After 34 years and more than 5,500 episodes anchoring sports television’s longest-running program, SportsCenter, Linda Cohn decided it was time for something different. Earlier this year, Cohn was celebrated in a daylong presentation during her return to Bristol, Connecticut. Memories, tributes and a highlight package or two were included, all with a focus on the impact and legacy Cohn left on so many over her three decades of service to the network.
In the days that followed, Cohn got right back to work. The project wasn’t another network or a return to her earlier days in radio. Instead, the National Sports Media Hall of Famer launched a YouTube channel dedicated to providing content that embraced the newfound freedom she gained by leaving the halls of the worldwide leader.
“The stuff that I have strong opinions on is the stuff I haven’t been allowed to say,” said Cohn. “The stuff that’s usually trending and hot topics are the things I tend to want to discuss the most. That’s the stuff that I had the gag order on every year I was with ESPN and weren’t allowed to talk about.”
Finding Freedom In Digital
Twice per week, Cohn now hosts The Linda Cohn Show from her palatial estate in Los Angeles. The topics can range from sports to pop culture. The opinions are her own, written and presented from the heart. Cohn has never lost her passion for sports, but she also never had a platform to truly choose and discuss her personal feelings on subject matter at length.
That’s why it made all the sense in the world for Cohn to immediately enter the digital content space following her ESPN departure.
“It’s all about fun and freedom. That’s what I finally had after leaving ESPN,” notes Cohn. “I’ve always loved connecting with fans. They’re like me. But now I’m talking about my passions and beliefs on certain things. Just saying it is resonating with people… But as long as I’m having fun, then it’s worth doing.”
Cohn is an advocate for embracing connection. She makes a habit of replying to and engaging with her viewing audience in the comments, keeping the conversation alive during the off hours. When contemplating how to approach the project following ESPN, Cohn decided to go into the building alone.
She began editing and posting clips of random sports thoughts via social media, which caught the attention of her current podcast producer, Dominic DeAngelo. DeAngelo, who also worked part time at Whole Foods, produced several wrestling podcasts as a side project but followed Cohn on social media.
After some initial conversations during the final months with ESPN, Cohn felt prepared to launch.
“As soon as we mutually parted ways [with ESPN], that’s when my brain started ticking on finding out information regarding podcasts. I asked a few people but settled on starting this on my own to start and don’t wait,” said Cohn. “That’s why I posted stuff on Instagram prior to retiring, then when the contract ended, channel started. I’ve was chomping at the bit to do something like this, but I wasn’t allowed to earlier.”
Leaving ESPN
Cohn’s journey to independent media didn’t come overnight. It was a long process of continuing to see the signs of the ESPN she helped grow begin to morph into a new entity. Cohn is an admitted lover of the highlight and of navigating the stories that surround it. However, she began to notice that fewer highlights made the final SportsCenter rundown. Content began to move away from the foundation of ESPN’s flagship program.
Then, in March of last year, ESPN announced it would be ending the production of SportsCenter based in Los Angeles. Cohn moved out west in 2009 when ESPN expanded SportsCenter to cater to a West Coast audience. Following the announcement that SportsCenter LA would close, Cohn knew she would not be making a return to Bristol.
“They [ESPN] didn’t want to retain [me]. I saw the writing on the wall when they closed the LA studio. Honestly, that last year, they [ESPN] thought I was going to walk away then. There wasn’t an offer to my knowledge to come back to Bristol, and I wasn’t going to do that anyway,” explained Cohn. “I did not want to be rushed into any decision.”
Cohn says that for about a month after the closing of the LA studio, she attempted to approach ESPN “higher ups,” suggesting some off-air ideas for her employment. Her suggestions consisted of a consultant role or ambassador for the network at events, among other items. The conversations were led by Cohn, not her agent.
Unfortunately, the suggestions led to another unexpected twist.
“All they [ESPN] said was you could do fifteen events. We’ll pick the events or appearances. But they cut my salary by like 80%. Not that I was making a lot, because loyalty never pays,” said Cohn. “I could have just said, ‘see ya.’ Honestly, I was really taken back, but this was going to be a blessing in disguise for me. I now know the writing is on the wall and don’t have to rush into anything. Also, I could think about the next steps and only did four events for them [ESPN]. I wasn’t surprised at all when they didn’t want to extend.”
SportsCenter Retirement
Then, after mutually agreeing to part ways earlier this year, Cohn got her sendoff from the network that she helped build.
“They [ESPN] thought I would walk away, but I didn’t want it to end that way. That’s why I took the offer last year. My legacy at that place, I didn’t want it to end where I walked away. If they ever admitted it, I bet they’re happy I didn’t walk out that way. I could have spoke to every outlet possible and talked about how [they] ended my career. But I didn’t do it that way,” explained Cohn. “That’s why I’m grateful to have the goodbye that they gave me.”
Overall, Cohn says her sendoff from the network was great. She credits middle management for making the celebration happen. After being approached by Johann Castillo, vice president of studio production at ESPN, Cohn was asked what she wanted the sendoff to be.
“I told Johann it’s going to look better for ESPN if they flew me out to Bristol and did something. He agreed and said he would bring it to the higher ups. None of the higher ups talked to me by the way, it was all Johann as the point guy. He did a great job,” said Cohn. “It was great. I was really happy about it, but I was glad I spoke up to put it out there. To everyone’s credit, they thought Linda Cohn retiring after 34 years was a big deal. It just felt right.”
For Cohn, the ending at ESPN ultimately became less about walking away from the network and more about finally having the freedom to decide what comes next. After 34 years, more than 5,500 episodes of SportsCenter and a legacy that few in sports television can match, she no longer has to wait for someone else to decide what her voice is worth or where it belongs.
“I’m grateful for the goodbye that ESPN gave me. The outpouring from that day. That was important to me because it’s usually something you hear when someone is dead. I was grateful for that as well,” said Cohn. “Now, YouTube is the way to go. I’m doing it from home. This is something I want to build on as something I’ve created from the ground up… People are very busy, but they still want to hear what I have to say. Just like I was a part of their lives growing up watching on SportsCenter, they have welcomed me into their homes in this next chapter in the same way. That’s very gratifying to me.”
The Road Ahead
Now, Cohn gets to make those decisions herself. There are no network rundowns dictating the conversation, no restrictions on which topics are off-limits and no executive deciding whether her opinions fit the brand.
There is simply Linda Cohn, a camera and an audience willing to listen.
That may be the biggest twist in Cohn’s post-ESPN story. She spent more than three decades helping build a platform that became synonymous with sports television. Now, she has built one of her own. And for someone who spent years being told what she could and could not say, the most meaningful part of the next chapter may be that nobody is telling Linda Cohn what to do.
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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.