As we approach the new year, we often consider those perennial New Year resolutions that require the breaking of poor habits and/or creating new ones. This often presents some of the greatest challenges in life.
We all experience the pain involved in breaking bad habits, whether it’s dieting, quitting smoking/vaping, nail-biting, or the plethora of other bad habits, from chewing tobacco to swearing too often. Creating new habits can be just as difficult and time-consuming. A marathon runner started with a slow jog.
It is surprisingly difficult to create new habits, even though they will very likely help you live and perform more optimally. We are all quick to judge other’s poor habitual behavior or fail to understand why some continue down that same path. Regardless of your role, here are some tips that may help you create new habits that serve you better – hopefully, both personally and professionally.
First, make the proverbial list of what you think will benefit you most, and understand that it does take a minimum of 21 days to create a new habit. However, it could take 3 times as long.
Perhaps you want to be better at time management, or you desire to improve your use of some software or CRM or take better notes, etc. Whatever you decide needs change, remember to give yourself time and start small. It’s virtually impossible to take on too much at once. So, focus on one at a time. Pick one habit and start small.
Manage the change by breaking the habit into small steps. Instead of committing an hour every morning, start with just 15 minutes. It’s no different than trying to hit the treadmill for an hour a day when starting with 15-20 minutes will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.
Actions only become habitual through repetition. Consistency helps reinforce any behavior, even when your motivation may be low. Committing to your plan will get you through the most difficult part. Make your new habit part of your daily routine at a specific time. This helps make it a regular part of your life.
Pair the action with existing habits that serve as triggers. Linking a new habit to an activity you already do creates a positive connection in your mind. For example, if you want to begin using your planner first thing every morning, it would be an easier habit to create by doing it right after your first morning coffee.
Place reminders and/or visual/audio cues where you’ll see and hear them. These days, we have so many apps that remind us about events and chores via a ding, ring, chime, or beep that prompt us to follow through. Do the same for your new habit. Remember learning about Pavlov’s dogs in school and how Pavlov rang a bell whenever the dogs were fed? Eventually, that sound caused them to salivate before ever getting the food. Try the same idea with your new habit.
Just as we use exercise trackers like Fitbit and Apple Watch, keep track of your new habits via a calendar or an app that will help with your consistency. Seeing progress is a terrific motivator and helps with personal accountability.
Remember to reward yourself for sticking with the habit for a certain period (like a week or a month), even if the rewards are small. Don’t “reward” yourself by not doing the action. Building a habit takes time, so be patient. Trust the numbers… It really DOES take anywhere from 21 to 66 days to establish any new behavior.
The time frame depends on the individual and how complicated the habit is, so be forgiving. Avoid being too hard on yourself. Don’t give up on the habit if you slip up and forget. Get back up and move forward.
It’s often a challenge to make a new behavior fun, but if you enjoy the process, you’re more likely to succeed. For example, we all know that listening to the radio makes exercising a lot easier. Find something you love and enjoy doing along with your new action, and keep thinking about the positive results you expect once your new activity becomes a habit.
Finally, share your efforts with family, friends, and coworkers who will be supportive and hold you accountable. Finding others who share your goals can also help you succeed.
Very often, the new behavior you desire is difficult. Remember, it can be extremely arduous and time-consuming to create a new habit.
My stepson has completed some IRONMAN competitions. If you aren’t familiar with them, they consist of a long-distance triathlon race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. The race is considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. He started his journey with a short run and a 2-mile bike ride.
Take your time, start slowly, and be consistent!
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 end of 2024 marks the final chapter of a remarkable 49-year radio career for Tom Oakes, SummitMedia Springfield, MO, OM. Oakes also serves as PD for KTTS Springfield and Interim OM/PD for KFDI, Wichita.
He plans to retire near his family in Minnesota, but even he wonders if that retirement will last. More on that later.
I caught up with Oakes to reflect on 49 years of radio and consider the future of the business that he is passionate about.
Oakes began his career at the University of Wisconsin Superior. Other stops along the way included Duluth, MN; Stevens Point, WI; Madison, WI; Des Moines; and Anchorage, AK.
“I started when I was 17, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I feel fortunate to have spent my entire career in something I love, as deeply as I love radio. I’ve never worked in another industry.”
With the changes the radio industry has gone through and continues to go through, to what does Oakes attribute his longevity?
“Willingness to change. There have been a couple of different waves of technical advancement. A lot of people, great people in radio just said, you know what, I’m checking out. They didn’t want to change or just felt they couldn’t handle the kind of changes we’ve gone through.”
“To be doing this job as long as I have, I have learned that if I want to stay relevant for my employer, relevant to keeping the radio station in touch, you have to change. You have to be willing to adapt and change because it’s the only constant we have going on.”
Will we see radio people put together nearly 50-year careers in the future?
“Not in the future. Because you have so many people who are plugged into podcasting or this or that or something else that’s been brought to us over the last 20 years and more so in the last 10 years.”
“They just move on to other things they’re more comfortable with. And that’s not a slam against anybody at all. I mean, some people adapt and change, and they thrive on it more than others. They only go find new things of interest to them.” Oakes said.
So, how do we find the next Howard Stern or Ryan Seacrest?
“Well, I think you have to look for it. In our cluster here in Springfield, in the last several years, my fellow workers and my fellow program directors in the building have kept an eye out for people. And we’ve had a couple of people just pound the door saying, I want to be a part of this.”
“We have a young woman who grew up in Russia, immigrated to the U.S. with her family, and learned the English language. She has completed her college education and is a full-fledged American citizen, having passed the citizenship test, which we supported her through the process. But she loves being on the radio. But she is also smack dab in the middle of the technology age.”
Oakes has pioneered a concept that he calls “rent an OM.”
“Beverly Brannigan approached me after Mark Granton passed away. And she approached me with the idea. She knew I wanted to be in Wisconsin or Minnesota, where the family was. Missouri, well, it’s an M state. It’s not that far away. She had an idea that she and Steve Wexler had come up with.”
“It was basically rent a cop. Or, in this case, rent an OM. And I agreed to come in for six and a half months to help with the transition after Mark’s passing to program KTTS and help refine the operations.”
“I wound up staying seven and a half months. They hired a new OM. Before I left, they asked me, ‘Hey, would you be interested in sitting in the PD chair at WCYQ in Knoxville for a couple of months while we look for a new PD?’ Sure. I’d never been to Knoxville or lived in Tennessee.”
“Before I was all done doing that job. They asked me to go to Omaha. To be the OM and oversee KQCH. Which is our Top 40 while helping them through a transition to a new OM. So, I got to see the country.”
“So, it was a fun concept. I went home thinking, Well, I’ll go find a permanent job. They wound up calling me two months later, asking me to go back to Knoxville and then eventually Springfield when they offered me the job full-time.”
And therein lies the potential for part-time retirement.
“My sister-in-law is betting I’ll be bored in six and a half months. And I’ll go looking for something. The concept of rent an OM or rent a PD. If somebody needs some short-term help to get through some changes. Or while they’re looking for somebody new. Or they’re launching a new format. I’ll entertain any ideas.”
Having myself left day-to-day programming and finding it difficult to listen to the radio as a consumer and not criticize every break I hear, will Oakes be able to step aside and turn off the programmer’s head?
“No. I don’t think I can turn it off. But I certainly can take a break. And you know it’s kind of funny. It’s about a ten-and-a-half eleven-hour drive from Springfield to the Twin Cities. In all the years I have spent driving back and forth going up and seeing the family. And spending time up there. The one constant in my life. Has been my radio in the truck.”
“I listen to radio. I love radio. I like hearing what people are doing. I want to hear a different music mix. I want to see what other stations are doing. In the format I love. Country. Or experience news talk.”
For Oakes, it’s always been about doing what he loves.
“Passion is what it’s really about, passion about what you do, passion about how you do it, passion for who you’re serving, who you’re working with, and just trying to lift everybody up. I wish I was this smart back in 1976.”
Now, spending time near family will move to the front burner.
“I’m happy to be getting close to my family and spending time with them. Because I’ve been far apart, and boy, you can’t get much further apart than living in Alaska.”
“Over the years. I got to see one of the most tremendous places in the world to live. I love what I do. I have loved Country music. It’s really been the format that I’ve keyed in on. I’ve done a lot of other formats, including beautiful music. But I learned from that. I’ve learned from everything I’ve done.”
“I think the future is very bright for Country music. I think what radio becomes we have yet to know.”
In order to prevent repetitive conversations surrounding the same teams from taking place on his digital podcast, Kevin O’Connor keeps a spreadsheet where he tracks the topics discussed in each episode. Even though the indomitable cadence of breaking news often resonates throughout the content ecosystem, O’Connor recognizes the importance of giving credence to every NBA team while discussing the game for a national audience.
If six weeks has gone by without talking about a specific franchise, he will try and introduce the organization into the topic rotation for an upcoming episode. In addition to safeguarding against imbalance, something O’Connor refers to as being inevitable, he tries to think about what conversations would interest him and resonate with the audience.
While hosting a recent episode of his show, O’Connor spoke about Los Angeles Clippers point guard Kris Dunn and his ability to lock down his opponents with strong effort and execution on the defensive end. The rationale for holding this conversation, aside from not having spoken about the Clippers in some time, pertained to the fact that he had just been to a game and observed Dunn’s defense against Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner. Rather than discussing superstar guard James Harden or the potential return of forward Kawhi Leonard, O’Connor opted to canvass the topic and lean into his inquisitive psyche.
“Sometimes simply finding a topic is about, ‘Well, it’s been a while since we talked about this team,’” O’Connor said. “Naturally, of course, there are some teams you’re talking about more often. Especially as the playoffs approach, those become the teams of higher importance.”
As O’Connor is in his inaugural season covering the NBA for Yahoo Sports, he is focused on appealing to the audience and bringing honest insights and opinions predicated on journalistic integrity. Creativity and ingenuity are at the core of his approach within sports media, and he has also been able to exhibit deft versatility along the way to becoming a credible multiplatform presence in the space. In being granted an ostensible auditory pulpit on which to glean his perspectives twice per week, O’Connor maintains the mindset of a journalist and editorializes with factual evidence to back his claims.
“I think mostly, you’re serving the fan,” O’Connor said. “I think honesty is what matters most. Being honest in your thoughts [and] honest in your opinions on players and teams, and ultimately, you’re doing fans a disservice if you don’t do that.”
Beyond excited about what we’re building together @YahooSports.
More details to come on my NBA podcast, and much more.
Thank you @ryanspoon and @samfarber13 for the opportunity to join such an incredible team.
In delivering digital content surrounding the personnel and teams in the NBA, O’Connor ensures that he takes part in networking and attends different matchups and league events. Rather than doing all of his work remotely, he is on the road for proceedings such as All-Star Weekend and will hover around the sidelines before a game begins. There are instances where he meets up with sources, but he nonetheless frequently remains in communication with those around the game and values transparency.
“I’m not somebody who’s in the business of trying to newsbreak at all – it’s not a priority for me one bit,” O’Connor said. “It’s obviously good to be in the know, but that comes with developing trust over time and that comes with maintaining a friendship, relationship – whatever you want to call it – with those people over the course of time.”
O’Connor never thought he was going to leave his job at The Ringer writing and podcasting about the NBA, and he ostensibly rendered himself a pillar of the startup company. Having the chance to work under the leadership of founder Bill Simmons and other experienced reporters, he envisioned himself continuing to grow with the brand and becoming immersed as a podcast host.
Over his eight years with the company, O’Connor gained eminence and prestige in the sports media landscape, and Yahoo Sports made it known that there was interest in his services. Meeting with Yahoo Sports president Ryan Spoon and head of content Sam Farber, along with other leadership at the company, helped convince him to make the move.
“Sam and Ryan just have a vision for me and for the company as a whole that just spoke to me in ways that I’m really, really excited about,” O’Connor said, “and plus the opportunity to host my own show, and to do that twice a week for Yahoo right now allows me to talk to different types of people and have certain conversations that I really want to have about the NBA [and] talk to players. And I think right now, we’re still in the early phases of that, but I’m very excited about the way we’re going to build out my show in the months and the years to come with Yahoo.”
Over the last several months, Yahoo Sports has expanded the scope of its sports media coverage through adding established professionals across several areas of focus. Before O’Connor signed on to join the brand, the outlet welcomed Ariel Helwani, Damien Harris, Nate Tice and Russell Dorsey among others to contribute their expertise and showcase their fluency in respective niches. In the end, the means by which O’Connor envisioned his career evolving matched with the intent expressed by Yahoo Sports of establishing and building out his own show.
“I like the way it looked, I love their social presence and now being part of it, getting to call it, ‘Our social presence, our videos,’ it’s been really nice working with the team and making some of that stuff – the ideas that we have – into a reality,” O’Connor elocuted. “It’s still early – I think it’s going to get even better in the years to come.”
“I just think this is an awesome roster.” 👀@KevinOConnorNBA and @_JasonLT discuss why Dallas could be the team to beat in the NBA Cup.
As someone who focused on writing early in his career and later added podcast hosting to his repertoire, O’Connor understands the importance of a multiplatform distribution strategy. Situated within a fractionalized media landscape, he does not discern significant overlap in the audience across different verticals. On the contrary, he feels that consumers will remain loyal to the outlets towards which they are most comfortable. Because of this empirical proclivity, it is incumbent on O’Connor and Yahoo Sports to meet the consumers where they are and create informative, compelling content.
“A lot of people, they might just watch podcasts on YouTube and they might not even have Spotify downloaded on their phone, and they might never read anything,” O’Connor hypothesized. “They might just watch YouTube, and there might be people who only scroll X all day, and they otherwise may never discover that you have a podcast, but they might see that 15-minute clip you put out talking just simply about the Pelicans.”
Over the years, various studies have demonstrated a diminished aggregate attention span, subsequently leading brands to emphasize the creation of short-form content catering to these trends. Yet O’Connor grew up reading in-depth stories on Grantland and subsequently thrived in the space, producing a yearly NBA Draft Guide that accumulated plaudits and feedback from industry professionals. Even so, he feels there is still a large market for longform podcasts; however, they are oftentimes supplemented by other content strategically created and placed in other domains.
“If I record a 90-minute sitdown interview with LeBron James, there’s going to be a large chunk of people who watch that entire 90-minute interview, but then there’s going to be probably even a larger chunk of people that are only going to see the one-minute clip on TikTok, the three-minute clip that I put out on X, the 20-second clip that someone clipped themselves and posted on Instagram Reels,” O’Connor explained. “So I think the short form content is massive in its own way, but so often, short form content is cut from that longform piece of content.”
When O’Connor was a college student studying psychology and communications at Bridgewater State University, he landed an internship with NBC Sports Boston and excelled at the regional sports network. Writing for SB Nation within its CelticsBlog, he began to discover his lane in the content sphere and demonstrated an unwavering work ethic in the venture.
Even though he did not have the confidence to join an upstart venture such as The Ringer when it was founded in 2016, he gave it a shot since the opportunity was available. O’Connor was hired because the company liked his NBA Draft Guide that he had been producing independently and wanted him to bring it to the outlet. Later in the year, they had him appear on a podcast with Chris Vernon, which eventually turned into an eight-year partnership.
“I don’t think I really did any podcasting prior to The Ringer, now that I just think about it off the top of my head,” O’Connor said. “I think that was really the first podcasting I had ever done.”
O’Connor rapidly became comfortable discussing basketball in the podcast setting, but he learned more about hosting through watching Vernon in particular. Being able to work alongside someone with two decades of radio experience was fortuitous, witnessing the preparation, foresight and aptitude required to effectively guide a program and the topics it covers.
Through his first few months with Yahoo Sports, O’Connor has welcomed a variety of colleagues onto his program in a guest rotation, including Adam Mares, Tate Frazier, Dan Titus and Tom Haberstroh. There is no specific co-host that is affixed to the show, and O’Connor is still trying to determine the people with whom he has rapport and synergy, intangible characteristics that can be bolstered through repetition.
“I kind of look at it right now as its extended preseason in some ways where it’s figuring out who’s going to be that rotation over the course of time,” O’Connor said. “Who are the people that I really enjoy talking to where I feel like there’s a natural chemistry? People who aren’t afraid to disagree with me or call me out if they say something that I think is stupid.”
Since O’Connor is giving his opinions about basketball, he has been subjected to criticism and backlash for some of his takes over the years. While he has relationships with people who are within the fabric of the league and connected to the news cycle, he safeguards against investing his time into those who are duplicitous or not able to exercise mutual benefit. In previous years, an agent liked O’Connor because he spoke positively about one of his clients. When O’Connor was critical of another client years later, the agent communicated his displeasure using an expletive and ultimately stopped talking to him.
“If that person did that to a 21-year-old kid right out of college, that person might be influenced by that,” O’Connor surmised. “Like, ‘Oh no, no, I didn’t mean it,’ but again, you need to be honest to the fans, and that means being honest with your own thoughts and opinions.”
According to a recent report from Acast, 38% of podcast listeners plan to increase time consuming on-demand audio in the next six months. This same research also divulges that 72% of respondents have watched a video podcast. As O’Connor considers the future of his multiplatform endeavor, he hopes to have more conversations with players, coaches and executives, giving listeners access to the inner workings of the sport. Through deliberation, debate and discourse, he seeks to advance stories on the program.
“Podcasts are edited at a very high level on the video side of things, [and] the social stuff is very impressive,” O’Connor said. “My editor, Matt Wong on the NBA side of things, he’s been great to work with on the editorial side, so I’ve been very impressed with the team that’s already been assembled by leadership with Sam Farber and Ryan Spoon and working with them so far. It’s only been – what, it’s December right now – it’s been about two full months. It’s exceeded my expectations for sure so far.”
Within his new role, O’Connor has a consistent multiplatform presence with Yahoo Sports and has been blown away during his early time with the company. Viewing its social media pages, he was amazed at the three-minute turnaround of learning news, creating a graphic and posting everything online. O’Connor has observed that things move quickly at the company, and he has thoroughly enjoyed working with colleagues in production, editorial and management. Through the whirlwind of the offseason and familiarizing himself with Yahoo Sports, O’Connor looks forward to a bright future replete with innovation in digital media and continued proliferation of basketball.
“I never dreamed of being able to have this career in sports media,” O’Connor expressed. “I didn’t think it was possible. It always felt distant, and so the fact that I’m in it is something that I don’t ever take for granted. So it’s always about continuing to try to do your best because I love what I do and I would never want to give it up.”
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.
Whether it be personally or professionally, I firmly believe in the mantra “Say what you think, say what you mean, mean what you say.” Some news/talk radio hosts and stations don’t follow that as closely as I do, and it shows.
I know that you know the story of the boy who cried wolf. So I won’t rehash it. But I truly believe there are a few different areas where the news/talk radio industry features a similar situation.
First of all, and this isn’t specific to the format but one where the news media can be a leader in shaping the change needed, is the insanely hyperbolic talk on virtually every topic. If you were to poll how many conservative news/talk hosts said the phrase or some variation of “We have to save this country from the Democrats!” before the 2024 election, it feels like it would damn near be 100%. While calling each time Americans go to the ballot box “the most important election in history” makes the news media feel good, big, and important, phrases like that lose their luster at some point. And I’m not alone in thinking that.
Not everything happening is the most consequential, most important, biggest, etc…the constant self-aggrandizing can be and is a turn-off to listeners. It’s almost insulting their intelligence by saying “We’re not sure you’ll actually tune in, so we have to make this sound bigger and better than it actually is.”
Have you ever felt misled? No matter the situation, it’s not a feeling you’d like to have all that frequently. So why in the world would you ever want to do that to your most valued customers?
Similarly, I think the bigger epidemic in the news/talk radio space is the use of the term “major announcement.”
At the risk of writing roughly 10,000 words on the subject, nothing in the industry frustrates me more than seeing a station promote a “major announcement.” Because, legitimately, 85% of the time it is only “major” to the people working at the station.
Earlier this year while scrolling social media, a post caught my eye promoting a “major announcement in (insert show here’s) history,” on the following Monday. Naturally in my line of work, it caught my eye. It was absolutely something I needed to keep on my radar for the following day as we continue to provide the best news media coverage.
Do you know what the “major announcement” was from one of the top-rated local shows in the country was? What did this show spent all weekend promoting to its large listener base? That, for the first time in the show’s history, they would announce who they were endorsing in a local political race…on Wednesday.
So, for the duration of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and until the show hit the air on Monday, there were promos, liners, social media teasers about the “huge announcement” which ended up being an announcement in itself.
Do you know what happens the next time a listener hears that the station has big news to share? They likely don’t tune in. Why? Because you wasted their time the last time. Now, this station and show aren’t alone in this. Several others are guilty as well. It’s why when I saw that 1130 WISN in Milwaukee had a “huge announcement” scheduled for this week, I was skeptical. But kudos to them, because the announcement of a lineup reshuffle after the retirement of longtime host Mark Belling is, in fact, a major announcement.
But to spend time promoting that you have big news to share just to say you have a new sponsor or are endorsing a new product is a waste of your time. It burns the credibility and trust you’ve built with your audience. You — as a host, producer, program director, sales manager, market manager, or executive — might be excited about your “huge announcement”, but if your audience doesn’t view it with the same energy, it’s a detriment beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I can remember once sitting at a radio conference and hearing a distinguished leader say of air talents, “If you’re going to try to be funny, you better be f—ing funny.” And I feel it’s a similar message to sharing news about your station. If you’re going to promote it as a “major” or “huge” announcement, it better be f—ing major or huge.
Listeners believe what we tell them to believe, to a point. But when you cross that line and they become defectors of your product, you only have yourself to blame.
Words matter. Word choice matters. Say what you think, say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you stick to those values, you won’t be left wondering why nobody believes you any longer when the wolf is actually at your doorstep.
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.
Local advertisers are almost always apprehensive during an election year. But Gordon Borrell of Borrell Associates believes 2024 could be the year that serves as the precursor to a big 2025 in the advertising world.
Much of the advertising market in 2024, logically, was centered upon the presidential election. More than $11 billion was spent on the presidential race, key Senate battles, and other issues-based ballot initiatives.
And that uncertainty led to an anxious advertising market throughout the calendar year.
But from Borrell’s perspective, it likely means 2025 will be a big year in the marketing realm.
“While overall it was a good, it wasn’t a bad year, but there was just this tightness about it that made it uncomfortable,” Borrell said. “I’m more eager to put 2024 in perspective by looking at what that did to 2025 or what that is likely to do in 2025. I think you have kind of a reserve and desire to increase advertising budgets, and very high potential for the floodgates to open next year for that advertising. So I think 2024 was a big setup for what may be a banner year for advertising, at least on the local side and I’m sure the national as well.”
Borrell added that the cycle of advertisers being reticent during an election year before returning to normal or even increased levels of spending the following year isn’t unprecedented. However, he believes the intensity in which local marketers will return to the scene in 2025 will be unique.
“In late November, we did another survey and the optimism went through the roof. It was right after the election, so there was this feeling — put the politics aside for a moment — the cold hard facts are that local businesses really don’t give a rip, they just want some level of certainty and good feelings before they invest their advertising dollars … so now that the decision has been made, they’re feeling really good about the economy and the future. We got this sudden burst of optimism for the end of the year, November on, and that will really characterize 2025 for us.”
Borrell Associates focuses its research and data specifically on local advertisers. And its findings suggest that new marketing opportunities will be what many of those in the sector are seeking out in 2025.
“I’m looking at the results for social media in terms of the advertisers saying they bought it, not just fiddle around with it for marketing purposes,” said Borrell. “On social media, a significant increase in the percentage saying that they’re going to either buy next year for the first time or increase their spending. So the net interest is 24%, so that’s roughly a 1/4 increase in in usage. We also saw slightly more in search engine marketing. It’s still there and it’s still deemed extremely effective. It’s phenomenal. Our advertisers felt the effectiveness of social media and search marketing.”
Gordon Borrell added that other avenues like banner ads and streaming audio were also primed for growth in 2025.
Absent from the list was radio. Borrell shared that its likely in large part related to the fact that there aren’t any new shiny innovations with the medium like there are in other sectors. But there is one place that radio companies can capitalize with local advertising in the coming year.
“If you look for the past 10 years, the number one used and purchased medium has been social media,” shared Borrell. “It’s always been at the top. It beats out everything else, usually social media and search marketing. That’s what attracts the most individual advertisers.
“In 2024, event sponsorships passed it for the first time. Event sponsorships — outdoor events, indoor events, cocktail parties, whatever — as a marketing method, surpassed social media. And that really gave us whiplash. Because if you think of the two, they’re same. They’re interacting with people. One is virtual, one is real. The advertisers and businesses think that social media is great, but I just want to get a way to supplement my virtual stuff and get out and shake a real hand and see somebody possibly come over to my booth or my table, get my name out there … that’s really taken off and that’s just an interesting phenomenon of 2024, how events have become a big deal.”
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Ahead of its broadcasts within the College Football Playoff, The Walt Disney Company registered strong viewership for its presentation of conference championships across several entities. ABC and ESPN presented the Southeastern Conference championship game amid its first year with media rights for this entity and averaged a combined 16.6 million viewers, marking the third most-watched regular season game across ESPN platforms on record. Moreover, the average viewership accounted for the largest audience of the college football season.
The game peaked at 19.7 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research, and the matchup was the fourth most-viewed SEC Championship Game on record. The Georgia Bulldogs ended up defeating the Texas Longhorns in overtime by a final score on 22-19, sealing the accolade on a game-winning touchdown by Trevor Etienne. Play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler, analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporters Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge were on the call for the game.
Yet the viewership figure is down compared to last season’s iteration of the SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia, which averaged 17.52 million viewers and an 8.9 rating on CBS. The game was the largest audience for a conference title game since the same two teams faced off in 2008. It was also the final time the SEC on CBS broadcast property took the air under the 15-year contract reportedly worth a total of $825 million.
The Atlantic Coast Conference championship game between the Clemson Tigers and SMU Mustangs averaged 6 million viewers on ABC, down by about 14.7% year-over-year. This matchup peaked with 8.8 million viewers and marked the 20th anniversary of the conference championship game. Even though the game experienced a diminution in its average viewership, it was still the third-most watched iteration of the game since 2015, falling behind last year and 2020. Play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, analyst Greg McElroy and sideline reporter Molly McGrath called the action, which ended on Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser delivering a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of regulation.
The final game to air on ABC was the Big 12 Conference championship between the Arizona State Sun Devils and Iowa Hawkeyes. The network secured an average of 6.9 million viewers for the game, which ended in a 45-19 victory for Arizona and the first championship since 2007 for the program. ABC’s broadcast of the game reached a peak of 7.8 million viewers, but it was still down from the Texas-Oklahoma State battle last year by about 12.5%. The game was the lowest average viewership since 2020 when Iowa State faced Oklahoma in a matchup that collected 3.03 million viewers. Play-by-play announcer Joe Tessitore, analyst Jesse Palmer and sideline reporter Katie George called the matchup on ABC.
Including the American Athletic Conference championship matchup that aired on Friday night, ABC averaged 8.4 million viewers across its four-game slate. Even though all of the games experienced year-over-year declines outside of the AAC matchup (average of 1.89 million viewers, +18% year-over-year), the average represents the most-watched schedule of games on the network since 2014. ESPN and ABC will present games within all four rounds of the 12-team College Football Playoff, starting on Friday, Dec. 29 when Indiana faces Notre Dame at 8 p.m. EST.
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Big Reid, the Top 40 99.7 Now San Francisco evening host, will add PM Drive on Urban AC KBLX to his daily duties.
Billy Vidal will take over the KBLX midday shift previously held by Antoine Davis, a 20-year veteran of the station who was let go last month. Vidal will continue to host morning drive on AC 96.5 KOIT across the hall. (BMM 11/14)
Posting on Instagram, Reid said, “If you grew up in the Bay Area, you already know how big of a deal this is. I understand how important this brand is to the people who came before me and I don’t take that lightly. Honored to let y’all know that I have accepted an opportunity to hold down Afternoon Drive on the LEGENDARY @kblx1029! You can now hear me every day, Monday through Friday, from 2 pm to 6 pm, playing The Best Throwbacks and R&B! This is gonna be fun! Letsss gooo!”
Big Rob Lewis is set to leave his role as Brand Manager and afternoon host at Hot AC “99.9 The Point” Fort Collins, CO, after more than three years. He will join Hot AC “Mix 100” KIMN Denver as the new Program Director.
Lewis takes over for Steve Marshall, who left in October to become the morning co-host at Bonneville AC 101.1 KOSI. (BMM 10/18) Lewis said, “Having grown up listening to radio in Denver, including the legendary Mix 100, this is like a dream come true. To have the opportunity to work with this outstanding live and local airstaff, I could not be more excited about the future of Mix 100. If this is a dream, please don’t wake me.”
KSE Radio SVP/General Manager Dave Fleck said, “I could not be more excited to have Big Rob leading the Mix 100 programming initiatives. We are fortunate to already have a group of talented individuals, and Rob will be the perfect complement to our team. I am confident that his leadership, fresh ideas, and overall passion for the radio business will take Mix 100 to new heights, making it a ‘Favorite Button’ on your radio dial.”
Lewis joined KKPL in November 2021 following a notable sixteen-year tenure at iHeartMedia. While there, he served as the programmer for Top 40 “96.1 Kiss-FM” KSME Greeley and the AC “Star 97.1” KYWY Cheyenne. Additionally, he hosted the evening show at “95.7 The Party” KPTT in Denver.
Joe Rogan has become a massive player in the audio space with his popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. But the prowess of his video presence has also been on display in recent months as he bested outlets like Fox News and MSNBC on Facebook and YouTube.
According to data from Tubular Labs, Rogan’s YouTube and Facebook presence saw a 173% increase month-over-month in unique visitors, 21.9 million, during the lead-up to the 2024 election.
Much of that increased viewership can be attributed to high-profile conversations featured on The Joe Rogan Experience. The Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance each appeared on separate episodes of the show. Trump’s sit-down conversation currently features more than 50 million views on YouTube. Meanwhile, Rogan’s discussion with Vance is nearing 20 million views on the same platform.
Additionally, while Democratic candidate Kamala Harris never appeared, there was much intrigue on whether or not she would guest on the show. However, Rogan discussed at length the behind-the-scenes happenings of the lengths he went to to secure an interview and why it never came to fruition.
During the month, Joe Rogan saw more than 1.2 billion minutes of watch time, which placed him third overall behind Disney Junior and Meida Touch. That figure is a 145% increase compared to the previous month. MSNBC featured 1.1 billion minutes of watch time during the month, good for fourth, while Fox News saw 1 billion minutes on YouTube and Facebook during that same timeframe.
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The World Series helped increase broadcast viewing by 3% in November, according to Nielsen’s monthly Gauge report.
Netflix got a boost from the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, which generated 3.9 billion viewing minutes, according to Nielsen. Netflix’s share of TV viewing jumped to 8.5% the week the fight was live streamed, compared to its share for the entire month of 7.7%. Overall, streaming posted a record share of 41.6% during the month.
Games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series on Fox fell during November and generated over 10 billion viewing minutes combined. The Dodgers Championship-winning victory over the Yankees in Game 5 drew 18.2 million viewers, the sixth most watched broadcast show during the month.
(For Nielsen, the month covered October 28 through November 24, and does not include Thanksgiving.)
With a slate of NFL and college football games, broadcast sports viewing was up 34% from October.
Broadcast’s share of total TV usage rose to 23.7% of time using TV during November.
Despite the election, cable news viewing was up just 1%. Cable had a 25% share of TV usage for the month.
Streaming viewership increased 7.6% in November, rising to a record share of TV usage with a 41.6% share.
Among the streaming services, YouTube had a 10.8% share, Netflix had 7.7%, Amazon Prime Video had 3.7%, Hulu’s share was 2.7%, Disney Plus had 1.9%, the Roku Channel garnered a 1.9% share, Tubi’s share was 1.8%, Peacock had a 1.5% share, Paramount+ was 1.3%, Max had 1.1% and Pluto TV generated a 0.9% share of TV usage.
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