It’s been a busy and reflective week off for this Barrett Media sports editor. A week away to unplug, recharge, and reset my mindset moving into the crescendo of the holiday season brought up thoughts of the end. The end far too many in the sports radio industry faced this year, have already faced, or will eventually face in the months and years to come.
Watching John Cena wrap up his retirement tour, filled with gaping holes in story, left many fans desiring more from what felt like a fumbled attempt. However, one thing no one could deny about the process was that Cena got to go out exactly how he wished. He crafted a year-long exit plan, maximizing revenue for the company he elevated in every city he stopped in. No matter your emotions about the final 1-2-3 in the squared circle and how it was scripted, Cena went out his way.
Which brings me to this question about the end. Over the past year, the end has often come with a goodbye. It’s a distinct change that has happened far more than it used to. But does it make the end easier to digest, not only for the consumer, but also for the talent themselves?
The goodbye show is never guaranteed. It never has been, nor should there be an expectation. I’ve unfortunately had to be the one in the room delivering the news to long-tenured talent with massive footprints in their communities. It’s never been easy telling them they are no longer needed. Often, there is no acknowledgment of the time and effort invested over decades of work and, in some cases, millions of dollars in revenue earned for the company.
The fear if a goodbye is granted? What will they say? How will listeners react? How will clients perceive the news? Should team partners question whether staying with your brand is the right move?
There’s no book or manual for it. The move is made, feelings are hurt, listeners are dismayed, clients call for more information, and teams react accordingly.
In the last year, I’ve noticed more examples of the end coming with a goodbye.
In November of last year, KNBR let go of Tom Tolbert, only to bring him back for a goodbye show. Emotions bled through the speakers as local celebrities, one after the other, joined Tolbert to share minutes of gratitude for his many years of service to the sports community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It was a proper sendoff for the listener, client, and team as an all-too-familiar circumstance occurred again. Top talent leaving a market through no fault of their own, just the nature of the industry. We’ve seen this more in sports, news, and music radio over the past year than ever before.
Did it make it easier for the listener and the talent to digest the end that was coming?
WFAN this past week finally announced its official lineup changes as Craig Carton gets a third crack at the Big Apple via Audacy. Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata learned their news while hosting live, but didn’t address it for days after the initial reports. While they handled everything professionally, you could hear and feel the distress in their performance as their tenure at their home station was coming to an end. It wasn’t either of their first stops in sports radio, but they knew their fate ahead of the official end and still worked through it for the good of the brand.
A brand that told both talents they were no longer needed.
Did that method make it easier for the listener and the talent to digest the end that was coming?
Then there’s the consolidation still taking place as Infinity Sports Network and BetMGM Networks merge into Westwood One Sports. Not all talent has publicly spoken about their impending end. Many have, and for months they have been processing what lies ahead. Imagine hearing that your network is ending. You are told you are not part of future plans. Yet you are still required to deliver top-notch programming for more than a month. You do so knowing that after Christmas, you are no longer needed.
Some revealed their impending end early. Some have waited. Others are still waiting to inform listeners about what comes next, if anything.
Does that method make it easier for the listener and the talent to digest the end that was coming?
I thought a lot about this while watching Cena tap out in his final WWE in-ring appearance. He didn’t have to build a retirement tour, and no one was clamoring for a long-awaited return. However, WWE allowed Cena to make the call, and they were open to the idea.
Did it work out in the end? By the metrics, WWE cashed in, sold tickets, and raised brand awareness while securing new media rights agreements, with Cena’s retirement tour serving as a major draw.
Did KNBR allowing Tolbert to do a final show benefit the brand? Can you say allowing Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata a final week of shows raised the profile of WFAN? Would you say Infinity Sports Network or BetMGM Networks allowing final shows for a large percentage of their current talent roster benefits the network heading into the new year?
A goodbye show is never guaranteed. It never should be. However, what’s becoming increasingly clear is that more brands are beginning to understand transparency and trust in their talent can carry real value, often more than the short-term protection that comes from silence or sudden exits.
When a company allows a professional to finish with dignity, it sends a message far beyond the final broadcast. It tells listeners the voices they welcomed into their lives mattered. It tells advertisers the brand respects relationships, not just line items. And it tells the remaining team that loyalty, professionalism, and effort are recognized, even at the end.
Not every ending needs a curtain call, and not every situation allows for one. But cutting talent loose without context, preparation, or the chance to say goodbye rarely protects a brand the way decision-makers hope it will. In many cases, it does the opposite, creating distrust, anxiety, and damage that lingers long after the microphone goes silent.
The industry will always be cyclical. Jobs will end. Lineups will change. Networks will consolidate. That reality isn’t going away. What is changing is the growing recognition that how you handle the end matters just as much as how you build the beginning.
John Cena didn’t need a retirement tour, but WWE trusted him enough to let him have one. The result wasn’t just nostalgia. It was value created for everyone involved. More media brands are beginning to see that same equation apply to their own talent.
A goodbye may never be owed. But when it’s earned and thoughtfully handled, it can be one of the most powerful statements a brand makes about who it is, and who it chooses to be, long after the final sign-off.
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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.
