The 14th episode of Season 2 includes a twenty five minute in-studio chat with 670 The Score program director Mitch Rosen. Mitch offers insights into his programming philosophies, explains how he got started, looks ahead to the future of the business and its impact in Chicago, and shares his views on a number of sports radio industry topics.
Jason also dives into this week’s 5 in 5 by offering his perspective on Entercom’s aggressive push for play by play rights, John Skipper’s contract extension, Scott Van Pelt’s issue with ESPN criticisms, the new ESPN Radio lineup and the immediate backlash towards WFAN for installing Chris Carlin, Bart Scott and Maggie Gray as Mike Francesa’s replacements.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED WITH MITCH:
- Becoming interested in sports radio and how he got started
- Appreciating the old school ways of the radio business
- Moving up from WMVP to being an agent to running 670 The Score
- The best and toughest parts of overseeing a heritage sports brand
- How to navigate the process when a new market manager comes in
- Analyzing the ratings and the excitement that comes with it
- The growth in Chicago’s sports radio market share
- Whether or not ESPN’s national image has had any local impact
- Working thru the process of replacing a high profile iconic personality
- How important it is to have familiarity with talent when big gigs open
- The value of diversity in sports radio and the way it has improved
- What he looks for in on-air talent when openings pop up
- Demo tapes and what should be on them to gain his attention
- The future of phone calls in sports radio
- How to continue reaching talent over a long period of time
- Quick Hits: PD advice, One move back, Industry growth, Best Chicago Sports moment
FROM THE GUEST
Mitch’s Twitter handle: @MitchRosen670
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
