City Cast, the local podcast and newsletter network, has announced an expansion to Seattle and the Twin Cities, marking the 15th city the company will cover.
In a social media post, the company’s CEO David Plotz made the announcement.
“I’m thrilled to announce that City Cast is expanding to Seattle and the Twin Cities!” said Plotz. “We’re hiring five people in each market, and launching daily local podcasts and newsletters in the fall. If you’re keeping count, this means the City Cast network will now cover 15 U.S. cities.”
Additionally, the company shared insight into how it chooses the cities to expand to. “We look for rapidly growing cities not just because it means more listeners and readers but because growth brings tension and tension makes for great podcasts,” it stated.
The company also said it looks for competitive markets, cities that feature local issues that transcend the right versus left barrier, a city that overindexes on news podcast listening and closely resembles its current demographics.
It added that it had a robust list of candidates for expansion before settling on the Twin Cities and Seattle.
“When we set out to pick our 2025 expansion markets, we started with a long list of 20 cities, and then walked through each of these criteria, city by city,” Plotz and co-founder Andi McDaniel said in a joint statement. “We made charts, we awarded points, and we talked to people who lived there. And then we did what companies always do: we had a big argument about it. A delightful, roisterous Zoom fight about which two cities should rise to the top. In the end, the data pointed us toward two cities (okay, technically three): Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle.”
With the addition of Seattle and the Twin Cities, City Cast will now be operating in Austin, Boise, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Madison, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Washington D.C.
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.
Sports media can be very powerful. It comes in a number of different forms from print to television and social media. It can shape public opinion and create narratives around teams and athletes which in turn can have a huge impact on betting behavior.
A change in sports media and betting
Sports media has always been a source of entertainment and information for fans. However in recent times, it has become bigger and more pervasive, now reaching a wider audience. Sports broadcasters like the NFL network for example, stream for 24 hours a day. Live streaming provides a platform for all types of sports, and social media is a huge outlet for sports news.
This has provided more accessibility to the sporting world for sports fans to connect and engage with. Bettors have more access to real-time information such as predictions, analytics and even injury reports. This surge in media has had a huge influence on how people approach betting. The rise of online betting sites has made sports betting a lot more accessible.
The role of sponsorship and advertising
Sponsorship and advertising are very common in the sporting industry. It can also have an impact on the betting industry. There are a number of sports leagues, including the Premier League that have partnerships with top UK betting sites. A sponsorship can attract more fans to sports betting. Sports media helps to promote these partnerships by integrating ads into broadcasts. This ensures more sports fans are aware of sports betting and normalizes it as part of the experience. This not only encourages sports fans to engage in sports betting, but to use the platforms in the advertisements.
The power of narrative
Sports media can be particularly powerful in the way it can create narratives. This can have a huge impact on public perception and influence a bettor’s decision. For example if a news outlet shares that a team is on a winning streak, bettors are more likely to place wagers on them. Whereas a negative narrative such as focusing on a specific player’s decline could prevent bettors from placing wagers on them. The media’s power to influence narratives can be particularly strong when it comes to high-profile events like the Super Bowl. Stressing the importance of a game or match can result in increased betting activity.
Social media platforms
Social media has helped to change the way many individuals place wagers. It is very often used to share insights, predictions and opinions. Many fans, analysts and even the athletes themselves use their platform to share this information. This has provided bettors with another source to access this information beyond traditional sports media outlets. However this does come with the risk of misinformation, especially when information isn’t coming from a reliable source.
Live betting and real-time influence
Live betting now allows sports bettors to place live bets as a match or game takes place. Many sports media outlets will provide real-time updates that allow bettors to make more informed decisions while live betting. Live odds also encourage bettors to act quickly. Bettors can place wagers on more than just the winner, they can also wager on the next scorer or even the final score. Live betting can be even more encouraged thanks to the media, with live commentaries fueling and adding excitement
Ethical implications of media and betting
The media has helped to introduce sports betting to a wider audience. However this increased engagement does lead to some ethical concerns. One of the major concerns is gambling addiction. Promoting it on social media and on broadcasts can lead individuals to believe that it’s a harmless activity. However it can end up causing problems or encourage unhealthy habits. As media normalizes sports betting, many fans may feel as though it’s a part of the fan experience and that they’re missing out.
While this is an issue. It’s important to note that many broadcasters and betting companies are actively trying to tackle it. Most gambling platforms have responsible gambling measures in place. Which includes warnings on advertisements to make bettors more aware of the risks that come with gambling.
The media has become extremely powerful when it comes to shaping trends. The growth of the industry itself has led to a rise in bettors and platforms. However, it’s also able to create narratives that have changed the way people place wagers, with the power to encourage or discourage certain bets. As the industry develops, alongside the efforts to tackle the challenges that come with advertising sports betting in the media. It will be interesting to see how the media develops.
We’ll investigate the most prominent gaming markets in the world and discover who gambles the most to introduce you to the interesting world of online gambling. This in-depth look at the business will examine what makes online casinos so popular, who the major players are, and what new trends will change this exciting field.
Factors Influencing Online Casino Popularity
As time goes on, more and more people are going to online casinos because they fit the needs of modern gamblers. The worldwide move towards mobile gaming, which has changed the gambling scene, is a big reason. As smartphones become more common, online casinos have changed to keep up. They now make their sites mobile-friendly so players can play their favourite games whenever and wherever they want.
Improvements in payment methods have also been crucial. When cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are used as payment methods, players can remain anonymous, feel safe, and make deals faster than traditional banking methods. People who are good with technology and want quick ways to put and withdraw money are drawn to these kinds of innovations. For instance, deals like a $200 no deposit bonus 200 free spins real money entice players with the promise of real value without upfront investment.
Also, different areas have different consumer tastes, so online casinos have had to change what they offer to fit different tastes and gambling habits. Regarding games and promotions, casinos try to accommodate a wide range of regional and personal tastes to appeal to a large group of people worldwide.
Top Online Casino Markets
United States: The online casino market in the United States is seeing significant growth, with projections reaching around $9 billion. This surge is largely attributed to the expanding legalisation at the state level, which has allowed more states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan to offer legalised online casino options.
United Kingdom: In the United Kingdom, the online casino market is characterised by stable growth with moderate increases expected. The UK benefits from a highly regulated environment which fosters innovation and ensures player safety, contributing to ongoing market stability. The Gambling Commission plays a pivotal role in this ecosystem.
Australia: Australians exhibit one of the highest per capita spending on gambling globally. The market’s popularity is especially pronounced in the realm of online pokies, which remain a staple among local gambling options. This high engagement reflects the cultural entrenchment and accessibility of online gambling platforms in Australia.
Germany: Germany’s online casino market has experienced significant growth due to recent regulatory changes, notably the new Interstate Treaty on Gambling. This has opened the market to more regulated online gambling activities, attracting domestic and international players and boosting the overall market growth.
Canada and Italy: The Canadian online gaming market does very well with regulations set by the provinces. For example, Ontario leads the way in opening up the market and developing new ideas. This decentralisation allows gambling situations to be tailored to people’s tastes in different areas. In Italy, the market is driven by many people who gamble online, which is helped by rules that have been in place since gambling became legal there in 2011. Plenty of busy Italian players, especially in games like poker and bingo, strengthen the market and help it grow.
Emerging Trends in Online Gambling
A lot of significant trends are changing the online gambling world quickly. By 2025, these trends will have completely changed the business. The mobile-first method is a primary trend that shows how people use their phones more and more for online activities. Online casinos are making their sites mobile-friendly so players can easily access their favourite games while on the go. This is done by adding custom features and easy-to-use interfaces to make the whole experience better for users.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are two new technologies that will make gaming even more realistic. With these technologies, the setting can be more interactive, making it feel like being in a real casino from home. Real-time interactions in these virtual places should be amusing for players.
The combination of blockchain and cryptocurrencies is also changing how payments are made in online gambling by making deals safer and more private. This integration makes payments faster and easier and opens up new ways to reward and bonus players based on their specific playing habits and tastes.
AI and machine learning are also becoming important parts of games by letting you customise your experience. Casinos are using these technologies to offer personalised game suggestions, user experiences that can be changed to fit different devices, and personalised marketing plans.
Finally, the social aspect of gambling is being amplified through live dealer games and multiplayer formats, allowing players to interact in real-time and adding a layer of social interaction previously lacking in online formats.
Whenever the subject of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) or DEIB (B for Belonging) is raised, it’s easy to get the histrionics going on both sides. This column won’t take a side but instead, raise what economists refer to as “opportunity cost” and how it relates to Nielsen.
There is no faster way to lose reader interest than to write about anything involving economics, also known as “the dismal science.” I once read a list of “rules of thumb” that said to never invite more than five economists to a university cocktail party because they kill the conversation.
It’s easy to understand the concept of “opportunity cost.” If you spend a lot of money on a lavish vacation, you may not be able to buy something else you wanted. That Porsche Macan in your driveway costs much more than a Chevrolet Equinox. You made a choice…the vacation and the Porsche created “opportunity costs” that prevented you from spending on something else.
For Nielsen, DEI represents an opportunity cost. The company has a pretty robust DEI presence with multiple VPs and above in roles that either use that term (DEI) or subparts of it. My previous comment on this topic was a June 2023 column where I excoriated Nielsen for taking public positions on the representation of minorities in media. Nielsen is the “umpire”, in other words, a neutral, impartial party. Since that column, I haven’t seen Nielsen “take sides”, at least not in public.
But by having multiple DEI executives within Nielsen and likely a few more people to support the higher-ups, Nielsen made a choice. Now that the company is owned by private equity, you can bet that every expenditure is scrutinized. If Nielsen is big on DEI, what are Nielsen’s opportunity costs?
I was chatting with a friend who recently called Nielsen Audio customer support about a data question. The wait was long and the person who finally answered was not a native English speaker. It’s well-known that Nielsen has moved as much of their operation as possible offshore as a cost-saving measure, so he likely was talking with someone in Mexico. After some back and forth, the customer service rep admitted to having no knowledge about what he needed. Yeah, my friend was pissed. That’s just one incident, but if you look at the number of Nielsen Audio people who have been told to find other employment in recent years, the ability of the company to support clients has been reduced.
I’m not suggesting going back to the “good old days” of Arbitron when there were more sales reps and no matter the size of your market, you could count on the rep’s annual market visit. Software support was 24/7 and while that did not mean the same as the original “Jake From State Farm” who was taking calls at an office desk at 3 AM, insomniac programmers who had software questions at odd hours knew someone was on call and could give cogent answers in between yawns.
Then there were the industry studies. Arbitron paid for numerous industry studies so that radio could better understand how audiences behaved. When was the last Nielsen-supported radio/audio study conducted? I’ll wait patiently for an answer.
I’ve argued for some time that Nielsen Audio is an ATM for the rest of the company. There is no serious competition, but the TV/video side of the business was under assault. Recently, Nielsen has had some major successes in video between MRC accreditation for the use of first party and big data as well as signing a new contract with Paramount after a long negotiation.
A few weeks back, I suggested Nielsen may want to invest more in audio after their recent triumphs on the video side. And please don’t bring up the “three minute rule” for PPM as an investment as that’s a software change. The heavy lifting was convincing the industry (including agencies and advertisers) that it was a good move.
Back to opportunity costs. Maintaining a group of DEI (or inclusion or whatever term you wish to use) executives means something else doesn’t happen at Nielsen. That’s a conscious choice by the company.
In January, Nielsen released a report entitled “Engaging Black Audiences: How Brands Impact, Grow, and Win with Inclusion.” I don’t have the full text, but trade press reports suggest there was a lot of good information about black audiences and ad spending in urban radio. The report was released with quotes from a Nielsen VP of Diverse Insights and Partnerships. Could this report have been released with quotes from Jon Miller, VP of Audience Insights, or Rich Tunkel, the managing director of Nielsen Audio? Would anyone notice a difference? Both have long and deep radio experience.
I can’t say if the Nielsen DEI group also handles some internal duties but that seems likely. When Nielsen took over Arbitron in 2013, we were introduced to the concept of “affinity groups” such as groups for racial and ethnic minority employees, gay/lesbian, and veterans. While anyone could join any group, as a straight white man who did not serve in the military, I didn’t bother.
In 2015, I remember Nielsen sent out ice creams trucks to some of their larger offices to celebrate the Obergefell (gay marriage) Supreme Court decision. Personally, I found that strange because it’s safe to assume some employees didn’t agree with the decision and having a company “take sides” on a controversial issue might leave them as “outsiders.” I was out of town on that day but heard reports that the ice cream was good.
If you’re a Nielsen client, think about it this way with respect to opportunity cost: Would you rather that Nielsen invest in a robust DEI operation that includes “customer facing” elements or would you prefer that the money be used for, as examples, US-based customer support with people who understand your business, industry studies, better representation of minorities in samples (for example, adding an “Asian” category to the radio survey) or some other purpose not mentioned here?
Please don’t answer “more sample” as there is no way Nielsen’s DEI spending could make a serious contribution to improving sample sizes. It’s Nielsen’s money and their decision, but customer input matters.
Now that you understand “opportunity cost” in this context, what’s your viewpoint?
Let’s meet again next week.
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.
It’s always a pleasure to feature commentaries from those working in the media industry. Interest and submissions can be sent via email to Jason@BarrettMedia.com. Today’s guest column is from nationally syndicated news/talk radio host and Newsmax television host Todd Starnes. In this exclusive piece for Barrett Media, Todd asks, ‘can we make talk radio great again’? Enjoy the column.
I’m the guy that was crazy enough to purchase a radio station during the middle of a global pandemic. It has been and continues to be a wild and glorious and somewhat insane journey.
Over the past four years, my incredible team has transformed KWAM 990 AM in Memphis from a pay-for-play station to an award-winning and nationally recognized news radio station.
“The Mighty 990” has become the place where Memphis goes for breaking news. It’s also the flagship station for my nationally syndicated radio show (which broadcasts 12p-3p Eastern for all of you folks scrambling to fill that timeslot!).
The success of KWAM over the past four years is proof that radio is alive and well and contrary to the industry naysayers, I believe there is a path forward to make radio great again.
First and foremost, the news and talk radio industry must invest in local news coverage and local talk show hosts.
“Where Memphis goes for breaking news” is more than just a slogan at KWAM. It’s a promise – a covenant with our listeners that when the you-know-what hits the fan, our station will be on the air.
It’s what iHeart radio stations in Western North Carolina did when Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage. The radio stations were the only place citizens could turn for news and a friendly voice to help them through the storms.
Second, we need to get back to practicing excellence in our craft. We should be providing our audiences with an exemplary audio experience. That means putting protocols in place to avoid dead air, over-modulated microphones and my personal pet peeve – spots playing over spots.
Radio stations should embrace their regional flavor, too. It’s time to get rid of cookie-cutter templates and music beds. Memphis has a rich musical heritage.
In its early days, KWAM was home to Johnny Cash and B.B. King and the great blues singer Howlin’ Wolf. So, our production team created a unique “Memphis Sound” for my station. And at the top of the hour, we blow a massive steamboat whistle as an homage to our Mississippi River roots.
What are some unique local elements that you could add to your imaging to kick it up a notch?
I wear two hats at KWAM – owner-operator and national radio host. So, I’m keenly aware of what stations are looking for and what they need out of their national hosts.
My team treats my national show like it’s a local show. We covet our relationships and friendships with the 150 stations that carry my show. Our team understands that customer service is paramount.
From the ownership side, we’ve been so blessed with some incredible affiliate relations folks – from John Sylvester and his team at Fox News Radio to Dennis Green at Key Networks and the crew at Salem Media.
Most importantly, the journey to making radio great again is to make radio fun again. It really is a wonderful, zany and outrageous way to earn a paycheck.
In future columns, I’ll be sharing thoughts about building a local news team, digital content, social media and streaming and recruiting talent in future columns. And feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. My email is todd@starnesmediagroup.com.
A few years after I left New York City and moved back to Memphis, I got a call from a former Fox colleague. He asked how I was enjoying being the owner of a radio station. I told him I didn’t have much time to talk because I was literally rolling out the dumpster for trash day – during a commercial break on my radio show. It’s a great gig.
Todd Starnes is a nationally-syndicated talk radio host and owner of KWAM News Radio in Memphis. He’s also a Newsmax television host. Starnes is the author of 9 books and the recipient of numerous broadcasting awards from the RTNDA and AP. He serves on the board of directors for the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters. He can be reached at todd@starnesmediagroup.com.
Since its inception over 103 years ago, baseball play-by-play has become a cherished slice of Americana. Children grow up listening to and watching their favorite teams, sharing in the experience of our national pastime. Legendary voices stand in the shadow of Harold Arlin, who called the very first baseball play-by-play broadcast on KDKA in 1921, paving the way for household names like Caray, Harwell, Scully, Kalas, and Uecker. Baseball fans, often without realizing it, welcome perfect strangers into their homes and lives through their love of the sport.
However, no matter how many wins or losses your favorite team may accumulate, father time remains undefeated. For the Milwaukee Brewers, father time took broadcaster Bob Uecker from baseball earlier this year at the age of 90. Uecker was a dynamic personality with deep baseball acumen and extraordinary comedic timing. Former Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames described him as “the spirit of Milwaukee,” a spirit that may never be duplicated or replaced.
Uecker called games for the Brewers for 54 seasons and was a well-known broadcaster, actor, pitchman, Hall of Famer, and a regular on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. No other voice in baseball carried the unique resume or legacy that Uecker did. Now, the challenge moving forward is how the next person tasked with calling Brewers games can maintain the connection that Uecker held for over half a century.
“It’s really hard to be a Major League broadcaster,” said Philadelphia Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy, offering advice to the next radio voice of the Milwaukee Brewers. “When you try to be somebody other than yourself, you’ve made that job 100 times harder.”
Lessons Learned: Following Harry Kalas (Philadelphia Phillies)
McCarthy is currently in his seventeenth year of his second stint with the Phillies, serving as the lead play-by-play announcer for the team’s television broadcasts. After a brief tenure as the play-by-play voice of the New York Mets, McCarthy returned to Philadelphia to work alongside Harry Kalas. The 2002 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Kalas called Phillies games from 1971 until his passing in 2009.
While McCarthy knew he would likely be the heir apparent to Kalas’ legendary role, his opportunity arrived sooner than expected when Kalas passed away unexpectedly in April 2009.
“Unfortunately, a year into me being the middle guy on TV and doing sideline reporting, Harry passed away,” McCarthy recalled. “We had to go on the air that day, which, to this day, is the toughest broadcast I’ve ever had to do.”
Lessons Learned: Following Dave Wills (Tampa Bay Rays)
Tampa Bay Rays radio play-by-play announcer Andy Freed can relate to McCarthy’s experience. In 2023, following a spring training game between the Rays and the New York Yankees, his broadcast partner of 18 seasons, Dave Wills, passed away the next morning.
“Our situation was a little bit different than Uecker’s,” said Freed. “Certainly, one of my best friends in the world died—my work partner for 18 years—and then the question was, what happens next?”
As news of Wills’ passing spread, the Tampa Bay Rays decided not to broadcast that afternoon’s game, though the game itself went on as scheduled. The decision regarding the future of the broadcast team was made quickly, offering a sense of stability during an otherwise chaotic and emotional time.
“I never felt pressure,” Freed explained. “Having the owner, Stuart Sternberg, come to you and say, ‘This is what we’d like it to be if you’re OK with that,’ removed any sense of pressure. I never felt like I had to replace Dave because I never felt in competition with him to begin with. The hardest part was dealing with the personal loss.”
For both McCarthy and Freed, the challenges they faced were immediate and emotional—stepping into the shoes of a beloved voice just hours after their passing.
“The day Harry passed away was really emotional, unbelievably emotional,” McCarthy said. “I was exhausted, I was emotional, and I tried to play it really straight on the air when that happened.”
Freed described his own emotional journey as he returned to the air following Wills’ passing.
“I don’t know how to be someone else on the air,” said Freed. “I cried when we did the tribute to him, and I cried when I had to make a speech for him. That whole year was such a blur.”
In both instances, there was no time to prepare for the daunting task of maintaining the bond between fan and broadcaster. With Uecker’s passing occurring in January, there is, unfortunately, more time to prepare for the transition to the next voice of the Brewers.
Lessons Learned: Following Vin Scully (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play voice Joe Davis had that same advantage when Vin Scully retired. The 1982 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, Scully called Dodgers games from 1950 until his retirement in 2016 at age 88. Davis, initially responsible for calling road games, was elevated to the lead role following Scully’s departure.
“What a cool responsibility this is,” said Davis. “I try to look at that as this amazing chance and this amazing responsibility to be that guy. As opposed to either you don’t take it out of fear of it not working, or ‘oh my gosh’ there’s a ton of pressure in this.”
Scully remained involved with the Dodgers following his retirement, making appearances at games and lending his voice to team projects. While some called for him to return to the booth during the Dodgers’ 2017 World Series run, Davis approached the broadcast by studying what made Scully’s storytelling resonate with fans.
“I think he’s (Scully) the greatest storyteller that’s ever done the job,” remarked Davis. “I think human nature is we like to hear stories. So, taking first of all his lead and then second of all seeing why people loved it as much as they did. Trying to apply that aspect of his broadcast to mine, and you know I will never will be at the level that he was at that. But having an appreciation for the storytelling is probably the biggest thing that I took from him.”
Honoring The Legacy Of Mr. Baseball
If the saying is true that heroes get remembered, but legends never die, then stepping into the booth as the next voice of the Milwaukee Brewers can seem daunting. Uecker was Milwaukee—born and raised. He was the voice of generations of Brewers baseball fans, embodying the blue-collar identity of the ‘Brew Crew.’
“In a way that a sports team like the Brewers can put Milwaukee, or the Packers can put Green Bay on the national map. I think Uecker did that for the Brewers,” Freed stated. “A Milwaukee Brewer announcer would’ve never been in on the Tonight Show, or Miller like commercials, or Mr. Belvedere without the abilities of Bob Uecker.”
Uecker transcended the radio booth in Milwaukee, earning the title “Mr. Baseball” from the late Johnny Carson. From his roles in the Major League films to his famous Miller Lite tagline, “I must be in the front row,” his larger-than-life personality was as iconic as his plaid suits.
“You knew that he (Uecker) was embracing the opportunity to be at the ballpark and to be the voice of a team, which is an incredible honor for any of us,” said McCarthy. “When you saw him at the ballpark, those cheeks were so plump with a smile that you could it was contagious.”
As time continues to march forward, there are lessons to be learned from those who have navigated similar challenges. If there is one piece of advice for the next voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, it is this:
“You could take the things that you like from the announcers that you admire, but don’t lose yourself and allow yourself to come through,” advised Davis.
Freed echoed this sentiment, adding, “Remember that you’re talking to fans that have had a relationship with Bob (Uecker) going back to the early 70s if not even earlier than that then when he played with the Milwaukee Braves. Bottom line. The team is the most important thing.”
With just over three weeks until Opening Day, the first Brewers season without Bob Uecker looms. Fifty-four seasons of “Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone!” are gone themselves, but never forgotten. It will be a season of new calls, new memories, and new voices entertaining Brewers fans across the country—a new chapter ready for its first pitch.
“Understand that like with Harry (Kalas) with me, Bob’s proud of you,” said McCarthy. “And that’s really a great thing that he’s passing the torch on to you to be the next generation of Milwaukee Brewers broadcasters.”
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.
It has boiled careers, halted ambitions and destroyed businesses. You would have thought that the political rancor would have settled with a contentious election far in our rear-view.
Far from it.
Even though the First Amendment protects free speech, what you say and project will always be a direct reflection of you. And your brand.
Certainly, if your brand is politics – you’re soaked in the fray. This message is not for you.
MUSIC personalities – political talk and typing affects your brand in a negative way. Know that our country is divided nearly 50-50 on all lighting rod issues. Tread on eggshells – if at all.
Examples of celebrities (and – on air personalities are celebrities) who veer far outside their lane pay by becoming political roadkill.
A few – of many – examples of celebrities who stepped into the political dung pile:
Scott Adams(Cartoonist, Dilbert)
Adams faced backlash for controversial political statements, including support for conspiracy theories. Dilbert was dropped by dozens of newspapers.
Gina Carano(Actress, The Mandalorian)
The actress was fired from “The Mandalorian” after social media posts included vaccine skepticism. Carano has disappeared from mainstream Hollywood projects.
Irving faced major backlash (including losing sponsorships and game suspensions) after sharing his stances on COVID-19 vaccines and other controversial topics.
Brands who have planted their political flag on either side of an issue:
Bud Light(2023 – Dylan Mulvaney Partnership)
Bud Light partnered with a transgender influencer – Dylan Mulvaney – sparking a massive boycott from heavy consumers. Sales plummeted as parent company Anheuser-Busch-InBev lost billions, launching Mexican beverage Modelo as the #1 beer in the states.
Gillette(2019 – “Toxic Masculinity” Ad)
A Gillette ad challenging “toxic masculinity” faced backlash from some consumers who felt it was anti-male. The controversy led to boycotts while Gillette later admitted it lost $8 billion, led by the market snub.
Nike(2018 – Colin Kaepernick Campaign)
Football QB Colin Kaepernick was profiled in a Nike ad campaign, dividing their consumers. The brand lost 3 billion in market caps and later rebounded when the ad was removed.
We coach our MUSIC brands to create a positive, uplifting atmosphere, which is the expectation of music radio cume.
In YEARS of testing the appetite for the radio music consumer, here’s the top three of what listeners expect – and desire – out of a music morning program:
Engaging Personalities
-Hosts with good chemistry and natural banter
-A mix of humor, relatability, and authenticity
-Someone who feels like a friend to listeners
Local – Relevant Content
-Weather & traffic updates (at times the #1 attribute)
-Local news & events
– Community involvement (shoutouts, fundraisers, small business highlights)
Entertainment & Humor
-Funny segments (jokes, prank calls, or observational humor)
Followed by great music with popular, upbeat songs, listener requests, contests, pop culture, tech talk, and lifestyle health tips.
Not once have we seen political talk or opinion pop up unaided. When respondents ARE aided and asked about political topics, it’s universally negative.
For most readers today, this is a no-brainer. Personalities—both veterans and rookies—understand this position.
Scores of personalities do not understand that your SOCIAL footprint is you. When you post or respond to a political post, that’s on you.
If your social bio says something like ‘…views are my own…’, to the end user, YOU are the brand—on air and online.
The topic matters not – Red State, Blue State, Gun Control, Black Lives Matter, Proud Boys, LGBQ+, Ukraine, White Privilege, Climate Change, Immigration, Environment – political chat divides your music-centric audience and ratings carnage will follow.
You signed up to be a local, regional, or national personality. What you say – or do – reflects on your brand.
Example – During the heated Oval Office exchange last Friday between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, ESPN’s Pat McAfee was LIVE in Indianapolis from the NFL Combine.
The topic was sucking all the oxygen out of X (Twitter) and every other social media platform. Imagine Pat and his team switching from Draft Day predictions to that political story—instant ratings killer.
If your music brand shifts gears to the political hot-stove, ratings suicide is inevitable.
This INCLUDES your social footprint.
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.
Fox News has been on a ratings roll since Donald Trump won the 2024 election. Salem Radio Network host Mike Gallagher says he’s felt the excitement from his conservative radio audience in that same timeframe.
Obviously, it isn’t the first time in his longtime news/talk radio career that Mike Gallagher has helmed his show while a Republican is in the Oval Office.
But he said he’s never seen the excitement from his audience like he’s seeing right now.
“I think I could change my name from ‘The Happy Warrior’ to ‘The Ecstatic Warrior,'” said Gallagher. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been this just delighted with our daily content. Everything has changed since November 5th. Everything. It’s one of the most dramatic reversals of an audience mood that I’ve ever experienced in decades of doing this. People are optimistic. People are enthusiastic.
“I, of course, use a lot of barometers to see how the show is doing. One of the most important ones for me are our direct-response advertisers. Usually, that’s captured in our various donor campaigns that we do where people can help Food for the Poor or Prison Fellowship Ministry. Everything is up. Everything is up dramatically … I go to work every day practically giddy with knowing that I’ve got a much happier audience now that the election turned out the way, at least our audience, wanted it to turn out.”
Gallagher admitted that he considered what retirement could look like if Trump hadn’t won the election.
“It would’ve been just so difficult to keep an audience engaged, positive, and focused if everything that we worked so hard to achieve came crashing down,” he shared. “I was truly worried it would’ve impacted our business mightily … I’m not sure that even today most people are fully aware of how consequential this outcome was of this election, but it was it was huge, not only for the country but also for the industry that I’ve worked in for all these years.”
In all of his years in the news/talk radio world, Mike Gallagher said there’s only been one other event as unifying to his audience as Trump’s return: the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“We all became short of unified and we changed our whole way of looking at the world. There was a different world view. I really treasured that sense of unity that we had. In fact, I lived and worked in New York City and for weeks and weeks after the terror attack, people didn’t even honk their horn at each other,” said Gallagher. “Everybody got along. There wasn’t the typical bickering, fighting on the subway in the morning. You could sense it in the audience. Something profoundly different happened to our audience — and to the country, obviously — after 9/11.
It was the same with this. I mean, it was just in the opposite direction. Our audience went from kind of a sense of dread and almost fear and loathing to how his could turn out to just euphoria, just relief and gratitude that the election turned out the way it did. That’s the only other time that I remember the audience collectively changing like that was after 9/11.”
The Mike Gallager Show host added that the change in attitude doesn’t require him to do anything different to his Salem Radio Network audience.
“I’ve just gotta be authentic and I’ve gotta express sort of what they’re expressing. I always like to think that ‘I say out loud what the audience is thinking.’ Hopefully at this stage of the game, if you’re at a point in your career where you have enough credibility and equity they trust you. They trust us to to be our authentic selves and to speak from the heart and talk from the gut.”
Gallagher concluded that his biggest challenge right now is to keep up with everything his audience wants to hear about.
“I’ve only got a few hours a day on air. With commercial brakes and all that, you’re talking about 30 minutes of content an hour,” he said. “Realistically, it’s hard to get it all in. My whole mantra is ‘breaking news and what to make of it all’ and there’s so much breaking news that I have a hard time squeezing 10 pounds of sugar into a three-pound sack.
“We’re also facing some technical challenges now that we have Salem News Channel, which is the over-the-top streaming component. It can’t be you can’t plug an Access into the wall anymore and do the show in your bathrobe. You got lights and cameras and everything else … We have a whole bunch of challenges, but it’s just a pleasure to go to work these days. It’s such a joy and such a different atmosphere. I can’t wait every day, I just have a show that I want to get off my chest because there’s so much to absorb and it’s a great time to be alive and it’s a great time to be a talk show host, that’s for sure.”
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Anyone that has been paying attention for the last decade has seen the cracks forming. Now there is no denying it. Hard Knocks is at a crossroads and there may be no coming back.
HBO and NFL Films are reportedly considering the upcoming installment will focus on a major NFL name, but not an NFL team. Instead, cameras will get access to Bill Belichick and his new players at the University of North Carolina.
Tar Heel football has nowhere near the caché that Tar Heel basketball enjoys, but I understand that football fans from all over the country have some level of curiosity. They want to see if Belichick will crash and burn in college or if he will come in and immediately run roughshod over the ACC.
I have lived in North Carolina for twenty years. Believe me when I tell you that Belichick may be irrelevant to what the team accomplishes. History suggests that most years, the University of North Carolina will field a 6-6 or 7-5 football team regardless of who is in charge. Admittedly, that 2025 schedule is softer than your most huggable teddy bear. It would take real effort to find four losses.
This column isn’t about the Tar Heels or Bill Belichick though. It’s about Hard Knocks and how quickly any brand can come crashing back to Earth because it stayed flat while the world around it changed.
Hard Knocks Then vs Now
When it debuted in 2001, Hard Knocks was a novel approach to entertaining sports fans. Reality TV was still a novel concept, really. Remember, it was less than two years earlier that Survivor moved the format beyond the borders of MTV. HBO was able to sell the show as prestige programming in 2001.
Think about what was on the network at that time – Oz, Six Feet Under, and maybe the greatest drama ever made, The Sopranos (another contender for that title, The Wire, would launch the next year). Even its sports programming felt special. Real Sports and On the Record with Bob Costas are two of the best sports studio shows ever, and HBO’s live sports footprint was in boxing, where its chief competition was pay-per-view events.
If Hard Knocks occupied the same airwaves, it must have been special. And maybe it was. It took fans into the locker room for some of a team’s most intimate moments.
Not only was the concept new to viewers. It was also new to the men the cameras followed. Tim Hasselbeck once admitted that he thought he was involved in a scripted moment when he was cut by the Baltimore Ravens during the show’s first season. It didn’t make sense otherwise. Why would the NFL or HBO want to embarrass him like that? That very real and very painful moment didn’t belong on television for strangers to see.
But that was then. This is now. Watching a player get cut is a throw away moment now in every season of the show. We live in a world where screens are everywhere and as a culture, we have decided that the stuff that “doesn’t belong” on them is just about all we want to see.
NFL Teams/Social Media Have Caught On
Hard Knocks doesn’t really fit in that kind of world. The ubiquity of cameras has not only devalued the content, it has also made coaches and front offices more paranoid than ever. Just think about all of the compromises sold as innovations that NFL Films has had to make just to keep the show going – right down to strong arming teams into participating.
Filming what is going behind the scenes and getting access are two different things. Those cameras don’t matter if everyone involved with the team is putting on a facade, being careful not to say or do anything too interesting.
Pat McAfee once argued that social media had made Hard Knocks irrelevant, and he’s right. Teams are producing their own documentaries in house. If the message is controlled anyway, you probably prefer the shorter, more frequent uploads to YouTube, Instagram and TikTok to Hard Knocks’ five-week deep dive.
It’s not only social media. Athletes’ own production companies are cutting into the pie too. Two years ago, Patrick Mahomes’s Quarterback stole the spotlight from Hard Knocks and won acclaim largely because it felt more intimate than what HBO and NFL Films had to offer that season.
A pivot was always coming. NFL Films had to decide what that would be though. Would Hard Knocks tinker with its familiar formula or would the league pivot away from the concept entirety?
Shifting the focus to a college football program, an historically awful one at that, feels like the worst of both worlds. Even with Bill Belichick’s involvement, Hard Knocks has gone from the blueprint to an inferior version of an all-too-common product.
Maybe HBO and the NFL can rest a little easier knowing that FOX Nation doesn’t have enough subscribers to produce a real hit, but if you are asking a casual fan to choose between the North Carolina Tar Heels on Hard Knocks or the Alabama Crimson Tide on The Tides That Bind, don’t you think an average person is more likely to pick the national brand every time? The FOX Nation show is just one of many competitors in the college football behind-the-scenes space too.
That’s the thing. Hard Knocks was clearly in need of an overhaul. I’m just not sure that the one it chose makes much sense. After all, paranoia and social media staffs are in college football buildings too.
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In 1985, Rick Dees ruled the Los Angeles airwaves at 102.7 KIIS-FM. Hearing this aircheck and hearing Dees again 40 years later, it is amazing that I can still remember all the words to his show opening.
Dees also hosted the “Rick Dees Weekly Top 40” and appeared in TV shows Married…with Children, The Love Boat, Melrose Place, and many others.
Of course, Dees will be forever linked to his number one record, Disco Duck, a song he wrote when he was with WMPS, The Great 98, in Memphis. He was forbidden to play the record with management citing a “conflict of interest.” Dees was fired for mentioning the song on his show.
From there, Dees moved crosstown to WHBQ 560 and then to KHJ-AM Los Angeles before settling at KISS-FM where he spent the next 23 years until Ryan Seacrest replaced him.
In the aircheck, notice how he uses branding tools like 78 Dees-Grees and moves seamlessly between characters, many of which were voiced by his wife, Julie Dees.
While Dees’ resume is impressive, you have to wonder what it would have been like if there had been widespread syndication like today and all the content creation avenues developed in the past 40 years.
Enjoy Rick Dees from 1985 at KIIS-FM, Los Angeles. If you are a glutton for punishment, I also included Disco Duck.
Photo: Facebook
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