Home Blog Page 1622

Marv Albert Talks Retirement, Play-by-Play and OJ Simpson Chase with Dan Patrick

BSM Staff
-
0

Three years ago on Friday, legendary play-by-play announcer Marv Albert announced that he would be retiring from his role as the lead voice of the NBA on TNT. This concluded a 55-year broadcast career during which he called 13 NBA Finals matchups, eight Super Bowl championships, eight Stanley Cup Final series and countless other memorable games across a variety of professional sports. Albert is the former television play-by-play announcer for the New York Knicks and appeared on the Dan Patrick Show where he discussed his takeaways of the team. In fact, Albert divulged that he was at Madison Square Garden during the team’s first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Patrick wanted to know from Albert how he was enjoying retirement, a reality that he himself will be facing in three years. Last summer, Patrick announced that his final show would take place on Dec. 24, 2027 and inked a four-year contract extension with NBC Sports and iHeartMedia. Patrick’s show currently airs on FOX Sports Radio and can be live streamed through NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service. Albert has not been behind the microphone for approximately three years, but he is still keeping in tune with what is going on around the sports world.

“Life is good, Dan. How are you doing?,” Albert asked. “I must say retirement has been great. I do miss the preparation and the people I work with, and we do stay in touch, but I am Mr. Binge TV, and I do a lot of reading, work out, all those kind of things, but all is good. I’ve been enjoying the playoffs also.”

Earlier on Friday morning, PGA Tour professional golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony and other counts after he allegedly injured a police officer. Scheffler was driving by the scene of a fatal crash and was charged with felony second-degree assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers during traffic. Scheffler was released from jail in the morning and played the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Ky. Patrick mentioned the police chase involving O.J. Simpson that lasted for two hours following Simpson being charged with murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

Albert was in the midst of calling Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. He vividly remembers players going to the press table at Madison Square Garden, which had televisions, and trying to see the latest action going on during the car chase.

“Dick Ebersol, the president of NBC Sports, was sitting to our left in the stands, but he had an earpiece so he heard exactly what was going on, and he was kind of directing the activity also,” Albert recalled. “‘Send it back to Tom [Brokaw]; go over to Bob [Costas],’ all this stuff. ‘By the way, there’s Charles Smith with the jump shot.’ It really was the most unusual situation I have been in on the air.”

Patrick was curious to know what has changed in terms of play-by-play announcing since Albert has retired, to which he replied that things largely remained the same in basketball. In other sports though, Albert has observed that there is more talking than there was in the past, articulating that he watches a lot of baseball and has noticed it during the broadcasts. Patrick added that he enjoys the usage of silence within a call and believes it is a lost art with the ostensible need to consistently speak when they are describing something, a sentiment Albert agreed with and explained was more compatible with television broadcasts.

“There’s no question,” Albert said. “You can use the crowd – the crowd is very important, particularly at times like this during the playoffs where the crowds are at another level.”

Joe Thomas to Launch Talk Format on Newly Purchased WTON on May 25th

BNM Staff
-
0
Joe Thomas to Launch Talk Format on Newly Purchased WTON on May 25th

Former C-Ville 107.5 host Joe Thomas is set to launch a talk format on WTON and a pair of translators he purchased in March that led to his departure from his longtime radio home.

On Saturday, May 25th, Thomas will launch the talk format on the Staunton, Virginia station he purchased for $275,000, alongside FM translators on 98.9 in Harrisonburg and 101.1 in Crozet, VA.

“We want to hear your voice,” Thomas said in a statement to the Staunton News Leader. “We’ll bring you coverage of the local stories from this wide area we’ll be covering as we develop the best local shows alongside an all-star lineup of shows all day.”

After Monticello Media learned of Thomas’ purchase of the station in Staunton — which is roughly 45 minutes west of Charlottesville — the station ended its relationship with the morning drive host and Program Director. He had worked at the station since 2007.

Since his departure, Thomas has been hosting a digital program in preparation for his new station and program to launch.

With the new lineup on WTON, Joe Thomas will host the morning show that begins at 6 AM. The rest of the station lineup has yet to be finalized, he told the newspaper, stating that he’s still interested in formulating local programming before turning to nationally syndicated offerings.

Eric Von Haessler: Why Do We Even Need Debate Moderators?

BNM Staff
-
0
Eric Von Haessler: Why Do We Even Need Debate Moderators?

CNN and ABC News have announced plans for presidential debates, with moderators yet to be announced. 95.5 WSB host Eric Von Haessler wonders why the position is even needed.

As reports surface that CNN will tab Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, while ABC News is considering using David Muir and Linsey Davis, Von Haessler said the mere idea of a moderate feels like a foreign concept.

“First of all, they’ll be terrible. I would rather have nobody. They’re all prima donnas. Prima donnas,” Von Haessler reiterated. “And it just turns out that anybody that you pick out of 24-hour news buildings, just full of prima donnas. Why do we need two moderators? That’s number one. And then number two, why do we need any moderators? I don’t think that Lincoln/Douglas, I don’t think they had a moderator there. There used to be a way of debating that each side knew how to do this. Or just have like, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Bert Kreischer, I don’t care.

“The moderator does not need to be a part of the debate and they always are. And it’s insane. I think that there’s got to be some way that there’s somebody there who just sort of kicks it off just randomly. “But whoever moderates the debate should have gotten the short straw.”

Eric Von Haessler continued by joking that the job would be a perfect use of AI technology while adding that the likelihood that each moderator shows up to the debate with a mindset that the evening isn’t about them is incredibly low.

“We need someone who doesn’t have an agent. How about that? No one is allowed to moderate a presidential or vice presidential debate if they have an agent.”

NBCUniversal Names Olympic Hosts for USA, CNBC and E!; Kathryn Tappen Headlines

BSM Staff
-
0
NBCUniversal Names Olympic Hosts for USA, CNBC and E!; Kathryn Tappen Headlines

NBCUniversal announced its hosts for coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on USA Network, CNBC and E! Cara Banks, Laura Britt and Trenni Casey will all be a part of the coverage on CNBC and E! Lindsay Czarniak, Carolyn Manno and Kathryn Tappen will all take part in the USA Network coverage.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics is Friday, July 26 on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.

Coverage on USA Network, CNBC, and E! is expected to include Team USA men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, and volleyball, as well as swimming, gymnastics, and track & field, and more.

“We are excited to have an experienced group of hosts to present the most compelling stories, news, and interviews as we take viewers from event to event throughout the Games,” said Rebecca Chatman, Vice President and Coordinating Producer, NBC Olympics Production in a release.

Cynthia McFadden Announces Departure From NBC News

BNM Staff
-
0
Cynthia McFadden Announces Departure From NBC News

Veteran TV news anchor and reporter Cynthia McFadden has announced her intention to leave the industry and NBC News behind.

McFadden previously anchored ABC News’ Nightline during her 20 years at the network before joining NBC News as a senior legal analyst and investigative correspondent 10 years ago.

“It is hard to leave a job you love but this is the right time- I have a list of things I have often said I wanted to do ‘someday,’” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “Well, someday is now, while I am still raring to go— and playing with a relatively full deck. Maybe I’ll even surprise you (and myself!).”

She thanked her colleagues and wished them well as she announced that next week would be her final one with NBC News.

“To my NBC friends and colleagues, thank you: for your support, guidance, and wisdom. You are a special group of talented people and I will be watching with pride as you carry on,” McFadden wrote.

James Brown: ‘There’s Some Sadness’ in CBS Moving on From Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms

BSM Staff
-
2
James Brown: ‘There’s Some Sadness’ in CBS Moving on From Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms

Ahead of the 2024 National Football League season, CBS Sports made changes to its longtime studio program, The NFL Today, moving on from longtime analysts and former NFL quarterbacks Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms. The network added former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan to the panel, who served as a color commentator for NFL on CBS games, ahead of the show’s 50th year on the air. Ryan will join analysts Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson and J.J. Watt on the show next season, along with host James Brown. Next week, Brown will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the 45th Sports Emmy Awards.

Before receiving the honor, Brown joined the Sports Business Radio Podcast where he was asked about the new cast of The NFL Today. Brown has been working as the host of the show since 2006 and has helped the show continue to retain a level of prosperity and respect in the sports media space. He is widely regarded as one of the most skilled studio hosts in the industry and demonstrates a selflessness on the air with an aptitude to set up his colleagues for success.

“It’s a family, and I would be disingenuous if I said that there wasn’t some disappointment because they’ve been family for decades; literally just about decades,” Brown said regarding Esiason and Simms. “Boomer and I have worked together for a long period of time. They’re hard-working guys.”

Brown remarked that Simms is the hardest-working person in media and someone who knows the game, classifying him as a “gym rat” in that he continues to hone his craft at a high level. Additionally, he stated that Esiason covers a wide range of sports and that his work in media is “his life” and something that he loves to do.

“There’s some sadness there because they were teammates, but we’re also big boys,” Brown said. “We all played sports – they have longer than me – and we understand that it’s part of the business.”

While Brown is doleful to see Esiason and Simms leave the show, he is already laying the groundwork to make sure that Ryan will be able to successfully assimilate into the program. During his podcast appearance, he revealed that he reached out to Ryan and affirmed that he would be embraced and welcomed onto the show. This aligns with what Brown did for Watt last year, who he explained has a self-assurance because he is someone who was a star player and someone who has a genuine adoration for the sport.

“We bring in a couple of guys who are pined for success, and we just want to make sure that the transition is as seamless and as quick as possible by having meetings [and] getting to know each other,” Brown said. “Nothing beats getting to know each other, breaking bread and learning about your colleague so that you’ll know how best to play off of and to set them up.”

Earlier in the podcast, Brown elucidated that his colleagues know an immense amount about football, contextualizing it by averring that they will forget more football than he will ever know. Throughout the week, he will proffer ideas and storylines by them to gain their opinion on the matter and position them to thrive come Sunday. Brown has observed people in his position try to portray themselves as shrewder than they actually are, specifically pertaining to football nuances and information, but he understands that the job is about his colleagues rather than himself.

“In the world of 24/7 sports, there’s nothing new by the time we get to Sunday,” Brown said. “What’s going to be more important is the opinion, the insight, the information that our analysts, our co-hosts deliver, so therefore I want to make certain that I am well prepared to ask the most relevant and pertinent questions of them, and coming off of conversations with them during the course of the week, I know where they’re going, so my job is to ask.”

Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick Return to Host Indy 500 for NBC Sports

BSM Staff
-
0
Mike Tirico, Danica Patrick Return to Host Indy 500 for NBC Sports

With less than two weeks until the event, NBC Sports has officially announced its team of race and studio commentators for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. For the sixth year in a row, we can expect to see familiar faces such as host Mike Tirico and studio analyst Danica Patrick contributing to pre-race, in-race, and post-race coverage.

The race will air at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 26, on both NBC and Peacock.

Seven-time NASCAR Series champion Jimmie Johnson will join NBC’s pre-race and race coverage. When his broadcasting duties are completed, Johnson will be flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway to drive in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600.

Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will call the race for the sixth consecutive year. Marty Snider, Dillon Welch, Dave Burns, and Kevin Lee will serve as pit reporters. Former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton and Kim Coon will serve as roaming reporters.

Rudy Giuliani At Risk of Losing Newsmax Show, New Report Says

BNM Staff
-
0

After seeing his New York news/talk radio show canceled last week, Rudy Giuliani could be in jeopardy of losing another media job, this time at Newsmax.

Last week, 77 WABC canceled The Rudy Giuliani Show after the former New York Mayor and Donald Trump attorney refused to cease discussions about the validity of the 2020 election. Now, a report from Mediaite claims Giuliani could be on the chopping block at conservative cable news outlet Newsmax for similar issues.

America’s Mayor Live, hosted by Giuliani, airs on Newsmax2 and is regularly edited to remove the conspiracy theories touted by the former mayor. Reportedly, he was not allowed to appear live on the network for several months due to continually alleging misconduct by election machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic. Fox News famously settled a defamation lawsuit brought forth by Dominion for $787.5 million last year. Cases with other conservative media outlets that touted similar falsehoods continue.

Sources told Mediaite that Giuliani’s conduct has left top network leaders considering axing his show. In a statement, a spokesperson for the former mayor denied there was any acrimony between the two parties.

“Mayor Giuliani enjoys a fantastic relationship with Newsmax and its audience. Newsmax has grown into the successful network it is today, because its audience knows it is getting accurate and relevant information on the news that matters. We appreciate Mr. Ruddy and Newsmax’s commitment to free speech and allowing a vast array of views and perspectives on the air.”

Gregg Giannotti: Emmanuel Berbari Needs to Do a Little Better Than ‘Gone, Goodbye’

BSM Staff
-
0

The New York Yankees are entrenched in the upper pantheon of the Major League Baseball standings to begin the new season. The team has won eight of its last 10 games, including a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins and looks poised for a deep postseason run, but there have been hardships the organization has had to overcome to get there. Additionally, longtime Yankees radio play-by-play voice John Sterling retired from the broadcast booth in mid-April, ending an illustrious 36-year run calling the team’s games. Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti talked about one of Sterling’s replacements on Boomer & Gio.

Occupying the play-by-play announcing role throughout the regular season has been Justin Shackil and Emmanuel Berbari, both of whom have filled in for Sterling in the past when he had to miss games. Berbari worked alongside analyst Suzyn Waldman for the team’s series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, broadcast on the team’s flagship station, WFAN. Shortstop Anthony Volpe hit a leadoff home run to commence the final game of the series, and Berbari gave a home run call of ‘Gone, goodbye!’ on the air. WFAN host Gregg Giannotti, however, believes that there is room for improvement for the young announcer.

“I am fascinated by these guys that are now filling in for John Sterling, and John has retired, because you have to kind of thread a needle because you don’t want to be too over the top but you don’t want to be too boring, so how do you figure that out,” Giannotti said on Friday morning’s edition of Boomer & Gio on WFAN. “If I were giving Emmanuel Berbari advice, I would say we go to to just do a little bit better than ‘Gone, goodbye.’”

Giannotti ultimately compelled Berbari to try and find a middle ground between his ‘Gone, goodbye’ call and Sterling’s signature call for home runs by Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. Co-host Boomer Esiason asked Giannotti to give Berbari an example of what he would be satisfied with, to which he replied that he was not a play-by-play announcer.

“As a consumer, as a listener, I don’t know,” Giannotti said. “I’m not the one who has to think about it. I just know as a listener, it’s not doing it for me.”

Esiason proceeded to remind Giannotti of the time that they called a New Jersey Devils game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He wanted to know if Giannotti had thought about his call if the Devils scored a goal, off which he stated that he had not. Anchor Jerry Recco, who also works as a play-by-play announcer, explained that he perceives it to be a different situation when calling a baseball game.

“Yeah, you do think about it,” Recco said. “I’ve never really done baseball, but there are different home runs as well though. You’ve got the little line drives that you don’t know are going to get out and you kind of react to it. You’ve got the Judge one the other night that was a moonshot.”

From there, Esiason added that if he were calling the games, it would be difficult for him to manufacture excitement in a mid-May matchup that the Yankees are expected to win. In fact over the last five years, the Yankees have a 19-8 regular-season record against the Twins and have also defeated them during the postseason.

“John figured out a way to do it for a million years – 162 games,” Giannotti replied.

“Yankees-Marlins on a Tuesday night, he was fired up,” Recco added.

Bomani Jones: NBC’s Personality is 100% the Opposite of Charles Barkley

BSM Staff
-
0
Bomani Jones: NBC’s Personality is 100% the Opposite of Charles Barkley

The NBA media rights is one of the hot topics in sports talk these days with the future of Inside the NBA being one of the most talked about points of the discussion. Bomani Jones and Domonique Foxworth talked about it on the latest edition of The Right Time with Bomani Jones.

“It doesn’t seem to be official, but we are starting to get the word leaking out that it is possible that Inside the NBA, it might be a wrap on that,” Jones said. “…I don’t fully understand how the money works…but dude this would stink.

“The question is, does Charles come to wherever it is? Because Charles is the engine that makes this thing go. Every broadcasting operation has a personality to it and NBC’s personality is 100% the opposite of Charles Barkley.

Jones and Foxworth talked about what happens if TNT does lose the NBA and Ernie Johnson stays at TNT, does the show work on another network.

“I think the show can exist as it does because of a fairly unique set of conditions and circumstances, but this is the one that I think that gets lost,” he said. “TNT is on cable, for a channel that itself I would argue doesn’t really have a brand/personality…I don’t think of TNT as having a clear, distinct personality… What Inside the NBA became, and when it is really cash money is postgame in the playoffs, that’s when you get your money’s worth out of that show. At which point, it is a late-night show on cable television, which allows you to do a lot more. It allows them to be a lot more loosey-goosey or they can just decide they are going to ignore whatever the games were and talk about everything else…you can do that late night on cable television in a way that I don’t know if you can working for the Tiffany network.”

Jones brought up the time the show talked more about what happened with George Floyd in Minneapolis versus talking about that evening’s basketball games. “You think NBC got the stomach for that, because I don’t,” Jones said to Foxworth.

Jones later added, “I am not sure how many people are willing to do what TNT did, which is to say, ‘we are going to let Charles Barkley steer the ship and we are just going to cross our fingers and hope that nobody notices some of the things that he says.’ You think he can get over on NBC or even on Amazon talking about them big women in San Antonio?

“NBC was a great broadcast partner for the NBA in that era of the world and that era of broadcasting. To me the personality of the NBA is much more of an outlaw-ish, loosey-goosey, counter-cultural sort of thing, which is just the exact opposite of NBC and what they broadcast.”

1...1,6211,6221,623...2,890Page 1,622 of 2,890