“It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business,” said Michael Corleone as he came up with a plan to kill the rival mob boss and corrupt police chief in an iconic scene from The Godfather. That phrase has been used throughout time when tough decisions are made all in the name of doing business. It’s been used by corporations, managers, and WWE wrestlers hailing themselves as the “Second City Saint.” This week, ‘Sonny’ was Michelle Beadle, and business was done by SiriusXM.
On Wednesday, the satellite radio company announced that they had come to a multi-year agreement with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, where he would be making his return to the platform this September. Smith would be hosting a daily program on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio from 1 p.m.–3 p.m., and a weekly show based on “current events, pop culture and commentary” to be announced at a later date.
Beadle and her co-host Cody Decker were not aware their show or daypart was being taken over this fall before the news was released. Nor should they. Why? Because “It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.”
It was only hours after the announcement by SiriusXM that Beadle and Decker took to the airwaves and acted exactly how you would expect any normal human being to act who is losing their job without being notified by management.
“Embarrassing,” exclaimed Beadle.
“This didn’t feel good, I’m not going to lie,” said Beadle.
“All I ask is to be treated with respect,” noted Beadle.
Beadle explained, as Beadle & Decker took the airwaves on Wednesday afternoon, that they were not supposed to discuss the fact their show would be leaving the timeslot they currently occupy. But The Hollywood Reporter thought differently.
In fact, every media outlet (including Barrett Media) had the news before 9 a.m. Eastern Time because Stephen A. Smith announced it on The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM.
Did SiriusXM handle this with poor taste? Many in sports media believe this notion. How dare they not inform the outgoing show of their successor before the news is released!
Business Always Comes First
This isn’t the first time this has happened.
In 2014, Chicago sports radio station 87.7 The Game hosts Ben Finfer, Alex Quigley, and Julie DiCaro were on the air when Chicago media insider Robert Feder broke the news during their show that the radio station would be folding in a month. Quigley, in fact, knew of the news before Feder broke it and was put in an awful position of explaining that he was told not to tell his fellow co-hosts the news.
“Isn’t there anyone here who has respect for employees?” said Finfer.
“What kind of operation is this?” questioned Finfer.
“What are we doing here? That’s crap,” noted Finfer.
There are several instances you could point to where people are not notified they are being let go, only to find out from outside sources and not the people “doing business.”
Is it harsh? Cruel? Unprofessional?
It shouldn’t and doesn’t matter for SiriusXM, because they’re just doing business.
Nothing Is Ever Promised In Business
Anyone that has worked in sports media at any point in time understands that their next day is never a guarantee. As reach expands with more demand, traditional media companies are finding it harder to rake in more advertising dollars because there are so many untraditional media outlets launching to grab their share.
I was told for my entire career that you haven’t worked in sports media until you get laid off. My first experience was in November after 21 years in the industry. Michelle Beadle has been laid off several times with ESPN and NBC. Cody Decker was a part of seven Major League Baseball teams during his career.
Employers don’t let their outgoing employees know the plans of how they’ll be replaced. Never has happened, and it never will.
What happens to you in business is not what matters—how you react does matter.
Speaking with Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Beadle turned becoming the victim of business by SiriusXM into a personal beef with her successor. Stephen A. Smith and Michelle Beadle are not friends, although they were colleagues at ESPN together at several points throughout their careers.
Beadle has held a grudge with Smith going back to his comments on domestic violence during an episode of First Take in 2014 when the Ray Rice video became public. Smith apologized for his remarks and served a one-week suspension. Beadle hasn’t gotten past his comments and has held a grudge with him over it for over a decade.
Stephen A. Smith is now her successor, and Beadle is bashing business by her employer, saying, “It’s a reminder: We’re just all pieces of s**t to someone. If you forgot, there it is.”
If how you react is worth your personal currency, Beadle’s comments show she’s dead broke.
There Is Always Another Place Looking For Talent
Don’t get it twisted—I have empathy for anyone in any line of work who unfortunately loses their job. The world is a rough place to find work; I’ve come to know that personally over the past seven months. When you work in sports media, you are a public figure whose content is consumed in real time for the world to see and react to. What happened to Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker is nothing new that the industry hasn’t done time and time again and will continue to do moving forward.
An employer’s job is to hire the correct people that they feel will advance the company to new levels of success. Sports media is cutthroat for a reason—because the race to stay relevant and earn revenue demands it be so. Every day where any company is not looking at its bottom line and how it can be more consumed, profitable, and important is a lost day.
Business plans have never meant to be public knowledge. Your employer is not your friend, parent, or significant other. It’s a job, simply put. Why?
Because…
“It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s just business.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
