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Bengals Announce Major Upgrades and Enhancements for Paycor Stadium

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Bengals Announce Major Upgrades and Enhancements for Paycor Stadium

The Cincinnati Bengals have unveiled comprehensive plans to upgrade Paycor Stadium, solidifying its status as a premier venue for sports and entertainment. This strategic development is part of a broader effort to enhance the fan experience and maintain the stadium’s competitive edge in the NFL landscape.

Spanning a three-year timeline, these upgrades are a testament to the Bengals’ commitment to their fans and the city’s vibrant riverfront district.

Investment in Paycor Stadium: Financial Commitment

In May, during the NFL’s Spring meeting held in Nashville, NFL owners greenlit the Bengals’ proposal to invest between $100 million and $120 million in Paycor Stadium. This significant financial commitment is aimed at enhancing various fan-facing elements of the stadium, ensuring that Paycor remains a top-tier venue for both sports and entertainment events.

“The Bengals are continuing to invest in our future here in Cincinnati,” Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn said. “We are lucky to have a great stadium and we are proud to invest in this great asset to help make it a best-in-class facility. We love our fans and can think of no better way to celebrate our 25th season in Paycor Stadium than to announce these major improvements that will make the gameday experience even better.”

Previous Upgrades: Earlier Improvements

Prior to the latest financial infusion, the Bengals had already invested $40 million in upgrades, with a vision of completing these enhancements by 2026. These improvements are integral to the Bengals’ long-term strategy to anchor a sprawling riverfront development and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the stadium in style.

Renovation Plans: Upcoming Enhancements

The approved funding will facilitate a series of renovations targeted at elevating the overall fan experience. Plans include upgrading suites and club lounges, enhancing concession stands, and overhauling the stadium’s video and audio systems. Additionally, beautification projects are on the agenda to further enhance the aesthetic appeal of the venue.

Completed and Ongoing Projects: Current Enhancements

Paycor Stadium has already seen the completion of several projects, such as the IEL Indoor Facility and a new locker room. The training room has been expanded and modernized, and new ribbon videoboards have been installed. These upgrades complement the ongoing improvements to the concessions and the Bengals Pro Shop.

Stadium as a Community Touchstone: Multifunctional Venue

Since its inception, Paycor Stadium has served as a durable community touchstone. Beyond hosting NFL games, the venue has been the site for a myriad of events, from concerts and religious missions to community gatherings like high school proms and weddings. The stadium’s versatility has made it a central hub for cultural and social activities in Cincinnati.

“We are lucky to have a great stadium that offers one of the best gameday experiences in the NFL,” Blackburn said. “We are doing our part to give Cincinnati a best-in-class facility and keep this facility competitive at the highest level.”

Photo Credit: Paycor Stadium on X

Historical Significance and Longevity: Architectural Resilience

Despite being a year younger than the Titans’ former stadium, Paycor has demonstrated remarkable durability and adaptability. Its design and infrastructure have supported a wide range of events, showcasing its capacity to serve multiple generations of sports fans and cultural enthusiasts.

Iconic Moments at Paycor Stadium

Paycor Stadium has been the backdrop for numerous historic moments, including NFL records such as Corey Dillon’s memorable rushing record set in 2000 and Sam Hubbard’s record-setting 98-yard fumble return in 2023. These events have not only enhanced the stadium’s legacy but also its emotional value to fans and the community.

Support for Local and National Events: Broader Impact

The stadium regularly hosts significant local and national events, including the largest urban music festival in the country. It has also welcomed high school and college football games and international soccer matches, demonstrating its importance as a sports and cultural venue.

NFL and Local Economy

By continually upgrading Paycor Stadium, the Bengals not only enhance the fan experience but also contribute significantly to the local economy. The stadium’s evolution stimulates economic activity, supports local businesses, and promotes tourism in Cincinnati.

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Closing Thoughts

As the Cincinnati Bengals push forward with the extensive renovations to Paycor Stadium, the upcoming seasons promise an enhanced experience not just for Bengals fans but for the entire community. With the planned upgrades set to unfold, the stadium is poised to offer new and improved amenities that will redefine spectator engagement.

This progress is not just about maintaining a legacy; it’s about setting the stage for future events that will continue to spotlight Cincinnati as a key cultural and sports hub. Keep an eye on how these developments translate into an enriched Bengals game-day experience and broader community participation.

MLB at Rickwood Field Game Averages 2.346 Million Viewers on FOX

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MLB at Rickwood Field Game Averages 2.346 Million Viewers on FOX

The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals played from Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday night, marking the first time that the ballpark hosted a regular-season Major League Baseball game. The historic event paid tribute to the Negro Leagues and the life of Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays, who passed away peacefully on Tuesday at the age of 93. FOX Sports broadcast the game and attained its best performance for a Thursday night MLB regular season telecast since September 2022, averaging 2.346 million viewers for the event. Viewership data for the game is provided by Nielsen Media Research and Adobe Analytics.

The telecast of the game peaked with 2.559 million viewers in the quarter-hour spanning from 8:45 to 9 p.m. EST. Compared to last year’s regular season average for MLB telecasts on FOX, the contest was up 25%. Thursday night games on FOX averaged 1.665 million viewers last year, rendering the game from Rickwood Field an increase of 41%. The San Francisco, Calif. designated market area posted a 3.9 rating and 18 share for the game, the best for an MLB telecast on any network in the 2024 season in the area. Additionally, the St. Louis, Mo. designated market area had a 9.4 rating and 29 share for the game, also its best performance for an MLB telecast on any network amid the current season.

The broadcast of the game on FOX Sports featured play-by-play announcer Joe Davis, analyst John Smoltz and reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci. During the FOX MLB pregame show, various special guests joined host Kevin Burkhardt and analysts Álex Rodríguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, including Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. Within the game, Rosenthal interviewed former Birmingham Black Barons pitcher Rev. Bill Greason, along with former Indianapolis Clowns second baseman Reggie Howard. FOX Sports broadcast half an inning of the game in black and white as well, replicating how baseball telecasts looked in 1954.

FOX Sports is currently in the third year of its seven-year media rights deal with Major League Baseball and will broadcast the MLB All-Star Game next month from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The network will also present the World Series for the 25th consecutive year this October featuring the American League and National League Champions.

Dan Woike: ‘I Can’t Imagine’ JJ Redick and LeBron James Podcast Will Continue

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Following the conclusion of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, JJ Redick has reportedly agreed to a contract to serve as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Redick, who recently broadcast the best-of-seven series for ESPN on ABC with play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, analyst Doris Burke and reporter Lisa Salters, is reportedly in the process of compiling his coaching staff for his first season leading the Lakers. Although Redick does not have any NBA coaching experience, he played 15 seasons in the league with six teams and has been an analyst for ESPN over parts of the last four years. Outside of his work with ESPN, Redick also built his ThreeFourTwo Productions company and co-hosted The Old Man and the Three podcast.

This past March, Redick launched a new podcast with Lakers forward and four-time NBA champion LeBron James titled Mind the Game. Episodes of the show contained nuanced basketball discussions that some people feel gave Redick an inherent edge in the head coaching search. Dan Patrick recently had Dan Woike, Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, on his program, the Dan Patrick Show, and asked about the future of the podcast with James.

“I can’t imagine it’s going to continue,” Woike said. “Sad, right? We might get a season finale episode…. Who knows what’s going to happen here.”

Woike spoke about Redick’s eclectic interests that include basketball, broadcasting, golf, wine and fancy suits. Part of this transition that Woike will be watching is how Redick makes the adjustments and focuses the energy that he has. The organization, he stated, is not hiring a podcaster and believes that Redick has an aptitude and shrewdness towards basketball and is serious about the endeavor. While Redick and James have a good relationship with strong rapport, it is relatively new and something Woike perceives as critical to everything going on. Nonetheless, he does not think they can continue the show because it would be an “unnecessary distraction” to the team.

“They’re paying him to coach, they’re not paying him to podcast,” Woike said. “His divestment from his podcast empire is sort of an interesting media side-note to this to see kind of how much he steps back and kind of what happens to it because it’s been really successful for him.”

Rather than asking him another question, Patrick presented Woike with a sentence and asked him to complete it. The statement was, “If he doesn’t have the podcast with LeBron…,” and Woike proceeded to outline that the Lakers would then have more questions about his ability to coach James. Patrick then immediately followed up by asking if he still would have landed the Lakers’ head coaching job if he did not have the podcast, to which Woike replied that he believed it would still be possible. Former Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski was reportedly advising the organization throughout its head coaching search, and Redick previously played for him at the university.

Woike referenced a specific clip from the podcast in which Redick and James were discussing analytics and three-point shooting. At one point, James pushed back against the analytics by asking what would happen if a team missed 27 straight three-point shots, as the Houston Rockets did in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Redick quickly replied by asking if it had happened since, leading James to admit that he was right.

“Now how that plays in the locker room at halftime when you’re down 17 to the Charlotte Hornets and everybody’s tired, who knows,” Woike said. “That is a huge question, but I think, to be quite fair, there was going to be elements of question with that with Dan Hurley too.”

ESPN LA 710 Announces New Fall Lineup

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ESPN LA 710 Announces New Fall Lineup

ESPN LA 710 announced more news today, introducing a new lineup which will start on Monday, September 9. This follows announcements made earlier in the week which saw play-by-play partnerships added with USC and the LA Kings and a new contract for afternoon show co-host Scott Kaplan.

The new lineup will see morning drive start with Mike Greenberg’s Greeny , followed by Travis Rodgers and Allen Sliwa moving back an hour to start at 9a PT. Steve Mason and John Ireland will then air from 12p to 3p PT followed by the afternoon team of Jorge Sedano and Scott Kaplan moving to 3p-6p PT.

In addition to USC and the Kings, the station has play-by-play agreements with the Lakers, the Rams, the Angels and LAFC.

ABC News Executive Editor Stacia Deshishku to Depart

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ABC News Executive Editor Stacia Deshishku to Depart

ABC News has announced Executive Editor Stacia Deshishku will exit the network on Friday, June 28th.

She becomes the latest leader to leave the company after a restructuring from The Walt Disney Company earlier this year. Former ABC News President Kim Godwin left the network in May after an investigation into her practices was set to commence.

Deshishku worked closely with producers of World News Tonight, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Nightline, Good Morning America, and The View, among others of the network’s programs.

Before joining ABC, Deshishku worked as CNN’s director of coverage. She led the network’s White House unit and also oversaw breaking news coverage during her tenure at the cable news network.

Keith Olbermann: Tucker Carlson Live Tour ‘Not a Good Business Model’

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Keith Olbermann: Tucker Carlson Live Tour ‘Not a Good Business Model’

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson announced a nationwide tour of live shows in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election earlier this month. Keith Olbermann has one question about the venture: why?

During his Countdown podcast, Olbermann shared his belief that the endeavor from Carlson was a puzzling one.

“Pay money to see Tucker Carlson live when you could see him talk endlessly on Twitter for hours on end for free? It’s not a good business model,” said Olbermann. “Actually, it turns out to not be any kind of business model.”

He then shared a news report from Australia where Carlson will host a similar tour after being invited by United Australia Party chairman Clive Palmer as a featured guest. Tickets to see Carlson were as much as $200 to hear both men speak.

However, ticket sales were not off to a rousing success, with prices being dropped and one Australian newspaper claiming hundreds of tickets were still available in the 9,000-seat ICC Sydney Theatre.

Keith Olbermann believes there’s a specific reason Tucker Carlson is failing to sell tickets in Australia, and posited about what that could mean for his American tour.

“Why has Tucker live failed? Well, for one thing, he started as a manipulative, dishonest fascist and that was when I worked with him 20 years ago,” said Olbermann, “but he’s gone bad since then. He’s now approaching full-on psychosis.

“The other thing I forgot to mention? The special guest on the Tour de Tucker? Dinesh D’Souza will be there. Come on, give it up for Dinesh D’Souza. ‘Come on out, Dinesh and lie to the people.'”

Currently, Tucker Carlson has 10 scheduled tour dates around the United States in September in cities like Phoenix, Anaheim, Milwaukee, and Kansas City, among others. He’ll be joined by special guests like Alex Jones, Vivek Ramaswamy, Megyn Kelly, Charlie Kirk, and Donald Trump Jr. at individual stops.

Dan Le Batard: Stephen A. Smith Can Make $18 Million Per Year on His Own

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Dan Le Batard: Stephen A. Smith Can Make $18 Million Per Year on His Own

Stephen A. Smith is reportedly in contract negotiations with ESPN ahead of the expiration of his deal next year, according to John Ourand of Puck. Ourand reported that Smith had been presented with an initial offer of $18 million per year for five years at the network, making him the highest-paid talent at ESPN.

Smith, however, is reportedly looking for $25 million per year, and his agents replied by asking the network to look at the deal Pat McAfee received that pays him nearly $30 million per year with his eponymous program, The Pat McAfee Show, and appearing on College GameDay. Another comparison that Ourand reports was made is the nine-year multiplatform media rights extension between ESPN and Omaha Productions worth $700 million, which includes the continuation of Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli and expanded original content collaboration.

Dan Le Batard discussed the report on Smith and the contract negotiations on Friday’s edition of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, prefacing his opinion by stating that show contributor JuJu Gotti had informed him that no one wanted to hear how much money those in the media were making. Le Batard finds it interesting though that Smith is reportedly being offered the highest salary in the history of the network for a talent.

“It used to be for Jon Gruden at $6.5 million, but the explosion of everything that’s happened has made everyone realize, ‘Oh, all these talent are super undervalued,’” Le Batard explained, “even though everyone listening to this would say, ‘It’s ridiculous for anybody to be making the kind of money doing this nonsense that people can make.’”

As he continued, Le Batard conveyed that Monday Night Football play-by-play announcer Joe Buck is currently the highest-paid employee at ESPN (although reportedly Troy Aikman is paid more than Buck), but he does not have to do as much as Smith. Aside from reportedly looking for $25 million per year, Le Batard believes there is more than just money involved in the negotiations.

“He’s going to want power and a bunch of other things because he is the modern-day Howard Cosell whether you like it or not, and beyond sports, he’s got conquering ambitions because he is casting a wide net going on FOX, making sure the audience is as large as it can be as he heads into the leverage of negotiations because he can do this for $18 million a year on his own. He doesn’t need ESPN.”

Smith is the executive producer and a featured commentator on ESPN’s First Take, the morning debate show that has garnered 22 consecutive months of year-over-year growth. He also recently completed his second season on NBA Countdown on which he covered several marquee matchups during the year, including the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. Outside of ESPN though, Smith has built Mr. SAS Productions, through which he recently produced a docuseries on debate-format television and also hosts his own program, The Stephen A. Smith Show, at least three times per week. Smith joined the iHeartPodcast Network this past February within a distribution deal for his independent program after initially working with Audacy’s Cadence13.

“He sets a table for all the rights that [ESPN has] unless it’s the Stanley Cup,” producer Mike Ryan said, “so what I would do if I’m ESPN is I would pay him $10 million for every sport he can actually cover because the daytime programming on [Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final,] a game that they have – their coverage was Mike Greenberg asking Udonis Haslem about what he thought about tonight.”

Ryan emphasized that when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026, it is more likely that the ESPN show will be discussing quarterback Dak Prescott than the international soccer tournament. As a steadfast Florida Panthers fan with a keen interest in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, he opined that the network needs to follow the model it has in growing other entities. For example, Ryan stated that Smith has shown everyone what he can do with the National Football League and that Pat McAfee has discussed the National Hockey League on his program.

“What has happened with hockey and the ratings with ESPN now engaged has been an explosion of people realizing how wonderful these playoffs actually are because elsewhere on the network, they are better partners to hockey than they are to baseball by a lot,” Le Batard said. “The baseball people are dying at ESPN because they clearly do not care about the sport, but they care about hockey more and believe in the future of hockey more and spend as if they believe in the future of hockey more, but the morning shows aren’t equipped to talk about this well.”

ESPN Announces Coverage Plans for Inaugural Two-Day NBA Draft

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ESPN Announces Coverage Plans for Inaugural Two-Day NBA Draft

The NBA is set to debut a new format for its draft. Instead of doing both rounds in one night, this year will be the first time the league has used a two-day format with night one coming up on Wednesday, June 26 followed by night two on Thursday June 27. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN and ABC.

On Wednesday, ESPN will begin with NBA Today starting at 3 p.m. ET, which will be hosted by Christine Williamson, Kendrick Perkins, Austin Rivers and CJ McCollum. They will be followed by a Red Carpet Special at 5 p.m. ET with Cassidy Hubbarth, Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson. Coverage of the draft begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

The ESPN team will feature Malika Andrews, Andraya Carter, Jay Bilas and Richard Jefferson. ABC will have Kevin Negandhi hosting alongside Stephen A. Smith and Bob Myers.

ESPN reporters and insiders Monica McNutt, Adrian Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks and Jonathan Givony are set to appear on both broadcasts.

For Round 2 on Thursday, ESPN will again start with NBA Today at 3 p.m. ET with Christine Williamson, Kendrick Perkins, Austin Rivers and Tim Legler. That will be followed by coverage of the draft beginning at 4 p.m. ET with Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Bob Myers, Adrian Wojnarowski, Bobby Marks and Jonathan Givony.

Michael Phelps Joining NBCUniversal Coverage of Olympic Games Paris 2024

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Michael Phelps Joining NBCUniversal Coverage of Olympic Games Paris 2024

Michael Phelps, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist who is the most-decorated Olympic athlete of all time, will be joining NBCUniversal for coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 this summer. Phelps returns to the coverage after being part of the broadcast during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and will provide his commentary and analysis on prime time and daytime shows in Paris on NBC and Peacock.

Additionally, he will join Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the broadcast booth for select swimming competition telecasts from the París La Défense Arena, along with correspondent/analyst Elizabeth Beisel and reporter Melissa Stark. Phelps will return to NBC and Peacock on Friday night broadcasting coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming from Indianapolis, Ind. beginning at 8 p.m. EST/PST.

“We are excited to have Michael return to our coverage across both daytime and primetime, and of course, the place where no one knows more about winning – at the pool,” Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production, said in a statement. “With his ability to analyze and entertain, our viewers are in for another gold-medal performance.”

NBC has been televising coverage throughout the week live in prime time leading up to the Olympic games. The swimming trials are averaging 3.2 million viewers in prime time across NBC and Peacock, which is up 20% from the trials for the Olympic Games three years ago. The event is taking place from Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts, and has featured accomplished swimmers such as Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh and Regan Smith. Moreover, the prime time broadcast of the diving competition on Monday and Tuesday from Knoxville, Tenn. is averaging 2.9 million viewers, a 39% rise from three years ago.

The International Olympic Committee granted NBCUniversal the U.S. media rights for the Olympic Games through 2032 for $7.65 billion. NBCUniversal has been the exclusive broadcast home of the Summer Olympic Games in the United States since 1988 when it produced 179.5 hours of broadcast coverage. The company is scheduled to broadcast the Olympic Games from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in 2026, Los Angeles, Calif. in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia in 2032, along with the 2030 Winter Olympic Games from a location to be determined.

Benztown to Host Programming Webinar Featuring Dr. Ed Cohen and Mike McVay

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Benztown to Host Programming Webinar Featuring Dr. Ed Cohen and Mike McVay

Benztown is announcing plans for a webinar featuring Dr. Ed Cohen and Mike McVay centered around utilizing data to increase listening credits in the Nielsen radio ratings.

Unlocking Radio Secrets: Every Minute Matters; Improving Your Ratings will be held on Thursday, June 27th at 1 PM ET. In the webinar, Benztown will showcase its SpotGPS tool for radio programmers.

The software “is a powerful tool … that transforms airplay data into powerful and actionable commercial content analysis in a compelling, visual, and intuitive form that is a game-changer for radio stations,” according to the company, who designed it specifically for PPM markets.

“In today’s radio environment where every quarter-hour matters, there are quarter-hours hidden everywhere. Some radio stations know where they are and how to take advantage of them. Knowing where they are illuminates an otherwise dark room,” the company said of the webinar. “Some radio stations accept the darkness and blame ratings methodology. The smart ones live in the light.”

The upcoming webinar is free to those wishing to attend. To register, click here.

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