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For Audacy’s ‘Katie & Company’ It’s About ‘Human Content’

Charese Fruge
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For Audacy’s ‘Katie & Company’ It’s About ‘Human Content’

Audacy’s “Katie & Company” stars Katie Neal and airs in thirty-two markets across the country including the company’s Seattle, Detroit, Miami, Houston, and Chicago markets, and on external affiliates via Infinity Networks.

The last one is very special to Neal. Last year, they added her hometown, Peoria, IL, to the list. It’s the one she says she still gets the most excited about. “I approach the show like I’m talking to my best friend,” she explains. “And now she finally gets to hear it every day.”

Neal got her start in radio right after she graduated from college. She was working at WBNQ in Bloomington, IL, and had a mountain of student loan debt coming due, so when she saw an opening for an Account Executive position in New York, it felt like a smart financial move for her.

She moved to NYC in 2012 to sell for WPLJ and WNSH. She sold radio for four years, had a great list of clients and made good money, but she knew sales wasn’t for her in the long run.

Over the years, she helped the production team with voicing commercials, which is how she met John Foxx, who was programming both stations at the time. He took Neal under his wing, and in 2016 let her audition to voice track weekends. That turned into a weekend live shift. She was selling radio five days a week, and in the studio on most Saturdays and Sundays for a year.

When a full-time shift opened up on WNSH, she jumped at the chance to audition. She accepted the midday position in February 2017, and by September 2020, Audacy launched the show across its network of Country stations and later to outside affiliates.

Neal says working in sales for so long has really helped her navigate the business side of her career. “I love that I get to be creative and put together a show every day. But I also know that the show needs to make money,” she says. “I hop on a lot of client calls with our sales team when they are pitching endorsements. I always tell them, ‘I know what you’re up against. Let me help.’”

“Going from one Program Director to twenty at a time was a trip,” says Neal. “In the beginning, it weighed a lot on me mentally…I went a little insane at first trying to make them all happy. But at this point, I feel very confident in our programming strategy and how we put the show together. I gladly accept feedback; I work closely with Tim Roberts and Mike Peterson, and we pivot when things don’t work. But I’ll also stand up for what I believe in and what I think listeners want to hear.”

As far as the role Neal’s show plays in the Country community, “The country community is truly special, and that includes the incredible listeners who make this format what it is. Country music is built on real stories, shared values, and a deep connection between the artists and their fans. That’s what makes this format so special to me.”

As for appealing to so many different markets, maintaining “relevant” content is important, Neal says, “It’s all about ‘Human Content.’ That is relevant content,” she says. “I cut custom local content for all of my markets all the time, which I think is very important. But I think the content that wins the most is the content that is most relatable to the everyday human experience.”

For those of you who are unaware, Audacy and “Katie & Company” just celebrated the opening of their new state-of-the-art Sound Space located on top of the Hard Rock Café on the Broadway Strip in Nashville, near the bank of the Cumberland River. It’s centrally located in the heart of Music City.

“There are no words for how much I love our new Audacy Sound Space,” says Neal. “For four years, I did this show in the closet of my spare bedroom with a Rodecaster and soundproofing I ordered from Amazon. To be in THIS room now with the best board and equipment, I am grateful for it every day!”

Neal says her most significant accomplishment in the business so far is having a job she loves to do, and her next big goal is to win a Marconi Award.

Follow Katie Neal on Instagram @katieneal, @katieandcompany and on TikTok @heykatieneal.

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.

Aircheck: Gary Owens, 640 KFI Los Angeles, 1986

Jeff Lynn
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Aircheck: Gary Owens, 640 KFI Los Angeles, 1986

Gary Owens was a radio talent, actor, and voice talent. In addition to radio, people of a certain age will remember him as the announcer for the comedy show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.

Born in South Dakota, early in his career, Owens passed through 1290 KOIL-AM in Omaha, a fertile proving ground for many young talents.

In 1961, Owens landed in Los Angeles at 980 KFWB. In the days before 640 KFI moved to news/talk, Owens hosted mornings. His cast included Dan Avey, Barbara Whitesides, David Blake, and producer Laura Brown, most of whom can be seen in the video contributing to the show.

Owens received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980, which can be found between Walt Disney and Betty White. Owens passed away in February 2015 at the age of 80.

Enjoy Gary Owens’s smooth baritone voice, 1986 640 KFI Los Angeles from California Airchecks.

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Looking at New Nielsen Data After the Debut of the 3-Minute Rule

Dr. Ed Cohen
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Looking at New Nielsen Data After the Debut of the 3-Minute Rule

Now that Nielsen has issued the first monthly PPM reports that incorporate the “three minute rule”, everyone involved in PPM markets wants to know how the estimates changed. Let’s take a look.

First, Pierre Bouvard, with help from “legendary” Westwood One VP-Research Scott Anekstein, released a solid compilation of year-over-year data combining all PPM markets except the delayed West Palm Beach.

West Palm is small enough that it could barely affect the totals. And while Scott may not be “legendary”, I’ve worked with him, and you can take his work to the bank. 

Last Thursday, I watched a webinar with Mike McVay and Steve Allen hosted by Radio Ink editor and WKU alum Cameron Coats. Steve sees the data in his work with Research Director Inc. and Mike always has some solid insight (full disclosure: Mike hired me at Cumulus in 2016, but I’d say good things about Mike anyway as would most of you!).

No data was shared, but Steve noted that the results were all over the place. Mike suggested that there were some market-level effects, for example, the Eagles in the Super Bowl could have an effect on Philadelphia estimates separate from the three-minute rule. If you missed the webinar, here’s a link.

As this column is released on Tuesday morning, I expect to be part of the Radio Rendezvous with Jon Miller of Nielsen later today. Hopefully, Jon will have some data to share with us, but in the meantime, I thought I’d prevail upon some friends to see how the results turned out.

The change increased the numbers, but not the percentages you may have expected. The simple reason is that what Nielsen showed the industry was a specific month comparing the three minute rule to the five minute rule. We don’t have that option, so the best comparison is year over year, in other words, comparing January 2025 to January 2024, but this is not the “apples to apples” that Nielsen presented.

Another twist in comparing the two years is that the January 2025 survey period started later. Every number of years, Nielsen adds a week to the Holiday survey to keep the monthlies relatively close to the named month. Holiday 2024 was one of the years with five weeks. The January 2024 survey period was January 4-31. The January 2025 survey period was January 9-February 5. The difference is probably small but worth noting.

Nielsen’s initial data using “apples to apples” masked the fact that radio listening has been on the decline for years. In other words, if Nielsen says that the three-minute rule will increase AQH by 20-25%, deduct some percentage points from that figure to account for the year-over-year attrition in listening.

The runs I requested covered one daypart (Monday-Friday 6AM-7PM) and broke the demos down by 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54. The last two are not standard Nielsen weighting cells, but using five year age ranges (45-49 and 50-54) was just too tight for my taste.

Listening was up as expected. Persons 18-24 was up over 14% year over year, while P25-34 increased by 7.5%. P35-44 was up 16.2% and P45-54 increased 11.8%. That’s based on actual people, in other words, New York and LA carry much more weight than Memphis and Hartford. When you look at the average of increases which makes every market equal, the gains are four to five points higher. In all, this is good news.

But if nothing else changes, we’ll see declines start again when the January 2026 monthlies are released. The industry has a year to convince current listeners to spend more time with our medium and to cajole those who have left to come back before listening levels decline again.

You know the issues that hold back any potential rebound for our medium. Let’s fix (lower) the spot loads, make sure the streams sound as good as on-air, promote and market, and instead of cutting personnel, let’s add people! During last week’s webinar, Mike McVay said it’s time to try something new.

It’s easy for me to spend someone else’s money and I don’t have to answer to any shareholders, but as I write this, iHeart (IHRT) stock is under $2, you can buy a share of Cumulus (CMLS) for just a bit more than two quarters, Beasley (BBGI) is down over 60% year over year, and Urban One stock is around $1.40. Saga and Townsquare stocks are both in better shape compared to the others, but would you invest your money in these companies today? Apparently, financial success is not rampant for the current stewards of broadcast radio licenses.

If Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is right that the AM bill will be signed by President Trump, that’s far from a cure-all for radio’s problems. The NAB might push through more ownership deregulation, but will anything change? Will owning even more stations in a market bring our medium back to prominence or will this be an opportunity to spend even less? More broadly, is it too late to save US broadcast radio?

The industry has been given a short window to invest in the medium. That’s no guarantee of success, but if we don’t, we know the outcome. Thank you, Nielsen Audio, for the opportunity. 

Let’s meet again next week.

Steve Moore Preparing to Move KMOX Into Next Era After Audacy Adds 104.1 FM Signal

Garrett Searight
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Steve Moore Preparing to Move KMOX Into Next Era After Audacy Adds 104.1 FM Signal

On Monday, Audacy announced KMOX would move from its 98.7 FM translator to the full-fledged, 50,000-watt signal on 104.1 FM. Brand Manager Steve Moore admitted it has been a long time coming.

After Audacy began a round of widespread layoffs last week that resulted in the elimination of jobs at HOT 104.1, speculation began to ramp up that the company was preparing to move the legendary KMOX brand to the signal. WHHL offers 50,000 watts of power, encompassing the entire St. Louis metro.

And while KMOX was heard on an FM translator at 98.7, and it’s 250 watts of power, as well as 102.5-HD2, those options can’t hold a candle to what the 104.1 FM signal can do.

Steve Moore said he’s an AM Radio fan, but noted that the shift to 104.1 is a welcomed one for the brand.

“I’m personally thrilled. This has been part of my goal or mission for a long time. I probably drove everybody at Audacy crazy,” he said with a chuckle. “I probably drove everybody at CBS (Radio) crazy beforehand. It’s part of the evolution. I don’t think this is the end game. I don’t think this is a panacea. But I think this is a part of a process. We just want the radio station to be as accessible to as many people as we possibly can.”

Some could question why, if making the station as accessible as possible was the goal, why didn’t KMOX move to KFTK-FM, Talk 97.1 FM, which features a 100,000 watt signal compared to the 50,000 watts provided by WHHL on 104.1.

Steve Moore shared that the Talk 97.1 FM brand has a quarter century of brand identity in the market and that it continues to perform well in the ratings and revenue categories that matter most, so the company never considered placing the AM news/talk station on that signal.

While KMOX is a legendary, heritage brand in St. Louis, Moore admitted that changing listener habits necessitated the move.

“Nobody wants to chase the signal. they don’t want to drive down Manchester Road and get to a certain place, and unfortunately, the signal runs out to them at that time. That’s not user-friendly,” said Moore. “I understand the value of (the AM signal). I think it served its purpose and I think we did well with it.

“But the idea that the full market signal allows the consumer, allows the listener, allows the client to have trust that when somebody is driving down the road and they’re heading home, and they’re headed out highway 40 or 70, they’re going to be able to experience the radio station without any issue, all the way to the time they get home or to their office.”

The shift to the 104.1 FM signal will take place on Monday, March 24th. Moore joked that in spite of asking both Audacy and predecessor CBS Radio to move the brand to the FM signal, the next two weeks include “a heck of a lot more than I realized.”

“It seemed like it was going to be a lot easier. ‘You just kind of flip a switch and then it’s done.’ No, it doesn’t really work that way,” he said while laughing. “Just all the little bitty details. that you don’t think about. There’s a client party on the 24th, that night, to kick it all off. So, there’s lots of things. Lots of busy work to do before we get to the 24th.”

An outsider might not think a move to the FM band would signal content changes for KMOX. But Steve Moore was upfront in sharing that there are going to be adjustments to what listeners of the heritage brand can expect.

“KMOX is not a conservative radio station. It’s not an overly political radio station. It’s a community-based news, information, and entertainment radio station that also has St. Louis Cardinals baseball,” said Moore. “We need to make sure that we lean into that so that we’re not in the way of Talk 97.1 FM, that we’re not in the conservative lane, and that the audience gets to know what we’re doing so they understand what we’re doing. It’s about refining that and making sure that we’re evolving the news.

“We want to enterprise news a little bit more. And we want to be more creative and go a little bit deeper into some of the news stories that we’re doing. I refer to it as suburban and stories, or pocketbook stories. Things that matter in our community. Those kinds of stories you’ll hear, those get our talk shows, more than you will necessarily about Trump’s tariffs, unless tariffs affect people at the grocery store or at the gas pump, things like that.”

The move to the FM signal isn’t simply a practical one. It’s also symbolic, as KMOX will take the 50,000 watt signal from 104.1 in advance of Opening Day for MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals. The two brands have be inextricably linked in each other’s history. And Moore remained adamant that the MLB franchise is an integral part to the future of KMOX.

“There’s a huge following for the Cardinals. Whether they’re winning or losing, whether the fan base is happy or restless, the Cardinals make news,” he shared. “So to get on (FM) before the 27th, which is Opening Day, and be able to kickstart this — whether they’re off to a great start or they struggle — there will be a lot of buzz about them. We want to be the place that people can come and not only hear the games but talk about the games and share their feelings about their games and everything else.”

When the addition of the FM signal takes place, KMOX will remain on the 1120 AM signal which, like 104.1 FM, is a 50,000-watt signal.

When asked if that made the brand a potential player in other sports rights, with one signal carrying one franchise’s games and the other carrying another — similar to how Audacy sister station WFAN operates its signals on 660 AM and 101.9 FM in New York, Steve Moore said “I think it certainly creates the opportunity and we would have to investigate any option or opportunity that presents itself.”

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CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein Announces New Podcast Ahead Of March Madness

BSM Staff
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CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein Announces New Podcast Ahead Of March Madness

CBS Sports continues to gear up for March Madness, with Selection Sunday now just under a week away. Today, the network announced that college basketball insider Jon Rothstein will be launching a new CBS Sports podcast, debuting tomorrow on the CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube page.

According to a release, the podcast featuring Rothstein will provide insider information, along with expert analysis and game picks for all upcoming matchups. Following the debut on Tuesday, another episode will be published on Thursday, March 13, with new episodes continuing throughout the NCAA basketball tournament, beginning next week.

Rothstein took to X to share the announcement and express his excitement about the news.

“Thrilled to announce that I’m launching a new show on Tuesday at 4:30 PM ET with CBS Sports,” tweeted Rothstein. “(CBS Sports) will now be my exclusive podcast home moving forward.”

As Rothstein revealed, the first episode of his new podcast venture will feature Houston Cougars’ head coach Kelvin Sampson. Meanwhile, he will continue making appearances on Inside College Basketball, CBS Sports Network’s pre-game and post-game studio program, while also serving as a sideline reporter for select play-by-play broadcasts.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Television Network since 2016. In 2021, he joined CBS and Turner Sports’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament as an insider, working within the controlled environment throughout the tournament in Indianapolis.

Beyond CBS Sports, Rothstein has contributed as a national columnist for both CBSSports.com and FanRag Sports, with his work also featured in The New York Times and Sports Illustrated. Additionally, he makes regular appearances on WFAN and CBS Sports Radio.

Before joining CBS Sports, Rothstein worked for both ESPN Radio and MSG Network, where he served as a college basketball insider from 2007 to 2010.

As the excitement builds, basketball conference tournament action tips off on CBS Sports this weekend, featuring 39 games across nine different conferences. The action will culminate on Selection Sunday, with a total of 15 automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments up for grabs. Coverage will span the CBS Television Network, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Network.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1899196060696006824

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Michelle Beadle Defends Charles Barkley’s Comments About ESPN

BSM Staff
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NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley lit the fuse of controversy last week regarding ESPN’s coverage of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers compared to other stories around the league. While Barkley is no stranger to taking shots at the four-letter network, his latest critique specifically targeted Kendrick Perkins and the network’s insistence on discussing the Lakers—particularly LeBron James.

In his comments, Barkley called out “them fools on the other network.” This comes as the award-winning studio show Inside the NBA is set to air on ESPN and ABC beginning next season under a sublicensing deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and The Walt Disney Company.

Adding to the discussion, former ESPN employee Michelle Beadle, who co-hosts Beadle & Decker on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, agreed with Barkley’s criticisms. She also shared her own personal experiences from her time at the network.

“We had to always talk about the Lakers. We always had to talk about the (Dallas) Cowboys,” Beadle said on Monday. “It’s brain-numbing, formulaic bulls**t.”

Beadle, who worked for ESPN from 2009 to 2012 and then returned in 2014 until the summer of 2019, reflected on her time at the network. She expressed frustration over the network’s topic selection, stating that it often felt “forced” and deliberately catered to certain teams throughout the year.

“Barkley’s right. It’s been what we’ve been trying to say all damn season,” remarked Beadle. “It is not the job of one network—although I guess you can argue that it is—to just constantly s**k off one player in the league and only talk about that. That is what this is and has been for quite some time.”

Following Barkley’s remarks, Perkins was quick to respond via social media.

“Hey @NBAonTNT, might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around,” Perkins wrote on X. “When he sees an idiot or fool in person, make sure he keeps that same energy. He can come playing with me if he wants to, and I’mma address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409, homebody, and we bar none and fade all. #TexasBoy.”

Meanwhile, Beadle added her admiration for Barkley’s bold approach, praising his willingness to call people out directly.

“I just love that Barkley calls people out by name. I respect that,” Beadle said. “I think that is something that is right with all of this. I know Kendrick Perkins has responded. We all know there’s nothing that’s going to come about from this. There’s going to be a lot of hugging-it-out stuff when they see each other. I wish people held grudges like I hold grudges.”

Beadle

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Elon Musk: X Issues on Monday Due to ‘Massive Cyber Attack’

BNM Staff
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Elon Musk: X Issues on Monday Due to ‘Massive Cyber Attack’

The X social media platform has experienced several issues on Monday. Owner Elon Musk says it is due to a cyber attack with nefarious actors pulling the strings.

Throughout the day on Monday, the social media platform has experienced outages with users report issues in a variety of different aspects.

On Monday afternoon, Musk shared that the platform was under attack.

“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X,” Musk wrote. “We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”

X experienced three separate outages throughout Monday, with the first outage happening before 6 AM ET, the second at 9 AM, and widespread outages reported between 10 AM and Noon.

After the third wave of issues just before Noon ET, the platform appears to be operating as normal for the overwhelming majority of users as of 3 PM ET. Elon Musk has yet to share any more information about the attack or the operations of the social media platform since his initial comment.

Both the mobile and desktop versions of the social media app were affected by the issues. A hacking group called Dark Storm has reportedly taken credit for the attack.

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KIX 102 Raleigh NC Morning Host ‘JB Love’ Steps Down

BMM Staff
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KIX 102 Raleigh NC Morning Host ‘JB Love’ Steps Down

Jeremy ‘JB Love’ Behling has stepped down as morning host at Classic Hits Kix 102 Raleigh, NC. Behling plans to give his full-time attention to Airwave Arcade, a Podcasting consulting service he founded in January of this year.

According to his LinkedIn, Behling joined Kix 102 and The Curtis Media Group in September 2023. Before that, he spent just under seven years with Townsquare Media in Rockford, IL.

His LinkedIn profile reads, “I’ve spent 21 years behind the mic, producing award-winning content, leading radio shows, and building strong connections with listeners. Now, I’m taking that expertise to podcasting—helping creators, brands, and businesses craft high-quality, engaging podcasts that stand out.”

Kix 102 is searching for a morning show replacement.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster Craig Wolfley Passes Away at Age 66

BSM Staff
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman turned radio broadcaster Craig Wolfley has passed away at the age of 66. Steelers flagship station 102.5 WDVE announced Wolfley’s passing this morning.

Wolfley took over the Steelers radio analyst chair on the radio broadcasts beginning in 2022, when he replaced his long-time playing sidekick Tunch Ilkin, who had passed away in September 2021. Before stepping into that role, he contributed to the broadcasts as the sideline reporter. Eventually, he joined the radio play-by-play booth alongside legendary voice Bill Hillgrove, continuing in that capacity until last season when Rob King took over following Hillgrove’s retirement.

“His passionate voice and deep understanding of the game made him a trusted figure for Steelers fans,” Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “And his humor, warmth, and enthusiasm left a lasting impact on our community.”

Furthermore, Rooney praised Wolfley’s “work ethic and commitment to excellence” during his career, emphasizing how his insight and dedication elevated the team’s radio network. The franchise did not disclose a cause of death in their announcement. However, reports indicated that Wolfley had been quietly battling cancer in recent months.

Wolfley was a fifth-round draft choice by Pittsburgh out of Syracuse in 1980. He went on to play 10 seasons with Pittsburgh before finishing his final two years with the Minnesota Vikings. Following his NFL career, Wolfley transitioned into media, working with the Steelers organization in multiple capacities. In addition, he co-hosted In the Locker Room with Wolf and Max, a two-hour morning show on Fox Sports Pittsburgh alongside former Steelers tackle Max Starks.

“Craig was an outstanding player who brought both toughness and heart to the field during his 10 seasons with the Steelers,” Rooney said, reflecting on Wolfley’s playing career. “As an offensive lineman, his grit and dedication were essential to our success, contributing to the solid foundation of the Steelers’ offensive line in the 1980s and 1990s. His work ethic and commitment to excellence were felt both in the locker room and on the field, and his leadership was always evident.”

Wolfley is survived by his wife, Faith; daughters, Megan, Hannah, and Esther; and sons, Kyle, CJ, and Max.

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Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless Express Gratitude During Reunion

BSM Staff
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Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless Express Gratitude During Reunion

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless worked together on First Take at ESPN for parts of five years, proving to be a formidable television presence that made a seminal impact on the sports media business. For the first time in nearly a decade, the two reunited on the latest edition of The Skip Bayless Show where they reminisced on their time pairing on the morning debate television show and utilizing their backgrounds in journalism. Bayless introduced Smith by elucidating that no one in his career has meant as much to him and congratulated him on his new five-year contract with ESPN.

Smith explained that the deal was very humbling and forced him to reflect on his beginnings, elaborating that it all began with Bayless and former ESPN executive Jamie Horowitz for pushing him to be on First Take. Furthermore, he remembered how he was initially limited to one appearance per week as a contributor and that there were battles just to get him on the air, crediting the aforementioned colleagues for providing him the platform.

“I’m forever grateful and I’m forever humbled because it’s a lot of luck that comes with something like that to have people see your talent, to care, and in your case, to trust because trust is a really, really, really big thing with you,” Smith explained, “sitting across from somebody five days a week knowing the kind of issues that you have to tackle, having to know that even without you knowing the words that are going to emanate outside of somebody else’s mouth because there used to be like a roundtable, a potpourri of people that you used to debate against and what have you.”

Smith explained that there were instances where he knew that he could miss morning meetings if necessary because Bayless was aware what would resonate on the show. An aspect of the synergy the duo had on the air despite their oftentimes opposing viewpoints on sports situations derived from the inherent trust they built and fostered.

“You wanted me because of trust, and the fact that you knew that it was going to be somebody that would bring the same energy, the same fervor, but most importantly, you knew that they weren’t going to try to undermine you while doing so,” Smith said. “That was a very important thing – you always emphasized that to me – and I’ve taken that with me for the rest of my career, so I thank you my brother. I truly do.”

Bayless was grateful for those words and affirmed that Smith has the greatest gift of gab he has ever encountered on television. Moreover, he appreciated the trust Smith placed in him and how he believed that he knew the location of boundary lines, articulating that it is rare to find in the business. On top of that, he remembered when Smith signed a multiyear extension with ESPN in 2014 and how he called Bayless afterwards while on the way back to New York City.

“I was just so happy for you because you had worked so hard to get that deal,” Bayless said, “and now you’ve worked even harder and you’ve taken it up and up and up and you’ve done nothing but great things for the state of this industry that we’re in, and I appreciate you for that.”

Smith added that Dan Le Batard has blamed both of them for the state of sports television and claimed that they ruined the business. When Bayless asked Smith what he thought of that point, he replied by questioning why Le Batard ostensibly absolved himself from being part of the equation as well. Smith added that it bothered him when he said that because they always meant what they said rather than fabricating opinions.

In fact, he reflected on an appearance within the SportsCenter debate segment ‘Old School/Nu Skool’ when Bayless came on national television and suggested athletes have an 11 p.m. curfew. After the discussion concluded, Smith commended Bayless for doing great television but realized thereafter that his colleague was being entirely serious.

“I tell everybody that story because I say, ‘That’s when I knew that’s Skip Bayless. He’s not playing – he means this stuff. He ain’t laughing, he’s not joking, he really, really means this stuff,’” Smith explained, “and I said, ‘That’s when I knew that if we were ever on television together, we would win’ because I knew we thought nothing alike, and in the years to follow as I’ve had different partners and different responsibilities and all of that other stuff, I’ve always told people, ‘Working with Skip Bayless every day, understand that took a load off me.’”

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