Marc Bertrand announced is battling cancer. The 98.5 The Sports Hub co-host revealed the diagnosis live on the air Wednesday.
What We Know: Bertrand revealed the diagnosis during Wednesday’s broadcast on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He has papillary thyroid cancer, discovered a couple of months ago. Consequently, he will undergo an ablation procedure this week. Notably, Bertrand joined the station in 2009 and has co-hosted Zolak and Bertrand with Scott Zolak since February 2015. Bertrand said he is aiming to be back on the air next Wednesday, the day the Patriots open the regular season.
98.5 The Sports Hub host Marc Bertrand announcing his cancer diagnosis: “I don’t need it to be a big deal. I don’t want it to be a big deal. But here it goes. I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer a couple of months ago. It’s the most common type of thyroid cancer and it is highly treatable so before anybody starts to worry about me — especially Zo, he loves to worry about me a lot — you can rest assured it’s gonna be fine.”
98.5 The Sports Hub host Marc Bertrand expects to be fine: “It is treatable, I am an excellent hands, and I am expecting this to soon be behind me in a short amount of time.”
98.5 The Sports Hub host Marc Bertrand encourages people to get checked: “Some people don’t have the ability or the insurance coverage to do it, and I totally understand that. But if fear is your reason, it’s not a good reason. It’s not a good reason to do it.”
What Remains Unclear: Bertrand shared no additional medical specifics beyond the ablation procedure. Whether or not Bertrand will require more time off following the procedure is unknown.
What It Means: For 98.5 The Sports Hub, Bertrand’s openness reinforces the trust his audience places in the Zolak and Bertrand brand. Moreover, his message about screenings extends beyond sports radio, urging listeners toward proactive health checks. Ultimately, Bertrand’s candor turns a personal health scare into a public service moment. We hope for a successful procedure and recovery for Marc Bertrand.
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Usher Media Group launches“Country One” 106.9 KOPW in Plattsmouth/Omaha with four on-air personalities. The new country format debut strengthens the region’s competitive radio landscape.
What We Know:Kate Brennan hosts mornings (6-10am) while pulling shifts across Eagle Media stations in Kansas and Nebraska. Ritch Cassidy commands middays (10am-2pm), returning to Omaha after eight years at iHeartMedia hosting on KXKT and KFFF. Meanwhile, Meg Rieder—currently PD and morning co-host at Sweet 98.5 KQKQ-FM—takes afternoon duties. Derek Beck rounds out the lineup with nights (7pm-12am), operating Your AG Network while leveraging his operations background from Eagle Media North Platte.
What’s at Stake: This new country format directly challenges existing country outlets like Cumulus’ KZKX in Lincoln and Entercom’s KXKT. The Omaha market’s competitive intensity increases as Usher Media positions KOPW for relevance among rural and suburban audiences. Brennan, Cassidy, and Rieder collectively bring deep market knowledge—a considerable advantage against established competition. Additionally, Beck’s agricultural network connections could differentiate KOPW among rural listeners.
What Remains Unclear: The station’s specific programming direction beyond “country” positioning requires clarification. Furthermore, how aggressively KOPW will compete for ratings against entrenched country competitors remains undefined. Additionally, listener adoption rates in Plattsmouth versus Omaha proper will significantly impact viability. Ultimately, whether this launch signals broader Usher Media expansion into the region warrants monitoring.
What It Means: Usher Media isn’t just tossing darts at the map here. They’re building a country station with people who know the Omaha market inside and out. Cassidy spent eight years running mornings and middays at competing stations—he knows exactly who listens. Beck’s AG Network connection taps into rural listeners who matter in this region. This isn’t a launch; it’s a calculated move to grab a slice of a competitive market.
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Jack Daniel will retire from Beasley on September 18. The Charlotte radio legend ends a 54-year career in the market.
What We Know Beasley hired Daniel in 2018 to host afternoons on Classic Hits K104.7 WKQC. Then he became program director of Country 103.7 WSOC-FM. Later, Daniel moved to midday hosting at K104.7 in 2021. Meanwhile, his earlier work included 22 years building Alternative 106.5 The End WEND from its 1995 launch. Additionally, he programmed Magic 96.1 WWMG and The Lake 102.9 WLKO.
What They Said Daniel expressed gratitude for his journey. “I’ve had a great ride,” he stated, “and I can’t think of a better place to wrap it up than Beasley Media Group.” Beasley Chief Content Officer Justin Chase called Daniel invaluable. “He demonstrated unwavering professionalism and outstanding leadership since 2018,” Chase noted. VP Mac Edwards emphasized Daniel’s legacy. “He leaves a lasting imprint on Charlotte radio,” Edwards said.
What Remains Unclear Beasley hasn’t announced Daniel’s replacement yet. Also, succession plans for K104.7 WKQC remain undisclosed. Furthermore, VP Edwards departs tomorrow. The market awaits clarity on the midday show’s future direction.
What It Means Daniel’s retirement marks a significant transition for Charlotte radio. Yet the headlines alone cannot capture his true marketplace impact. His 54-year career fundamentally shaped the region’s radio landscape. Beasley now faces the challenge of replacing not just talent, but a broadcasting legacy that influenced an entire generation of Charlotte radio professionals.
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Robert Hawk heads home to Pennsylvania radio. The CHR personality joins 98.5 WKRZ Freeland/Scranton mornings alongside Lissa Krahnke starting Tuesday, September 8.
What We Know Hawk arrives from KTWB Sioux Falls, where he hosted afternoons for Midwest Communications. The morning show runs 5:30–10 a.m. on the Audacy station. Krahnke announced his return Friday to listeners in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Notably, Hawk fills the co-host position vacated by Justin Scheman.
What They Said Hawk expressed his excitement on social media about the opportunity. “I got a job on the morning show with Lissa at 98.5 KRZ. It’ll be surreal since I grew up listening to this station,” he shared. Furthermore, he emphasized his eagerness: “I can’t wait to be back on air soon.” He also mentioned plans to rewatch The Office during his relocation home.
What Remains Unclear The immediate impact on WKRZ’s morning ratings remains uncertain. Additionally, listener response in the Scranton market has yet to fully emerge. Specifically, any format adjustments to the show haven’t been announced. Also unclear are the station’s promotional plans for the new morning pairing.
What It Means Hawk’s return strengthens the morning show with established CHR experience. Moreover, the hire addresses the vacancy quickly while connecting a native to his home market. Subsequently, this pairing could resonate with Scranton listeners nostalgic for familiar voices. Finally, the move demonstrates how strong radio talent often circles back to roots.
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Sean Hannity has reached both a radio and TV milestone most of us could only dream of.
In 2026, the renowned Republican celebrated 25 years of syndication with iHeartMedia and Premiere Networks, and 30 years with Fox News. The Long Island native says he just feels “grateful” for the opportunity.
“If I ever took the time to think about it, I’d probably go crazy,” Hannity joked. “I just feel grateful because when I was a kid and I would listen to the great pioneers late at night on talk radio — Good Guy Radio on WMCA, Barry Farber, Barry Gray and John Sawyer, your money man.”
Even with these role models as inspiration, Hannity admitted that as a child, “I never once during that time listening thought that I’d ever get behind a radio microphone. And when I finally did, it was 1987 at a college station, and I was terrible.” He added, jokingly, “Like everyone else on the station.”
Making His Way to Radio History
“I just was hooked from the first minute the light went on. At that time, I was scared and nervous and had no idea if I could do it. But I just took the leap of faith. Once I did, that was all I wanted to do,” the broadcaster recalled of his first on-air experience.
To get to the top, Hannity didn’t take no for an answer and hustled his way to success.
“I was just happy to get hired over the phone and drive my old construction work truck to Huntsville, Alabama for $19,000 a year,” Hannity said of his first broadcasting gig in 1990.
“I had no idea if I was even capable of doing a daily show — I’d never done it. You know, the show on the college station was once a week.” Long story short, he started a two-hour afternoon show that was so successful it soon became three hours.
A Career-Defining Break in Georgia
Then he jumped markets and landed at WGST in Georgia. His then-boss, now friend, Eric Seidel, hired Hannity after two days of auditions.
“[Eric] said I was like a diamond in the rough to him,” Hannity recalled.
About a year into his tenure, listener research came back, but station management didn’t let Hannity see it. “Then one day, I just kind of broke into somebody’s office and read it — I shouldn’t have done that. I’m admitting guilt. I didn’t steal it. I just read it, and it was actually really helpful to me,” Hannity recalled.
“What I learned in that moment is the audience is brutally honest with you. And they were saying that they liked me [and my politics], but they didn’t like my style. They thought that I was too combative on the air,” or as Hannity, a four-time New York Times best-selling author, said more bluntly, “They thought I was a little bit too New York.”
He said if it was just “five people [complaining], you’d say, I can’t change who I am. But when 30 people say the same thing, it really does grab your attention.”
Hannity began paying for research on his shows for years, until he felt he’d fine-tuned his on-air brand. Today, he doesn’t pay much mind to the research.
The White Bronco That Launched a TV Career
Hannity took advantage of his time in Georgia — he not only had a radio show, but regularly appeared as a guest on what some today would call a surprising outlet. “CNN was in Atlanta at the time. I used to go over and do talk-back live in the afternoon. And then one day, the O.J. Simpson news came out.”
It was a career-making event. Hannity was on Dr. Sonia Friedman’s show alongside Tavis Smiley. “I said, ‘Based on O.J.’s history, of course he’s going to be a suspect. People said he’d been guilty of spousal abuse, and so on and so forth. So of course he’d be a suspect.’ And [Friedman] goes, ‘We don’t know that!’ She’s lecturing me, and like a minute later, CNN breaking news: the arrest of O.J. Simpson is imminent. They ended up keeping us on the air that day for hours and hours.”
Hannity’s wit, intellect and New York charm on CNN caught the attention of Roger Ailes. “He was running CNBC at the time, and at that time I was flying up and doing daily talk shows. I did Donahue, I did Geraldo Daytime, and people liked it because I shook things up on every show and made the shows interesting.”
He also had the attention of WABC, when Disney had taken the station over.
“I was up for Bob Grant’s position, which I did not get at that time. I had a meeting with Phil Boyce, and he said, ‘Look, if you’re going to do TV, great, but put in a carve-out that you can do radio.’ And I did, in my initial contract with Fox.”
A “Sean” of All Trades
It worked out well for Hannity, who now hosts three shows: Hannity on Fox News, The Sean Hannity Show, syndicated by Premiere Networks, and his podcast, Hang Out with Sean Hannity. Both broadcast shows are top-rated in their timeslots.
When the opportunity came for Hannity to launch his own podcast, he was quick to say yes. But it’s a little different from the political aficionado you’re used to seeing on TV. “We also went in with the attitude that I’m going to try everything on that show. I’m going to be different from what I do on radio. It’s going to be different from what I do on TV.”
From near-death experiences to UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) and more, Hannity covers all kinds of topics on the podcast.
“What I try to do in the podcast, more than in radio or TV, is I just sit back and let people talk, and I let them tell their story,” he said. “It’s different because a lot of people go on a podcast and they’re just going to rant about the issues of the day. I’m like, if you want that side of me, you can get it on TV and radio in different ways.”
If Someone’s Not Attacking You, You’re Not Doing Your Job Effectively
At this point in his life, Hannity doesn’t take anything for granted. “I actually work harder than I ever have. I don’t work less, I work more. I’m very, very grateful to my audience, first and foremost, because this is my dream job. I get to do it every day, and I love doing it every day.”
It’s the type of success that only comes once in a generation, built on years of dedication to a craft all his own. “You go back and look at the initial tapes of me on TV — I was terrible. In my humble opinion, I can’t even watch it. Every anniversary, my staff wants to show the first show, and I’m like, ‘No. You’re not allowed.'”
Hannity summed up the beginning of his career: “I feel I got lucky, and then at some point I just started to get smart.”
But he admits this is only possible because of his audience. “I love [my listeners]. They have given me a life I never dreamed of. I didn’t do this for money — I never thought I’d even be remotely successful. That does not get lost on me as the years have gone on. That’s the kid in Franklin Square who feels he’s living an undeserved life.”
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The Tennessee Titans revoked Jared Stillman’s credential. Depending on who you ask, this is either a franchise standing up to a loudmouth who dared them to do it, or an organization delivering a blueprint to other franchises on how to silence local critics.
Teams that travel this path usually end up with more negative coverage. You can’t deliver a 6 and 28 record over two seasons, change your front office and coaching staff, and then complain about unfavorable attention. Winning changes the local conversation.
I went through this in St. Louis with the Rams and in the Bay Area with the Raiders. Kevin Demoff, Amy Trask and Marc Badain were all fantastic. All knew their results shaped the local coverage. Win games and people are happy. Lose games and fire people, and criticisms follow. It’s that simple.
What Happened
Stillman is a longtime Nashville radio host. He broadcasts now on YouTube, and recently went viral after a testy exchange with quarterback Cam Ward. On his show the next day, he said the Titans wouldn’t be foolish enough to pull his credential over it. He felt the backlash would be brutal and make them look like the softest organization in the NFL.
A day later, they did it anyway.
When Stillman pressed for a reason, the team told him that as a YouTuber no longer affiliated with a radio station, his coverage doesn’t warrant access to their facility. When Stillman explained that he had just spent three hours on SiriusXM, the Titans allegedly told him he didn’t need access to the facility to do that work either.
The Opposing View
Pat Boyle of Westwood One Sports sided with the Titans. He said, Stillman got what he deserved after daring the team to act. Boyle believes that a host can’t poke the bear and then act stunned when it bites. That point is fair. Stillman did say the day prior that the team wouldn’t be foolish enough to revoke his credential and create this type of storm.
But Boyle also said, “Eventually you talk enough smack where it’s not journalistic integrity if you’re going after somebody over and over and over and over again. Saying that they’re terrible and that they’re a bust and that they’re awful. Then you have this interaction [with Cam Ward]. I think it’s completely fair what the Titans did.”
Most hosts are not journalists. They are personalities with strong, informed opinions tasked with making people listen, think, and react. Whether they agree or disagree with them is irrelevant. When it comes to opinions, you can make a case for both sides of a topic nearly every time. Even the best talent are wrong half of the time. Nowhere in a personality’s job description does it say opinions shared must be proven right 50-60% of the time or that you can’t hurt the feelings of a local team’s players, coaches, management and PR staff with your points of view. Nor should it.
Stillman’s crime is that he isn’t sold on Cam Ward. He used specifics on his show to explain why he feels the Titans QB is terrible and likely to be a bust. When he recently asked Ward to share how he felt he has played this preseason, Ward flipped the script and asked him for his analysis. Jared replied, “not well.” People may not like that Stillman gave an honest response, but he stayed true to who he is. He didn’t act like the studio tough guy who folded when confronted. Players, coaches and PR people like to bitch that hosts say things on-air but never show up, but when Stillman did, look how that turned out. Teams can’t have their cake and eat it too.
If Jared’s read on Ward turns out to be wrong, Freezing Cold Takes will have a field day with it. But when Stillman shares that Ward was ranked 102 out of 104 QB’s who played this preseason with a grade of 29.6 according to a PFF metric, it’s hard to say that’s not smart use of information by a host or a good reason why not to buy stock on the former #1 pick. It’s on Ward and the Titans to prove him wrong.
The Bigger Issue
If every team pulled credentials from personalities based on who spoke negatively, sports media would be full of sanitized coverage. Hosts and stations would become even more negative because there’d be little reason to give teams and players the benefit of the doubt when times get tough. That’s not good for the leagues, its teams, or fans who want honest information and accountability from those they support. Nobody wins in that scenario, including Boyle.
But the access fight isn’t even the real story. The Titans’ excuse of why they were revoking Stillman’s access is.
Labeling Stillman a YouTuber untethered from a radio station suggests that he’s not qualified to cover them. Hosting for SiriusXM also isn’t enough apparently. I’ll remind you that SiriusXM is an NFL partner and just teamed up with Audacy to feature tons of local sports radio stations across its channels. The Titans must’ve missed that news.
Who Else Is at Risk?
Ask yourself, what happens to Joon Lee, Jake Asman, Damon Bruce, Damon Amendolara, or Brandon Tierney if they deliver a harsh take on a local team? Will they be denied too because they prioritize YouTube? Some of these hosts have deeper relationships with fans of local teams and advertisers through YouTube than many on terrestrial signals. Is a team going to tell them their audience doesn’t count because it lives on YouTube instead of a transmitter?
Let’s move to the local scene.
What if respected writer and broadcaster Paul Kuharsky wrote something the Titans didn’t like. Are they going to restrict him too because he represents “independent media”? Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow are in trouble if that’s the case. They now work for Sport & State, an outlet led by Clay Travis which has a $100 million dollar valuation. But they broadcast on YouTube and podcast platforms so that’s not enough to earn a Titans credential. That’d be a problem too for Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton at Yahoo Sports, and Austin Stanley and Zach Bingham at A to Z Sports. After all, they also prioritize YouTube, social media, and podcasts.
Owning a transmitter and signal does not make one more qualified of a broadcaster than the other.
Thin Skin Warriors
Some PR people working for teams are great. Others are disconnected from the media industry. They have thin skin and to put it bluntly, don’t know their ass from their elbow. I’ve had PR people in prior years cancel guests over critical takes, take away seats on the team plane over honest reporting, and put staff members in press box seats with obstructed views of the field to try and send a message.
The people behind the microphone and camera are there to be the voice of the fan. Those fans are the teams customers. They deserve greater respect. The talent offering critical opinions usually focus on results and/or decision making. They opine based on what they see, feel, and hear.
For the Titans to label Stillman “just a YouTuber” conveniently erases a career that includes years on Nashville radio including working alongside former Titans GM Floyd Reese. It also ignores his current work on a channel named after Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. You can like or dislike his opinions and style, but he knows how to host a show and generate interest. Framing him as being less than a qualified member of the media is ridiculous.
We’ve Seen This Movie Before
This isn’t a new fight, either. The same issue played out a decade ago when teams treated bloggers, newsletter writers, and website owners as less than newspaper reporters. Digital writers were considered less credible because of where their work appeared. History settled that argument. The YouTube argument is from the same tired playbook. It just has a new coat of paint.
What makes this even more bizarre is knowing who the Titans are now led by. Robert Saleh spent years absorbing brutal, informed criticism as head coach of the New York Jets. He heard plenty of pointed commentary about his defenses back in San Francisco too. So did new offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, who ran the Giants in New York. Both of these men can handle adversity and scrutiny. Why would a franchise led by people who’ve lived through real media pressure choose this hill to die on? Where’s the win for the new regime?
And the Winner Is…
This fight doesn’t hurt Stillman. It helps him. He gets more attention, more subscribers, more views, and probably a few more SiriusXM shifts. He acknowledged that he doesn’t attend many games on a credential, so losing access to a few practices has little affect on his work. Meanwhile, the team invites more national scrutiny, putting Saleh, Daboll and QB Cam Ward in position to appear weak.
Organizations thinking about restricting access to broadcasters who operate digitally may want to reconsider going down that road. YouTube is mainstream. Advertisers are investing in notable hosts with local equity, and thousands of fans are consuming their content there. Jared Stillman already had a following on Nashville radio, they just moved to a new location to hear/watch him.
The Tennessee Titans took a match and scratched it against a surface not expecting it’d start a fire. Instead, they wound up with a blazing inferno.
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Netflix is now eight months into its entry into the podcasting realm. Despite a lack of transparency on viewership and whether the content is driving subscriptions, the company continues to lean in. On Tuesday, Netflix announced it is renewing its entire original lineup of video podcasts while also announcing a number of deals for new podcasts, including the popular Pivot Podcast featuring Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor.
When it comes to the sports properties Netflix signed for exclusive video distribution, many of them seem to have become out of sight and out of mind months later. Video continues to become an every day way that people discover programs. Clips fill social feeds and algorithms push content to the masses, but the Netflix paywall does prevent easy access to some of the more popular titles. That’s why with the NFL season beginning next week, could this be the final proving ground for the first wave of sports podcasts on Netflix?
Currently, 19 podcasts streaming their full video presentations on Netflix fit into the sports genre. Three come from Barstool Sports, 10 from The Ringer, two from iHeartMedia, three are Netflix originals, and The Pivot will join the lineup beginning September 8.
What we know is that the Barstool arrangement is a multiyear agreement, while the deals with iHeartMedia and Spotify, which owns The Ringer, did not include terms.
What we don’t know is how viewership is trending for the sports titles Netflix added to its slate. In July, Netflix lumped all podcast viewing into a vague “other shows” label during its Q2 earnings call. The company also has not revealed which podcasts are driving the most subscriptions.
The only revelations about podcast consumption have come from a vague statement during that same earnings call that viewing “over-indexes” during daytime hours on mobile.
Netflix Keeps Adding
Four new original video podcasts are coming to Netflix!
– Last Trace with Kaelyn Moore coming September 28 – Couldn't Agree Less with Allison & Isaac coming October 22 – Untitled Katt Williams Podcast coming soon – Untiled Harlan Coben Podcast coming soon
Despite the secrecy, Netflix continues to add more podcasts, although relatively few are sports titles. The Pivot and a new creation called On Campus: Game of the Week are the latest additions since Netflix added The Rest Is Football for the FIFA World Cup.
According to Deadline, the shift from YouTube to Netflix wasn’t a ratings smash for one of the top soccer podcasts in the world. As of July 20, its top-rated episode had reached as high as number 40 on Netflix’s most-watched list in the U.K., where the show is traditionally based. That’s during a FIFA World Cup that saw record high viewership and engagement across social media around the world.
Back here in America, the NFL season begins next week. In sports media, the sport can make or break your calendar year. Last season, the NFL set all sorts of viewership records. Advertisers spent billions. Networks generated profits. Players’ salaries increased. Franchise values climbed. Even ESPN traded 10% ownership to the league for NFL Network and other assets.
The NFL season is the proving ground where those who execute well can profit greatly. Conversely, any weakness is magnified when it comes during football season.
For the last nine months, Netflix has had podcasts on its platform. According to a June study by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, 76% of those surveyed were aware that video streaming services now offer podcasts. Of those surveyed, 62% of weekly podcast consumers were aware they could consume podcasts on Netflix.
The Stage Is Set
That makes the NFL season particularly important. Because it could determine which sports podcasts remain on Netflix and which ones ultimately disappear. Because every failure is magnified during the NFL season. If you can’t draw viewers and interest during the most engaging part of the sports calendar, what good are you?
Netflix is spending millions of dollars on these deals, yet the company has been unwilling to reveal meaningful performance data. That silence naturally raises questions. At the same time, Netflix continues to add podcasts outside the sports genre. That could signal where the company’s priorities are heading.
The NFL season will tell us far more about Netflix’s podcast strategy than any more rounds of signings ever could. Millions of sports fans will be watching, listening and discovering content, giving Netflix an opportunity to prove that its platform can turn that audience into podcast consumers.
If the sports podcasts on Netflix can break through during the NFL season, the company will have a compelling case that it can become a legitimate destination for sports audio and video. If they can’t, questions about whether Netflix is the right home for these shows will become much harder to ignore.
For now, Netflix has the content, the audience and the financial resources to make it work. What it hasn’t provided is the evidence. Netflix has spent eight months building the sports podcast portfolio. Now the NFL season will determine whether it has built a destination for sports podcasts — or simply just another collection of shows you have to pay for.
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Saturdays in the fall are devoted to the sport of college football. The pageantry, colors, smells, sounds and heartbeat encompass the country’s growing appetite to welcome the weekend with its favorite pastime. Now entering its eighth year, Big Noon Kickoff serves as the pregame tailgate welcoming more college football fans to their day of celebration every year. Its maître d’ is Rob Stone, who has guided the program since its inception.
“In terms of television time, we’re still sort of an infant. We haven’t been a long time, but have witnessed an amazing early run,” said Stone. “We used to be a toddler, but the last couple of years we’ve outgrown our clothes a bit. That’s a compliment to what we’ve done. We’ve grown and matured quite a bit.”
Last year, Big Noon Kickoff had its best year on record. The program averaged 1.8 million viewers per episode, a 14% increase over the prior year. With the addition of Barstool Sports personalities, led by Dave Portnoy, the show added new layers to its arsenal in both content approach and digital reach.
Heading into 2026, Stone says he’s only looking to continue building on the momentum that Big Noon Kickoff earned last season.
“Something that will be new this year will be our openness to accepting newness,” explains Stone. “Being able to pivot and make different decisions. One of the questions that we always get are where are we going to be. What constitutes the right location for us? We love our partners. They’ve given us amazing shows and locations. But there might be an opportunity to expand some of our footprint going out on the road going forward.”
One aspect of the “newness” that Stone referenced was Big Noon Kickoff hosting its first international show during Week 3 of the regular season. It was announced during FOX Sports’ coverage of the FIFA World Cup, which Stone also participated in as a host, that Big Noon Kickoff would broadcast live from Wembley Stadium ahead of Kansas taking on Arizona State.
“It’s now our responsibility to take college football to their shores and introduce to them the passion and energy of college football,” notes Stone. “I’ve said for years, there’s no greater parallel in the sporting world than college football and international soccer. They are almost hand in hand or cousins. Taking Big Noon Kickoff international to London is a natural next step because the two environments are the same.”
While other networks are expanding their game-day pregame programming into additional hours, FOX Sports is keeping Big Noon Kickoff at a 10 a.m. Eastern start time for the regular season. While some skeptics say a head-to-head battle directly against the competition at 9 a.m. would benefit the early audience for Big Noon Kickoff, Stone says two hours is the right fit for the program.
“Two hours is the sweet spot for us. Sometimes with a three-hour show, you might be stretching to find some good, meaningful content that can hold audience for three hours. That’s a lot of work. Two hours, for us, that’s a good spot,” explained Stone. “Having said that, if the bosses tell us the show’s extending to another hour, can’t wait for it. We’re going to be ready for it.”
The kickoff of a new year in 2026 will have a different feel than the speculation that surrounded 2025. When FOX Sports partnered with Barstool Sports to integrate Dave Portnoy into the Big Noon Kickoff talent lineup, there were questions, controversies and inquiries about how Big Noon Kickoff would balance its content model with their involvement.
Now, a year later, Stone says the first year including Barstool Sports was a smashing success.
“The ratings were up. Let’s give the Barstool Sports crew some credit. I’m sure that they played a part in that, because they had to,” said Stone. “They’re really good people to be around both on and off the clock. They bring a different energy and certainly go in different directions that we may feel constrained to go in. That’s their natural personalities, so we let them run.”
Stone credits Barstool Sports for adapting to the Big Noon Kickoff setting because he says they got matched up with the Big Noon crew, not the other way around.
“They’re so smart, creative and intelligent. They blended in very seamlessly. It was a ton of fun to be around those guys as much as we were,” noted Stone.
A Proven Approach
With the addition of Barstool Sports, it was another opportunity for Stone to adapt his approach to hosting Big Noon Kickoff. He explains that his goal is to always make everyone involved at the desk as comfortable as possible by finding commonality and building chemistry early in the process.
“Building equity with anyone as soon as I can is vital,” said Stone. “It’s about letting everyone know they can trust me and building that value together. They have to know I’m here to lead them into a good place. A lot of times, I’m a conduit for what our production team wants to achieve. That equity makes it easier for me to explain why we’re doing certain things sometimes.”
Stone has always prided himself on being adaptable, approachable, professional and easy to work with. He’s always striving to be a good person and someone who people want to be around.
That calm, comfortable nature was on full display this summer as Stone served as a lead host for FOX Sports’ FIFA World Cup coverage. With the tournament played across the United States, Canada and Mexico, Stone says he has since come down from the high. It was the most-watched World Cup in American television history.
“The best memory I had from the tournament was while we were broadcasting ahead of the U.S. game in Seattle. I couldn’t stop myself from spinning my chair and staring at the crowd. Listening, and not saying anything. They were doing the job for us,” said Stone. “For anyone who’s followed American soccer for a long time. To see, hear and feel something like that. I have goosebumps right now. That will never leave me.”
Stone says he knew the country was ripe to dive fully into the World Cup experience prior to the tournament airing on FOX Sports. The results spoke volumes about the interest.
Aside from viewership, FOX Sports social media saw a record-breaking 16.5 billion social impressions, with more than 2,500 social videos eclipsing one million views each. As for viewership, the FIFA World Cup on FOX averaged more than 7.8 million viewers across 104 matches, a rise of 116% from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
With questions surrounding the rights to carry the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Stone doesn’t believe the story of 2026 will be a last hurrah for FOX Sports.
“I’m not looking at it as a last hurrah. We definitely are going to swing, and swing really hard to keep this relationship with FIFA going forward,” explains Stone. “For me, it’s not a last hurrah. But I am looking back at it fondly as one of the top moments of my broadcasting career.”
Desire For More
As Stone looks to follow up on FOX Sports’ 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage, he also wants the network involved with the College Football Playoff. Earlier this year, FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt criticized the CFP’s exclusive television arrangement. Klatt said having one television partner is “bad” for college football.
“Joel Klatt is one of the smartest college football minds in the sport. If we needed a college football commissioner, he’d get my vote. Absolutely, I agree with him,” said Stone. “Yes, it sounds self-serving. But my gosh, would we love a piece of that College Football Playoff pie… I do think it would serve college football’s stratosphere better if it was shared more than what it is right now.”
Stone has always been a staunch supporter of college athletics in a number of sports. But in regard to the College Football Playoff, he feels it’s always good when you have all the major players involved in deciding who the national champion is.
“We cover college football year-round. But obviously with a greater focus starting in September and running through at least the Big Ten Championship,” notes Stone. “The audience and college football as a whole would be better served if FOX Sports were to get a piece of that pie. This is a growth industry. College football is on the incline and has been for some time. I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.”
For Stone, that continued growth is what makes the start of another college football season so exciting. Big Noon Kickoff has matured from a new experiment into an established part of the Saturday morning ritual. But he doesn’t view that success as a reason to stand still.
The addition of Barstool Sports, the move to London and the possibility of expanding the show’s footprint are all signs of a program willing to evolve without losing what made it successful in the first place.
After nearly a decade of welcoming fans to college football Saturdays, Stone understands that the role of Big Noon Kickoff extends beyond the two hours leading into kickoff. It is about capturing the energy, tradition and emotion that make college football unlike anything else in sports.
And as the sport continues to grow, Stone sees no reason for Big Noon Kickoff to stop growing with it. As Saturday morning arrives, he’ll be right there at the center of it, welcoming college football fans to another day of celebration.
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Spend twenty minutes talking to Holly Hutton, the co-host of 99.5 WYCD’s syndicated afternoon show. You’ll understand what radio talent looks like when it stops apologizing for itself. Her thoughts move at the speed of a pinball machine. One moment she’s discussing the speech class project that launched her radio career. The next, she’s defining her entire dynamic with co-host Rob in terms of The Odd Couple. She knows it. She owns it. Moreover, she’s built a nine-year syndicated career on it.
But here’s the thing: that scattered brain isn’t a bug. It’s the entire engine.
The Radio Gene
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
Hutton knew she was meant for radio before she had a driver’s license. Her indicator came during a high school speech class when the teacher, Miss Sogie — or as Holly and her classmates called her, Yoda — divided everyone into groups to create their own radio stations. Holly didn’t just participate. “I took over the class project, and I just kind of told everyone what they were going to be doing,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘You’re going to do sports because you know about sports. And you’re going to be the weather girl. And here’s how we’re going to do it.'” The experience cemented something in her teenage mind. When people asked what she wanted to be, she had one answer. “I’m going to be on the radio,” she’d say. And people pushed back. “They’d say, ‘No, really, what are you really going to do? Because I don’t think anyone thought it was a real job.'”
People still don’t, she notes. Yet that hasn’t stopped her.
Her first real radio experience came as an internship at WJRR in Orlando — a decision she made while attending college 45 minutes from the beach. “I flunked out because it was too much fun,” she admits without shame. But that brief stint at the station confirmed something crucial: “That’s where I really was like, okay, yes, this is this is for me.” She then moved to Detroit. She took a job at 89X in alternative rock. Subsequently, she made a career move that surprised many in the industry. Tim Roberts brought her to W4 Country as a promotions staffer — and then, crucially, gave her her first shot on air.
From Rock to Country
The transition from rock to country wasn’t a reinvention. It felt like coming home. “I grew up with my mom playing country music all the time, and then my dad playing rock,” she explains. “And I’ve always ridden horses, and country music is always playing in the horse barn.” What might have been a jarring pivot became, in her words, “a natural progression, very natural to be a cheerleader for country music.” She spent eleven years building 89X. Next came a short stint at a station called The Bone. After that, a brief afternoon show tenure at another outlet followed. Then, as she was about to return to corporate radio stability, the call came that changed everything.
In 2016, a longtime 99.5 WYCD afternoon show host became ill. Holly filled in. The host didn’t return. Instead, the station handed the shift to Holly and her co-host Rob in 2017. “I came back officially because Linda had passed,” she explains simply. “That was nine years ago, and I can track it because that’s when my son was born.” It wasn’t until 2020 that the show went into syndication — a goal Rob had set early on. Holly was game but indifferent to the milestone. “I’m not picky,” she says. “I just want to make fun radio in general. I don’t. It’s great if a lot of people listen to it, but I would be just as happy if really only one person heard it.”
The Rob Factor
What makes the show work is how fundamentally opposite Holly and Rob are. This dynamic has allowed both to sustain their level of success for nine years. “Rob and I are more like brother and sister than anything,” Holly says. However, the metaphor only takes you so far. The real dynamic is pure structure meeting pure chaos. “He’s very type A personality. He’s so organized. And he’s so buttoned up, and everything is very black and white. And I am a disaster. I am a tornado, and I live in a very gray area with everything.” She references The Odd Couple — Felix and Oscar’s relationship translated into a radio booth.
But here’s what’s crucial: they agree on what matters. “We both love to have fun. We both love radio.” Since they approach problems differently, they challenge each other. This makes for better radio. “We don’t always agree on everything, which is great, but we agree on the important stuff like goofing around and having fun.”
The Unfiltered Advantage
What separates Holly Hutton from many radio talents isn’t technical skill or industry experience — though she has plenty of both. It’s that she has no filter between her brain and her mouth. Significantly, she leans into this trait.
“I think it’s just naturally who I am as a human that there’s no filter between my brain and my mouth,” she says. “And that sometimes gets me in trouble or makes for some awkward times. But I think it is what can be the magic of radio when you kind of just let that wall down and just essentially speak from your heart.” She’s not mindless about it. Rather, she thinks carefully about radio and her audience. She’s chosen authenticity over polish. “There’s no thoughts I’m putting into it,” she says. “I’m just having fun and not putting too much thoughts in into it.”
The result is an afternoon show built on genuine conversation rather than pre-written bits. When she talks, you hear Holly. When she doesn’t hear herself thinking, she’s making better radio. “I’ll talk all your ears off,” she notes with characteristic self-awareness. The show runs on goofy jokes and tangents off tangents. “Usually that just entails a lot of goofy fart jokes and stuff like that. Nothing, thank God, it’s nothing ever too serious.”
Rob, in his type-A, buttoned-up way, organizes those thoughts for public consumption. He shapes the chaos into narrative. He’s the yin to her yang. And yet, over nine years, that dynamic has survived syndication. It’s weathered audience growth and the inherent unpredictability of live radio.
Turning Personality Into Asset
One of Holly’s most insightful observations came when she spoke at a friend’s class career day. She found herself speaking directly to kids flagged for talking too much. These were the talkative ones, the ones with teachers asking them to raise their hand. “I told them, ‘All these things aren’t your strengths now, but they will be your strengths later.'” She wasn’t offering false comfort. She was speaking from lived experience. “Like this won’t hinder you later on. You’re gonna have the strength later.”
Radio demands constant stimulation and rapid-fire multitasking. You’re managing multiple elements at once. You’re doing dozens of things simultaneously. Clearly, your brain stays engaged and firing. It’s an environment where hyperactivity becomes an asset rather than a liability. “I feel it’s the perfect job,” she says. “And I feel like I wish someone had told me that when you’re in school and they’re like ‘talks too much,’ you think it’s this terrible thing. But is it? It’s just your personality.”
By the time you hang up the phone, you understand this truth. Holly Hutton didn’t succeed in radio despite her personality. She succeeded because of it.
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We have heard this criticism of news/talk radio and TV news: the Democrats or Republicans are sending us talking points, and we are all following our master’s dictates like a clapping seal. There is a fair bit of reason why this criticism has been with us for some time — our opinions and observations all seem to sound the same. It’s not true, but it is easy to surmise it is.
In the waning days of the 2024 presidential campaign, there was a late poll in The Des Moines Register administered by “well-respected” pollster J. Ann Selzer. It showed Harris leading Trump 47% to 44%, just days before the general election. I was living in Iowa at the time and received calls from friends of mine with diverse political viewpoints.
My lefty friend said that this highly respected pollster was very well respected and that this was a perfect poll. My lefty buddy was convinced that the raw masculinity of Tim Walz was creating a ripple effect in the Midwest for Harris.
I decided to turn on MSNBC, currently referred to as MS NOW. And I heard several commentators on MS NOW refer to this as a perfect poll. I tend to think that I am a critical thinker. So I analyzed the poll and didn’t think the sample size was sufficient — 808 likely voters is minuscule. I told my lefty friend there was no sign of Iowa being in play. The Harris team hadn’t visited Iowa, and there was no local advertising for Harris/Walz.
Then I heard from my right-wing friends — “Is Iowa in play?” was the question. I looked at every other poll and just didn’t see it. I told everyone that Trump would win by 10 to 15 points. Trump won by 12 points. The conservative world referred to this poll as an outlier, but I thought the reaction was more knee-jerk and unanimous than an evaluation of the data.
Pollster J. Ann Selzer retired immediately following the election. The Des Moines Register was caught with its pants below its knees trying to explain how it had commissioned such a flawed poll.
Most news/talk hosts didn’t evaluate the actual poll data either. The people excited about the Harris/Walz landslide weren’t evaluating the data either. Everyone was repeating the synopsis of their red or blue team. The truth was not even discussed.
The War With Iran
For 47 years, we have heard from Democratic and Republican presidents that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. Both parties kicked the can down the road. Right or wrong, Donald Trump felt that Iran was too close to a nuclear weapon and that it was time to act. Again, this policy is not new or politically exclusive to one party or another.
But Trump supporters and media allies have largely supported this move, while Democratic supporters and media allies have largely criticized Trump’s gambit. So, is he right? Was this well thought out? If Joe Biden had acted, would you be in support or against it, based on which team you identify with?
If you are a Trump supporter or a detractor, are you being honest about your view with your audience? There are Democrats who fear supporting Trump on anything, and Republicans who fear opposing him. This is not an excuse for dishonesty.
Your viewers and listeners are seeking your truthfulness.
Common Ground Still Exists
Being consistent is different from being predictable. There are shades of gray in many situations in the news — notice I didn’t say most.
There are awful things in the news that we should be able to agree on, whether we are Republicans or Democrats. Abuse of children should always be non-negotiable. Drive-by shootings are always bad.
I know these examples are obvious, but people agree on many things. Potholes should never exist for more than 24 hours. Puppet shows are overrated. Waffle House fights are an American treasure!
Escaping the Ideological Bubble
My thinking here is: don’t get trapped by the ideological bubble. There are thought leaders you may find a must-read, must-listen, or must-watch. This is natural — we enjoy how people think. But it is too easy to parrot the ideas of a person you admire.
If you come from a religious background, there may be a rabbi, priest, pastor, or other leader you really connect with. In religion, it is encouraged to follow the writings and sermons of your spiritual leader. Muslims are encouraged to memorize the Quran. You may follow the history of the exodus or the resurrection of Jesus.
These beliefs are sacred to the adherents of those faith traditions. Well, there is some confirmation bias here, too. If you read an opinion piece that makes sense to you, it is easy to repeat the great observation. Some hosts read the entire piece on the air, which I don’t find very authentic. Now, quoting a line is fine, but people don’t come to your radio show to be read to. They are coming for you.
Develop your own thoughts, observations, and opinions. You are being paid to provide originality. People love your show because of you. Be that thought leader. Some people may disagree with your conclusions, which is fair and healthy.
I bet you have disagreements with your partner or spouse — this is normal human behavior. Don’t be timid. Be real and original.
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