Home Blog Page 1119

‘The Sporting Class’ with Pablo Torre, John Skipper and David Samson is a MasterClass on Sports Business and Media

Dave Greene
-
0
‘The Sporting Class’ with Pablo Torre, John Skipper and David Samson is a MasterClass on Sports Business and Media

For a sports media and business nerd like me, there is no better podcast to listen to than The Sporting Class, the show I eavesdropped in on this week. The show, which features Pablo Torre along with former ESPN executive and current Meadowlark Media CEO John Skipper and former Miami Marlins President David Samson, airs every other week on Torre’s channel for his regular podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out.

The bi-weekly podcast addresses the top stories happening behind the scenes in sports and in around an hour, the two sports executives and the funny and bright Torre keep you entertained while you walk away a much more informed sports fan for having listened.

In the episode I checked out, which dropped on Friday January 31, the main topic was the dominance of both the NFL over every other professional sport in the US and the Kansas City Chiefs over every other team in the league. Both Skipper and Samson expressed they are still surprised when they look at just how dominant the NFL is.

“The NFL is the game of this country,” Skipper said. “It is the game in which our country mostly stops, where you notice it on the street…It is America’s sport, and most Americans stop for big games like [the AFC and NFC Championship games] and this is what their day is about.”

Samson added that one NFL championship game drew more of a television audience than the entire World Series. He and Torre also talked about the difference between a playoff series in baseball versus the winner take all games in the NFL. Samson says the single elimination style, like March Madness, has “so much at stake for every game and football is that on steroids.”

Skipper talked about one of his sons enjoying the NFL playoffs despite being a fan of the New York Jets who have not been invited to join the postseason party in nearly a decade and a half. When Samson asked if that was perhaps because his son wagers on the games, Skipper said that was not the case and added, “I personally believe the suggestion that gambling has anything to do with these high numbers, I don’t really believe it. I think it makes it more fun, but I don’t think that that’s why these numbers are high…It’s more of a…love of the game that is astonishing.”

I got the sense that neither Samson nor Torre agreed with Skipper on that point but in this case, they chose not to question the longtime president of ESPN who started with that company in 1997 as senior vice president and general manager of ESPN the Magazine. Later, Skipper made the point that another reason for the NFL’s dominance is how good the experience is watching it on television.

“It’s a great game to watch on television,” he said. “It’s easy, you can see everything almost.”

Torre added, “It’s better on television.”

Skipper went on to say that the very way the game works lends itself to a fun experience. “I think the fact that there is less action in a football game makes it better,” he said. “It’s a more social event. You sit around laughing and talking. Television works perfectly for football.”

Another great topic that came up was the idea of villains in sports, notably the teams that win a lot in a certain period of time, much like the Kansas City Chiefs are currently doing. As Torre said about the Chiefs, “In this moment they are super-villains.”

Skipper added that for a television network, “Villainy is not a bad thing.” He then asked, “Why is their dynasty villainous? Aren’t all dynasties villainous because you’re keeping every other team and their fans from winning?”

Samson puts an end to the conspiracy theories about the Chiefs as he addresses what a lot of people seem to miss. In a nutshell his point was that if the NFL wanted to script things, why are the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys bad? If sports can be rigged and controlled by leagues, why aren’t the New York Knicks deep in the postseason every year or how come it took so long to get a Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees World Series again?

This is the type of analysis you get on The Sporting Class as the hosts do their best to use facts rather than just throwing out blanket opinions. Samson and Skipper lived and still live in these worlds and are mostly giving you firsthand information or are commenting after having spoken to people who would be in the know.

A good example of this comes later on the topic of Tom Brady and his ownership of the Raiders while working as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Samson doesn’t hold back when he says he is not a fan of either FOX Sports or the Raiders/NFL allowing Brady to also do the other job.

To put it in more context, as the group discusses Brady’s current role with the Raiders, which looks an awful like a job someone would have as a full-time position, Samson points out the fans lose out on both ends.

“Raiders fans should be mad,” he said as he brings up the point that the team deserves to have someone who is fully focused on the team making these big decisions or being involved in them. On the other hand, his responsibilities as an analyst for FOX Sports are compromised by the time he puts in for the Raiders and the things he is not allowed to do by the league.

The rest of the way, the guys were terrific on the topic of broadcaster salaries, the ManningCast and more. If you are into the why behind a lot of what happens in sports and sports media, The Sporting Class is for you.

Last year, when Pablo Torre spoke with Barrett Media’s Derek Futterman, he summed the show up well when he said, “I love hosting The Sporting Class so much, and I refer to it all the time as ‘Rich guys’ OnlyFans’ because really what it is is I’m wildly curious about what it’s like to be them and have their perspective on a business that is changing so chaotically and rapidly really hour to hour,” Torre said. “We’re watching billion-dollar swings happen regularly, executives change employers and just sports emerge seemingly out of nowhere, and so, so much of sports right now is a business story, and my genuine curiosity also applies to, ‘What’s actually going on here?’”

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.

Scott Shapiro is Bullish on the Future of FOX Sports Radio

Derek Futterman
-
0
Scott Shapiro is Bullish on the Future of FOX Sports Radio

Throughout the decade Scott Shapiro has been working with iHeartMedia on FOX Sports Radio, he has witnessed evolution in the business pertaining to audio consumption. While there are narratives surrounding the demise of radio, he remains optimistic about the medium, especially when it comes to sports content. The format has been able to withstand the pace of change within the media environment while also helping to drive innovation.

FOX Sports Radio in particular has been able to grow its platform, adding various affiliates and advertising partners over that time with a premier lineup of programming and hosts. The national audio network reaches nearly 15 million monthly listeners on more than 630 radio stations, and it can also be heard online and through iHeartRadio.

“You’re still having tremendous hosts, great producers and you’re really trying to create the best content that people listen to and that they rely upon,” Shapiro said. “Now the beauty is there’s way more places for them to get that, so it’s actually a very fun challenge. Despite listeners being everywhere and anywhere, it’s more fun because there’s more ability for people to hear the great content our folks are producing.”

Shapiro acknowledges that there are few parallels between his managerial approach a decade ago to where he is now. Recognizing the impact of previous experiences and the invaluable lessons he has learned, he is able to combat difficult experiences. Shapiro’s ability to enact prompt and effective remediation in problem solving has partially been derived through past occurrences, and he has also developed relationships internally that facilitate communication. At the same time, he knows that there is still room to grow and refine his approach, remaining committed to erudition and staying cognizant of industry trends.

“I know I’m not perfect,” Shapiro said. “I would never pretend to be, and listen, you have to learn from your mistakes. You have to be able to grow, you have to have those uncomfortable conversations with yourself, so I’ve been through a lot of different examples where something has hit my desk, and at first you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m not sure what to do with this,’ but by thinking it through, by going through it, by being placed in difficult situations where you have to problem solve, it makes you that much better on the other end.”

Amid his time with FOX Sports Radio, Shapiro has sought to maintain its growth amid heightened competition and the emergence of digital players and independent content creators. The landscape has unquestionably faced seminal trials and tribulations, but it has been collectively guided by a cadre of proficient and prudent media professionals aiming to bolster consumption and the bottom line.

“Our goal is to not leave anything on the table, and it’s really to maximize the talents of all of our people, and I’m lucky because we have great people that work within FOX Sports Radio through all levels of the company,” Shapiro said, “but ultimately, it’s about maximizing their performance and it’s about putting out the very best products possible, and there’s a lot of different ways to count the metrics.”

Don Martin, the longtime iHeartMedia executive vice president of sports, recently announced that he would be departing the cluster but remaining involved in the near term. The exit took place shortly after layoffs at the company as it cut hundreds of jobs around the country, reportedly equating to 5% of its workforce.

“We can control what we can control, and ultimately our job is to provide the absolute best content, make it very attractive to advertisers and attractive to affiliates and grow our business unit,” Shapiro said. “We can’t control how advertisers are spending [or] what their budgets are, but what we can certainly control is how good of a job we’re doing and how creatively we integrate their messages within our shows.”

Shapiro worked closely with Martin throughout his decade with the company, and he remembers speaking with him and Julie Talbott, the president of the Premiere Networks subsidiary, as he was applying for the role. Regarding them both as visionaries who have been able to lead their divisions and build success, he has considered it remarkable to have worked with both of them. The initial conversation surrounding the audio enterprise, which is managed by Premiere through a partnership with FOX Sports, depicted the network milieu to be premised on a familial spirit that endures today.

“It’s something that, if you don’t know better, you almost think it’s a cliché and something that everyone may say, but what I saw very quickly in my tenure here is that they mean it, and through 10 years, I see it every single day,” Shapiro said. “It’s a tremendous culture, it’s a tremendous atmosphere. I’ve had such a supportive environment since I started, and frankly, I’ve learned so much from both of them.”

Concurrent with Martin deciding to leave his role at iHeartMedia, along with KFI program director Robin Bertolucci, the company hired Brian Long to lead programming at both outlets. Shapiro is optimistic that Long is going to do well in the marketplace and feels that they share similar sensibilities. Even so, the industry felt the impact of Martin and Bertolucci announcing their departures as the production of sports and news media content continues to evolve.

“They are two heavyweights, certainly in this market and around the country, so he’s entering at a wonderful point because the stations are both in really good shape, but we’re very excited for him to come in and put his unique stamp on it,” Shapiro said. “And as the flagship of FOX Sports Radio – 570 – there’s going to be a lot of parallels and a lot of ways we’re going to strategize to try to grow the station and grow the network.”

As Shapiro begins his second decade with the company, he feels that the network is the best it has ever been and has more good days ahead. Part of this prosperity stems from a programming lineup that draws and retains consumers tuning in across multiple distribution points. A longtime sports media presence, however, will be stepping away from the business in December 2027 as he officially retires. Dan Patrick gave media executives and consumers significant notice pertaining to the end of the Dan Patrick Show, something that allows them to more effectively plan next steps.

“The great thing is he’s still putting up great numbers,” Shapiro said. “The show is still as strong as it’s ever been, so kudos to Dan and his team for just continuing to provide great content that our advertisers certainly want and that our affiliates want, but this is unique. It’s very rare in this business where you know an end date for a show, and thankfully he still has three full years, but it allows us to really map out the future, be prepared for it and really make the show special as it concludes its last three years.”

The FOX Sports Radio lineup is spread across the continental United States, airing a variety of programs that broadcast from different locales. While the network headquarters are located in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Patrick continues to broadcast his program from a studio in Milford, Conn. Immediately following the conclusion of Patrick’s show, the audio locus moves back cross-country to the FS1 studios in Los Angeles for The Herd. Colin Cowherd’s daily program is simulcast on radio as it airs on the national television network, but it will soon be moving to Chicago, Ill. in the spring. Cowherd has been with FOX Sports and Premiere Networks since 2015, further bolstering the on-air lineup with his blend of intellect, entertainment and authenticity.

“I really believe that when he came over nine-plus years ago, that swung the balance of power into FOX Sports Radio’s favor,” Shapiro said. “It really helped give credibility to our lineup and it made us the best in the game, and we’ve been able to grow quite a bit since then. So he’s been very important to our success, and because he came over, we’re primed for a tremendous road ahead.”

Cowherd has been reported as being in the midst of contract negotiations as his contract is said to be nearing expiration. Although no deal has been officially announced, there is purported optimism that the sides will reach an agreement for him to continue creating content on its platforms. In addition to his on-air work, Cowherd is the founder of The Volume, a sports podcast network that produces and disseminates content to multiple touchpoints in the media landscape.

“Colin’s been a big part of our success the last nine-plus years, and he’s still at the top of his game right now,” Shapiro said, “and we’re always interested in working with great people like him.”

With Doug Gottlieb in his first season as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, he continues to host his afternoon sports radio program. The unique arrangement of balancing both jobs simultaneously required collaboration between multiple entities, allowing him to host the show remotely. Even though there have been questions and criticisms towards the situation, he has been able to hold both positions for several months.

“I can only speak from the radio side, but Doug is very informed, very opinionated when it comes to the biggest sports topics,” Shapiro said. “He plays the hits exceptionally well, he always has a very unique perspective, and yeah, there’s some people that get bothered by his opinions, but all of his opinions are well thought out and he has very strong takes. Whether he’s a head coach in basketball or not, he is a very strong sports radio host, and he’s continued to be while also being a head coach.”

As Super Bowl LIX approaches, Shapiro is content with how FOX Sports Radio has covered the NFL season and values bringing the brand to the host city for on-site programming. Being able to provide value to listeners and affiliates, the potential boost stations could receive may be demonstrated in the forthcoming ratings book. Nielsen recently changed its credit threshold to a three-minute qualifier to receive listening credit for a quarter-hour, something that could resemble diminishing attention spans and fundamentally alter listening data.

“We do believe it’s going to have massive impact, and it helps us on the national side too because what we were nationally [is] an accumulation of all our local affiliates, so all of our local stations benefitting, that’s going to benefit us as well,” Shapiro surmised. “It’s going to be more national AQH, it’s going to be a tremendous thing to fuel our growth, so we’re primed, we’re excited about this.”

Even if Shapiro was not working at FOX Sports Radio, he hypothesizes that his listening patterns would result in him consuming the same type of content on the network. Realizing the privilege and prestige of the outlet and its place in the sports media ecosystem, he does not take his job for granted and looks forward to the years to come. For now, Shapiro is staying immersed in the creative process and focused on the team living up to its potential and appealing to the audience.

“Audio is hot, live sports are hot, and we’re able to combine the two,” Shapiro said. “So yeah, there’s some elements of audio that may not have the shine that they used to, but I’ll tell you as we’re growing in affiliates, as our podcast and our streaming continues to grow, we’re right where we want to be. We’re in the audio space entertaining America talking about sports. We’re in a pretty good spot, and with positive feedback we’ve heard from our advertisers, we’re very bullish on the future.”

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.

‘The MJ Morning Show’ Keeps Tampa Entertained By Entertaining Themselves

Jeff Lynn
-
0
‘The MJ Morning Show’ Keeps Tampa Entertained By Entertaining Themselves

MJ Kelli sits at the helm of “The MJ Morning Show” at Classic Hits Q105 WRBQ, Tampa. The show recently landed on the Barrett Media Top 20 Classic Hits Shows.

I started a conversation with Kelli by asking for his reaction to landing on that list.

“It was a great surprise. I did not know. We were on the air the morning that it came out. And somebody called us and said, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you know this, but you guys were just listed in the top five best morning shows in the Classic Hits category.’ So, it was actually a listener that tipped us off that somehow.”

Never one to pass on spontaneous content, Kelli said, “It made for some instant on-air content because Fester, who’s on my show, he’s the one that talked to the listener and then found the list.” 

“Then he was asking me if I’ve heard of any of these other shows. A list came out; number one is so-and-so, and number two. And then he revealed that we came in at number five.”

“The MJ Morning Show” has a long history and deep roots in Tampa.

“The show really has its roots back to 1994 here in Tampa Bay. We were on the well-known WFLZ Top 40 station.

We were at that station for 18 years, from 1994 to 2012. Then, I took a break from the mornings and focused on my syndicated show. I did a political show called the ‘Schnitt Show.’ I was on up to 70 or 80 stations syndicated by Compass Media Networks. And I did that show for twenty-two years.”

“I did that show simultaneously. So I did the morning show, and then I would, in the afternoon, do a three-hour syndicated, more political talk show. I finally wrapped that up back in July of 2023. It’s been about a year and a half since I walked away from political broadcasting because it was so toxic.”

“I was just fed up. I wasn’t looking forward to it every day. And it just gave me an opportunity to focus more on the morning show and to return.

“The Schnitt Show” was a clever takeoff of Kelli’s legal name, Todd Schnitt. I asked if it was difficult to maintain two shows, two different identities, and sets of listener expectations.

“I just had delineation. I just had mental walls built. It wasn’t difficult. It’s like I know the role of the morning show. I knew the role of the Schnitt show, and it just was automatic.” 

“It just happened. I really didn’t have to think too much about it. I knew what content fit the morning show and I knew the content for the afternoon show. It was easy to pull off.”

I asked Kelli hypothetically, if I went to Tampa and found ten show P1s, what they would tell me they wanted and expected from “The MJ Morning Show.”

“They want to laugh. They want to be entertained. And I think they want to be made aware of what’s going on. We try to combine the comedic element with the informative element. And I’m just trying to be topical every day. I’ll tell you what’s worked for me.” 

“I have always subscribed to I’m going to go into the morning show and entertain myself. And that seems to have worked. My measure, my barometer of entertainment, seems to have worked for a long time with the market expectations and the listener expectations.”

The entertainment talk-based show has a unique content benchmark.

“One of our real benchmarks is about 7:25 every morning. We go for an hour and 20 minutes nonstop with no commercials. So we do nonstop content for at least an hour and 20 minutes. It’s roughly 7:25 Eastern time to usually to about 8:45 or 8:50. It’s a long shot where we are just getting on a roll, going from subject to subject, content to content.

Like most successful morning shows, Kelli sees day-to-day life as an excellent source for show prep.

“Your head has to be on a swivel. You’ve got to pay attention to everything, whether it’s something you observe on the ride home, something that happens to my kids or my wife, or something that you see happens in the local news or the national news. You have to have your head on a swivel. Everything is potential content. And you just got to be an editor and filter. What is the best content for every given show?”

Sometimes, what’s best for the show is not humor, such was the case with the past year’s Florida hurricanes.

“Not getting to work and broadcasting and giving people what they expect was not even remotely an option. And radio played an even more important part because there were so many power outages that so many people had no access to cable television.”

“I live right on Tampa Bay in South Tampa. We had about three to four feet of water throughout the entire neighborhood. I walked a mile in over waste-high water to get to a major intersection that was not flooded. And the chief of police for the city of Tampa knows how important radio is: He said, ‘We got to get you on the air.’ So he sent a patrol car to meet me on the corner of West Shore and Kennedy in South Tampa, which was not underwater. A patrol car picked me up and then drove me across the bridge, across Tampa Bay.”

“The bridge was closed, blocked off by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Tampa Police Department. They were able to get me through the roadblock, get me across the bridge, and get me to the studio so I could be on the air that morning.”

Photo: Instagram

The show also watches for events and other opportunities to impact the community.

“Over the years, we have focused on specific events that occur because, on a morning show, we’re able to turn on a dime, pivot immediately, and help out people and organizations in need.”

“We find local events during the year where people need help, organizations, law enforcement officers needing help. And we champion those types of events during the course of the year.”

“For instance, right now, a Tampa ATF agent, a federal agent, was shot in the neck while trying to break up a fight in a bowling alley parking lot while off duty. He was shot by one of the perps and paralyzed. Right now, we’re assisting with a fundraising effort to raise money for the family of the ATF agent who had a life-changing event.

When talking about the DNA of the show, Kelli credits Fester for keeping things in line and adding a comedic element.

“Fester has been with me since the mid-1990s and is a great sounding board. He’ll call me out. He’ll make sure I don’t get away with too much. He’s a great counter to what I do. And he brings a great comedic element as well.”

Just before Christmas, Roxanne Wilder left the show (BMM 12/30/24), which has created a prime opening for a female cast member.

“We are looking to fill the female role on the show. And again, as far as the female role goes, it’s somebody that brings great, relevant content that can give us a female perspective and keep the dumb guys in line.”

“We have a prime opening for a great female entertainer to join the MJ Morning Show. Send all your materials to rick.thomas@bbgi.com.”

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.

Is This the Best Programmatic Video Advertising Can Do?

Dr. Ed Cohen
-
0
Is This the Best Programmatic Video Advertising Can Do?

In late 2023, I wrote a column suggesting the ESPN+ should try “eating their own dog food”. When I looked into the term’s history, it goes back a ways, but I’d heard it first when Fred Jacobs used it to refer to poor-sounding station streams. For ESPN+, I was complaining about their spot insertions with the same advertising spots over and over and some of them cut to get back to the game.

There was a recent MediaVillage piece by Surendiran Dhayala Rajan from DirecTV entitled “Putting the Viewer Front and Center of Dynamic Ad Insertion”. The piece asked, “So then how come, with nearly $60 billion spent in TV advertising, viewers are often bombarded with the same ads over and over again, leaving many to feel fed up with ‘advertising overload’?’ Rajan goes to make three suggestions involving integrating multiple ad servers, inventory management, and my favorite, frequency capping. 

Apparently, the Disney/ESPN crew has not read Rajan’s piece. To aid them, I conducted a small qualitative study last Tuesday night during the ESPN+ version of the Washington Capitals/Calgary Flames game. I watch a fair number of Caps games on ESPN+ (I’m a former season ticket holder) and thought it would be interesting to track all the spots from the start of the game to the end. I included intermissions, but not the pregame show.

If you don’t have ESPN+, here’s a quick explanation. For any out-of-market game on the service, you can usually choose either team’s local feed, but you don’t see the local advertising. ESPN inserts different spots into the breaks. A few local spots leak through, for example, split screen spots that occasionally appear between faceoffs and live reads. Watching the Capitals local feed, I monitored 102 spots during the game, although as you’ll learn later, not all of them ran to conclusion. 

The winner for most played individual commercial was BMW pitching BMW certified pre-owned vehicles. This single execution ran 12 times (!) during the game and intermissions. On a targeting basis, it was a good choice as I own two German vehicles and two CPOs. Certainly, 12 times during the game got the point across, perhaps a bit too much.

However, the top advertiser was Burger King. An ad for their duo and trio promotion ran nine times and another spot pitching melts was shown five times. Yes, 14 Burger King spots ran in one game presentation that lasted around two hours and 45 minutes. While averaging may not be the best measure in this case, Burger King appeared slightly more often than once every twelve minutes. By the latter ones, my girlfriend was singing “You Rule” along with the jingle, however, we both remarked that we hadn’t been to a Burger King in years. 

Bet365 was also active with eight plays. It’s clear that I can get $150 in credit for a $5 bet, but put your money on my not having a Bet365 account any time soon.

Advertising from Verizon where people heave their old phones and a new iPhone 16 miraculously returns in the appropriate Verizon bag appeared seven times. One other Verizon spot was also run, so Verizon finished with eight insertions. 

I mentioned earlier that spots get cut as well. The spot starts but the game feed resumes before the spot ends, so the ad is chopped before completion. This happened eight times, which is better than usual for ESPN+. Little Caesar’s, Good RX (their only spot in the game), an NFL Pro Bowl promo, Downy Unstoppables (their only spot), Sam’s Club, Crest, Sinex (their only spot), and Liberty Mutual all suffered this fate. Is this tracked? Do advertisers pay for spots that don’t complete?

I realize targeting is tricky but the final spot in the game was perhaps the most amusing one. It was for Secret explaining how you can use the product for “your pits and your bits” and gynecologists recommend doing this. That was news to me, and I’ll have to ask my gynecologist about it at my next appointment. Wait, I don’t have a gynecologist! And at that point, my girlfriend, who is not a big hockey fan but tolerates my love for the Caps, had her earbuds in while using her iPad and missed it. I’ll have to discuss this important new information with her very soon.

Does anyone at ESPN ever use the service? The interface was just redone and while my family’s Zenith black and white tube TV from the early ‘60s started up more quickly than getting ESPN+ to load, it seems as if no one in Bristol ever checks it out, or as Fred would say, they don’t eat their own dog food. Guys, you do a huge amount of dynamic ad insertion, so learn to do it right.

I don’t have expertise in programmatic advertising, but if anyone from Burger King or BMW sees this, please demand frequency capping. Maybe someone else could be enticed into a BMW CPO or is hungry for a Burger King melt. If you can’t cap the frequency, then produce four or five executions. American Express showed up five times in the game with only one repeat because there were four different executions. 

Is this really the future of TV advertising? Too many spots (sound familiar?), the same ones over and over, combined with hit-or-miss targeting. Have we really advanced with all our digital wizardry? And radio gets less money because Burger King needs to run 14 spots in a single game? It looks like video advertising has become smarter but not wiser.

Let’s meet again next week.

John Skipper: Tom Brady Should Choose Between FOX Sports Broadcasts or Raiders Minority Ownership

BSM Staff
-
0
John Skipper: Tom Brady Should Choose Between FOX Sports Broadcasts or Raiders Minority Ownership

FOX Sports is preparing to broadcast Super Bowl LIX from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., marking the first time that Tom Brady will be working as a television analyst for the championship matchup. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is in the first year of a 10-year contract with FOX Sports reportedly worth a total of $375 million, but there have been questions related to the viability of the arrangement. Throughout the season, Brady has been operating under restrictions that preclude him from attending practices at team facilities or criticizing officiating as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. Brady is also said to have an influence in decisions by the Raiders organization, including the recent hiring of head coach Pete Carroll, resulting in questions surrounding a potential conflict of interest.

On the latest edition of The Sporting Class, Pablo Torre struggled to identify a precedent for this kind of situation. David Samson, the former president of the Miami Marlins, explained that Raiders fans should be upset that Brady does not have a full-time commitment towards the organization. Furthermore, he articulated that it takes a week to be able to prepare for a game on television and does not see how Brady will be able to do both. Samson referenced a particular moment between Brady and play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt in which the analyst ostensibly reaffirmed his commitment to the broadcasts.

“It was so manufactured that it was obviously not believable to me,” Samson said, “and if I’m Mark Davis, I will not allow Tom Brady to continue at FOX because I want his full attention, and if I’m FOX, I will not allow Tom Brady to run the Raiders because I need his full attention.”

John Skipper, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Meadowlark Media, expressed that he believed salaries for people in the position are too high, contending that they do not make a financial difference in the game. Referencing the ratings during the Championship Round of playoff games, he is not sure if there would have been a difference had Brady not been in the booth.

“Does it bother me?,” Skipper replied .”I do believe there’s a conflict, and the conflict should probably be resolved. I don’t know why he’s allowed to continue to have that conflict, and he probably brings more value, though I doubt Mark Davis is going to pay him $37.5 million, though his stake in the team may be well worth more than that. He should make a decision about which one he wants to do.”

Samson subsequently expressed that he had been thinking about the value of alternate broadcasts, using the example of ESPN carrying the ManningCast during select editions of Monday Night Football. Hypothesizing when Skipper was shown the P&L financial statements while running ESPN, he imagined that he would have questioned if the network was spending $8 million extra to include the Mannings on this alternate feed. Skipper, who has watched the ManningCast throughout the year, wondered what would happen if there was no other choice but to watch the game in this manner. When asked about what would happen, Torre believed roughly the same amount of people would be viewing the game.

“So then why would you increase your expenses?,” Samson said. “If you’re not getting an incremental revenue benefit for it, why are you increasing your expenses? To make it look like progress?”

Torre acknowledged that FOX seems to be using Brady as a marketing device under his deal as well and that likely factors into the calculus of the deal. Samson also bet that the network is taking money from different areas of the business in order to pay for his salary.

Yet Skipper did not think this was a big factor, and he later recalled being amused about hearing difficulties related to preparing for a game that some of the announcers have played for their entire lives. Nonetheless, Torre divulged some level of comedy to Brady struggling to articulate his thoughts in the booth when he was widely touted for his ability to process situations on the gridiron in real time. Torre thought that there would be a correlation between his on-field aptitude and performance in the booth, an assertion he conveyed had been disproven by Jon “Boog” Sciambi.

“It has very, very little to do to what you do when you take the snap from center, you drop back three or four steps and see the field,” Skipper said. “Even if you did that better than anybody, you still don’t know how to articulate that, you don’t know when to do it, how to interact with the other people who are helping you do that.”

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.

News Media Reacts to Chuck Todd Departing NBC News After Nearly 20 Years

BNM Staff
-
0
News Media Reacts to Chuck Todd Departing NBC News After Nearly 20 Years

Longtime NBC News host Chuck Todd informed colleagues that Friday was his final day with the organization, ending an 18-year chapter in his career.

Chuck Todd joined NBC News in 2007. He served as the outlet’s political director, chief White House correspondent, and served as moderator of Meet the Press from 2014 through September 2023 before handing the reins to current host Kristen Welker.

In an email to co-workers, Todd revealed that today is his final day with NBC News after nearly two decades inside the venerable news organization.

“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new projects that are on the cusp of going from ‘pie in the sky’ to ‘near reality,’” Todd wrote. “So I’m grateful for the chance to get a jump start on my next chapter during this important moment.”

On social media, current and former co-workers shared their well wishes for his future, while detractors shared excitement over the news that he was departing the legacy news brand.

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.

Kiki Garcia Named New Morning Host At Magic 99.5 Albuquerque

BMM Staff
-
0
Kiki Garcia Named New Morning Host At Magic 99.5 Albuquerque

AC Magic 99.5 Albuquerque has named market veteran Kiki Garcia Morning host. Garcia joins from sister 93.3 The Q, where she had a 16-year run on the “Carlos & Kiki Show.”

The new show, “Magic Mornings With Kiki Garcia,” will air weekdays 6-9 (MT)

Garcia said, “I’m beyond excited to be part of such a heritage station as Magic 99.5. My goal is to inspire, uplift, and bring people together. Whether listening for the great music, meaningful conversation, or just a little laughter, I want everyone to feel a part of the Magic family, making every morning a little brighter…together!”

Jeff Berry, Market Manager Cumulus Albuquerque, added, “I have worked with Kiki since 2006, and she is a total pro. Her smile and positive attitude are contagious in the building and perfect for Magic. I am so excited to see her take on this new role and help Magic regain its dominance in Albuquerque.”

Program Director Chris Hoffman said, “Kiki Garcia is absolutely the ideal choice for Mornings on Magic 99.5. Listening to Kiki is like waking up with your bestie. Her feel-good energy coming out of the speakers makes everyone’s day better.”

Congratulate her here:           

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.

Chuck Todd Announces Exit From NBC News

BNM Staff
-
0

After months of speculation, Chuck Todd made it official: After 18 years, he’s leaving his longtime home at NBC News.

In an email to co-workers, Todd revealed that today is his final day with NBC News after nearly two decades inside the venerable news organization.

“There’s never a perfect time to leave a place that’s been a professional home for so long, but I’m pretty excited about a few new projects that are on the cusp of going from ‘pie in the sky’ to ‘near reality,’” Todd wrote. “So I’m grateful for the chance to get a jump start on my next chapter during this important moment.”

“We’re grateful for Chuck’s many contributions to our political coverage during his nearly two-decade career at NBC News and for his deep commitment to Meet the Press and its enduring legacy,” an NBC News spokesperson said. “We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”

Todd’s podcast — The ChuckToddcast — will remain in his possession as he departs the network.

Chuck Todd joined NBC News in 2007. He served as the outlet’s political director, chief White House correspondent, and served as moderator of Meet the Press from 2014 through September 2023 before handing the reins to current host Kristen Welker.

Late last year, a report surfaced that Todd was preparing to exit his longtime home. The report said Todd was meeting with other outlets about a potential partnership, saying he would leave NBC News when his contract expired.

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.

Bonta Hill Exits ‘The Morning Roast’ on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco

BSM Staff
-
0
Bonta Hill Exits ‘The Morning Roast’ on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco

Bonta Hill is exiting The Morning Roast on 95.7 The Game. Hill has been with The Game for eight years, teaming with Joe Shasky in morning drive since October 2020. Outside of his work with the station, he also serves as the pregame and postgame show host for broadcasts of Golden State Warriors basketball on NBC Sports Bay Area & California. Hill will assume a larger role as a full-time multiplatform host with NBC Sports Bay Area which includes programming involvement with the Warriors, San Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

Moving forward, Shasky will be joined in mornings by Joe Spadoni, producer and current host of The Pregame Show. Program Director Matt Nahigian confirmed the decision on X.

Hill addressed the reason for his departure from the morning program during the Friday edition of the show.

“Burning the midnight oil at both ends – I’ve done it for over four-and-a-half years – and it got to me,” Hill said. “It got to me, and so these hours were tough. Family, first and foremost, my health, the lack of sleep that I was getting, I want to leave like you Shasky until 100. I want to be able to tell stories with you at a coffee shop in West Sunset or West Portal or in the Fillmore District about the times we pissed off Philadelphia or the times we hailed Trey Lance as the next great thing in San Francisco, so I had to take that into consideration.”

Hired by program director Don Kollins, Hill joined 95.7 The Game as a co-host of the midday show alongside Greg Papa. After three years on the air together, Papa abruptly left to become the radio play-by-play voice for the San Francisco 49ers, which left his future with the outlet in jeopardy. Matt Nahigian, who took over as program director in 2017, assigned Hill to be part of the new midday show with Matt Steinmetz and Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson. When Joe Fortenbaugh left to work for ESPN, the station revamped its lineup and moved Hill to mornings with Shasky and Kate Scott.

“It’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my life, definitely in my career, because I’m walking away from not only this great station, these great fans, but I’m walking away a brother in Joe Shasky, the butcher, who, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would have regained my love for radio back in 2019, when we started doing 49ers pre and postgame shows,” Hill said. “I’ll never forget that Pittsburgh [game] after Week 3 when I felt like I had the juice back because I was working with somebody who was the same age as me, who had the same passion as me and nothing else mattered except putting on a kick-ass show.”

Bonta’s departure takes place at a time when sports talk radio in the San Francisco Bay Area is undergoing a significant shift with its on-air personalities and executives. The Game parted ways with its afternoon drive duo of Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto in 2023. Across town, KNBR let go of Tom Tolbert and John Lund as part of staffing cuts last fall, which was preceded by layoffs that resulted in the departures of Paul McCaffrey and F.P. Santangelo. A few years earlier, KNBR also cut ties with Larry Krueger and Rod Brooks, although Krueger returned to the station last August.

Additionally, KNBR went through two program director changes with Kevin Graham leaving in August 2023 due to health reasons, and Adam Copeland being promoted. Copeland’s run was brief though, and Mike Hohler assumed the role in July 2024. 95.7 The Game, which is owned by Audacy, also experienced local management changes. Kieran Geffert was elevated to SVP/Market Manager in November 2024 following the exit of Stacey Kauffman.

Hill’s expanded role with NBC Sports includes responsibilities hosting a podcast surrounding the Warriors and continuing his hosting responsibilities surrounding live game broadcasts. Additionally, he will contribute to Giants and 49ers gameday coverage on the sports network as well.

“Bonta is a knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining professional who has been embedded in Bay Area sports media for years, including the last four with NBC Sports Bay Area, where he has made a tremendous impact,” Matt Murphy, president and general manager of NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, said in a statement. “We are excited for him to join us full-time and extend his contributions across our platforms and coverage.”

The remainder of the lineup for 95.7 The Game remains in tact, although it remains unknown if Spadoni will continue his responsibilities as host of The Pregame Show. Hill is expected to continue a part-time relationship with 95.7 The Game, which will include a weekly one-hour appearance on Friday mornings at 9am PT.

“I’ll still be part of this station,” Hill said. “I’m not going anywhere because I truly care about this station, and I truly care about this show. Everywhere we’ve gone, Shasky, whether it’s high school, grammar school, whatever, you want to see that place left in a good space. I feel like The Morning Roast is at a very good spot right now, and with the offseason about to happen, the trade deadline, Brock Purdy’s contract, this show’s going to be firing on all cylinders – all cylinders.”

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.

Katie Nolan: ‘We Are Constantly Being Bombarded With Content’

BSM Staff
-
0
Katie Nolan: ‘We Are Constantly Being Bombarded With Content’

Ahead of its broadcast of Super Bowl LIX from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., various reports have indicated that FOX Sports has sold at least 10 advertisements of 30 seconds each for $8 million. Although the company had been sold out of ad inventory for the Big Game in November, some advertisers decided to pull out following the Los Angeles wildfires. This allowed Mark Evans, executive vice president of sales at FOX Sports, to re-enter the marketplace and garner these higher price points. Yet Katie Nolan, who is hosting her new Casuals podcast with SiriusXM, conveyed exasperation surrounding a phenomenon pertaining to ads for the championship matchup.

During the most recent edition of the show, Nolan outlined a trend that she has observed taking place over the last few years in that companies release advertisements to preview their spots airing on Super Bowl Sunday. Specifically highlighting the Championship Round games over the past weekend, she expressed frustration towards the paradigm and opined that she would push a button to opt out of seeing the ads if it was possible. Nolan proceeded to compare what was taking place to when someone wants to watch a Super Bowl advertisement on YouTube but is prompted to watch another spot before seeing the video.

“Like what are we doing where people are like, ‘Yeah, [did] you see that Matthew McConaughey Uber Eats preview Super Bowl ad where he prepares to be Mike Ditka and takes forever to have a convincing Ditka impression?,’ something that if you’re playing Ditka, you should have ready or be closer to before you start trying to do to the mirror,” Nolan said. “What the hell is that? I might never use Uber Eats again.”

Nolan evinced that millennials have been subjected to the most advertising out of any generation and that the content is ostensibly ubiquitous in the marketplace. Moreover, she divulged how some companies are also facilitating reunions of casts from beloved television shows to participate in these spots as well. Nolan does not believe advertisements are ever going to be written in a manner that is creatively free and that those who have pecuniary oversight are going to ultimately have the final say.

“Ads are frigging everywhere,” Nolan said. “We are constantly being bombarded with content. Influencers are giving us ads that they are legally supposed to disclose to us, but a lot of them, let’s be honest, aren’t doing it. And so everything is an ad, and what I want to make sure is that we don’t let these advertising companies make us feel like we should be grateful for the content. I don’t want us to start treating it like a show or like a piece of creative content. It’s not – it’s an ad – it’s trying to sell you something.”

Rather than taking risks in advertisements, Nolan felt that companies do not want to dissuade people from the content or experience subsequent litigation. The Uber Eats advertisement starring McConaughey sent Nolan “into a spiral” over the past weekend, leading her to question exactly what was going on. Furthermore, she felt that the advertisements during the Super Bowl last year were dystopian as she watched the Super Bowl alone.

“So basically the point of this yap is like, ‘Cut it out with making me feel like I should be excited about your commercial. Just sell me whatever you’re trying to sell me and get out of the way,’ and if you find that, ‘Well, that’s too expensive to spend the $7 million plus the $5 million we have to pay Shane Gillis to be in our commercial,’ if that’s too expensive for you, then make a different choice because it’s not making me want to use your product anymore,” Nolan concluded. “I never really used Uber Eats, but now I’m not going to because McConaughey.”

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.

1...1,1181,1191,120...2,896Page 1,119 of 2,896