Sean Salisbury was the morning voice for Houston sports talk radio listeners for the past six years on SportsTalk 790. Last week, Salisbury’s time with the radio station came to an abrupt end as he was one of many who were laid off by iHeartMedia nationwide. The week prior to Salisbury’s exit at SportsTalk 790, he took part in an interview with Barrett Media chronicling his success in Houston while also building a new digital program entitled Unpaved.
“I didn’t go into creating Unpaved thinking about my brand,” said Salisbury. “On the national stage, my goal was to give people something that was passionate. That wasn’t race baiting or chasing ghosts. I’m not a hot take guy; I’m a passionate guy. I’ve never said anything on any of these shows that I don’t believe.”
Embracing his Twitter/X handle of “Sean Unfiltered,” Salisbury launched Unpaved in February of this year. It was a project that aims to provide entertainment with passion and fun, but with a national scope on sports. A departure from his former morning show on SportsTalk 790, where the focus was on Houston sports.
Salisbury is a known commodity in the sports media landscape. Following a ten-year career in the NFL and CFL. He found his calling at ESPN as an NFL analyst for eleven years. After his time with the network, Salisbury began to grow his profile in Houston, Texas. He hosted shows for Yahoo Sports Network and beIN Sports before landing at iHeartMedia in 2019.
Launching Unpaved While At iHeartMedia
About three years ago, he was approached by Rumble, at the suggestion of his good friend Dan Bongino, about hosting a national show. However, the timing wasn’t right.
“We’ve been talking for three years, but at that time I wasn’t ready. I was getting my master’s [degree] and I couldn’t commit to doing a national show on Rumble with all the stuff I had going on. I didn’t want to do it half-assed and seem like a throwaway,” explained Salisbury. “They called me back in the fall of 2024, and I was ready.”
Following approval from iHeartMedia market manager Eddie Martiny, the path to Unpaved was underway.
“I’m always a team player. I always asked, but they had no problem at all with doing it,” said Salisbury.
Salisbury credited the mutual respect during his entire tenure with local iHeartMedia management. From current program director Chris Gordy to Martiny. He considered their local leadership “phenomenal” because of their ability to let talent do their work and chase their passion.
“I’ve never had a better boss in my life, and I’ve had some great ones. Eddie Martiny is Mount Rushmore for me,” Salisbury said in our interview the week prior to his company departure. “Do good radio, create revenue, and be respectful in the building and the room. Everything else will take care of itself.”
In August of this year, Salisbury came to an agreement on another multi-year contract extension to continue hosting morning drive on SportsTalk 790. His extension came five months after his former co-host Brian LaLima left the station for financial reasons, as he stated in his announcement in March.
“I knew where my range was going to be,” said Salisbury about his recent contract negotiations with iHeartMedia. “When I got guys, I’m always pining for them [his show staff] because it matters. Whether it’s me leaving or him [former co-host Brian LaLima]. If someone is leaving, it disrupts what we have going on. They knew how special the chemistry was [between LaLima and Salisbury on air]. Their hands get tied because if corporate says this is the limit, then you just got to deal with it and hope the next guy can do that job.”
Less than two months after signing his extension, Salisbury was laid off from iHeartMedia during another company financial reduction in force.
Reflecting on his time working with LaLima, Salisbury said their companionship revitalized his interest in staying in radio. He stated the chemistry between the two was the best he’s had in his career.
“It’s the best chemistry I’ve ever had with a guy for a continued amount of time in my life,” said Salisbury. “I never enjoyed work more on a day-to-day basis. I hated that he had to leave, and I’m grateful for Dan [Matthews, former co-host SportsTalk 790]. But I never felt the same chemistry before.”
Delivering What An Audience Wants
Now with a sole focus on continuing to build Unpaved, which launched officially in February, Salisbury sees this as an opportunity to deliver something audiences are clamoring for.
“I didn’t come into this with any selfish expectations. It’s about doing good stuff, great content, a little different because I think we’re fatigued by the stuff you turn on radio,” said Salisbury. “I’m not willing to give up my credibility in the business for a bigger paycheck or to say something I don’t believe. I just won’t do it.”
The show launched on Rumble, with every episode streamed live and clips produced for social media consumption. Salisbury said the goal is not to produce a show to be picked up by a network or distributor, but he wouldn’t reject a call if made. He considers Unpaved an extension of his passion for talking sports, entertaining people, and showcasing content for a national audience.
“We’re nowhere near where we’re going to be. The show is critiquing every day, you’re supposed to do that,” noted Salisbury. “We’re playing our hits that people like, and the ones that don’t will come over… Passion, disagreement, getting after it but doing it the way we’re doing it. On my show, I demand it that way. Good work will always eventually win.”
Expanding The Unpaved Road
With plans to expand his program’s talent roster by the beginning of next year, Salisbury’s approach to Unpaved continues to be all gas, no brakes. With plans to build a unique studio for the program before the beginning of the year, he believes the audience wants content to go back to something a little different.
“When I watch Pat [McAfee] or Dan [Patrick], I just like the feel,” remarked Salisbury about the studio design for their individual presentations. “The studio will be old-school, vintage, and classic, kind of like the name Unpaved. You get off on a dirt road here, because most people here live on an unpaved road. We’re all trying to get back to a paved road, but you have to fight through it all.”
Salisbury’s former co-host and producer from SportsTalk 790, Adam Sager, will continue to co-host Unpaved from his location in Chicago. Salisbury brought on Sager in September, crediting his great bandwidth and sports knowledge to provide a sense of calm while bringing his own intelligence to the table.
Even though he has departed his role with iHeartMedia, Salisbury remains a servant to his audience and eager to learn from them. With recent instances of current or former athletes dismissing opinions of non-athletes, Salisbury approaches it as an opportunity to gain knowledge and a better understanding of the conversation instead of delivering a lecture or simply yelling to gain clicks and engagement.
“I’m never going to demean or shrink anyone [who hasn’t played] who has an opinion. If that’s the case, Joe Buck should never call games,” explained Salisbury. “I respect it till you prove to me you don’t deserve it… I’m taking classes on finance, and I got a master’s degree. But do you think I’m going to teach Warren Buffett about money?”
Unpaved continues to be a work in progress for Salisbury, but an outlet he sorely missed during his time with iHeartMedia. He looks forward to sharing in a conversation and providing content that is trustworthy, entertaining, and meets a need that audiences are left without today. With less than a year into the digital venture, Salisbury remains excited about the growth of the program and where it could be headed.
“For me, it was to entertain and do great work. Whatever comes of it will come, because I still love doing this. I don’t want to retire,” said Salisbury. “I come in here with a fresh slate knowing what we want to talk about and what our listeners want to hear. If hot takes are what you want, we’re not the show for you. If passionate takes with preparation are, you might like us.”
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
