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Shannon Spake Named Host/Sideline Reporter for Charlotte Hornets

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Shannon Spake Named Host/Sideline Reporter for Charlotte Hornets

Shannon Spake is joining the Charlotte Hornets broadcast team on Bally Sports Southeast throughout the season as a host and sideline reporter. Spake will make a return to Charlotte, N.C. where she previously worked at WCCB-TV and at Carolina Sports and Entertainment Television. FOX Sports reportedly allowed her to exit the company this past summer, after which she joined NASCAR Studios to host NASCAR Inside the Playoffs distributed to TNT Sports and truTV, along with the NASCAR Daily podcast. Spake is in the midst of taking part within both ventures and will now add her work with the Hornets to the responsibilities that she has.

Spake formerly worked at Speed Channel and ESPN where she contributed across its coverage of professional sports. Over parts of the last nine years, she worked as a NASCAR studio host and NFL reporter for FOX Sports. As she makes the move to join the Hornets broadcast team, she is expected to work alongside play-by-play announcer Eric Collins and analyst Dell Curry. The Hornets open their 2024-25 season at Spectrum Center against the New York Knicks on Sunday, Oct. 6 and will look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Ashley ShahAhmadi, who had been the sideline reporter for the team over the last six seasons, is departing the broadcasts as she focuses on new ventures within her career. Ahead of the season, ShahAhmadi became a field reporter for Atlanta Braves broadcast on Bally Sports South, and she also works as a sideline reporter for ESPN college football broadcasts as well. ShahAhmadi also works on NBA game broadcasts for TNT Sports and NBA TV, balancing regional and national events throughout last season. Preceding ShahAhmadi in the role was Stephanie Ready, who currently works within games for NBA on TNT broadcasts.

The Hornets are one of 11 teams that are slated to be televised by Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks within the Diamond Sports Group oeuvre. The Sinclair subsidiary has been in Ch. 11 bankruptcy for over a year; however, it is in the process of trying to finalize its restructuring support agreement through a new naming rights agreement and raising additional capital. Amazon is reportedly in “late-stage talks” to add Diamond Sports Group direct-to-consumer apps to Prime. This ostensibly represents a deviation from its original plan after the company had previously agreed to provide Diamond with $115 million in financing contingent on the regional sports network holding entity to be able to exit Ch. 11 bankruptcy.

Lupe De Los Santos Named Chief Cultural Officer For Hispanic Radio Network

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Lupe De Los Santos Named Chief Cultural Officer For Hispanic Radio Network

Lupe De Los Santos has been named Chief Cultural Officer for Gen Media Partners’ Hispanic Radio Networks (HRN). In this role, he will work to strengthen HRN’s standing with advertisers and their agencies by enhancing the network’s Spanish-language music and spoken word programming.

De Los Santos will start his new role at HRN, working to adapt Prisa’s extensive Spanish-language content to the US Hispanic market. As the world’s largest owner of Spanish-language radio stations, Prisa has a vast library of valuable programming.

HRN distributes content to 426 affiliated stations spanning 105 major markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Houston, and Dallas.

With over 25 years of experience in the US Hispanic/Latinx marketing industry, De Los Santos has worked at prominent agencies such as Walton Isaacson, The Vidal Partnership, Team Enterprises, and DVC Worldwide. He has also held client-side roles at Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company, where he managed well-known brands, including Old Spice, Olay, Bounty, Crest, Secret, Clorox, Kingsford Charcoal, and Hidden Valley Ranch.

Clark Logan, HRN President, said, “With Lupe’s insights on Hispanic communities, we can delve deeper into the behaviors and habits of the widely diverse U.S. Hispanic population and develop programming for engagement and growth. We’re delighted that Lupe has joined our team, and I look forward to collaborating with him.”

De Los Santos added, “I’m excited to be working with HRN senior leadership, radio affiliates, partner brands, and on-air talent on how to best tap into the beautiful cultures that make up the U.S. Hispanic marketplace. HRN’s audio platform features popular on-air talent and content that connect with the Hispanic audience. More great things are coming.”

Ham Broadcasting Buys Five Stations In Madisonville KY

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Ham Broadcasting Buys Five Stations In Madisonville KY

Ham Broadcasting has purchased Sound Broadcast’s five stations in Madisonville, KY.

The stations involved include Rock WKTG-FM (Power Rock 93.9), Classic Country WFMW-AM and three translators W235AC-FM (94.9), W290CR-FM (105.9) and W299CN-FM (107.7).

Ham has been managing the stations through a local marketing agreement (LMA) for the past couple of months.

Beth Mann, Ham Broadcasting’s President/GM, stated that the purchase made sense geographically and aligned with the company’s core values.

In 1991, DJ and Beth Everett founded Ham Broadcasting Company by purchasing radio stations WKDZ and Country WKDZ-FM/Cadiz, KY.

After the Everetts’ passing, Beth Mann assumed ownership of the company. Since initially acquiring WKDZ and WKDZ-FM, Ham Broadcasting has expanded through the purchases of Oldies WHVO/Hopkinsville, KY, WPKY/Princeton, KY, and WEKT/Elkton, KY, and the launches of the “Your Sports Edge” and “Your Ag Edge” Networks.

Dickey Broadcasting Company: Joe Hamilton ‘Will No Longer Be Heard on The Fan and/or Georgia Tech Radio Broadcasts’

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Dickey Broadcasting Company: Joe Hamilton ‘Will No Longer Be Heard on The Fan and/or Georgia Tech Radio Broadcasts’

Earlier this week the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported 680 The Fan host and Georgia Tech radio analyst Joe Hamilton had been absent from this past weekend’s Georgia Tech broadcast. What was more notable than Hamilton missing the game was that there was no reason given for his absence. Hamilton was again missing from his morning show duties on 680 The Fan and now the picture is slightly clearer as David Dickey, president of 680 The Fan owner Dickey Broadcasting Company has told the paper Hamilton is no longer with the company in any capacity.

In their updated story, the paper quoted Dickey from an email he sent to them saying, “Joe Hamilton is no longer an employee of Dickey Broadcasting Company, and as such, will no longer be heard on (680) The Fan, and/or Georgia Tech radio broadcasts. Our company made the decision to move in a different direction. We all love and respect Joe and wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Former Georgia Tech offensive lineman Sean Bedford filled in on this past weekend’s broadcast with play-by-play announcer Andy Demetra. Bedford previously served as the team’s radio analyst until the 2022 season.

ABC News Offers Feed of Presidential Debate to DirecTV Customers Despite Ongoing Feud

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ABC News Offers Feed of Presidential Debate to DirecTV Customers Despite Ongoing Feud

ABC News is making the Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris available to DirecTV customers despite the ongoing carriage dispute between the two companies.

Currently, The Walt Disney Company and DirecTV are without an agreement to carry content on the satellite provider. The outage is affecting ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel, and other cable channels owned by the company.

However, ABC News has made the debate accessible to DirecTV customers to ensure that as many potential voters as possible view the 90-minute event.

“Although we have yet to reach an agreement, we are providing a three-hour feed of ABC News coverage to all impacted DirecTV customers at no cost because we want all Americans to be able to view tonight’s debate at this important moment in our history,” a statement from The Walt Disney Company read.

The event will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 PM ET.

NAB Show New York Sets News and Sports Panels for October Event

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NAB Show New York Sets News and Sports Panels for October Event

NAB Show New York has set new news and sports panels for its upcoming October event at the Javits Center, as well as an election coverage summit.

The organization revealed five news panels and three sports panels on Tuesday. The news panels include “Improving Trust in Political Coverage”, Safety in Political Reporting”, “Blueprints for a New Local TV News”, Deepfakes, Cheapfakes, “Gen AI in the Election”, and “Station Group Leaders on the State of the Industry”, with hosts like ABC Audio Vice President Liz Alesse and CBS News and Stations President Jennifer Mitchell, among others.

On the sports side, new panels include “Changing the Game — Evolving Broadcast Rights in Sports”, “Beyond the Game: Working with Athletes to Build Media Businesses”, and “The New Playbook: Producing Innovative Sports and News Content”. Those panels will be led by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, Vox Media’s Ray Chao, and Barrett Media’s Jason Barrett.

“Whether you are dealing with the complexities of election coverage or the excitement of live sporting events, NAB Show New York is the platform for discovering new technologies, engaging in crucial conversations, and connecting with industry leaders,” said NAB Global Connections and Events Executive Vice President and Managing Director Karen Chupka. 

The NAB Show New York is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8th through Thursday, October 10th.

Stephen A. Smith: ‘I Expect to Get Paid’

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Stephen A. Smith: ‘I Expect to Get Paid’

Stephen A. Smith, featured commentator and executive producer of First Take and analyst for NBA Countdown on ESPN, is in the midst of contract negotiations with the multimedia company as its weekday programs flourish. Smith re-joined the entity for a second stint in 2011 where he started by hosting radio programs before joining First Take on morning television in the next year. Since that time, he has led the morning program to consistent windfall and is looking at the results to come to an understanding regarding his worth.

Outside of ESPN, Smith started hosting his eponymous video podcast 17 months ago, titled The Stephen A. Smith Show, where he discusses a broad array of topics pertaining to sports, culture and politics. The venture takes place through his production company, recently renamed Straight Shooter to align with the title of his best-selling memoir, which is also in the process of creating other documentaries and content. Throughout his endeavors, Smith ensures that he demonstrates his value to the entities with whom he is in business and continues working hard while increasing his proficiency about the business.

“I expect to get paid, and I’m not apologizing for that to anybody,” Smith said during an interview at the Tuned In event for Front Office Sports. “I’m going to work my tail off. I’m striving to be the best that I can be or put in the hours [to] produce results [to] the best of my ability, and those results are what I’m going to look at to define my worth.”

Smith elucidated that his contract ends in June 2025 and that he has received an offer to stay with the company, which he has subsequently countered. While at the event, he declined to elaborate on the negotiations and outlined that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro is one of the nicest people someone could ever meet in their lives. Yet Smith understands that it is not guaranteed he will remain with The Walt Disney Company subsidiary and could end up moving on, citing the fact that it is business.

“If it comes to a decision where I have to move on, I prepared myself mentally and emotionally to be able to do that,” Smith said. “I don’t want it to come to that because I am very happy at ESPN doing what I do.”

Smith grew up idolizing Howard Cosell, who was a member of the Monday Night Football broadcast team for 13 years, and confirmed that he hopes to follow in his footsteps by contributing to the broadcast property. Although that has not happened at the moment, referencing how ESPN recently premiered the new season of the broadcast property, he aspires to take part in the endeavor. Earlier in the day, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus stated that he could see Smith in that position down the road. 

“It’s something that I want to do because I’ve been blessed and fortunate to be No. 1. Last I checked, the No. 1 sports brand is the NFL. So why shouldn’t the No. 1 guy on the air be a part of the No. 1 property. That’s how I view it, especially since I grew up idolizing Howard Cosell, thinking about him and what he brought to the table in terms of his diction, his cadence, his tenor, his candor, his willingness to tackle issues that most individuals in the industry weren’t willing to tackle at that particular moment in time.”

Throughout his discussion, Smith emphasized that ratings determine revenue and that it is essential people remember the inextricable tie between the two metrics. In fact, he stated that the revenue being generated at First Take is 10 times more than when he first arrived. The principle of creating profits for his bosses is at the forefront of his mind while also expanding his production company through collaborations and new projects. Smith continues to watch the money on a daily basis and aspires to be someone who helps generate profits

“I’m watching because that is what I use to define how rational and reasonable I am in my pursuit of what I want,” Smith said. “If I’m not delivering for them, then guess what? I don’t deserve them delivering for me. You could pay me a boatload of money now. If my numbers slip or dip, when my contract is up years from now, you don’t have to fire me. You can come to me and say, ‘You deserve less,’ and I’m going to take less because the results show I deserve less, but if I deserve more, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to ask for more.”

‘The Big 98’ Nashville Is Looking For Country’s Next Star

BMM Staff
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‘The Big 98’ Nashville Is Looking For Country’s Next Star

iHeartMedia’s Country WSIX (The Big 98)/Nashville wants to give someone their big break in the music industry.

‘The Big 98 Big Break’ is a chance for listeners to grab industry attention by submitting a 60-second performance on Instagram Reels.

The winner will appear on “The Bobby Bones Show,” have a one-on-one interview with an industry record executive, and will be given the chance to perform on Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry stage in front of their friends, family, and Opry staff.

Submissions will be accepted now through October 5.

Loud Media Brings ‘Lake-FM’ To Upstate New York

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Loud Media Brings ‘Lake-FM’ To Upstate New York

Loud Media has consolidated Classic Hits WSSV (Star Radio 93.3) 1160 Mechanicville/ and translator 93.3 W227DW/Saratoga Springs and Variety Hits WLGR (93.5 Lake George Radio)/Warrensburg/Glens Falls, NY into a single Classic Hits brand called “Lake-FM“

Ricki Lee Loud Media CEO, said, “We own several radio stations in the area, and we wanted to serve our communities and our clients better. So, we’ve decided to rebrand all of our radio stations under a singular brand. This allows us to have a consistent sound playing the greatest hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and to broadcast more locally-produced radio shows and content.”

Both stations’ on-air lineups include Walt Adams in the morning, Rick Foxx middays, and Marissa in the afternoons. Both stations run the same music logs.

Listen to Lake-FM here.

Dave Portnoy Tells ‘Stoolies’ to ‘Zone In’ on 670 The Score Host Dan Bernstein After Confrontation with ‘Barstool Eddie’

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Dave Portnoy Tells ‘Stoolies’ to ‘Zone In’ on 670 The Score Host Dan Bernstein After Confrontation with ‘Barstool Eddie’

A reaction from 670 The Score host Dan Bernstein has drawn the ire of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, with “El Presidente” calling for fans of the brand to jam the phone lines of the Audacy Chicago sports talk station.

The station welcomed Barstool Eddie, a personality from the digital brand, to host the afternoon drive show alongside Matt Spiegel. In the discussion, it appears as if Eddie asks “Are you a horoscope guy, Bernstein?”

In response, Bernstein said “You can call me Dan, or you can call me Bernsy, but you don’t know me like that,” which the Barstool employee chuckled at.

After the interview, it appears as if host Laurence Holmes asks Dan Bernstein “What did he call you?”. As Bernstein replied with his last name, he made an angry face.

Dave Portnoy published a video of the interaction on X, saying “Stoolies have never had a more important war than to ruin this guys life (professional speaking of course),” using an expletive in the process.

Barstool Eddie took to social media to “provide some context” to the situation Tuesday.

“My interaction with (Bernstein) was a small, five to six-minute period, during the transition,” Eddie said. “Dan Bernstein has been a mainstay on Chicago sports radio since I can remember. I’m 33, I think the station’s been around since the early 90s, and he’s been there for a long, long time. He hosted a pretty popular afternoon show, but, as of late, he’s turned into a pretty miserable (expletive). Just a miserable, miserable man who is always grumpy. He’s always in a bad mood. On top of that, he despises Barstool. He’s hated Barstool for 11 years. He’s never liked us in that period … So, needless to say, I wondered how this was gonna go.

“The important context was I was not in the same studio as Bernstein. I was at a remote. I couldn’t see him at all, so there was no reading of the body language. There was none of that. But when I heard it, I obviously had a good idea and a hunch that he wasn’t happy. That’s why I chuckled and just gave him the ‘Got it.’ I called him Bernstein probably seven more times throughout the show … I expected nothing else. I didn’t say that to get a rise out of him. Who in their right mind would think that saying someone’s last name would piss someone off? I honestly don’t understand it. I could have said anything and Bernstein was going to look at the opportunity to pounce on top of me. That’s all there is to it.”

It does not appear as if Dan Bernstein or anyone at 670 The Score has commented on the situation yet.

Dave Portnoy has also now posted a video to social media where he says, in part, to Bernstein, “You created an enemy for life, for life. I don’t even care if Eddie was insulted, I’m fu***** insulted. So now, Stoolies, you have my permission…on a professional level, you can harass the fu** out of this guy until his dying breath. He deserves, wherever he does a live feed, wherever he’s on the radio, people calling, harassing, calling him Bernstein, pranking him, he’s out doing a live show, harassing, prank him, call him Bernstein, he shouldn’t be able to sleep, professionally speaking, the rest of his life. Fu** this guy.”

During today’s episode of The Yak, Barstool Big Cat and the crew talked more about what happened, gave some background and also had Barstool Eddie on as he gave his perspective.

“Dan Bernstein’s a radio host here in Chicago at 670 The Score. He’s been around forever. He did a very popular drive time show, Boers & Bernstein, for a very long time. He now does mid-days…He was talented. He became just kind of like a curmudgeon, woke, like brain-broken guy…kind of like Olbermann. Always hated Barstool.

“This guy has always hated us. Hated us. He’s just a loser…Eddie called Dan Bernstein by his last name, which, again, that’s the name of his show. The name of his show is Bernstein & Holmes. The name of his previous show was Boers & Bernstein. That’s his name. Eddie called him his name and he got very upset.

After playing the clip of the incident and now with Barstool Eddie joining them, he explained he was doing the show remotely and could not see the facial expression Bernstein made to know if he was really upset. Once he figured out, he was mad about being called his last name, Eddie believed it was all just about Bernstein not being a fan of Barstool.

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