Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Dave ‘Ace’ Cannon has issued his first statement since his recent unexpected departure from the syndicated “Ace & TJ Show.” (BMM 9/20)
He did not specifically address his departure from the show but gave insight into his personal life. He talked about going through a divorce and said he doesn’t know if he would “be a part of your life again the way I was for the past 26 years.”
Cannon was replaced on the show by producer Bryan “Riggins” Weber and quickly rebranded as the “TJ & Riggins Show.”
In the wake of Cannon’s departure, the show lost its flagship affiliate, K 104.7, Charlotte.
Cannon and Ritchie ‘TJ’ Beams met while working part-time at KQID Alexandria, LA, in 1991 and later joined forces as morning show partners.
In 1995, they relocated to WZYP Huntsville, AL, before going to “Kiss 95.1” Charlotte in 1998. Despite various relocations, including a move to “Channel 96.1” in 2012, a return to WNKS in July 2022 to host from 9 am-12 pm, and a move to “K104.7” WKQC in May 2024, the show has remained a constant presence in the Charlotte market.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
CBS News has announced the promotion of Jericka Duncan to the role of anchor for both the Saturday and Sunday editions of CBS Weekend News.
In an internal memo to CBS News staffers, President of Newsgathering and Editorial Adrienne Roark shared that “Jericka’s in-depth coverage of legal cases for Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, and Harvey Weinstein has shaped our understanding of some of the most revelatory trials of our time. Most recently, she reported live from the courthouse in New York where Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted. She has a proven track record of covering hard-hitting stories like these.
While she will helm the anchor desk on the weekends from New York, Jericka will continue to report across the network. Please join us in congratulating her. I would also like to thank Craig Wilson and the Weekend News team for their work in supporting Jericka and her coverage and staying on top of this nonstop news cycle every single weekend.”
Duncan previously anchored the Sunday version of the CBS News weekend program. She will now step into the Saturday role that was previously held by Adriana Diaz. Diaz was added to the third hour of CBS Mornings Plus, the weekday morning show she now anchors with Tony Dokoupil, which premiered on Monday.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
NewsNation host Chris Cuomo celebrated the second anniversary of his premiere show on the cable news network Thursday evening.
During the broadcast, Cuomo shared his extreme gratitude and appreciation for the network and his colleagues for their dedication to the show.
“I have an amazing almost magical ability to draw better people to me in my life,” Cuomo said. “My friends are this ridiculous composite of really solid men and women who never hesitate, in fact they probably take more opportunity than they should to put me in check, let me know what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s good, what’s bad.
“I have a team that took a chance on me here at NewsNation, a new place. A guy who is getting up off the canvas and all these young people, some not so young, decided to take their reputation, take their future, and put it in my hands, try this together. That is some kind of blessing. Amazing. And I know, that is why I am here. That is why I am able to do what I do.”
Legendary sportscaster and longtime friend Bob Costas joined the NewsNation show hosted by Chris Cuomo to commemorate the second anniversary of his debut.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Hurricane Helene has been one of the largest natural disasters in American history, and Clay Travis is taking his nationally syndicated radio show to the areas most affected by the damage.
In a post to social media Thursday evening, Travis revealed that he would hit the road to share stories from those dealing with the damage from the storm.
“I will be broadcasting (The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show) from Asheville, NC next week and Bristol, TN the week after to draw attention & support to Hurricane Helene victims,” Travis wrote. “More details coming.”
I will be broadcasting @clayandbuck from Asheville, NC next week and Bristol, TN the week after to draw attention & support to Hurricane Helene victims. More details coming.
The nationally syndicated show from Premiere Networks features affiliates in both areas, as the show is heard on 570 WWNC in Asheville and also airs on SuperTalk 92.9 WFHG in the Tri-Cities area of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, Tennessee.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve done eavesdropping pieces on both New York afternoon drive shows. First, I did The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York and then most recently I did Evan & Tiki on WFAN. Top market in the country and I noticed both stations take calls. Kay’s show seemed to lean more heavily on them, but both interacted with callers throughout.
Some stations have stopped taking calls altogether. Others only do texts, and some have a way for a caller to leave a voicemail message. The idea here being that the callers don’t do a good enough job of adding to the conversation or keeping the flow and the hosts should be the experts on the sports topics and entertaining enough to do shows with a limited amount of input from the listeners. It is a good theory; however, the problem wasn’t the callers themselves. It was the way we conditioned the callers.
Callers need to be screened, told to turn down the radio, and how it will work when they get on the air. Then they need to be reminded to stick to the topic and not ask how the hosts are doing or anything else you want them to be aware of. As you go, you learn who is and is not a good contributor, and you try and have a handle on it. Hosts or producers shouldn’t be afraid to cut someone off if they’re getting off the subject, aren’t making sense, or completely go off the rails.
But that’s talk radio and when I listen to it without calls it seems to lose a bit of what it was designed for and what it is best at.
Nobody wants to hear something that sounds like this, “Should the Lakers play LeBron and Bronnie together, let’s see what the text line says. Someone in the 310 says ‘do whatever is best for the team to win games,’ here’s one from the 747 that says, ‘Bronnie should never see the floor.’ 818 says…well…wait can’t say that on the air, let’s get another from the 310 that says, ‘No way!'”
I heard something the other day where a show had just played a voice message from a caller and one of the hosts said, “Well Bob, I’m not sure if you meant the whole season or just the postseason so I can’t really answer.”
You could have if Bob was on the phone line.
The other thing that tends to happen is instead of the callers becoming a crutch for the show, they use content crutches. Everything becomes a segment with a name that all kind of sound the same but are just a little bit different. And again, mostly done with just the hosts and producers talking without other voices.
My opinion is talk radio reacted too far to a problem that was something it could have corrected in the first place. Unfortunately, I feel like I say that a lot when it comes to radio.
Talk radio and especially sports talk radio was designed in part to give the fans an outlet. Something good or bad happens and the hosts talk through it, bring on guests to dive into it and then get the pulse of the fans. It’s much better done live on the air, so you really hear the emotion, or at least get the chance to hear the host rip apart the caller and entertain that way.
As is often the case, some bad apples ruined it for the bunch. The ‘bad apples’ in this case are the hosts who just decided to show up, open up the phone lines and have at it. Those hosts judge themselves solely by how many callers were on the line and often would end up almost interviewing the callers and taking way too much time with them.
Some folks decided then that the callers were the problem and the best way to solve it was to eliminate them. So, instead of training producers and call screeners and doing it the right way, some took the easy way out.
Very few sports talk show hosts in the country are good enough to carry shows without taking the input of the audience. Sports radio is supposed to be a journey you’re on together. And certainly, there should have been rules in place to prevent ‘Cowboy Mike’ from calling in wanting to talk about the Dallas Cowboys when the subject of the day is the Astros in the playoffs and things like that.
I remember the great sports radio consultant Rick Scott once writing in a report about a host that said something along the lines of, ‘Stop going into break saying ‘Larry, Tom and Phil, we’ll get to you when we come back’ because the only people that care are Larry, Tom and Phil.’ He was so right and so many hosts are still guilty of that mostly because they aren’t prepared to talk about anything so if Larry, Tom and Phil drop off they’re in trouble.
Callers should not be relied upon in sports talk radio, but if you’ve eliminated them, perhaps think about why you did and see if you can correct it instead of losing out on what can be a great part of the overall content and sound of your station.
The Best/Worst Thing I’ve Heard/Watched/Read Recently
Here’s something I did not like seeing recently. As you are well aware, all three big radio companies, iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media and Audacy have relatively recently filed for and then come out of bankruptcy. When that happens, you certainly don’t expect for a company to come clean and lay out all of what happened, who they couldn’t pay and why. However, do they need to put out a press release that makes it look like screwing a bunch of businesses out of an enormous amount of money is an exciting thing and something to be celebrated?
In the most recent example, here is a quote from David Field in the Audacy press release about coming out of bankruptcy:
“We are pleased to have successfully achieved all of our restructuring goals, emerging with an outstanding balance sheet, delivering industry-leading growth, serving our listeners and advertisers with excellence and honoring our commitments to employees and partners. Today, Audacy embarks on our next chapter, capitalizing on our position as a scaled, multi-platform audio leader, differentiated by our exclusive, premium audio content, including our unrivaled leadership in sports audio, powered by our industry-leading financial strength and focused on accelerating our innovation and digital transformation. We are maximizing a broad set of opportunities to further accelerate our growth for the benefit of Audacy and all of its stakeholders.”
Wow. That is certainly one way to put it.
The reality here is this is celebrating more than $1.5 BILLION in debt being ‘discharged.’ Meaning people don’t get paid or get much less than they were owed. A lot of bad happened to get to this point and a lot of bad happens to people in a bankruptcy like this. I’m guessing there are some ‘partners’ who were owed a substantial amount of money. They might take issue with reading about how much the company is, “serving our listeners and advertisers with excellence and honoring our commitments to employees and partners.”
I was a big Pete Rose fan growing up. I was too young for most of his early Reds days, but man did I pull for Philadelphia and Montreal when he was with them, unless they were playing the Cardinals of course. The whole player/manager thing to me was so cool and I just always appreciated how much he loved the game and that hustle.
Barrett Media’s Mark Kreidler wrote about Pete and his relationship with the media. Mark wrote, “The media never knew what to do with Pete Rose because he either was or wasn’t what they expected, depending on the day. I’ll tell you this, Rose was a writer’s dream. He always talked and never stopped, and in the instant that he said anything, you were convinced he meant every word of it. He spoke the way he played, bluntly.”
Mark summed it all up well. You can read the full column by clicking here.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
The political landscape, and its relationship with the media, is changing in front of our eyes. Are you noticing?
Kamala Harris has been noticeably absent from TV, radio and print interviews. Donald Trump has also not been as active with traditional media outlets down the home stretch of this 2024 Presidential Election cycle.
What you’re seeing are two candidates picking and choosing certain media outlets and targeting some non-traditional media outlets and shows that get them in front of non-traditional political audiences.
Two recent ones that stand out are Kamala Harris’ interview with former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, whose show, “ALL THE SMOKE” has north of one million subscribers on YouTube. On the other side, Donald Trump sat for an interview with Theo Von, who has over three million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Granted, when you go through a YouTube channel, you’ll notice that most videos don’t have the number of views as the channel has subscribers. But it’s clear that both shows have enormous audiences, and both candidates are trying to reach the non-traditional voter.
Going on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. is repetitive for these candidates. It’s likely that the vast majority of these viewers are going to vote and have their minds made up. But exploring these other outlets makes all the sense in the world for the candidates to see if they can find, and convince, more casual news and political observers to vote for them.
So, what can News Talk Radio, and radio in general, take from this approach? It’s two-fold.
1) What are we doing to become a multi-platformed media outlet that can add value for our potential guests, and our own show content, beyond just the “live” radio? The best guests we all want to land want something more than just a 10 minute “live radio” spot. They’re getting more requests than ever. How can we make our show worth their time? Podcasts, social media clips, exploring video, both long-form and short-form, are all avenues that we talk about extensively, but that need to be taken more seriously by the day.
2) Why aren’t we, as talent, also looking to branch out to other forms of media to expose ourselves to non-traditional platforms? Granted, it’s not as simple as, “Hey can I come on your show?” But it’s cultivating relationships with potentially popular digital shows and platforms in your market/region, or in your niche, that could be quality cross-promotion for both programs.
We’re in an era where as much as our competition is every content-creating platform in the world, there is also plenty to benefit from in collaborations and cross-promotions. It goes beyond doing local TV hits, which is great, but is also largely dominated by out-of-demo viewership.
Searching and finding popular accounts on various social media platforms that are unique to your city and or format/niche, and offering up cross promotional opportunities, when appropriate, has the chance to benefit all parties involved.
As radio continues to fight for ears in our content-rich environment, especially when outside the car, bringing awareness to your show and station via others’ popular platforms is a great way to find free marketing and exposure, while also offering something in return. There’s still something special about being “on the radio” to individuals who have never done it. Don’t discount that and sell yourself short.
So, with that, pick up the phone, start searching, reaching out and see what great collaboration you can find in your future.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Full disclosure: I’m a P1 Alternative listener. I listen to a lot of Alternative radio, and I have been heavily dedicated to that format for decades. I grew up in a pretty rural area that was heavy with AC, Top 40, and Country stations, so when I first saw the video for Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” on MTV, it was like every GIF you’ve ever seen where someone mimes their brain exploding. I was instantly hooked by this different-sounding, emotionally charged music that spoke to me in ways that Top 40 never had.
I got into radio shortly thereafter, so I played a lot of the huge ’90s-era Alternative mainstay tracks and artists as either currents or recurrents. At first, it was fun to take that stroll down Memory Lane and recall where and when I was when I first played a particular song on air. But now? I just feel old. And it feels monotonous.
A few years ago, I tried to do some rough calculations on how many times I’d heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” especially factoring in how much time I’d spent listening to the format and cross-referencing how often it usually gets played on-air. I think I arrived somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 times.
As I look at the Mediabase format airplay chart for the week of September 17-23, I see a ton of familiar names. Linkin Park, a band that first broke almost 25 years ago, is back at #1 (admittedly with a new lead singer). Jack White is at #5, a name we first learned in the late 1990s as part of The White Stripes.
Looking down the chart, I see such names as Sum 41 (debuted in 2001), Sublime, a name from 1992 – who also admittedly was quiet for many, many years – and The Offspring, who broke through in 1994. Other notable ‘90s artists currently climbing the Alt chart include Smashing Pumpkins, Blink-182, 311, Green Day, and Jane’s Addiction. The Foo Fighters’ recent singles have fallen into recurrent, although I did see them live this summer in their biggest U.S. show ever. (Shout out to my current home of Denver.)
My point in all this meandering? It brings me back to a question I’ve been asking for years: Who are the new core artists in Alternative? We keep reaching back to the ‘90s and including these artists not just as power gold, but also now as currents. Since we’re hitting 30th-anniversary observances on a lot of the formative albums of the format, we’ve gotten to the point where Classic Rock is now dipping very heavily into our well.
And now, with the launch of Classic Alternative stations that seem like the “second next” generation of Classic Rock (since one could argue that the first next generation of Classic Rock is ‘80s and early ‘90s rock, like what you hear on SiriusXM’s Classic Rewind), we’re publicizing that the material is older and being borrowed by other formats.
I’ve asked this question a lot over the past few years. When I do, a lot of programmers usually just pause and say something along the lines of “Huh. That’s a good question…” and try to talk through some options while also talking themselves out of the names they’ve put forth. The responses usually sound something like this:
The Killers: Yes, still going strong, but when did their first album come out? Wow, Hot Fuss is 20 years old, and we’re still playing stuff off that album. I guess it’s not that much older than the original core artists mentioned. They’re putting out new stuff… but so are all those other ‘90s and 2000s bands, like Blink and Offspring, etc.
Cage The Elephant: This might be a contender since they’ve put out some solid material for the format. But they did blow up in 2009, so they’re already 15 years old for the format—not like they’re a “new” core artist. They’ve been consistent for Alt, though.
Twenty One Pilots: Definitely an artist to consider, since they didn’t really get traction until the mid-2010s (Ed. Note: 2015 to be exact), but we’re sharing a fair amount of their music with other formats now, so I’m not sure we can claim them specifically as ours. I sometimes hear 21P on Top 40 and Hot AC.
Imagine Dragons: Also a mid-2010s band that we might consider due to their relative newness (Ed. Note: Imagine Dragons hit it big in 2012) and they certainly are pumping out radio hits, but we definitely don’t own this one anymore. Imagine Dragons probably has more spread than any other Alternative artist right now – I hear them on Top 40, Hot AC, even Active Rock….
So what’s the answer? Who will be the next wave of Alt mainstays, the artists we can really own in the format who weren’t around 15 or 25 (or more) years ago? Who are we nurturing to dominate for the next 10-15 years? At this point, your guess is as good as mine.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
The clients we call on are bombarded with choices to promote their business. Social media ads, OTT, and digital campaigns fight for your client’s attention. Many choices clients are exposed to are turn-key, plug-and-play solutions to their advertising issues. They can buy annual ad packages with creative or seasonal promotions.
Clients now need tidy solutions and want to move on to other matters. They might even want your help in coming up with a slogan. The more we can present total solutions, the more valuable we will be to the client and become that sustaining resource. Enter the spec spot: designed to give clients a real sense of what their radio commercial could sound like on-air. Here’s why it is mission-critical in your efforts:
Makes it Real
With no visuals to show, one of our key challenges is that radio relies entirely on sound. Unlike television or digital ads, radio ads must paint a picture using only words, music, and sound effects. This is where spec spots come in. A good spec can turn their ho-hum 2-for-1 sale into a tangible ad they may want to deploy. You are turning the abstract into reality! And many clients now want to know how things will sound before they buy. I’ve used spec spots to turn lukewarm conversations into forward-leaning deals.
Make it Emotional
Spec spots can be a unique selling tool that allows the radio to cut through the noise. Clients hearing a custom-tailored radio ad loaded with humor or client competitive advantages creates an emotional connection. Potential endorsement clients having their favorite personality address them personally and then deliver a sample radio ad can be like music to their ears.
Minimize Client Hesitation
There are always bound to be hesitations. What if the campaign doesn’t work? How will my business sound on the air? Will the personality do the ad with the right inflections? Spec spots answer these objections head-on by giving the client a preview of the end product. Rather than relying on vague promises of what you could do in production, spec spots offer concrete examples of what they can expect. Spec spots can help you eliminate the guesswork. It allows them to provide feedback, suggest revisions, or adjust their message before committing, creating a smoother path to closing the sale.
Our Production Values ROCK
Spec spots showcase the creative capabilities of the radio station. Spec spots give the client confidence in the process and prove the station’s expertise in crafting effective audio content. And if you are looking for a helping hand with production, I highly recommend Yaman Coskun at Yaman Air. Good and fast. The RAB also has many solutions for you, with no membership required, to write better scripts and produce solid commercials. It’s not enough to just sell air time. Be a total solution and see how your client’s confidence grows in working with you.
Building Trust while Collaborating
Selling advertising is about building relationships. Using spec spots starts a collaborative process between the radio station and the client. Working together on editing a spec creates a sense of partnership rather than a one-sided transaction. This builds trust and rapport and takes the focus off buying and selling. The spotlight is on selling for the business.
Spec spots are not just a selling tool; they’re a chance to connect, collaborate, and show the unique power of radio. Spec spots allow clients to truly understand and appreciate the creative possibilities of radio advertising and keep the focus where it belongs on making the client’s business better.
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Chaz is one-half of the “Chaz & AJ” show on 99.1 PLR (WPLR) in Connecticut. He’s living the dream working on his hometown radio station, having wanted to be a part of it since he was a child. It’s the reason he fell in love with radio. “I started in radio when I was thirteen through a summer work program for underprivileged (poor) kids,” he explains. “When I saw that control board for the first time, I knew it was my ticket out.”
“I had a few real jobs along the way. I grew up listening to the legendary PLR as a kid and would pretend to be ‘Stoneman,’ the legendary night jock, through my mic and guitar amp,” he says. “I began interning at PLR in 1986, worked my way up to night show in 1990, and left in 1994 to host the ‘Z Rock Morning Show’ on the ABC Radio Network in Dallas. In 1996, I accepted the morning show position at WRCN Long Island. AJ was the morning show host at the time. They fired him and hired me (awkward), but we met and became friends, and when I became Program Director, I hired him to be my partner. That was 27 years ago. In 2003, WPLR asked me to come back to host mornings, and I brought AJ with me.”
Describing the show, Chaz says, “I am the David Spade to AJ’s Chris Farley. We play about one to two songs an hour and are the ‘Community’ show. We call it an electronic town hall meeting held in a frat house every day. Not a week goes by where we are not at fundraisers and promoting fundraisers on air. We recently helped raise $850,000 for flood victims in Connecticut. We’re all about helping people and giving back…and when clients bring free food.”
“Like every great show, we pull from all corners of the world and our lives when prepping for the show,” says Chaz. “We have two full days every day. Part one is final prep, executing the show and then wrap up, part two is prepping out for next show and also future shows. It’s a four-person show, and we all work full time, whether it’s AJ chugging 24 ounces of ranch dressing (turning his stomach upside down) or leading the charge in getting help and coverage of the 1000-year flood that hit part of our state last month.”
“As for the state of Active Rock right now, I think it’s 90s and Rock with an edge. We just recently switched to this newer harder edge rock, ditching the 70s so we sound really fresh and relevant, and I like it. It provides great bookends for the show.”
In a predominately male format, I asked Chaz what women who were passionate about radio and Rock could do to get more involved. “Go to local open mic nights,” he says. “Our show has been a great breeding ground for young talent. One of the things we’ve been doing is having local comedians come in studio. We just hired an awesome female talent from the comedy circuit.”
And his thoughts on Taylor Swift’s impact on the NFL (if any), “It’s been amazing to watch the impact of her star power. I’m not mad at it.”
I also asked for his thoughts on the addition of Emily Armstrong to Linkin Park and the new album and tour. “I love her voice,” says Chaz. “I love that they’re back. Not many bands have had equal or greater success when changing the front person, like Van Halen with Sammy. We will see how it goes.”
As for what’s ahead for the Chaz & AJ show, “The goal is always the same for us,” says Chaz. “To continue to be the go-to place for Connecticut to get their funny and local info.”
Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. To make sure you’re updated on the latest happenings across the media business, sign up for our newsletters to get the news delivered straight to your inbox.
Over parts of the last two years, Dustin Fox has had to take several leaves of absence from 92.3 The Fan, the Cleveland-based sports station he was at since 2011. As he was working a five-hour afternoon drive show with Nick Wilson, he found himself dealing with separate issues related to his mental health, which he presumes could have been exacerbated by football injuries.
The pattern of thinking he was experiencing led him down a dark path. Earlier in the year, Fox presumed he was on the doorstep of death and admitted wanting to kill himself, struggling through a mental breakdown where things felt as if they were spiraling.
When Fox announced in late August that he would be leaving 92.3 The Fan after 13 years, it caught people by surprise. Yet he had been thinking on this decision for several months for reasons not related to psychological hardships. For example, the timing of the afternoon shift often necessitated that he prepare in the mornings and work through sunset, rendering it difficult to spend time with his family. It is part of the reason why he opted to ink one-year deals with Audacy and continued to alert its management that his exit would be approaching.
“It was not a surprise to anybody internally at The Fan or anybody close to me at the station or anybody in my life personally that matters or whatever,” Fox said. “Everyone sort of knew that the time was coming, and I’m very lucky and very blessed that my situation is – and I still have other gigs; it’s not like I’m just leaving my only source of income to watch my kids do activities. I’ve worked really hard for my career and where I’m at.”
Fox looks back fondly on his time with the station, which coincided with the flip to the sports talk format on the 92.3 FM band. More of the change related to the timing of the shift rather than the duration itself. In addition to forsaking family endeavors and hosting in studio, he was beginning to find himself enervated from the shift and grew a disdain for his diminished stamina and presence at home.
“I couldn’t even call my insurance agent during the show because I’d have four minutes during a commercial break, and I say that kind of in jest,” Fox explained. “When you’re doing a five-hour talk show, you can’t step aside and not be in it. It’s not like you can sit at your desk at a 9-5 and veg out or look at whatever, Instagram, for an hour.”
With that being said, Fox does not consider himself to have ever held a genuine job and recognizes that the show has assisted others in powering through tragedies, misfortune and discomfort. The connection with the audience came to light in everyday life, a recurring instance of which was listeners citing different parts of the show on the street.
“It just really was rewarding for us and for me to know that we did what we tried to do, which was try to make our show very listenable and very engaging [where] the audience didn’t ever feel like they were below us,” Fox emphasized. “I just wanted them to feel like they were a part of us and one of us.”
From Frat Boy Radio, “GIVE IT TO ME AGAIN!!!” to 0-16 fired-up pregame tailgates in the Warehouse District, NOBODY taught me the game of football from a white corner’s perspective like @DustinFox37. Just an incredible 13-year run at @923TheFan. #dingydingy#mactionpic.twitter.com/uoYREKFFbo
The welcoming culture that the station established started with its early days, which included Fox working in afternoon drive alongside Adam “The Bull” Gerstenhaber over an 11-year span. Even though Fox has enjoyed pairing with both Gerstenhaber and Wilson over the years, reviewing the stark dichotomy between them helps evince their strengths. Gerstenhaber’s exit from the station in 2022 did not affect Fox’s desire to move on from the terrestrial radio outlet; rather, he embraced and cherished working alongside Wilson thereafter.
“Adam is very, very hard-headed – one of the best debaters I’ve ever met in my life,” Fox said. “He could argue anything and [is] a great guy. Both are great guys, obviously – I love them both dearly – but different. Nick certainly got me on the backend, and I respect him so much – he’s been through a lot having to move back home, getting a new partner, having to sort of fill the shoes of a pretty big personality and somebody who has done a lot in his career in Adam ‘The Bull,’ so I’m grateful for the time I had with Nick.”
The departure of Gerstenhaber to pursue new opportunities outside of traditional radio was intriguing for Fox, and he has observed the success of his former partner in his venture with Rush Street Interactive. As part of the BetRivers Network, Gerstenhaber hosts numerous podcasts pertaining to football and sports altogether, an arrangement he earned after taking a risk by stepping away from his established job.
“It’s obviously impressive to see that,” Fox said, “so it gave me optimism that I could still stay in the business and not have to do the five-hour time slot.”
Combined with the progress Fox had made in combating his mental health struggles and achieving sobriety, he identified it to be the right time to step away from the daily hosting position. The time he spent off the air was enlightening and gleaned a new prospect on what he wants out of his life, career and children.
“I have no regrets about my decision or anything,” Fox said. “It’s hard to tell people how great it is to be kind of on the other side of this thing. Every day is a gift, and I’ve just been super blessed and happy, and frankly, I’m so happy that I’m still able to have great relationships with the people at Audacy.”
In a transaction unrelated to Fox, longtime brand manager Andy Roth revealed that he was leaving the Audacy station as well to become the new director of programming for 680 The Fan. Roth has been a fixture at the sports radio outlet from the beginning, and Fox felt that he was a great person for whom to work.
“Andy has done a great job of teaching me about the things that matter – the ratings and sort of how to play that game and time spent listening and all these things that matter for us to bonus and make sure we’re doing a really good job – he really showed me a lot there,” Fox said. “And then beyond that, our friendship so to speak off the field, outside of work was great.”
Renouncing his hosting position in afternoon drive in the marketplace was a strenuous decision. Yet the messages afterwards were overwhelmingly those of gratitude and thanks, receiving universal support and encouragement. Hundreds of people were subsequently vulnerable in asking for help regarding difficulties in their lives, and Fox did his best to get back to nearly everyone.
“I’ve talked to strangers on the phone about stuff,” Fox said, “because I’m just very passionate about my recovery and where I’m at with my mental health and life that I’m just so happy and proud that I just feel like I want everyone to feel the way that I feel right now.”
Starting last month, Fox has been reunited with Gerstenhaber as a co-host of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, a video podcast that airs throughout the week. Fox is part of the show on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where he participates in discussions surrounding the local teams with other contributors such as Jay Crawford, Tyvis Powell and Garrett Bush.
“I feel like my takes are better because it’s not like I have to think about, ‘Oh man, I have to save this for 5:00,’ or regurgitate something that I said at 2:00 at 6:00,” Fox said. “It’s just a lot easier to be more authentic and have stronger takes because you’re just in the moment. That’s what I love more about the space of a 30-minute pod or whatever, a two-hour TV show, something like that.”
While Fox is no longer on the radio, he still covers college football as an analyst for ESPN. As he reallocates his schedule, he aspires to be part of studio work on the national network if there are any opportunities open, such as filling in on College Football Live. Going forward, he considers his longevity in the booth while hoping to garner more impactful, monumental game broadcast assignments.
“I love working for ESPN – I think it’s the greatest company,” Fox said. “They’re awesome, and they’ve been awesome to me, so I love working there.”
Making a return to 92.3 The Fan is something Fox would potentially consider in the future; in fact, he still visits the station to record promos and other commercials. When he enters the building, it feels like he is working there and interacts with his former colleagues. As someone who has had to overcome several difficulties and burdens, Fox wants to use his platform to teach sentiments of joy and continue to reach an invested, entertained audience.
“I’m never ruling it out,” Fox said. “I have no clue where radio’s going to be in the next five years, and I don’t see myself in the next five years working in radio in terms of the daily local thing [for] five hours. If something popped up – if ESPN called me and said, ‘Hey, we want you to work on a national show’ or something, I’d consider it for sure. I’d consider everything, I guess, in terms of, ‘Is the timing right? Is the money right? How long’s the show?’ All those things.”
Although Fox does not foresee the extinction of sports talk radio, he has detected other warning signs suggesting shifts. The industry is trending towards digital distribution, and consumers have a litany of podcasts and specialized spoken word content from which to select. In addition to streaming radio stations without use of a terrestrial signal, the functionalities by which the audience is engaging with content have been altered and continue to adapt commensurate to technological innovation. Nonetheless, Fox said that the live and local pillars that contributed to its growth will also lend to its sustainability and continued interest therein.
“I think you’ll still have shows like the Afternoon Drive or whatever it may be, and it may be streaming somewhere else, but it’s going to be live,” Fox said. “That’s the thing that is so important with sports that it’s always ever-changing.”
As the industry continues to explore new opportunities to reach sports fans across multiple platforms, Fox is positioned to remain part of the conversation. Through all of his repetitions, he knows when he did a good job and also remains his most formidable critic. Although strong numbers and ratings can supply sentiments of achievement, Fox thinks beyond these metrics and considers if the show was strong and if he kept consumers listening longer than they originally intended. Some of these answers are materialized when Fox meets fans and they reference things from his early work on 92.3 The Fan, and they continue to take an interest in his opinion through both linear and digital media.
“I think that working in this business that you have to have some sort of a gift to be able to do it, and throughout my life, I try to identify things that I am good at, and then you gravitate towards those things and do your best and work hard at it, and that’s where I’m at with my career with sports broadcasting,” Fox said. “I have so much damn fun doing what I get to do that I just love it.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (or 800-273-8255) to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the NSPL website.
