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Promo Meeting: Surprising and Delighting the Audience With Fun Ideas and Cool Prizes

Jeff Lynn
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Promo Meeting: Surprising and Delighting the Audience With Fun Ideas and Cool Prizes

I used to tell air talent that they should have an answer to this question at the end of their shift. “What did I do to delight and surprise the listener today?”

One simple way was to give away a random prize or gift. Ensure that your shows have a stash of prizes they can give away at their discretion.

Let them award one of the prizes when they get a good on-air caller, traffic contributor, or whatever makes the talent happy.

The key is to have a wide range of prizes so that people never know what they might get. There is everything from “Be Our Guest” free restaurant meals to a coveted pair of concert tickets. It’s a good way to handle client giveaways that might not stand alone for a promotional campaign.

Extend it to social media, where you award a poster a prize for a good interaction.

Newsletter Surprise

If your station still does an email blast, surprise people who read to the end. It’s a good way to drive web traffic and see who is paying attention.

Make the last paragraph read: “Thanks for being a club member. Since you read to the end, enter here for a chance to win a pair of Taylor Swift tickets.”

If the prize is right, this also takes on a viral element. People will work for you and spread the word to their peers.

Rummage Sale

Some readers in the South might toss a challenge flag, but summer is around the corner.

Here is one where I made a huge major mistake executing. How I didn’t see it coming, I will never know. The station set out to host a rummage sale to raise money for a local charity.

We asked listeners to donate items that they no longer wanted that we would sell at your sale.

We set up an area in the station parking lot where people could drop off donations. While some people made nice donations, others used it as a dump for a bunch of crap they no longer wanted.

Then, we had to haul it, price it, and drag away van after van load of things that didn’t sell.

One of my major, no cause-and-effect promotion blunders.

But Rummage Sales are still incredibly popular in some parts of the country. People like my wife plot out a day’s worth of spots she wants to hit.

Let listeners list their sales on a special website page. Ask them to donate to your station’s charity for the fee. Make a free-will offering instead of a fixed price. Free will generally makes people more generous.

Class Reunion

As class reunion season approaches, create a special page on the website where classes can post details of their events. This is a great sponsorship idea for a caterer or event center.

Let Barrett Media showcase you best. Email me here, jeff@barrettmedia.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.

Lessons Music Radio Can Learn From Saturday Night Live

Robby Bridges
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Lessons Music Radio Can Learn From Saturday Night Live

I’ve been a big “SNL” fan for a long time, and with a show that’s been on as long as it has, I’m not alone; it’s become an institution.

I’ve heard it said that over its 50-year run, most people (not unlike favorite bands) are preferential to the cast and sketches of the era they grew up with, meaning the baby boomers insist the original “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” cannot be topped, others citing the Eddie Murphy era or perhaps younger folks citing John Mulaney and Bill Hader’s Stefan character.

I became nearly as hooked on television as I have been on radio when I was about eight years old and rescued a 12’ black and white television my mother was going to throw into the trash.

I snuck the set with its broken aluminum antenna up to my room and hid it under the bed, bringing it out at night to discover the late-night delights of Johnny Carson and David Letterman and, yes, “Saturday Night Live” with the likes of Phil Hartman, Dennis Miller, Jon Lovitz, and Jan Hooks at the time. I was hooked and have rarely missed an episode since.

As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary season, NBC is putting on a big splashy prime-time retrospective next month and has also launched a retrospective series on their Peacock app, “SNL 50:Beyond Saturday Night”.

There is a lot to absorb here as a fan of the show, a student of comedy, but also as broadcasters and performers. It starts with the audition process; seeing many familiar SNL faces sit and watch back the in-person audition tape that got them their shot is quite remarkable.

Not surprisingly, most of them cringe and insist to the camera their routine was “rough,” but anyone familiar with their later work can see the glimmer of what they’d become known for and the work taken to hone the act.

Most fascinating to me, watching the comedic stars today peering at the old clip of themselves, several twitched and or subtly mouthed the words; they were transported back to the performance, their brain still maintaining the routine somewhere in their mind, a kinetic reaction to one’s own work.

That is a sign of preparation, concentration, drive, and focus, something every talent that wants to compete today should bring to every live break. Next, watching the time and work spent preparing each show, from production to writing to direction from producers, directors, and, of course, the Godfather of TV himself, Lorne Michaels, is eye-opening.

All of this for a weekly 90-minute live show that airs 25 shows a year. As radio performers and talents, we crank out four to five live hours of content five days a week and with much less staff and resources.

That said, the care should be the same: the pride it brings to work and to stand out in the ever-crowded content marketplace. Last, SNL (like the Fallon show) has demonstrated how “old media” or, more politely, “traditional, linear media” can remain vibrant on the good old-fashioned airwaves live BUT supplement with digital content beyond the main program, whether it is on-demand, clips or extras all with additional ad revenue opportunities.

Hell, people pay to tour the studio and buy merch at NBC in New York; that’s how much they love “SNL.” Fallon has his own theme park attraction as a brand supplement.

Locally, radio and radio talent ought to bring the same level of game to drive the kind of passion it takes to build a legacy like that and content that matters to consumers (and advertisers) in that way.

I’m Robby Bridges, and you’re not; now go be YOU and kick ass!   

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.

For 105.5 WDHA’s Terrie Carr Putting Her People First Is A Winning Formula

Jeff Lynn
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For 105.5 WDHA’s Terrie Carr Putting Her People First Is A Winning Formula

Terrie Carr is Program Director and on-air host at Beasley Media’s Rocker WDHA, The Rock of New Jersey.

Carr landed on Barrett Media’s list for both the Top 20 Rock Program Directors and the Top 20 Rock Shows, as voted by her peers. Something that she said was shocking and gratifying.

“I was shocked and so excited because I saw everybody else who was on that list, and it made me so happy. Just to see all of the people I’ve known for so long, some are personal friends, some are colleagues that I work with at Beasley, and just to see that list of amazing people, I was really happy to be on both lists. It’s crazy,” said Carr.

“And to be on the show’s list was great because “Full Metal Jackie” is on that list, and Jackie Kajzer used to be one of my part-timers many years ago. So, I’ve watched her career grow. So that also made me really proud and happy to see that.”

Carr’s staff was excited to see her receive recognition.

“My staff is always so supportive. They were texting me; it was Monday, MLK Day. I have the greatest staff on the planet. I always say it’s people first. We are nothing at that radio station without our staff. My staff will walk through fire for that radio station.”

“They love it. WDHA is part of who they are. Everyone on staff with us has grown up listening to the station. They were so excited. Everybody was texting me, saying, oh my God, how cool is this? How cool is this?

Carr’s leadership style helps create an all-for-one family-type atmosphere.

“It’s always people first for me. I always say I’m not different than them. I’m not above them. I’m not a boss to them. I never ask them to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself. And I think passion always wins.”

“We’re nothing without the people behind us. I try to make every day have some aspect of why they got into the business. Our business has faced so many challenges lately.”

“Every single day, I constantly try to remind them a little bit of why we loved radio and why we wanted to do it. I think we have to carry a little bit with us through our daily days. Otherwise, the challenges can become overwhelming, especially if you’re a part-time staff. But we’re a family. We’re a team. There’s no one person who’s more important.”

What challenges does Carr see as the most significant facing the industry?

“We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. Radio is such an undervalued asset. We had some of our best moments during the COVID pandemic. We have to communicate with our listeners and with our advertising community. I think that we’ve thrown that away for many years now. The importance of communicating with our advertising community and being our localized entity.”

“I think a lot of the things that we are facing now have been obviously self-inflicted—shrinking staff, shrinking people in the building. And I think the investment in people is the only thing that will save the industry, and that’s gonna sustain the industry.

“Everybody understands that there are different pathways. There are digital pathways. There’s so many ways to consume media these days.”

And what is the advantage of listening to the radio over streaming services?

“We’re a new music station, current based rock station. There’s a different enthusiasm hearing a Wolfgang Van Halen record on WDHA than there is just streaming it. You know? And we just can’t forget that. We’re all taxed with doing a million jobs. Wearing a thousand hats. But we’ve got to roll it back. And we’ve got to roll back to basics. You’ve gotta have a human connection with the people that you are talking to every day.”

Carr’s enthusiasm extends to what can only be called a Sales Manager’s dream PD.

“I never want people to be shy about coming up with something that they think is a great idea. We’re a grassroots radio station. And I try to monetize everything from the WDHA parking lot to concerts to our own beer. There are ways that we have gotten the brand out there and also made money off of it. I always tell everybody to think of yourself as a business person, think of yourself as an agency. What can you do to bring clients to your show?”

Wait a minute. Did she say to sponsor the station’s parking lot? That deserves an explanation.

“After COVID and things were starting to open up I had bands that wanted to come out to the station. So I’m thinking, oh God, you know, getting everybody in a room together, doors closed. We used to do that and invite some listeners in.”

“I thought, you know what? We have this beautiful, amazing parking lot. So, I said to one of my label people, what if I put your band in the parking lot? We’ll set it up really cool. We’ll have them play right in front of the door. There’s a beautiful overhang there, and I’ll contest it. This way, we’ve got an onsite element. We’ve got an on-air element, and we’ve got an online element.”

“It became one of the biggest things that we do. We have thousands of people who enter online. We have people calling all day for parking lot party passes.”

“We brought in a tailgate company, Tapped Event Services. They do all our local football games here, Jets, Giants, Eagles. So, they bring the big tailgate out. I have a local beer distributor, Diamond Spring Brewing. They came up with a parking lot party beer. And we bring in pretty big-name acts. They get a four-song acoustic set. They get to meet the band.”

Carr’s enthusiasm for the business comes through loud and clear when talking to her. So, I asked for the best piece of career advice she ever received.

“I had some really, really great mentors over time. But I think probably something I never forgot is my first management job. Someone told me to always, always let my staff know that I’ll walk through fire for them. Because if that’s the case, they’ll walk through fire for you.”

“I think having everyone’s back has always been a really important part if they’re a part of your team. For me as a manager, that I always wanted to convey to people. I don’t think if you have strife, you’re ever going to really be successful. And I just remember, if you walk through fire for them, they’ll always walk through fire for you.”.

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.

Lars Larson Uses a Simple Strategy to Stay on Top in Portland at 101 KXL

Krystina Alarcon Carroll
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Lars Larson Uses a Simple Strategy to Stay on Top in Portland at 101 KXL

Celebrating his golden anniversary in radio, 101 KXL host Lars Larson is starting 2025 off in a big way. The legendary host is rated #3 in Barrett News Media’s Top 20 for a Mid-Market Midday Shows.

It all started in Tillamook, Oregon.

“While I was in high school, they had an internship for three months and there were three of us in the internship,” Larson recalled, “At the end of that, they came to me and said, ‘Would you like a part time job?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ So I went to work at the radio station when I was 16.”

It wasn’t a career, yet. But it did keep the teen Larson busy, often working after a full day at school. “I usually did evenings, but if they had me fill in on mornings, I’d go and do the show and then leave and go to the high school. And so it was it was a it was a fun way to get started.”

The teen disc jockey had his sights set on law. “But what you find out about in the law field is that most of what lawyers do is not the presentation part. It’s all the prep. It’s writing briefs and doing all this stuff and standing in court and doing the Perry Mason thing is a very small part of most lawyers jobs, most of it,” Larson recalled  

While he likes research, Larson was looking for something a little more fun and settled on being a reporter. “When I went off to college, I immediately found a couple of jobs at local TV and radio stations, some internships, some paid jobs,” he said. “And I worked while I was going to school and I stayed about a year and a half.”

Getting a gig in Spokane put a wrench into his degree plans. Fortunately, success does not need a degree. “The biggest place I worked was a TV station in Portland and at one of the biggest radio news operations in Portland.” His love of media led Larson down an incredible path eventually doing 20 years in TV and making it to Managing Editor/Anchor. 

“When the TV station finally said, ‘Yeah, we’re a little uncomfortable about you doing opinion radio, but then coming on and [being the] managing editor and the TV anchor [for the Fox affiliate in Portland,]’ I said, ‘Well, ok, what do you want to do about that? Do you ever hear me put my opinion into our TV newscast? I mean, even a raised eyebrow.’ And they said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Ok, then.’” 

The back and forth between Lason and the station when on for 10 months before they parted ways. “They said, ‘Well, if you’re going to choose, which one do you choose?’” The station wanted him to stay but ultimately Larson stuck with his first love, radio.

Today, Larson has a local show on 101 KXL from Noon to 3 PM PT then jumps right to his national program from 3 PM-6 PM PT. While this may sound like a heavy lift, he goes with the flow of news and is prepared for anything. “I’ve literally told my producers at at one minute to air, ‘We’re changing. We’re going to go to this. This just happened. We’re going to jump right to that story.’” 

Quick pivots are easy in radio, contrary to TV, where breaking news can be like trying to turn an oil tanker, which is part of the beauty of the medium. “I’m going to talk about that as soon as this commercial break ends. But in the meantime, I’m going to put a social media post up. [Radio] really lends itself to people who can multitask and those who can’t multitask are going to have a tough time.”

Just because he’s doing a lot doesn’t mean the show is overly complicated. He has a three step process. “I have a very simple model for building a show. IYou see all these news stories. How do you know? What is the topic? Because it suggests a question. So you start first with a question and you say, ‘What is the question?’ Did Gavin Newsom mismanage the fire protection of California? Now, I would say yes. My second guideline for forming a topic is, could you reasonably answer the question both yes or no?”

His final guideline, “Either have a topic which the audience will automatically understand or can be explained fairly quickly. It’s the three step recipe for success which gives life to six full hours of radio.”

For those looking to follow in Larson’s footsteps, he suggest two things: Do it now and always ask, no matter how crazy a request might be. “Radio means having million dollar or $2 million transmitters, that have to sit on a piece of land and they have to have all this infrastructure tied to them. [Why do this] when somebody can do a podcast literally with a smartphone?”

Larson advised, “If somebody said, ‘I want to do a podcast’, ok, great. Do a podcast. Use your smartphone. Maybe invite some of your friends. As you go, buy little bits of gear and technology because, frankly, the technology we use today is cheaper than it’s ever been.”

As for always asking even for seemingly unattainable, there’s a story behind it which only he can tell. “[It was my first trip to Israel]  Our hosts had been very nice. They said, ‘If you ever need anything, ask.’ I think they meant practical stuff, like you need an extra pillow in your room or whatever.

“And so I said, ‘I want us to attend [Ariel Sharon’s National address].’ This would be like asking you to go to the White House briefing room and you’re just in the country and you’re not working for [a network]. They looked at me and kind of rolled their eyes and I said, ‘Well, can we ask? We’d like to be there.’”

Larson not only attended the speech, which was completely in Hebrew, but sat in the front row. “We got a chance to ask [Ariel Sharon] some questions. Can you imagine just saying ‘We can’t ask to go there, we’re never going to get in.’ We got in and it was only because we asked. Sometimes life will surprise you.”

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 Watch: The Will Cain Show on Fox News

Garrett Searight
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The Watch: The Will Cain Show on Fox News

At the end of 2024, Neil Cavuto announced his departure from Fox News. The network filled the timeslot with The Will Cain Show, which made its debut this week.

It was a natural move for the company. Cain has cut his teeth with the network as a co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend, while also hosting a one-hour digital video show that was also turned into a nationally syndicated radio program, picking up affiliates like 1080 KRLD in Dallas.

With hindsight being 20/20, it’s easy to now look at that one-hour digital program as a proving ground — or potentially even a waiting room — for Cain until something in the daily lineup became available. With Cavuto’s exit, after 28 years with Fox News, that opportunity arose in the 4 PM ET timeslot.

So, with all of that said, I took in Cain’s debut show on Fox News, the Tuesday, January 21st edition of The Will Cain Show. Before we dive into what I saw, I’ll preface my comments with the idea that I don’t think it’s remotely fair to judge a show by anything it does in its first three months, let alone its debut episode. There are just some things that need to be ironed out in any situation, whether it be content, production, or presentation. It takes time to find your voice — even with an experienced talent like Will Cain — so I won’t be too harsh in any criticism, because I think that’s unfair.

Added to that situation is the idea that Will Cain is stepping into a timeslot occupied by Neil Cavuto for almost 30 years. No pressure though, right? Plus, it’s the lead-in to the biggest show in the cable news ratings. There’s a lot to worry about and a lot that could go wrong.

I will joke, however, at one of the first things you see when tuning into The Will Cain Show. And that’s that Fox News really wants you to know that you’re watching The Will Cain Show.

Joking aside, Cain’s program doesn’t look like other shows in the Fox News lineup. First of all, he utilizes a lapel mic while a RE27N/D microphone is featured prominently on the screen. It is a similar setup to what Colin Cowherd — who hosts a nationally syndicated sports radio show that features a simulcast on FS1, a sister-station to Fox News — utilizes.

Additionally, after moving past the giant show logo in the upper right-hand corner, the program then puts upcoming talking points and subjects in that box. It is another item taken from a sports show — pioneered by ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption — utilized on Cain’s show.

It harkens back to Cain’s sports past. He rose to prominence as a voice at ESPN and ESPN Radio, serving as a “conservative” voice in the sports world before taking the dive into the political sphere. You can see the influence of those shows and the past life while watching Cain’s program.

The monologue portion of his show is not a unique one to the show or Cain. Everyone in cable news does an opening monologue. But it’s clear Will Cain understands the digital age. The cadence in which he speaks, and the pace in which he delivers his points, are tailer made to be spliced into content on YouTube, Instagram, and other various digital video platforms.

Later in the debut program, Cain welcomed Barstool Sports — there’s that word again — founder Dave Portnoy to the program. Portnoy is a polarizing figure that has grown to prominence in the conservative media space in recent years. The conversation — to the pair’s credit — was wide-ranging and engaging. Topics tackled included the inauguration, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and whether or not TikTok should be banned.

I think the ability for Cain to delve into a variety of topics will be a strong suit for the show in the future. Cain is well-versed in numerous subjects and while some could view that as a detriment, I think it’s welcomed in the cable news space. Fox News has slowly but surely begun a shift to focusing on a conservative worldview and conservative lifestyle content instead of content based strictly on conservative political ideology. Which I think is an important and valid distinction.

Will Cain will be able to wade into those culture and lifestyle waters as well as anyone. And I’d look for that to be a prominent part of the show going forward.

Overall, the content from the first show is what you would expect from a Fox News afternoon show. “Donald Trump great. Democrats bad. Culture Wars good. Thinking anything other than the way I do? Bad. I’m the only person that you can trust to tell you the truth.” Boilerplate stuff, really.

But what is interesting is the idea that this will happen at 4 PM ET. Cain is essentially hosting a primetime cable news show in the early afternoon. It is the exact same formula that the network features from 7-11 PM ET. So, the question I think is fair to question next is: Is The Will Cain Show at 4 PM ET just a proving ground or waiting room for Cain until something opens up in the primetime lineup? The style of the show makes me think the answer to that question is undoubtedly yes. It’ll be interesting to watch.

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.

Connor McKnight Joins White Sox Broadcasts on Chicago Sports Network, Leaving ESPN Chicago Per Report

BSM Staff
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Connor McKnight Joins White Sox Broadcasts on Chicago Sports Network, Leaving ESPN Chicago Per Report

Connor McKnight, who has hosted Chicago White Sox pre- and post-game shows and filled in doing play-by-play is leaving ESPN Chicago to take a position with the upstart Chicago Sports Network, according to Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Agrest reports McKnight will now be an employee of the White Sox and he will report from the field and appear on CHSN as the team insider. He will also continue to fill in doing play-by-play on both radio and television. In 2024, McKnight also began calling baseball games for the Big Ten Network.

Connor has been working in Chicago sports media since 2009 when he was a reporter, update anchor and fill in host for CBS Radio. After a couple of years at WGN Radio, McKnight had his first stint working on White Sox broadcasts. Working for Cumulus, he hosted the pre- and post-game shows. He then joined Good Karma Brands and ESPN Chicago in 2021.

McKnight is a Chicago-area native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

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CFP National Championship on ESPN Averages 22.1 Million Viewers for Ohio State Victory Over Notre Dame

BSM Staff
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CFP National Championship on ESPN Averages 22.1 Million Viewers for Ohio State Victory Over Notre Dame

The National Championship Game of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff averaged 22.1 million viewers on ESPN platforms as the Ohio State Buckeyes secured a victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game was the most-viewed non-NFL sporting event over the past year and peaked with 26.1 million viewers during the 8:30 to 8:45 p.m. EST quarter-hour, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

Moreover, it was the most-watched game within the College Football Playoff, which came after a strong semifinal round that included a record-setting Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. This metric also comes as The Walt Disney Company prepares to commence a new six-year agreement reportedly worth $7.8 billion with the College Football Playoff that begins after next season, which will result in the National Championship Game being broadcast on ABC.

The CFP National Championship Game last season between Michigan and Washington, which aired on January 8, 2024, averaged 25.1 million viewers on ESPN networks, which was the largest audience for the game in four years at the time. Viewership for this season’s Ohio State-Notre Dame contest is down by 12% year-over-year. Yet it is up by 33% compared to the Georgia-TCU game in 2023, which had an average audience of 16.6 million viewers, marking the smallest audience in the history of the game.

The commentary team of play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler, analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporters Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath were on the ESPN broadcast for the seminal matchup. A subsequent broadcast on ESPN2 featured the cast of The Pat McAfee Show, while the MegaCast production also featured Command Center on ESPNU, SkyCast on ESPNEWS and Hometown Radio on the ESPN app. The game was also presented in 4K resolution on Comcast, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Optimum, Sling TV, Verizon and YouTube TV.

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.

Cumulus Media Promotes Pete Mundo to Vice President of News/Talk

BNM Staff
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Cumulus Media Promotes Pete Mundo to Vice President of News/Talk

Cumulus Media has announced it is evelating KCMO Talk Radio Program Director and host Pete Mundo to the role of Vice President of News/Talk for the entire company.

Mundo will take over the position previously held by Cumulus Washington D.C. Operations Manager and WMAL Program Director Bill Hess, who has held the title since 2015. In the new role, he’ll add content counsel for the company’s 43 news/talk brands around the country.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the content leadership team at Cumulus and am grateful for the confidence that the company has shown in me,” said Mundo. “Learning from Bill Hess in recent years has been a terrific way to make the transition seamless.

“The News/Talk format is changing rapidly but remains dominant in the audio industry,” Mundo continued. ”The format has exceptional upside during this transitional political period, as people continue to seek news and information about their cities, states, and country. I am eager to work with my fellow News/Talk programmers across the nation to make our brands stronger.”

“Pete has risen to stardom quickly with his on-air performance and innovative program architecture in Kansas City,” added Cumulus Media Chief Content Officer Brian Philips. “Pete is among our most dynamic leaders, in ANY format. It also matters that Pete is Bill Hess’s hand-chosen successor, as Bill returns to oversight of our News/Talk flagship WMAL, in the nation’s capital. Bill has served with distinction in this corporate role, and Cumulus News/Talk is positioned for continued success under Pete’s leadership.”

Mundo will continue to serve as the Program Director and morning show host at KCMO Talk Radio in addition to his new duties as Vice President of News/Talk. Additionally, Pete Mundo writes a weekly column about the news/talk radio industry for Barrett Media.

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Mike Golic, Mike Golic Jr. to Leave DraftKings Network With End of In-House Produced Shows

BSM Staff
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Mike Golic, Mike Golic Jr. to Leave DraftKings Network With End of In-House Produced Shows

Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. will be departing DraftKings Network in the coming months after the company declined to renew agreements with them. The father-son duo first started working together at the company in August 2023 to co-host the GoJo and Golic weekday television program with host Jessie Coffield. The program was disseminated on the DraftKings Network, along with a variety of other platforms, some of which include Samsung TV Plus, Roku Channel, Google TV and Sling Freestream.

The company also revealed that Pregame PowerUp with Trey Wingo and Claudia Bellofatto will not be returning to the airwaves for the upcoming NFL season. The show recently aired for the College Football Playoff National Championship and covered the NFL throughout the year. Wingo joined DraftKings around the start of the program in August, while Bellofatto has freelanced with the brand since last February.

“After careful consideration, DraftKings has decided not to renew agreements with Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Golic Jr. for GoJo and Golic,” a DraftKings spokesperson said in a statement. “Additionally, we will not bring back Pregame PowerUp with Trey Wingo and Claudia Bellofatto for the 2025-26 NFL season. We want to thank the Golics, Jessie Coffield, Trey and Claudia for their contributions to DraftKings. We remain focused on optimizing current and future content investments to continue to grow the audiences for DraftKings Network and DraftKingsNetwork.com.”

In an interview with Barrett Media, Golic confirmed his departure and stated that he and his son have known for a little while but are looking to stay together. The duo will broadcast their show live from New Orleans for Super Bowl week, and Golic voiced that they have been talking to other outlets.

“DraftKings said that they were going to stop all in-house produced shows,” Golic explained. “Anything that they’re producing, they were going to stop. They’ll still do the shows that are self producing, but my son and I’s show was one that was produced in house, and they’re stopping all their content that’s produced in house.”

Golic joined DraftKings in 2021 and worked with Jessica Smetana on the Golic and Smetty program. One year later, his son joined the company and partnered with former teammate Brandon Newman on the GoJo daily podcast. The duo had worked together for parts of the last two years, but it remains unknown when the final episode will take place. Prior to joining DraftKings Network, Golic had been on ESPN Radio with Mike Greenberg for the Mike & Mike morning show for 17 years.

“I have a few years left in me – I still enjoy it,” Golic said. “I drive my wife nuts if I’m not working by continuing to talk sports all the time, and she says I’m too young to retire, so I got a few years left in me and we enjoy working together.”

At the moment, it is not currently known where Golic and Golic Jr. will be heading next, but sources indicated to Front Office Sports that both have had “exploratory” talks with Yahoo Sports. The company has recently expanded its sports media roster, securing talent such as Kevin O’Connor, Ariel Helwani, Caroline Fenton and Adam Breneman. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports was the first to report the news of the Golics leaving the company.

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.

Media Ratings Council Accredits Nielsen’s ‘Big Data + Panel’ National TV Measurement

BSM Staff
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Media Ratings Council Accredits Nielsen’s ‘Big Data + Panel’ National TV Measurement

The Media Ratings Council (MRC) has completed its accreditation process of Nielsen’s Big Data and Panel measurement tools, providing media companies with a trustworthy method of gauging viewership for linear and digital programs. The tool has been used successfully on select NFL games, with more on the way.

“MRC has completed and evaluated rigorous audits of Nielsen’s National Service and its new components, including first party streaming (thus far consisting of select NFL games) and the integration of big data,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the MRC. “We have now approved the integration of big data so this combined methodology can be considered MRC accredited; we appreciate Nielsen’s inclusion of this in the MRC accreditation process.” George added, “this effort marks the first time MRC has accredited a hybrid panel/big-data product inclusive of persons level estimates.” 

For the uninitiated, Nielsen’s “Big Data + Panel” national TV measurement combines Nielsen’s panel measurement with data from cable, satellite set-top boxes and smart TVs. The data from this tool can be utilized to support the media industry beyond advertising planning and buying, by helping to inform content programming and licensing decisions, along with carriage fees for TV distribution deals. The NFL, as the entity basically carrying broadcast television these days, is pleased with the recent announcement.

“The NFL continues to support Nielsen’s efforts to modernize measurement so we can all benefit from accurate insights in an increasingly fragmented media marketplace,” said Paul Ballew, chief data & analytic officer of the NFL. “The accreditation of their Big Data solution is a significant step in the journey and we commend Nielsen for their efforts.”

Elsewhere in the Nielsen ecosystem, the company announced a recent expansion of Nielsen ONE to include outcomes capabilities in addition to advanced audiences, planning and measurement for advertisers and agencies. Note that Nielsen ONE is not submitted to MRC for auditing/evaluation at present but is planned for this in the future. For now, the company is thrilled with the news regarding its primary audience measurement tool. 

“The accreditation of Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel is a landmark moment for TV ratings, as it will forever change audience measurement,” said Karthik Rao, Nielsen’s CEO. “No one else pairs a high quality, representative panel with a data set this large, pulling from smart TVs and set top boxes in more than 45 million homes. I believe Big Data + Panel gives the industry the most accurate measurement in the history of TV. We’re grateful to our clients for helping us innovate once again.”

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