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Radio Must ‘Think Different’ About Branding

Bob Lawrence
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Radio Must ‘Think Different’ About Branding

One of the biggest challenges facing radio is without a doubt, the need to redefine our brands. What is our promise? So many managers tend to confuse product and brand. They really are not interchangeable. For example, “The Best Variety” is not a true brand position. I learned a long time ago that a brand has to be unique and contestable. In other words, no one else does it and in fact, would not everyone say, “We also play the best music,” and would anyone else ever agree that, “We do not play the best music?”

Before defining your own brand it is important to know the difference between your product and brand. If you’re a sports station, what are the unique qualities that you have over your sports competitors? What can you say that they cannot? Both products offer sports content, but your brand must be yours and only yours.

I first heard the best definition of a “brand” about fifteen years ago from researcher and podcaster, Mark Ramsey. “A brand is a promise, based on a relationship, wrapped inside some addictive experience.” It’s a must-have proposition that makes someone experience the ultimate FOMO (fear of missing out.) I remember standing in line for hours waiting for the new iPhone the day it was released. One year I actually paid a teenager $200 to stand in line for me until I could get there. Colleagues in my office used to say that Steve Jobs could sneeze into my hand and I would buy it. They were probably right.

The truth is, a great brand possesses that feeling of “must-have.” Jobs said it best when he referred to Apple’s brand as, “Social Currency.” The relationship with me as a consumer, and the promise Apple made based on that relationship created a near-ridiculously, addictive experience for me when in fact, the next model didn’t differ all that much from the phone I already had. But I HAD to have it – regardless of the cost.

How many programmers and managers think this way when creating the listener experience, or creating marketing strategies for our clients? Just think about how many radio stations use the same positioners as hundreds of others. I am so excited to be working for a company who has teams that understand this goal and work to create unique brand positions.

When we think of strong brands, there is a great way to do a self-check by looking at the most successful brands in the world. If I said, “Coffee Shop”, what would most people say? In the USA, most would answer, “Starbucks”. If I then said, “Online Shopping” virtually everyone would say, “Amazon.” A great brand can just as often be a person. If said, “Movie Director” the largest percentage of people would answer, “Steven Spielberg.” Why is the mobile phone industry controlled by Apple and Samsung? Users of both swear by them and to get them to switch is a virtual impossibility. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have that same issue with your radio station? It’s possible! Just think like Steve Jobs, or Jeff Bezos and to use an old Apple marketing phrase – “Think Different!”

Seller to Seller: Lee Davis, Audacy

Dave Greene
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Seller to Seller: Lee Davis, Audacy

Lee Davis has seen a thing or two happen in sports radio in his time. Davis, who currently serves as Audacy’s Senior Vice President, Sports Monetization, was almost there from the beginning of the format. Davis spent 15 years at legendary New York sports station WFAN from 1990-2005, joining just a few years after the station and format launched.

“I started [at WFAN] in 1990. So, the station had a little momentum. And then, the station just took off. It was a phenomenal product. And it was an incredible run to see that and the legacy that that station brought.

As for the format itself, Davis said, “It was a slow build. And then you just saw Philadelphia come into it and in Chicago. And at that point, you saw some network, ESPN get into it. And I just had a feeling that this was going to be an explosion because of everything that sports radio brings, whether it’s that one-on-one connection, the passion for the product, the personalities, all of those things made it really special. The fact that you could at the same time be talking to somebody who is driving a cab to the CEO who’s in the back of the cab going to a big meeting. The common denominator was sports and still is sports through all of the different demographics. People love it.”

After more than 30 years in the business and spending his first five years with Audacy running their Traffic, Weather, Information, News (TWIN), Davis was named to his current position in June 2023.

When asked to describe the position, Davis said, “We have several different roles here at the company that fall under the umbrella of the sports monetization team. And when I think about what our key objectives are at Audacy, we’ve taken the approach that since sports is local and we’ve got the best local sports radio stations in the country, how do we protect that and still have the opportunity to offer scale to our advertisers.

Davis said a big part of his position is taking ideas from one market or station and seeing how that could be done in other markets, regionally or nationally. The company oversees the Infinity Sports Network, the BetQL Network and has 40 all-sports radio stations and affiliates.

Davis explained, “How do we take all of this great content that we have and find best practices that we can share among each other? How do we unify our approach? How do we take some things that we might be doing in a market and scale it into other markets? Or conversely, can we generate ideas that are uniform enough that we can run them through all of our markets and still keep a local flavor to it? Those are some of our responsibilities. And we also work very closely, on a daily basis with our sports betting partners ensuring their success s they utilize our brands. So really with regards to all things sports, we are the thread between the entire company.”

Davis is charged with bringing all of the sports minds in the company together and talking through successes and things they may all be working on or trying to improve upon.

“We’ve got great sales leads in our markets overseeing our sports brands,” Davis said. “And  what I do is make sure that we’re all talking what we’re doing in our markets or how are we overcoming challenges. Or is there a target that we want to go after either on a national or a network piece of business? How are we continuing to have those conversations and make sure that we’re spreading our knowledge throughout all of our markets and not staying in silos?”

When talking about the state of sports content and monetization, Davis pointed to the recent media rights conversations around professional and college sports, the amount of money being put into sports facilities and the amount of conversation people have that involves their teams. Davis believes sports talk radio is a big factor in all of it.

“I think sports is on quite a roll,” Davis said. “It’s really incredible. I was thinking about this the other day. I could make the argument that sports talk radio has been the fuel behind the economic growth of sports in all aspects. Because you think about when sports radio started back in 1987 on WFAN, when you think about where the sports ecosystem is now versus where it was then, what’s the difference? And really, there’s 24/7 sports talk now in every single market. And that has fueled interest in sports, where a game might be three hours, but for radio stations, we spend 21 hours talking about the game that just happened or the game that’s coming up. So, the promotional value that we give to sports and sports talk is incredible.”

On the television side, with leagues using more and more different partners and streamers getting in the mix as well, Davis sees this as an opportunity for audio. “It’s become very confusing for people who want to watch, and it will become more confusing for people who want to watch a game on TV. And, with cord-cutting, there’s no cord-cutting in audio. And it’s still free.”

“With audio, I don’t have to worry that on Thursday nights it’s on a different station, or I have to go to Apple, or I have to subscribe to something different. It’s completely different when it comes to audio. And I think that ease of use will make things better. And if it’s better for us and the listener experience, it’s better for advertisers.”

Davis said one of the biggest shifts since he started out in sports radio is the way the user consumes the product.

“It’s flipped a lot where the media company was in control, and we told you when you have to listen and or watch and how you have to listen and watch. But now the consumer’s in control. And the smarter media companies have made that adjustment.”

Sports wagering and fantasy sports have added a completely different wrinkle into sports radio programming. Not only is it more acceptable to talk wagering on the air, but you also have various outlets dedicated specifically to the craft. This includes BetQL Network which provides a mix of wagering talk along with sports entertainment, or as Davis calls it, “wagertainment.”

“We’ve seen nice steady growth in terms of distribution of BetQL,” Davis said. “It started out just on the Audacy stations and we’ve expanded that now, not just in audio, but video as well with Twitch and with Stadium. And we’re talking to some other partners as well. So, it’s been really, really nice growth with BetQL.”

No matter what the sports product is, a company has to have a strong staff of people willing to go out and sell it. For Davis, he says he advises younger sellers about the most basic part of the job, making the calls.

“First and foremost, you’ve got to make the calls because without doing that you put yourself at a disadvantage. And by that, I mean, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call a client no matter how big they are, because it’s few and far between that you can’t find somebody that is interested in sports. People realize now in all aspects; the power of sports and sports is the great door opener. People are always excited to talk about sports. And if you’re in the sports world, whether it’s on the periphery as a salesperson, or you work for a team, pick up the phone and call somebody and talk sports.

“Here in New York, somebody calls and says they’re from WFAN, that WFAN brand in New York is as well-known as any other sports brand in New York City. And, in San Francisco, The Game is as well-known as any other sports brand in that marketplace. And in Chicago, the Score is as well-known as any other sports brand in that market, if not more.”

Davis is very bullish on the future of sports audio. He believes sports and sports talk is a format built for people on the go who want to hear about their teams but want to do so when it works for their schedule, however they want to consume it.

“With all of the great content that we have now, either on demand through a podcast or the ability to listen to streaming on my phone or at my home through a smart speaker, or the traditional way of popping my radio on, the fact that sports radio and sports audio is there for consumers on demand, whenever they want, wherever they want. I am so stoked about that and the potential for audio and sports audio.

“And again, I’ll go back and make the argument that sports talk is what’s fueled this boom in sports, whether it’s media rights, whether it’s sports betting, whether it’s fantasy, whether it’s games, football games on Monday night and Thursday night and Sunday night. I believe it’s all because of the power of sports talk radio.”

Facebook Is Officially A Dead Platform for the News Industry

Garrett Searight
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Facebook Is Officially A Dead Platform for the News Industry

If you were unaware, former President Donald Trump was shot at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday evening. You couldn’t avoid the news on radio, TV, digital media, or social media. Except for Facebook. They didn’t want you to know about the situation.

For much of the past few years, experts have said Facebook is getting out of the news game. That couldn’t have been more abundantly clear than this past weekend.

For better or worse, many people go to social media — whether it be X, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook — for their news. Obviously, there are issues with that, but in an “everything’s at your fingertips” world, it’s simple to open up and app and believe you’re informed.

But not on Facebook Saturday. If you’re in the news industry, or work in social for a media entity, you can go ahead and close up shop on posting things to Facebook. Because it’s a gigantic waste of your time.

As the events unfolded, I couldn’t help but be briefed on the latest happenings from Butler, Pennsylvania on the Elon Musk-owned X. Now, the validity of some of those reports — from major brands that should make the mistakes that were made — were dubious. But the updates were instantaneous and fed my need for up-to-the-second information as much as TV networks streaming on YouTube did.

But on Facebook? Mark Zuckerberg’s app would like you to believe everything is sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns in Facebookland.

This isn’t an exaggeration: I saw more posts in my newsfeed about a Southwest Minnesota high school student who made her high school prom dress out of duct tape than I did about what transpired in Butler, PA Saturday evening.

Thousands of news organizations, literally, published links, videos, photos, and text updates about what was happening at the Trump rally. I, and millions of others, never saw them.

It’s now been several days and I’ve yet to see a news story on the notoriously slow-to-deliver-posts Facebook newsfeed. As you might imagine, I follow dozens, maybe even 100, news/talk radio stations and TV networks on the app.

I understand the platform’s insistence that it does not want to be in the news game any longer. After receiving heavy backlash for its role in the elections of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, it’s much easier to just completely punt on that arena than continue to let it affect your stock price.

So, my criticism isn’t necessarily aimed toward the Zuckerberg-founded app. Although, I would think in a situation like Saturday — a former President and current Republican presidential nominee being shot — should warrant some sort of notification at the top of the app or website, but that’s not necessarily for me to decide.

My point of contention is with the news industry. With what I’ve just told you (I’m a heavy news consumer who follows multiple brands), why would you continue to post on the platform? I understand the idea of meeting your listeners where they are. And for news outlets, the aging Facebook demographic is your target audience. But if your message isn’t being delivered, why continue to try to bust the algorithm?

Accept the defeat. Realize that you’re not wanted. Put your efforts elsewhere. Because right now? Posting on Facebook is futile.

Don’t just take my word for it. Take the word of social media experts who say both Facebook and Instagram are purposely keeping political content away from your feeds. The app does not want your content on its platform. The news industry is essentially Forest Gump staring at his classmates on the first day of school as he walks down the aisle of the school bus, while Facebook repeatedly says “seat’s taken,” until you get the message.

Personally, I find the platform to be virtually unusable. I believe the record if 18 consecutive posts put in my feed of either advertisements or posts for pages, groups, or people I do not follow placed in my news feed.

And very rarely, if ever, are they from the dozens of news outlets I follow.

While Facebook isn’t the only culprit of limiting the reach of publishers big and small (looking at you, Google), it’s likely the most accessible one for news organizations to rectify. Facebook should be treated like MySpace, Google+, Threads, Vine, or YikYak: dead. It is a dead platform for the news industry. And until it changes its ways, I don’t see any reason to keep chopping away at the Redwood-sized algorithm that you’ll never cut down.

Get to Know Rudy Ortiz from 102.9, KBLX

BMM Staff
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Get to Know Rudy Ortiz from 102.9, KBLX

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Rudy Ortiz is an on-air personality for 102.9 KBLX/San Francisco in the morning. As a top-five station in the market, 102.9 KBLX The Best Throwbacks & R&B begins their weekdays with Freska & Ortiz from 6-9 am.

Before entering the radio industry, Ortiz was a full-time stand-up comic. He was doing a gig when he was approached with an opportunity that would change his life forever.

“I’ve been doing stand-up comedy for about 15 years now. About 10 years ago, I was doing a gig over at a comedy club in the Bay Area, and I met Jason Barrett’s girlfriend there. She thought that he (Jason) might be interested in my work. At the time, I did a lot of sports jokes. I ended up meeting him and realized we had already met each other a couple of times. He asked me if I’d be interested in doing a weekend sports talk show, and the rest is history,” says Ortiz.

Ortiz credits Barrett for helping him get his start in the radio business and is very appreciative of the opportunity to be himself early on. Little did Ortiz know that he would co-host one of the best morning radio shows in the country one day. The transition from stand-up comedy to radio could be a difficult process for many, as they are two very different worlds. Not for a pro like Ortiz:

“They’re not really the same exact thing, but there are some similarities. So, there are skills that you get in stand-up comedy that you can apply to radio, and that’s pretty much what I did. I saw those skills that I was using in stand-up, and I just applied them to radio, and one does help the other one out. I will admit, a lot of times, you get stand-up comics that go into the studio, and they think that it’s the same thing, but there are some big differences between the two. So, you do have to learn how to play both. I had to learn how to be a radio guy after doing stand-up comedy for a while,” adds Ortiz.

As many of us know, working in radio requires a great deal of passion. If you’re not passionate about what you’re putting on air, then that energy will reflect to the listeners. Especially when it comes to being on music radio today, listeners will either quickly turn the channel or connect their phones and stream their music. For Ortiz, being on the radio has been a blessing in disguise. I was curious to learn about what he enjoys the most about being on the radio.

“Well, there is a level of intimacy when you’re speaking to the audience on the radio. I mean, you’re talking to a broad audience, you’re talking to thousands of people at a time, but you really do try to reduce it to talking to one person. And I’ve always felt like that was one of the big keys. You try to make it seem more intimate. There is a level of intimacy on radio that you don’t necessarily see in stand-up comedy. It has its own kind of lane also because you can’t talk about all the things that you talk about on the radio or on stage. You can’t talk about all those things on the radio. There are some parameters in the radio world that don’t exist in the standup comedy world, thankfully,” answers Ortiz.

While, for the most part, it was a seamless transition from stand-up comedy to radio, I was curious to know about any trials or tribulations. The radio industry is quite different today than it was 10-15 years ago. Especially, with Ortiz’ busy schedule balancing both a top-notch morning show on KBLX, and his career in stand-up.

“I’m a morning guy. All I’ve ever done is morning radio. So, standup comedy happens at night, so you end up burning the candle on both ends. You’ve got to learn how to get those naps in the middle of the day. My biggest challenge is just finding a place in my day to rest because usually, radio shows in the morning, morning talk shows start around five or 6:00 AM, and comedy shows start at 9:00 or 10:00 PM. So, if you’ve got shows during the week, (which I do many times), you just got to figure out a way to, as they say, thug it out. That’s what I’ve been doing for a while. The naps come in handy. You learn along the way how to balance it out,” replies Ortiz.

Since KBLX is one of the best Urban AC stations in their respective market, I was excited to get a peek behind the curtain. During my time as a Program Director for an Urban AC station in South Bend, I had my great deal of challenges. It really comes down to the decision to dip into the new R&B/hip-hop music of today to try and lure in a younger audience or stick to the old school. As a station, KBLX sticks to what the Bay Area loves, old school Tupac, Snoop Dogg, TLC, Usher, and all the old school R&B/hip-hop artists. Staying true to playing The Best Throwbacks and R&B.

Typically, in the Urban AC market today, most morning shows are syndicated. Many feature The Steve Harvey Morning Show. It was refreshing to learn more about an urban station that features live on-air personalities in the morning.

“The one thing that I love about KBLX in San Francisco is that we really do focus on having that Bay Area local flavor. You tune into some of these other stations, and many of them are syndicated. You just don’t feel like the person that you’re listening to is local or knows anything about the freeway that you’re driving on or the traffic jams that you’re about to encounter or whatever’s going on in your city that weekend. I appreciate that KBLX has always stayed true to that, and we remain the station that tries to be about the Bay Area. It gives me an opportunity to tap into people who are interested in what’s going on in their backyard as opposed to tuning in to a show that’s being recorded in Texas but being played in California. KBLX has done a great job of not doing that. We always remain local with people on-air that are from the Bay Area and know the Bay Area well,” adds Ortiz.

They’re also a very busy station around this time. KBLX does a Feed The Bay food drive where tey collect non-perishable food and monetary donations for those in need throughout their community. You can donate here:

In addition to his radio duties, Ortiz still does his fair share of comedy shows. His personality is infectious, providing numerous laughs throughout our interview. Rudy is headlining at Laughs Unlimited in Sacramento on August 23rd and 24th. Be sure to check out his website, rudyortiz.com, to get more information. You can also follow Rudy on Instagram @ItsRudyOrtiz.

Radio One/Reach Media CEO David Kantor to Retire Later This Year

BNM Staff
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Radio One/Reach Media CEO David Kantor to Retire Later This Year

Radio One and Reach Media CEO, David Kantor, is retiring at the end of the year. Radio Ink broke the news late Tuesday afternoon. Kantor’s influential career began in local radio research, programming, and sales. He has been with Urban One since 2004, and oversees 57 stations across 13 markets. Reach Media’s syndicated programs are also under his watchful eye.

Transition plans are currently underway. Urban One’s Chief Revenue Officer Josh Rahmani has filled Kantor’s spot on the RAB Board. The company has not though made an announcement regarding Kantor’s retirement or its succession plans.

Kantor’s impact on the radio industry spans decades, starting with his work in local radio research, programming, and sales. He then landed executive roles at Cox Cable and Satellite Music Network before becoming President of ABC Radio Networks in the 1990s. Kantor played a key role at ABC Radio, launching the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Radio Disney, and ESPN Radio. He also helped establish new content services and advertising networks.

In 1996, Kantor served as Senior Vice President for Network Operations at AMFM Inc., launching a premium radio network that would be acquired by Clear Channel in 2000. Then in 2003, he co-founded Reach Media with Tom Joyner. Urban One acquired the company the following year. As President and CEO of Reach Media, Kantor expanded the division to include 312 affiliate stations in 94 markets, covering 94% of the US African American population.

Kantor became CEO of Radio One in October 2015. He oversaw expansion for the company through major acquisitions of Cox Media Group’s Houston cluster, Audacy’s Charlotte operation, and the Indianapolis brands previously owned by Emmis Communications. All three markets have performed well for the company since being acquired.

His illustrious career has included recognition as one of the Most Powerful People In Radio by Radio Ink. Kantor leaves behind a legacy that includes consistently leading organizations to profitability through product development and pursuing attractive opportunities.

Key Networks Rolls Out “The Mix Factory – Top 40”

BMM Staff
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Key Networks Rolls Out “The Mix Factory – Top 40”

Key Networks has joined forces with Oceanic Tradewinds to introduce “The Mix Factory, – Top 40” a new mix show. This four-hour show features un-hosted segments and 44 minutes of carefully curated music per hour. Listeners can expect seamless beat-mixing highlighting the most memorable parts of each thoroughly researched song.

Louie Diaz, Program Director, WWWQ (Q99.7)/Atlanta, said: “The Mix Factory – Top 40” is a feel-good Mix show great for PPM and diary markets. “The Mix Factory – Top 40” takes the biggest Top 40 hits and remixes some of the hit songs while keeping the integrity of the song intact. The four-hour Mix show also features “Music Factory Flashback” party songs in each segment.”

For information here. Or reach out to Key Network’s Dennis Green.

Brett Kane: ‘There Are Few Things Funnier in This Job Than Cutting Off’ Callers

BSM Staff
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Brett Kane: ‘There Are Few Things Funnier in This Job Than Cutting Off’ Callers

Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 morning show Moser, Lombardi, and Kane had an unruly phone caller Tuesday morning, that eventually the show hung up on. Brett Kane couldn’t contain his excitement for the situation.

Originally, the show joked that they had been ghosted by several guests during the show, and that no one wanted to appear on the program. When a caller phoned into the program, he eventually was dropped by the show, which led Kane to share his sentiments.

“I’m telling you there’s few things in this job that is funnier to me than just cutting somebody off like that, like just axing them out,” he said with a chuckle before noting that his excitement doesn’t stop at phone callers. He added that he enjoys doing the exact same thing to his co-host Marc Moser, TV voice of the Colorado Avalanche, when he is on the road with the club.

“You know when Moser has to leave early to jump on an Avs flight and he calls in because we’re talking about something that he wants to yell about? When we pot him down and then the thought of you screaming in your car to nobody except yourself is really funny to me,” Brett Kane continued. “The straight cut off? Those are good.”

After the discussion, Vic Lombardi lobbied for the caller to return to air, protesting in jest that he was hung up on to begin with.

Kevin Burkhardt Tells Mike Salk: Getting to Know Tom Brady Much Easier Than You’d Imagine

BSM Staff
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Kevin Burkhardt Tells Mike Salk: Getting to Know Tom Brady Much Easier Than You’d Imagine

Tom Brady moving into the top NFL on FOX broadcast booth will be one of the biggest sports media stories of 2024. His partner, Kevin Burkhardt, told Seattle Sports 710 morning host Mike Salk the preparations are going well.

While discussing his role in the MLB All-Star Game broadcast, Burkhardt was asked about how learning the idiosyncracies of Brady was going, when he revealed that the two have been practicing regularly.

“Part of it is just getting to know each other. I’ve known Tom just from doing his games and having production meetings with him, but I didn’t know him know him until this year,” Burkhardt said.

When Salk asked what getting to know “arguably the greatest athlete any of us have ever seen” was like, the NFL on FOX lead play-by-play voice had a simple response.

“It’s as simple as if I were getting to know you a little bit better. We go to dinner, we go play golf, and just shoot the breeze about whatever. You can build trust that way. We have open conversations … because that’s kind of the whole part of it, is building trust and getting into his brain a little bit. Which, as you can imagine, is pretty vast when it comes to football knowledge. It’s unbelievable asking him football questions and hearing his answer. I think that’s going to be the cool thing on the air … It’s been fun just getting to know who he is and what makes him tick.”

FOX has made the decision to not place Tom Brady on a national broadcast during its preseason package, so the first time he and Burkhardt will work together will be for the week one broadcast between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns in the 4:05 PM ET window.

Pat McAfee: Top 100 Athletes List ‘Is the Epitome of Everything That Everybody Hates About ESPN’

BSM Staff
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Earlier in the week, ESPN began revealing its rankings of the Top 100 Athletes of the 21st Century, which accounts for athletic accomplishments since Jan. 1, 2000. A panel of experts and the ESPN Stats and Information Group ranked the top 100 athletes across all sports, eliciting over 75,000 votes from ESPN reporters, analysts, producers, editors and worldwide experts. The methodology condensed a list of 400 athletes to 100, and the company is revealing a quarter of the list every day through Thursday. The topic of the list came up today on The Pat McAfee Show.

McAfee previewed that ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky would be appearing on the program. McAfee described Orlovsky as someone who has “been on ESPN all morning having the exact same conversation for the past three shows,” and proceeded to say that they would probably “cook him and ESPN as a whole for a lot of the sh** they’ve been putting out from ESPN’s people.” The sharp criticisms of the network continued through McAfee’s opening monologue that spoke about the ranking venture.

“Now there is a Top 100 list that is coming out from ESPN people, and I’ll tell you what,” McAfee said. “It is the epitome of everything that everybody hates about ESPN. What they chose to do in ranking the Top 100 athletes of the 21st century – they only gave us [51] to 100 yesterday. What a sh*t show – what an absolute terrible list, and we’ll blame Dan Orlovsky for that.”

Once McAfee had Orlovsky on the show as his first guest, he began to presume that the current moment was when Orlovsky would commence the “Dan Wagon” and highlight 7-8 different quarterbacks in the NFL. From there, McAfee felt that in November, Orlovsky would go back and reference what he said prior to the season to demonstrate if he was correct or wrong about his predictions.

McAfee then referenced another list of the Top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL that was compiled by ESPN through votes from executives, scouts and coaches. The list was a topic of discussion across both Get Up! and First Take on Tuesday morning, and Orlovsky appeared on both programs to provide his sentiments and opinions towards the outline.

“I’ve seen you get very heated,” McAfee said to Orlovsky. “I didn’t hear everything you said, but I saw your eyes get real big with what everybody else has said.”

Orlovsky replied that for the last couple of years, he has been trying to expand the quarterback conversation to include the top eight or 14 such players at the position because of the talent and skill within the NFL. The conversation then continued, with McAfee explaining that he wanted to do “the bigger conversation” in order to “actually try to change sports media here.” McAfee returned on the air for his show on Monday after taking a two-week hiatus due to coverage of the Wimbledon Championships on ESPN.

NFL Comms Specialist AY Productions Expands Partnership with CrewCom Wireless Intercom System

BNM Staff
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NFL Comms Specialist AY Productions Expands Partnership with CrewCom Wireless Intercom System

AY Productions, a specialist in audio and intercoms with clients in network TV and sports, expands its partnership with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom Wireless Intercom System.

The partnership comes with an expanded inventory including 42 CrewCom CRP-44 Radio Packs (RPs) several CrewCom Radio Transceivers (RT), Control Units (CU) and SmartBoom headsets from Pliant Technologies. This allows AY Productions to service major network productions such as the NFL’s AFC Championships, the Super Bowl and the Combine. 

AY Productions Audio Engineer Sean Weathersby says the company aims to be a “one-stop shop for coms” and with the expanded inventory can service a range of high-profile clients. 

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