he couldn’t say much about it, he reiterated that ESPN disagrees with the court’s decision.
Pitaro was proud to share that ESPN+ is now profitable, and the brand has become #1 in the world on TikTok. Jimmy revealed that he underestimated how much attention ESPN got when he took the job. He also shared that he’s not a fan of the company being referred to as the network or worldwide leader.
Burke Magnus was open with the room too. Laura Rutledge, Jason Kelce, and Nick Saban’s session included a question for Kelce about his wardrobe plans for Monday Night’s. Magnus made it clear that he wants Kelce to be himself not somebody else. He later added ‘Jason Kelce in a suit would look like he’s going to a court appearance’.
ESPN’s President of Content was open about hating what ratings have become. Burke said that he values total audience much more than linear TV ratings. Magnus later admitted that the plan for Doc Rivers on ESPN’s NBA play-by-play team turned out to be fool’s gold. He also addressed Around The Horn ‘s future, noting that the show has another year left on its deal and there’s nothing imminent going on with it.
After learning that Bill Belichick would be a part of a new series called ‘Breakdown’ with Peyton Manning, I was curious if Belichick and Nick Saban would be creating content together given their history. Pat McAfee then chimed in from the back of the room, adding that the two would appear together a few times during the season on his show.
The best moment of the day came from Nick Saban, who was simply fantastic. Saban talked about his Ireland experience with McAfee, and explained how the excitement and interest from College Gameday helped improve Alabama’s image and recruiting.
When asked about his approach to leadership, he shared a great story from his time at Michigan State. Nick said he learned he was a Transactional leader, focused solely on results. A psychologist told him that he needed to become a transformational leader, someone who cares about helping people grow, improving a culture, showing that there’s more to it than just wins and losses. Once he made the switch, he never looked back. ESPN could’ve put Saban on stage for three hours, and nobody would’ve left the room. He was that good.
Though Smith, Pitaro, McAfee, and Magnus earned a lot of attention, one who may not have had the same billing but was excellent was Flora Kelly. Her presentation highlighted ESPN’s dominance across the digital landscape. One stat which especially stood out was that ESPN has reached over 100 million total users in a month across ESPN Digital 44x while its next closest competitor has done so just 4x. Powerful stuff.
ESPN announced a new 12-year deal with the United States Tennis Association, a new 30 for 30 called ‘The Sack Exchange’ on the famous New York Jets defense, Belichick’s new series and scheduled appearances on ESPN programming, and a new ‘Where to Watch’ feature on its app and website during the day. The mixture of news and insight from top talent and executive leadership made it valuable for those attending.
I’m sharing these details to show what a smart plan involves. Including the right people in your organization is one thing, but having valuable content for the right audience is another. For that reason, radio was not a discussion during the event. It appeared on one of Flora Kelly’s slides, and was verbally mentioned a few times when talent were introduced. Aside from that, it wasn’t a topic. Given where the state of industry revenue is, TV and digital should be the priority.
Any local radio, television or print brand could create this event if they identified the key stories and talent in their building, and designed a valuable agenda for advertisers or media outlets. The problem is, most don’t. For nine years I have preached the importance of marketing yourself, your people, your brand, and its story, and time after time, industry leaders do the same thing. If you don’t do anything different to elevate your business, you’re going to remain stuck in mud, and sinking.
ESPN dominates in many areas. Media attention is one of them. Relevance is easy to retain if you prioritize its importance. The more relevant you are, the higher your ratings/reach, which is usually followed by strong revenue. Maybe you can’t hire Stephen A., McAfee, SVP or Greeny, but you can create a full day event to serve fans, advertisers or local media. Taking the plunge and doing it right, could draw comparisons to the worldwide leader. Do it well, and Jimmy Pitaro may even let you keep that name.
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.
