With the success Netflix has had with sports documentary series’ such as F1: Drive to Survive and the PGA Tour’s Full Swing, Seth Emerson and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic are reporting a new series is in the works with the focus being on SEC football. The report says while contracts have not been signed, all signs point to Netflix taking football fans behind the scenes.
Netflix did not comment on the story and when SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked about it, he said, “We make announcements when we make announcements. Despite what sources like to say, nothing’s done until it’s done.”
The report says teams would have the chance to opt in or out of the show and mentions Georgia as one of the programs that has shown interest in being involved. In ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ rankings put out in mid-February, Georgia was listed as the No. 1 team in the country. Other top teams from the conference are expected to be Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri and Alabama who are all listed in the Top 10.
As for individual players the show could focus on, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and offensive tackle Earnest Greene III, Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen, LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell and pass rusher Harold Perkins along with Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden are expected to be top picks in next year’s NFL draft.
As for the type of access fans can expect to receive, Emerson and Marchand report it would be similar to what fans have seen with SEC Insider, a show aired by the SEC Network. Much like is done with HBO’s Hard Knocks, the league and teams would have some control over what gets aired.
KNBR afternoon drive host Adam Copeland has been away from the station for the last several weeks, during which he stepped down from his position as program director of KNBR, KGO and KTCT in San Francisco. Copeland’s abrupt exit from the position came just five months after he began the role and came four days after a column from Barrett Media President Jason Barrett discussed his questionable behavior on social media. Barrett Sports Media was the first to report of Copeland’s exit and obtained an internal memo containing a message from Cumulus San Francisco regional vice president and market manager Larry Blumhagen revealing that Copeland will continue to host his afternoon drive program, Tolbert and Copes, alongside Tom Tolbert.
Copeland returned to the air on Thursday in studio with Tolbert where they reacclimatized and hosted their four-hour program. Tolbert started the show by exclaiming that Copeland was back and asking what had been going on with him. In response, Copeland stated that there was not much and laughed shortly thereafter, ostensibly delivering such a message in a flippant manner. Tolbert added some light humor about being out of breath from getting off to a late start because of a cooking endeavor before Copeland addressed the events that had recently ensued.
“I was out for the last couple of weeks obviously,” Copeland said. “In that time, I’ve stepped down as the program director of KNBR and KNBR 1050 and KGO 810 The Spread. There’s been a lot written about me, a lot said about me and painted me a certain way. If you haven’t read it, check it out. Any press is good press, I’ll take it.”
Copeland then promoted his social media handle as he implored listeners to check out the articles and other press materials that had been written about him. From there, he mentioned a point that he felt needed to be said about himself.
“This job, this show, this station – it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” Copeland explained. “It was my childhood dream to work here, it’s my childhood dream to have a show on KNBR and in this timeslot, [and it’s] even better to work with guys that are genuinely some of my best friends, and to work with people like Tom and Murph and get a chance to work with Gary and Paulie Mac and Rod Brooks and so many guys who were here that I looked up to and inspired me – all I’ve ever wanted to do is just do the show, and get back to doing the show.”
As he continued offering his perspective, he addressed the posts on social media that were the subject of criticism. Copeland initially questioned Barrett Sports Media about writing a story if KNBR defeated 95.7 The Game in the ratings. Barrett responded by stating that Barrett Sports Media had published stories about the ratings when KNBR won in the past, along with stories about talent at the station. While some of his social media posts and interactions have been in question, Copeland averred that they were executed while thinking about the station and listeners.
“As much as I care about this place and every decision I made about myself and my career and things that I put out there were all with the station in mind and support for the station and love for you guys in mind. I understand that some of that was perceived and painted and read differently,” Copeland said, “and my reactions and my responses to some of that were at times taken out of context but at times fair in the way that they were received.”
Before returning to KNBR on Thursday, Copeland attended the San Francisco Giants game on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and had the chance to speak with listeners and discuss baseball. While Copeland looked forward to talking about the Giants on the air, he concluded his message by thanking the listeners and demonstrating a sense of relatability.
“Always love the listeners,” Copeland said. “I am and was a listener, and I just want this place to still be a place after I’m here so I can continue to be a listener, so that’s what it’s all about is just getting back to doing the show.”
Burnout is a feeling many in the news radio industry are feeling in 2024. But a new RTDNA study shows just how prevalent that feeling is.
The new study shows that 41.4% of news directors and general managers say there is more evidence of burnout this year. That number grows to 58.5% of major markets. The figure gets even larger when portioned out to include just the largest newsrooms in the country, with 62.9% of leaders responding similarly with a larger staff.
57.8% of news radio leaders, however, say they’ve countered burnout with a variety of options. Nearly 38% said offering flex-time and encouraging employees to use their paid time off has combated the feelings of reports and digital producers.
The study also examined the radio staff size of news departments in 2023, with major market stations employing an average of 10.9 full-time employees. However, a sharp decline happens in large markets, as the number drops to 3.9, 2.8 for medium markets, and 1.6 for small markets.
The average full-time news radio staff at commercial stations now rests at 2.7 people, while the non-commercial side features 6.7 full-time employees.
Looking ahead to those numbers in 2024, 14.4% of respondents said they planned to increase their newsroom staffs during the calendar year. Only 1.4% said plans were underway to decrease their employee base.
For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Bears have been chosen as the featured team for the training camp version of ‘Hard Knocks.’ The announcement was made yesterday by team, NFL Films and HBO. The team will appear in five episodes of the 18-time Sports Emmy award winning show, starting on August 6 and airing each Tuesday through September 3. 670 The Score hosts Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel reacted to the news on Parkins & Spiegel and couldn’t hold back their excitement.
“Let’s go,” said Parkins. “Against the McCaskey family’s wishes, the NFL and NFL Films have selected the Chicago Bears to be the featured team on Hard Knocks…the Giants are the offseason team, the traditional Hard Knocks training camp team will be your Chicago Bears.”
Spiegel added, “The Bears, Saints and Broncos were the three teams that could be forced to do it. The parameters were not being on Hard Knocks for the last ten years, not having a first-year head coach and no playoffs in the last two years. If it’s just the NFL strong arming, great. If it is the McCaskey’s loosening up a little bit on their notorious tightness, that’s great, too. Whatever, either way this is awesome.”
Parkins explained why the team’s stance may have changed a bit on the show. “Listen, Hard Knocks is sanitized, because there’s still NFL approval and teams get to see it and there aren’t that often that many things that come out of it that are all that damaging,” he said. “…Teams are creating more of this content themselves, but I am here for all of it. And it will boost the profile, it will boost expectations and it will be damn fun content even if it is sanitized from what it was 15 years ago.”
“You don’t get made to look bad anymore, that’s not what happens anymore,” Spiegel said.
“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears will provide our passionate fans across the world the ability to experience this unique and critical time in the history of our franchise,” team President & CEO Kevin Warren said in the release to announce the Bears as the featured team.
The 2024 college football season on NBC Sports will feature eight games from the Big Ten and Notre Dame, airing on both NBC and Peacock during the first three weeks of the season. The action kicks off with defending CFP National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines, taking on the Fresno State Bulldogs on Big Ten Saturday Night on August 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Viewers can catch all the action on NBC or stream it live on Peacock.
Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock will feature the Colorado Buffaloes, led by head coach Deion Sanders, facing off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and coach Matt Rhule (Sept. 7). The following week (Sept. 14), the UCLA Bruins, in their debut season as a Big Ten member, will welcome the Indiana Hoosiers at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Notre Dame is coming off a 10-3 season and will open their home schedule against Northern Illinois on Sat., Sept. 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Late season primetime games on NBC and Peacock include the Fighting Irish hosting Florida State on Sat., Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET and Nebraska visiting Iowa in a Black Friday special on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Last season, NBC Sports debuted its Big Ten Football package, featuring Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock – marking the first time ever that Big Ten Football had a dedicated weekly primetime game on a national broadcast network – and exclusive games on Peacock.
Here is a list of known dates and times:
Date
Time (ET)
Matchup
Platform
Sat. Aug. 31
7:30 p.m.
Fresno State at Michigan
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 7
Noon
Rhode Island at Minnesota
Peacock
Sat., Sept. 7
3:30 p.m.
Northern Illinois at Notre Dame
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 7
7:30 p.m.
Colorado at Nebraska
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 7
10 p.m.
Boise State at Oregon
Peacock
Sat., Sept. 14
Noon
Central Michigan at Illinois
Peacock
Sat., Sept. 14
3:30 p.m.
Washington State at Washington
Peacock
Sat., Sept. 14
7:30 p.m.
Indiana at UCLA
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 21
3:30 p.m.
Miami (Ohio) at Notre Dame
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Sept. 28
3:30 p.m.
Louisville at Notre Dame
Peacock
Sat., Oct. 12
3:30 p.m.
Stanford at Notre Dame
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Nov. 9
7:30 p.m.
Florida State at Notre Dame
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Nov. 16
3:30 p.m.
Virginia at Notre Dame
NBC, Peacock
Sat., Nov. 23
7 p.m.
Army at Notre Dame (at Yankee Stadium)
NBC, Peacock
Fri., Nov. 29
7:30 p.m.
Nebraska at Iowa
NBC, Peacock
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season, with each matchup typically announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game date.
The Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards continue to be handed out, and 95.5 WSB earned two category wins.
In Region 13, which encompasses Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Atlanta news/talk station took home the awards for Best Newscast with its Atlanta’s Morning News program.
The station also was named the winner in the Overall Excellence in the Large Market – Radio sector.
Jacksonville news/talk station 104.5 WOKV took home a Regional Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation for its Jacksonville Mayoral Forum it held in April of last year.
In the Larget Market – Radio division, public radio stations in Miami (WLRN), Atlanta (WABE), and Tampa (WUSF) won the other 12 awards not won by 95.5 WSB and 104.5 WOKV.
Public radio stations won every award in the Region 13 Small Market – Radio division, with WFSU (Tallahassee), WUFT (Gainesville), and WGCU (Ft. Myers) earning all five honors given away by the RTDNA.
For the 26th consecutive month, ESPN Digital was No.1 in the U.S Sports category in the month of April. Their data shows they reached 108.9 million unique fans in the month. When ESPN Digital is added to YouTube and the ESPN social platforms, ESPN reached 184.9 million unique fans, which is more than two-thirds of all adults in the United States.
Continuing the domination in the digital space, the ESPN app was No. 1 in the mobile sports app category with 24.7 million unique fans and the ESPN Fantasy app was No.1 among fantasy apps in April. On YouTube alone, ESPN had 834 million minutes viewed in the month, which is up 80% year over year. The ESPN YouTube page currently has 11.9 million subscribers.
On the social side, ESPN social topped the sports category for the 34th straight month and generated more than 710 million engagements.
With almost three years together, nearly 500 radio stations, and millions of listeners across the country, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton are always working and prepping to get things right. The duo sat down with Barrett News Media after Travis traveled to their affiliate stations in Atlanta and Seattle.
“We love meeting our people,” Sexton said, “When someone knows you from TV, they will come up and they’ll look at you and they’ll be like, ‘I like you on TV.’ When they are radio listeners, they want to shake your hand or hug you, and it’s because they know you. You’re not some person that pops up on the screen when they’re at the gym, the airport, or at home. You’re someone that they spend real time with.”
Travis added, “We’ve been everywhere, and there is a huge component of this job that has nothing to do with what you say for three hours into a microphone. It’s the most important part, ultimately, because that’s the job itself. But it’s only a part of the job. And there’s a huge number of people around us, like our producer Ali, who help ensure that we have a good show on a day-to-day basis.”
A question they often get asked is “When do you prep?” The answer is always.
“What people wouldn’t understand is they think you sit down in front of a microphone, you talk for three hours, and the job’s over. We’re always prepping. Always preparing to be able to talk,” Travis said.
“I’m sending Clay the next day’s story ideas, clips, guest ideas, whatever it may be, sometimes at 3:05 PM. We finish at 3 PM Eastern.” Sexton went on to say, “I always tell people that prep is the thought you have while cooking lasagna at 7:00 PM and you realize, ‘Oh my gosh, who’d be a perfect guest for that?’”
Their prep is what leads them to do their best and get the facts right every day. “I would go to bat for our show in the three years it’s been on, even if we may not end up with the right opinions. I thought we were going to see a red wave in 2022. I was wrong. But our facts are all right. Everybody doesn’t have to agree on opinions. But I think there has to be a foundational agreement of what the facts are. And we get the facts right on the show.” Travis added, “If I get a fact wrong, we feel embarrassed and I feel like I’ve failed the audience. But opinions? Look, that we’re not going to be 100% right on everything.”
Buck Sexton seconded the comments even noting the pair sometimes have different opinions. “Clay and I disagree on a fair amount. So he’s wrong every time he disagrees with me. So there you go. But this is why we keep track of the bets; to keep each other honest on this stuff. It’s all recorded, but we have to write them down, too.”
A big bet they have is who will be President Trump’s running mate for the 2024 election. Sexton said, “I’ve thought that it was likely to be and still think it’s likely to be Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), whom I think would be very smart for Trump for a whole range of pretty obvious reasons. And, Clay has said, ‘Well, I’ll let him say it.”
“I think it’s going to be Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). I would actually go with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) just because I think he’s by far the most accomplished governor in the country. I think he got almost everything right with COVID,” Clay Travis said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. But if you just ask me who is the most ready to be a really good president based on the executive job that [DeSantis has] already done. My dream ticket, so to speak, would be Trump, President, and DeSantis, VP.”
Travis noted his dream ticket is highly unlikely. “Buck agrees with me that he doesn’t think DeSantis would take it. There’s also complicating factors about them both being from the state of Florida constitutionally. But let’s play like fantasy politics drafting. Trump-DeSantis would be the ticket.”
Both Travis and Sexton agree with recent polls saying Trump might win in November but noted a lot can happen in the six months until election day. “As George W. Bush once said, ‘Fool me once, you can’t get fooled again,” Sexton said. “There’s a million different things across the country that can be done which can make a difference. The numbers right now can change.
“If you look back historically, there have been cases where Presidents or challengers have been way behind at this stage, and everyone woke up to a very different reality on Election Day. I do think it shows the general weakness of the Biden administration.”
Clay Travis noted, “I think Trump is going to win, but I was burned in 2022, so I’m somewhat apprehensive about what might happen over the next six months. I think right now you would have to say if the election were today, Trump would win. And I think he might win comfortably.”
“There aren’t actually that many people whose minds are changeable, so I tend to think we’re going to remain kind of fixed. But even right now, you’re talking about the election coming down to a few thousand people, potentially in the Milwaukee suburbs or in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, or in the Detroit suburbs. What did Axios say? I think it was 0.6% of the overall population is basically going to decide this election. So 99.4% of things are baked. What’s that point six going to do?”
Launching on June 21, 2021, The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show will soon mark their three-year anniversary. While their show is in Rush Limbaugh’s former time slot, they recognize they need each other to try and fill his shoes. Together they work tirelessly to honor his legacy.
Travis noted they were not just picked out of a hat for this position saying, “There’s a lot of dues to pay.” Hard work combined with being “almost egoless” is the key to success.
“When you show up in a parking lot at 4:45 in the morning and you’re trying to go in and do a show, and there’s no one there to let you in, and you have to start the show on your phone in the parking lot and nobody else is around. You kind of get the pecking order in a serious way.”
Sexton added, “We built our own audiences and did it from zero. From the ground up. I mean, I didn’t even start with a radio station. I started digitally online and then grew into getting radio stations over time. Clay and I make jokes about showing up at radio stations and no one even knows who we are. And we’re supposed to do a three-hour show, and you got to pay your dues at radio. And both of us for over a decade had been really showing up and slogging it out to the best of our abilities, and proved successful with audiences.”
For those looking to follow in their footsteps, Buck Sexton added, “I didn’t start off in media and I think that’s a huge advantage.” The former CIA Analyst added, “That is the first order of business: Figure out what you think is really interesting and where you can learn a lot and do something that’s worthwhile. And do that, especially in your 20s. I think that’s a pretty failsafe way to go. Then, as you start to get further along in that process, maybe get in your late 20s, start looking at 30. Think to yourself, ‘Alright. Well, how can I leverage this?’ And I would say ‘How could I begin a media career then.’”
Travis broke his advice into four parts, “I’ve got a 16, a 13, and a nine-year-old. What I try to get them to do is read as much as possible, because I think you have to be able to analyze a lot of information. And the earlier you get adept at being able to read rapidly and analyze voluminous amounts of information, the better you’re going to be able to handle all of the different complexities and challenges of an individual day.”
His second part of advice is for young adults looking to break into the media, “Don’t expect to make much money. If you want to go into media, you have to really fight your way and there isn’t some magic bullet or suddenly you make $100,000.”
Third, “Figure out a way to make income in multiple places, because I’ve been in a situation where you lose a job, it’s tough, and it can be of no fault of your own. The media industry’s very tough. And so if you can have income coming in from three or four different directions, that can make a tremendous difference.”
Lastly, “You don’t have to be perfect every day, but trying to be good matters when you’re live like we are. Every show is not going to be a home run. There are days we’re going to finish and be like, ‘Ah, that was okay,’ right? But it’s a willingness to get up and try to be good every day and understand that if you weren’t great yesterday, it’s over. You don’t get to rest on your laurels. If you were awful, you get the opportunity to be better the next day.”
Audacy found itself in a difficult spot when trying to retain Jon Marks as co-host of afternoon drive on SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia, Pa. Marks had been working in the daypart since 2017 with Ike Reese and ultimately could not reach a new contract with the company. Spike Eskin, who was serving as the vice president of programming for WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, was involved in trying to retain him on the airwaves.
When that endeavor proved fruitless, SportsRadio 94WIP program director Rod Lakin began discussing different options to fill the void in the daypart. Lakin eventually asked Eskin outright if he would be interested in the position, something that he was not sure was a genuine entreaty. While he laughed off the inquiry at first, it was a potential opportunity that he found impossible to ignore.
As a result, Eskin spent the ensuing weekend thinking about his future in the sports media industry, a task that he presumes has come around once every half decade. Eskin had been managing within the radio business in various different roles for two decades and discussed the possibility of getting back into hosting with his wife.
Asked if that was something he would want to do, he remembers explaining that getting to host with Reese and producer Jack Fritz would be an amazing opportunity. By the end of the weekend, Eskin had decided that he would follow up with Lakin to gauge his level of sincerity about selecting to take that path. Lakin confirmed that he was indeed serious about the possibility, which from there began the process of exploring if the move made sense for all parties involved.
“If everybody was in on that, then it was something I would want to do,” Eskin said. “And then it just became conversations with Chris Oliviero, who was incredibly supportive, even though I’ve caused a big pain in the ass for him.”
When Eskin initially took the job to program WFAN and Infinity Sports Network upon the retirement of Mark Chernoff in 2021, he did so to maximize the opportunity at that time. Thinking back on it, he is not sure if he had an expectation that he would finish his career there, although he did render it possible that he could be there 10 to 15 years.
Eskin had more of a tendency to plan things out in his early years within the industry after graduating from Syracuse University. Early on in his tenure, he was the assistant program director at Q101 Chicago and WYSP Radio while also hosting the midday show on the latter platform. Eskin eventually joined SportsRadio 94WIP in 2012 where he worked as the station’s social media manager and an on-air host before being promoted to the outlet’s program director two years later.
Returning to the outlet that he left to take a managerial job in New York, albeit with the same company, presented initial nerves and doubts about his capability to thrive as a full-time host again. The last time he moved for a job, he successfully grew into the role and the grind.
“I think the reason that I was able to adjust to the job so well is that the staff was really open to thinking about things the way that I wanted to think about them,” Eskin said. “We all worked very hard and [were] very creative, and that made the experience at the FAN and Infinity Sports Network really great.”
The benefit that Eskin had in becoming an on-air talent again, however, came from coaching his peers, along with having a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of a radio station. Combined with Eskin’s early familiarity with sports media watching his father, Howard, succeed as a host and commentator on radio and television, he was entering the role with an unparalleled skillset. On top of that, Eskin created and has grown the popular Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast centered around the Philadelphia 76ers, a venture he continued to invest time in while working in New York City.
“I think the thing that I’m missing obviously as a sports talk host in Philadelphia, though I have done it, is the number of reps that a normal afternoon drive host would have had at that point,” Eskin said, “but I think managing and growing the Ricky over the last 11 years has given me reps doing it better, just sort of not on the radio.”
There were difficulties in staying up to watch the games and doing podcast episodes immediately thereafter when he would have to be awake at 4 a.m. the next morning. Most of his time spent in New York City came at the office building and commuting from New Jersey, but he was able to grasp the zealous fandom and passion fans have for their favorite sports teams within the role. Eskin does not have any regrets in taking the role, examining it as a valuable learning experience that has continued to position him for future success.
“As a program director, I think my goal is always to have the people there – the hosts and producers and digital people who work for me and with me – to say that after I left, they’re in a better position than when I got there,” Eskin said. “…I think if you were to go to a lot of the people there and ask them if they are, they would say ‘Yes.’”
Eskin was involved in programming decisions borne out of the departure of Craig Carton from afternoon drive, including the new pairing of Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber. Moreover, he was also at WFAN when Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata were slotted into middays and Keith McPherson was added to host at night. Infinity Sports Network moved Maggie Gray and Andrew Perloff to morning drive under Eskin as well, along with adding Zach Gelb into afternoon drive and JR Jackson into evenings.
Former ESPN New York program director Ryan Hurley is currently overseeing both outlets in his new role as brand manager, a process that took several months to finalize. Eskin remained in his role at the company until a new hire was made in April, upon which he transitioned to hosting afternoon drive on SportsRadio 94WIP. Eskin knew that Audacy New York market president Chris Oliviero was capable of making a strong decision and was available to answer questions or speak with potential candidates when asked.
“I tried to not allow my sort of like what I would do influence Chris all that much because it doesn’t matter what I would do,” Eskin said. “I wouldn’t be the person working with him, so it mattered more what Chris did.”
Eskin officially made his debut as a full-time co-host with SportsRadio 94WIP in mid-April to begin his new partnership with Ike Reese and Jack Fritz. Although he used to serve as program director of the station, he recognizes that Lakin is the manager of the station but also can leverage his expertise to make sound decisions with the show and guide it for success. Over his first month back at the station, he has not noticed any sentiments of disquiet or peril among his colleagues, some of whom he hired and/or promoted several years prior.
“To be quite clear, I have no desire to be the program director of WIP,” Eskin said. “I had that job, and I could have kept it and I didn’t, so I have respect for that job and I’m glad I did that job, but that’s not why I came to WIP [and] it’s not why I stopped being program director at [W]FAN.”
In reality, Eskin wanted the things that served as pressure to be motivating aspects within his career, such as hosting a daily sports talk radio program. Conversely, when he would be waking up to 120 unread emails that required his attention, he did not find himself enjoying the job as much. While Eskin does not consider himself a de facto manager in the new role, the afternoon show has utilized his prior stops and experiences to its advantage.
On the second edition of the new show, he introduced the “Bill of Spike,” rules for callers looking to express their opinions on the air. Some of these mandates pertained to callers getting to their point immediately, along with not asking the hosts how they are doing and not talking on speakerphone. Fritz came up with the idea after Eskin had mentioned the protracted, loquacious nature of some of the listener interactions. Although Eskin respects the audience and Philadelphia sports fans as a whole, he said there would be a new sheriff in town upon his arrival.
“I’m sure we’ll argue a bunch about a bunch of different things, but I do not take this all that seriously,” Eskin said. “I take my job seriously, but I’m not taking what we’re doing [in that way]. It’s not rocket science, so a lot of the time things like the caller rules are, like I want people to obey them, but the way we presented them was pretty tongue in cheek.”
The new trio is in its first full quarterly ratings book and aiming to make an imprint on the media landscape. Eskin has never hosted in any other daypart but still understands the inherent differences that exist in afternoon drive related to topic selection and how to best appeal to the listening audience.
“We’re trying to have fun and talk about sports and bust each other’s balls, and that is, I think, would be the same no matter what daypart we’re doing it in,” Eskin said. “I think you sort of attack the topics a little bit differently depending on when you’re on, but as far as what the show is, I don’t think about it too much differently than if we were in mornings.”
Since he has been hosting in afternoon drive, Eskin has yet to look at the ratings for his program but told Lakin to provide him with feedback and criticism if necessary. During his tenure at WFAN, he informed the staff that the ratings are what they are, but that they do not provide a basis for contextualization as to the rationale behind such computations. Eskin judges his own performance and that of the show from the on-air rapport and collaboration with his colleagues.
“A chef doesn’t think about making a popular meal – they think about making a great meal, and a great meal will end up being popular because it’s great,” Eskin said. “I want us to be the most important and most well-liked radio show in Philadelphia.”
As the show continues to move forward on SportsRadio 94WIP, Eskin aspires for it to remain on the air for years to come. When he officially joined the program, he promised Reese that he would be on the air for at least the next decade, although he realizes that the choices are not always made for the talent and that it is incumbent on a variety of different factors. For now though, he is concentrating on the next edition of the show and exuding his penchant for and proficiency of Philadelphia sports.
“We have to be successful, so I can’t predict the future there,” Eskin said. “I also can’t predict the future as to what I would want to manage or not manage…. I don’t really plan out that far, [but] I can tell you I am loving doing this. It feels natural, it feels like what I’m supposed to do, and I would love if this is what I did until the end of my career.”
Steve Malzberg is a longtime news/talk radio host, airing on stations like 77 WABC, 710 WOR, among others. He also hosted The Steve Malzberg Show on Newsmax.
A little over 30 years ago, New York radio lost a legend. Jack Spector passed away on March 8, 1994, at the age of 65, while doing what he loved — being on the radio. He suffered a heart attack after playing a record on WHLI Radio on Long Island, NY. When the music ended, there was nothing but silence over the air, and staff found Spector’s body on the floor of the studio.
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I knew Jack first as a WMCA “Good Guy”, and then as just a really great guy who ignited my dreams of being on the radio.
The WMCA Good Guys hit the airwaves in 1961 spinning top 40 hits. It was in the late 60’s that I found 570 on my AM dial and became aware of “Big Jake” and the rest of the crew. But in September of 1970, WMCA switched to talk, and “Good Guy” Jack became the host of Sports-Talk on the station. For me, a die-hard Yankees fan, who went to sleep with my transistor radio under my pillow when the Yanks were on the West Coast, it was heaven.
In September 1970, I was in the 6th grade at P.S. 215. One of my classmates was Cheri Spector. Yes, Jack’s daughter. One of three, along with the twins, Nancy and Laurie. Cheri and I and quite a large group of kids, were classmates from first grade through sixth grade, and many of us, including Cheri and I, were in many of the same classes at David A. Boody Jr. High School as well, where we skipped the 8th grade because we were all so smart, I guess! Cheri was my first crush, and yes, legend has it that The Four Seasons named their mega hit song Sheri, after Cheri Spector, even though they spelled it with an ‘S’.
I was aware that my classmate’s dad was on the radio for several years, but it wasn’t until that switch to Sports-Talk host that I found out first-hand what kind of man Jack Spector was.
Jack would get some of the biggest names in New York sports and beyond as guests on his show. And he would get most of them in-studio, which I didn’t realize at the time, was not all that easy to accomplish. But here’s the thing, Jack knew that a bunch of the guys in Mr. Wolf’s 6th grade class were rabid sports fans.
So, on several occasions, Jack would send Cheri to school with autographs of the guest he had on his show the previous night. And not just one or two autographs. She would arrive with five or six from the same guest, to hand out to us starstruck sixth graders, making sure none of us was left out. Thurman Munson, Yogi Berra, Bill White, Ralph Kiner, Roy White, Lee MacPhail and Gale Sayers just to name a few. Each one was signed on WMCA notepad paper, over the symbol of a microphone. Just imagine asking these guys to sign not one or two times, but a half dozen times. That’s who Jack was. And there’s more, much more.
Jack and his wife Marilyn knew how much I loved his radio show, so I was invited up, not once, but twice, to the studios of WMCA Radio, to sit in the control room and studio and watch the show. They took me and brought me home. That’s who Jack Spector (and his wife) was. From the first time I saw that red light go on, I knew I wanted to do what Jack Spector did.
Ironically enough, I wound up with a newsroom internship at the same WMCA studios 8 years later, although it had nothing to do with Jack, and went on to produce Bob Grant’s morning show, AM-57, and Art Rust Jr.’s Saturday Sports Talk, and from there, Art took me to WABC Radio in 1981 where I remained for the next 23 years or so. I haven’t spoken or communicated with Cheri at all since Jr. High School, but I do keep in touch with her sister Nancy via Facebook.
I wanted to finally tell this story so that everyone can learn who Jack Spector was. Much more than just a “Good Guy”, who left us way too soon.
