One of the bad raps given to News/Talk radio hosts is that it’s a bunch of angry Boomers yelling about Democrats. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no shortage of that kind of content if you are seeking it, but there is so much creativity and depth to dozens of quality News/Talk radio hosts around the country who are so much more than other media perceive them to be. This week’s story around South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was an incredible opportunity to show your audience that you can have fun at the expense of “one of your own.”
As is now well known, Kristi Noem has infamously admitted in her upcoming memoir No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward (buy it here, dog leash not included) to killing her dog Cricket (R.I.P.) because the dog wasn’t trained properly and didn’t handle itself well when pheasant hunting and had killed a couple of the neighbor’s chickens.
There was also a fiasco in the book’s passage, in which she describes meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as her story has consistently changed. However, she has declined to say that the account was false — even though the passage has since been redacted.
To make matters worse, Noem seemed hellbent on trying to dig herself out of this mess by appearing on TV shows around the country in recent days, which were generally disastrous. So it’s been an absolute trainwreck of a week for Kristi Noem. And it’s made for an incredible opportunity for News/Talk radio content.
I talked to and heard from some hosts concerned about mocking Noem, a perceived rising star in the Republican Party and potential VP pick for Donald Trump.
Please. Who cares? Create great and entertaining content for your audience. Don’t worry about whether or not you might one day get to interview Kristi Noem. Plus, based on what I saw on TV, she’s not a compelling interview anyway.
There aren’t many things that Americans near-universally agree on anymore, but being against killing dogs has to be pretty high up on that list. Loving dogs is as American as apple pie. You will be on the side of (at least) 80-90% of the American public on this one. There was no fear of alienating the pro-dog killing crowd if that is a constituency that event exists. And if it does, I’m not interested in catering to it.
So, with that being said, I hope you used this as an opportunity to get creative and have fun. Whether via on-air bits, like an on-air candlelight vigil to Cricket, playing horrific sound bytes from Noem as she tried to defend herself on cable news (which was an absolute disaster) and/or mixing callers into the equation, it was content gold.
Granted, this story was not local, and while we emphasize the importance of local content in this weekly column, some things are too good to pass up. And at our core, entertainment needs to lead the way.
And heck, if you really want to localize it and get audience participation, throw this one out there, “Which local politician is most likely to be a dog killer?” Too crass? You could convince me of that, but you get the broader point. Don’t avoid one of the week’s biggest stories out of fear of offending the audience.
When a public figure deserves to be dogged, don’t hold back. Inform, entertain, and let the chips fall where they may.
On the fourth play of the New York Jets’ regular-season campaign, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers fell down with an apparent injury. Fans within a sold-out MetLife Stadium waited with bated breath about the verdict as the 39-year-old veteran received medical attention on the sidelines. Bob Wischusen, who has been working as the Jets radio play-by-play announcer since 2002, did not jump to conclusions about what had occurred and continued calling the game while remaining attentive to the developing storyline.
In the year prior, quarterback Zach Wilson had suffered an injury during a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles that several social media users deemed a torn ACL. It turned out to be a sprained MCL that caused him to miss the first three games, a lesson in not assuming conjecture or speculation to be incontrovertibly true.
“Even people that are so-called experts on social media, they make mistakes, so I didn’t say anything about what we thought the extent of the injury was beyond what we were being told,” Wischusen explained. “I kept my fingers crossed that maybe it wasn’t as bad as people were thinking. Unfortunately, in Aaron Rodgers’ case, it turned out to be the worst-case scenario and that was it.”
As the Jets enter the 2024 season, the team and its fans hope to have Rodgers healthy for a full season and return to the playoffs. For Wischusen though, it will represent an alteration on the airwaves since the Jets agreed to an exclusive, multiyear radio and streaming partnership with iHeartMedia that has made Q104.3, New York’s Classic Rock Station, the flagship radio home of the team.
There is excitement surrounding the endeavor and the possibilities it will bring, but Wischusen also feels somewhat doleful in that games will no longer be on ESPN New York. The Good Karma Brands-owned radio station will no longer be on the FM dial, forsaking its lease of the 98.7 FM signal from Emmis Communications. ESPN New York will continue to be distributed digitally while retaining a presence on 1050 AM.
“I understand from a business standpoint that if the company that buys the radio station decides they want to do away with the signal that basically everyone can clearly hear, well I get why the Jets needed to go in a different direction and be on a radio station that has a signal that they feel kind of clearly reaches their fanbase,” Wischusen said, “so it’ll be different.”
And for all the Jets fans that have been so kind to be worried…Marty and I will still be calling the games…and that you’re all even concerned about that means a lot to us https://t.co/zatAQcUSST
Having worked with several hosts at ESPN New York over the years, along with appearing on sports programming and being a loyal listener, the change was an unfortunate occurrence for Wischusen. Nonetheless, he will continue to find the station while remaining curious of the new means of distribution.
“From everything I’ve been told from Jets management, the folks with iHeart and with 104.3 have been awesome so far and are really excited to have us be a part of what they do now,” Wischusen said. “So, I’m looking forward to meeting them because anybody that’s that excited to have us be a part of what they do, it creates enthusiasm for us as well, but there’s certainly a part of me that’s really sad to see the relationship with 98.7 end because [there are] a lot of great people there.”
Landing the coveted local broadcasting job with the Jets was a challenge in and of itself in which Wischusen ultimately reigned victorious. Former Jets executives Bob Parente and Terry Bradway advocated for Wischusen to procure the role ahead of the 2002 season, and he eventually ended up securing the position.
From his inaugural season to the present day, Wischusen has paired with former defensive lineman and color commentator Marty Lyons on the broadcasts. Through their work on the radio, they have developed palpable chemistry and friendship on the airwaves that appeals to listeners.
“We’ll be friends long after we’re no longer calling Jets games together, and that’s the best part of all the fun we’ve had in the booth calling the games and even through the tough years – and there have been plenty of those obviously – we’ve never stopped having fun showing up every week, laughing with the group that we work with and working together,” Wischusen articulated. “So, it says everything that you need to know about him as a person that he’s just that kind of guy. If you don’t like Marty, you’re the problem because everybody likes Marty.”
Outside of Dan Graca assuming responsibility hosting the pregame and postgame show, most of the staff for Jets radio broadcasts has remained the same. There is a cohesiveness and congeniality existent within the broadcasting entity with a widespread commitment to accurately cover the game.
“Since all the NFL is network television, there is no identifiability with a specific voice because it changes potentially every week, so we’re the constant for Jets fans,” Wischusen said, “and we’re really honored that some try to sync the radio broadcast up with the TV because they know us [and] they’ve been listening to us for a long time.”
WFAN had launched late into his time in high school, and he was initially incredulous that people could get paid to watch and discuss sports. When he was in college, he co-hosted Sports Tonight alongside Jon “Boog” Sciambi, Christian Megliola and Joe Tessitore, discussing Boston College athletics and taking calls from listeners. Wischusen ended up interning at WFAN in New York, N.Y. and WEEI in Boston, Ma. where he gained invaluable experience and knowledge about the business. Through recommendations from connections he forged in those endeavors, he ended up earning a job out of school as a producer for Hank Goldberg on WQAM in Miami, Fla.
“I went down there as a producer originally but of course made no mystery of the fact that I wanted to be on the air,” Wischusen said, “and just by being inside the walls of the place and being, when you’re 21-22 years old, a relatively inexpensive alternative, I was given a chance to get on the air.”
Initially starting as an off-the-air radio producer, Wischusen was eventually granted more chances to speak on the airwaves, including filling in on weekends or covering an update shift. As a member of the station who exhibited dedication, resilience and an indefatigable work ethic, management chose to grant him an opportunity.
“Eric Spitz when he was at [W]FAN was [the] one that told me, ‘Internships in our business are like med school for a doctor or law school for a lawyer,’” Wischusen recalled. “They are that important to then becoming someone who’s just inside the walls of a place, getting your first entry-level job and now you’re in it.”
A few years later, Wischusen made it back to New York City and WFAN where he was hired as a reporter and update host. Returning to his home locale, he did not feel pressure to perform and possessed humility and credence that he would be able to thrive. It undoubtedly helped that he was familiar with the sports teams and had interned at the station, granting him a better understanding of what topics would resonate with the listeners.
“There might be other markets where you can get by, but if you’re in New York City and you’re on the air and you say something about one of those teams that turns out to be wrong, you are called out about it by the fans of that team immediately,” Wischusen said. “So, there is, I’m sure, a pressure for some, but I don’t know. I’ve always been relatively confident in my own opinion and the work that I’ve put in to know it, and so I always had a belief that if I was given a chance to get on the air and do it, I would be successful at it.”
Wischusen ended up leaving WFAN in 2001 after he had not been considered for a regular talk show shift amid a changing weekday lineup. Utilizing the experience he had both hosting and calling sports for the Comcast Network, he was hired by MSG Networks and served in a multifaceted role. Wischusen was the host of shows on FOX SportsNet New York, including the Regional Sports Report and Talk of Our Town, along with calling select sporting events. At the same time, he continued to host the Jets pregame and postgame show, a role he had started a few years earlier.
Wischusen realized his dream upon being named the team’s play-by-play announcer and has not looked back since. In fact, he has added more responsibilities and leveraged his versatility to gain additional opportunities in the business. Through it all, he tries to execute his responsibilities and essentially scores a soundtrack for the action without coining distinct phraseology.
Upon joining ESPN in 2005, Wischusen was granted the opportunity to broadcast a wide array of sports as a play-by-play announcer, including college football, baseball and golf. From the onset of his time with the network, he was frequently on the road and assimilated into serving as an announcer on these national broadcasts. During the football season, he balances both collegiate games on television – primarily working alongside Robert Griffin III and Kris Budden – along with his Jets radio responsibilities.
“Nobody wants to hear me complain about my job,” Wischusen said. “I’m sure there are lawyers out there that burn the midnight oil getting ready for a case that don’t want to hear my sob story about having multiple depth charts to study each week. I do what I have to do to be prepared for the games that I have.”
As Wischusen continued to merit additional assignments and multiplatform endeavors at ESPN, something that remained consistent was the fact that the network did not have media rights to the National Hockey League. It was a void that he was not sure would be filled after ESPN did not renew its deal following a league-wide lockout that canceled the 2004-05 NHL season. The potential for a reunion between ESPN and the NHL slowly became more palpable, and Wischusen knew that he would want to be a part of it.
With a keen interest in and knowledge of the sport, Wischusen entered a trailer during a PGA Tour event and met with ESPN executive Mike McQuade, who he discovered would be overseeing coverage if the network was able to close a deal. In a conversation that lasted approximately 20 seconds, he expressed interest in the NHL on ESPN and was informed that he would definitely be a part of it.
“If you know Mike McQuade, that’s a classic Mike McQuade meeting,” Wischusen said. “It’s like, ‘Okay, good meeting, thanks. We bonded; I really enjoyed our time together.’ Mike is allergic to B.S., as zero politics as it gets. He has no interest in who you eat lunch with or playing favorites. He just knows who he wants to have on stuff, and he immediately said, ‘Yeah, I want you to be a part of hockey,’ and that was it – that was really my entire interview process at ESPN.”
Moving back into hockey, however, presented a dichotomy to what Wischusen saw when he was filling in on radio broadcasts of New York Rangers games nearly two decades earlier. The hastened speed of the sport, heightened athleticism and size of the ice surface all resembled contrasts to what he had remembered. It required an adjustment for Wischusen to execute a successful broadcast that affected different stages of the job.
“There was a time where back then if I was a little unsure of a player or wanted to throw a bullet point [or] a stat out, I could look down at my chart, maybe gather some information and then go back to the ice and continue to call the game,” Wischusen said. “You can’t do that now. If you take your eyes off of the ice now, you may never catch back up, and all of a sudden, the puck’s in the net and you missed it.”
A textbook tip from Steven Lorentz on this one! ???? #StanleyCup
The frenetic, expeditious pace of the game on ice renders it essential that the broadcast team keeps up with the action. It requires a shrewd, deft knowledge of the teams, players and personnel, along with the ability to contextualize in real time and demarcate other conversation.
“On a Tuesday night in February, the crowd is on the edge of their seat a lot of times because it’s 2-2 in the third period and just the game is such an exciting product,” Wischusen said. “And now you add obviously the playoffs and the significance of the games that we get to call now, and it’s that times 100.”
Throughout the game, Wischusen will ask his analyst for their thoughts on the broadcast and how to improve. In the high-pressure situations, he leans on his experience and does not overthink it, concentrating on accurately and succinctly documenting the moment. Once the game has concluded, he does not engage in an excess amount of listening or watching replays; rather, he will select a segment from the contest to review his performance.
Contemporaneous to that is carrying respect of the local audience and an ability to convey comprehensive knowledge both discernible and recondite. Wischusen hopes that the assemblage of previous work and sustained excellence leads to a chance to call a seminal event, such as the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup Final.
“I’ve just never been given that opportunity yet, so I hope at some point during my career, a decision maker kind of taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Now it’s your turn’ and I get that call, and hopefully I’m prepared for it when it happens,” Wischusen said. “I still have career ambition.”
Although Wischusen does not perceive himself to have reached a career zenith, he understands that the business is competitive and based on performance. There have been moments in his career where he has been disappointed not to receive certain assignments but remains optimistic that his time will come. Even if the yearning represents a destination that cannot be reached though, he is grateful for the career he has had and focused on the next game.
“If tomorrow I ended my broadcast career, look at the friends that I’ve made and look at the places I’ve been and the atmospheres I’ve been a part of and the games I’ve had a chance to watch in person and be in the middle of,” Wischusen said. “If my career ended immediately, I still have been incredibly lucky, and I try not to lose sight of that even when you’re aspiring to try to move up the ladder and do bigger and better.”
“It feels really not real. I can’t believe I just talk to people and make stupid jokes all day long, and I get paid to do that,” Jesse Kelly said of his renewed contract with Premiere Networks.
His unfiltered opinion and humor reach millions of people nationwide both on air and through streaming. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I wanted to keep me here. I’ll take it. I’m honored to be here for sure,” the host of The Jesse Kelly Show told Barrett News Media over a Zoom call.
Growing up in the Ohio Rust Belt, Kelly never planned to work in media. He served as a Marine, one of the many pieces in his life that he believes helped prepare him for his media endeavor. “Anytime you go through anything hard in life, it gives you a better perspective on everything. I was in the Marines just for four years, a grunt marine. But you see a lot of the world. We see a lot of the ugly side and the wonderful side. It’s not all bad, but it does give you a real good perspective on the rest of your life.”
Kelly was honorably discharged and later picked up several jobs including in construction and RV sales. While working, driving, and “living a normal life” he often listened to talk radio… and talked to himself.
“My wife, she loves to give me crap about it. We’ll be in there just getting ready to go out on a date or something. I’ll be sitting at the mirror, and I don’t do it on purpose, but I’ll be sitting there and I’ll have some thoughts going through my head, and I’ll start mouthing them, and I’ll start whispering them. And all of a sudden she’s out here saying ‘Talking to yourself again?’”
Today, he’s not just talking to himself but “doing life” with his listeners, which is something he loves. “When people email in, (or) they call in, you find out that you cook with them every evening. You make dinner with the kids with them, you work out with them, you mow the lawn with them, you drive to work, you’re sitting in traffic, you’re at work with them. I love that it’s fun. It’s fun being able to ride along with people.”
Calling himself a “big sappy weenie,” Kelly noted some of the more touching letters from fans he’s received. “I’ve had letters before from kids who listen without their parents because they have rough home situations. It helps put them to sleep at night. That makes my whole day. That makes my whole life.”
Another moving note he received, “Jesse. I’ve been sober now for three years. Your show is one of the things that keeps me sober. I just wanted to let you know.”
He said of the notes, “Helping anyone, [even] one person, in even the smallest way, makes the entire thing worth it. It’s better than the flights and the fancy trips to New York. When you got to meet with the suits or the paycheck or anything else, having meaning behind a job. That’s dumb, right? I’m talking for a living, but having [my show] means something to someone, it means a lot.”
Jesse Kelly is more than just a radio host. He also has his show, I’m Right with Jesse Kelly on The First TV. All those years of driving listening to talk radio, and talking to himself, have aided his natural ability to be a great storyteller.
“Entertain me. Tell me a story. Make me feel it. Put me there. Make me feel it. That’s what keeps you in the car. When you get to where you’re going, it’s time to run into the gas station and get some Doritos. But no, I have to be right here because I have to see how this story ends.”
This story, however, is just the beginning for Kelly. Along with his successful TV and radio show, his book The Anti-Communist Manifesto is being published globally. “It was the best-selling political book in the country last July it went international. They’re buying it in Turkey at this point in time. It’s really weird to me.”
Kelly noted it’s hard to believe people like the book because there isn’t an audience giving you immediate feedback. “No one’s cheering you on. You don’t see anybody laughing in his truck as you make a joke. You don’t know, you put out the book and it stuck. And so it turned out that people loved it.”
It took years of convincing from several people to get Jesse Kelly to write his first book. However, he wants everyone to know it’s not going to be a series. “I don’t have any plans to write another. I’m certainly no author. I wouldn’t consider myself an author, but I’m glad I wrote that one. And it is cool that my parents have my book on the shelf. My boys, my oldest son reads it. I walked in and he’s sitting there reading my book.”
His advice for those looking to follow in his media foot steps is simple, live life first. “You should aspire to be a lot better than I ever am or ever will be. That’s for one. For two, and I’m not judging how anyone chooses to try to make a career — especially as a young person, it’s hard to make it out there — people who want to go into a career in media in my opinion, go into it way too early.”
Kelly believes his success is because he’s lived a “normal life” for most of his life.
“I’ve struggled to pay the bills. I’ve lived it. I worked in construction. I’ve needed time-and-a-half in order to pay my mortgage this month. I’ve got to make a sale, I’ve got to get my kid to school. I’m out of gas. I can’t afford to repair my car. This is life… Live life first. Come to this later.”
Summer calls for trips to family reunions, visits to distant kids, baseball games, and amusement park adventures. But it also signals a surge in road trips, making local tire dealerships gear up for travelers needing to ensure their vehicles are road trip ready. With a focus on pre-trip services through local radio and timely discounted maintenance packages or in-house credit via podcast ads, your local tire shop can become the pit stop every Clark Griswold needs. 3 out of 4 people listen to the car AM/FM radio each week, and 1/3 of adults listen to podcasts each week. Here’s how to craft a winning radio and podcast advertising strategy for your local tire shop this summer:
Local Radio Ads: Pre-Trip Services
For tire dealerships already running local radio ads, it’s essential to fine-tune the ad copy to appeal to road trippers. Given the cost-prohibitive nature of airfare for many families, station wagon roadies, ala Griswold, are becoming increasingly common. By offering pre-trip inspection specials, your local tire shop can capture the attention of local commuters and travelers, emphasizing the importance of checking tire pressure, tread wear, and fluid levels. Picture Clark Griswold tuning in to his favorite Chicago sports show, dreaming of attending the 2024 Hall of Fame game with the Bears vs. Texans in Canton, and visiting Cedar Point amusement park. A sweet 800-mile round-tripper – and your tire shop being his first pit stop.
Podcast Ads: Discounted Maintenance Packages
Most local radio stations offer podcast ad opportunities, providing an additional reach to travelers. Whether it’s fresh content or replays of local shows and interviews, podcasts offer a way for travelers to stay connected to their favorite local content while on the road. By leveraging host-read podcast ads, you can target listeners actively planning their return home and the maintenance their vehicles may require. Consider employing a host-read podcast ad to promote bundled maintenance packages, including inspections, tire rotations, fluid checks, and a car wash coupon. Long car trips often unearth unexpected maintenance needs or engine light alerts – making these packages a lifesaver. Or promote in-store credit options for cash poor road trippers. Always try to hire a radio on-air personality endorser for super power ad results.
Reaching Road Trippers at Every Stage
Tire shops effectively engage road trippers by combining local radio and podcast ads at various planning stages. While radio ads capture the attention of local commuters and travelers, stressing the importance of pre-trip inspections and maintenance, podcast ads travel with listeners, offering them discounted maintenance packages or financial relief for unexpected repairs after a vacation. Now that’s a 1-2 punch!
There’s a widespread belief that media bias is running rampant these days, more than ever before. Who do we blame? Well, the news media, of course, and social media. But we’re largely overlooking a third culprit in the confusion: We The People.
One of the first newspapers in Colonial American history was the Boston News-Letter, published in 1704. It was highly political and heavily subsidized by the British government. Opposing publications appeared soon after. By 1900, major newspapers had become profitable powerhouses of advocacy, muckraking, and sensationalism.
Media bias is nothing new, folks. It is human nature rooted in beliefs and motivated by a desire to make our world a better place. And, to turn a profit.
This week the Christian Science Monitor reported: “Overall trust in the news media has been falling for decades, along with a broader loss of trust in other public institutions. Four in 10 Americans say they have ‘no confidence’ in the media’s news reporting, while only 32% have a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of confidence. Back in 2003, when Gallup asked the same question, only 1 in 10 expressed “no confidence” while more than half expressed confidence.”
No doubt about it, social media has shaken the information landscape, but are social media and other new technology platforms to blame for the decline of newspapers, TV, and radio?
Charlie Meyerson is a radio/print/internet journalist for more than half a century, sometime adjunct professor at Roosevelt and Northwestern Universities and Columbia College Chicago, and publisher of Chicago Public Square:
“’Blame’ isn’t the word I’d use, but it’s all connected. Forty years ago, if you were away from home—and the then-nascent CNN—and you wanted fresh news in the middle of the day, you had one choice: Radio. Now, of course, it’s a phone, a tablet or a laptop—which can give you radio news, yes, but also all the TV stations, all the newspapers, all the wire services, all the blogs, all the email newsletters, all of YouTube, all the movies, all the podcasts, Spotify, TikTok, Facebook. In a media world where everything competes with everything, how can those old media expect to continue to dominate?”
Charlie’s right, of course. We’ve seen the print news media forced to battle the free digital onslaught of online news, blogs, memes, and hearsay by throwing up paywalls just to stay in business, effectively reducing the number of potential readers who want their reporting expertise and perspectives.
Now, we’re starting to see some evidence that declining trust in traditional major media is inspiring those organizations to do some soul-searching. Earlier this week in The Hill:
The executive editor of The New York Times (Joe Kahn) is saying it’s not up to the news organization he runs, or any other, to stop former President Trump from winning a second term in office this fall.
“So there are people out there in the world who may decide, based on their democratic rights, to elect Donald Trump as president. It is not the job of the news media to prevent that from happening. It’s the job of [President] Biden and the people around Biden to prevent that from happening.
Kahn’s statement has elicited much criticism and some agreement from the media establishment, divided largely along political lines, as you might expect. Historians have told us for decades that the idea of fair and balanced news reporting has never been as noble as it is practical.
The U.S. press didn’t always have such a fussy code of ethics about Opinion Journalism vs. News Reporting… The New York Post was started in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton as a platform from which the Federalist Party proclaimed its views, including attacks on Thomas Jefferson.
And that was not the exception. The early U.S. press was filled with opinion and partisan attacks and newspapers were often subsidized by political parties until early in the 19th Century.
The U.S. press didn’t adopt the idea of Neutrality as a noble step in our common search for truth and meaning. It was a business decision.
Again, bias, it seems, is part of human nature. The bigger problem today is how we perceive it. Again, Charlie Meyerson:
“I’m far more worried about reporting by journalists who (incredibly and impossibly) pretend to have no opinions than by those who are open about their position and let an audience decide, story by story, which reporting is fair and which isn’t.”
Many journalists agree but ironically are either keeping it to themselves or not being heard. So, here’s the first step: traditional news media need to be transparent about views and tireless in unbiased sourcing.
We also need to take a bold step in explaining to Americans that they have the bigger responsibility, to learn about issues and think before posting.
Somewhere in the past forty or fifty years – I suspect it was Vietnam – we started to believe in the sanctity of self to the exclusion of the outside world. We embraced the bumper sticker philosophy which allowed us to be caring people without taking the time needed to invest any effort in the issues we choose to attack or support. For five or six bucks these days I can make a public proclamation of caring about the environment or celebrating LGBTQ “awareness” by displaying a magnetized car ribbon and doing nothing else.
And now we have social media platforms that empower us to spend our days expressing ill-informed, half-baked opinions without bothering to think for ourselves.
As citizens, we have a responsibility to learn history and civics and to think and discuss these things dispassionately, especially with our kids. If we don’t, our opinions are less than meaningless, damaging our society and threatening American democracy.
Broadcast and print news organizations need to be more transparent, as we like to say. It’s time to bring this conversation to the front porch of every American and tell them bluntly: We’ll do our part but you have to learn and think before you muddy the water. You need to teach your kids why and how it all matters.
In my senior year of high school, 1968-69, I took a required Civics class. It gave me the most important and enduring lessons of my life. There is a current movement to return history and civics mandates in public schools but it takes a lot longer to re-install something than it did to remove it.
Long before I got into the radio news business my father told me something I’ve never forgotten: “People say you have a right to your opinion. That’s only half true. You have a right to an informed opinion. If you don’t know what you’re talking about you should shut the hell up.”
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the newest star at MLB Network. Her name is Abby Labar and in just over a month, she has made the popular highlight show Quick Pitch her very own. This is no small feat given the roster of previous hosts including the talented likes of Siera Santos, Kelly Nash, Keiana Martin, Heidi Watney and others.
Labar has taken her upbeat brand of reporting and humor and totally put her stamp on the production. Labar is new to MLB Network, but not to television. While a student at North Carolina State, she was a bit of a TV sports wunderkind, covering collegiate and professional sports even before she graduated in 2017.
She is a two-time Emmy nominee who has covered the Carolina Hurricanes, ACC football, and worked on various shows on a host of networks. Labar has also experienced the challenges of media fame and is unafraid to share glimpses of her personal life on her social media platforms.
With media ownership changes, personnel shifts, and talent layoffs, there is a revolving door of new faces on network television. Labar is one of these faces, but in this case, it is a welcome change.
Quick Pitch airs each night after MLB games with several reruns into the morning. Its aim is to bring viewers up to date on the complete slate of games with highlights, statistics, news, play by play calls, and player reactions. It is by far the best baseball highlight show on television and the newest incarnation with Labar as host is a huge reason.
Labar does not just present highlights, she performs them. Taking a page from Santos, she goes beyond merely opening the show, introducing the highlights, giving a little commentary, and closing the show. Instead, she has created characters, used props, and presented an overall joyous display of baseball entertainment.
It is obvious that Labar belongs in front of the camera, but she is about far more than fashion and flash. Any host, male or female, can show up to the set, be prepared, look good, and read copy, but this is not Labar’s modus operandi. There is a real exuberance and commitment to everything she does on Quick Pitch, creating a viewing experience for the baseball fan that is inviting, exciting, and delighting.
Beyond the enthusiasm, there is a work ethic to Labar’s efforts. It is always tough when you are the new kid on the block on an established show, but Labar is unshaken by the legacy and hell bent on creating her own.
Let’s keep it real. Quick Pitch is not a host-dependent program. The show quite often opens, goes to break, and returns from break with game highlights. In fact, there are numerous occasions where you don’t see the host for several minutes as one game highlight moves to another.
Moreover, there is an endless chain of graphics, statistics, and sound from the previous day’s games. Still, Labar is making the most of her on-camera minutes and, I believe, garnering more on-screen time because of her sterling performance. As a viewer tuning in, it seems to me that Labar is having a grand old time hosting Quick Pitch.
On recent shows, she has stepped to the plate and took some swings on the MLB Network studio field, offered some dance moves on set, laid down on the studio floor for a highlight intro, did a standup from a makeshift bar, tossed around a basketball, and acted the part of a night club DJ.
She has even tossed good-natured jabs at her fellow MLB network colleagues. Labar recently called out MLB Network anchor Greg Amsinger for being a no-hitter jinx. She showed video of Amsinger spouting that Dodgers’ pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was on no-hitter alert before his game vs. the Marlins even started. Miami’s Jazz Chisholm, Jr. proceeded to crush Yamamoto’s first pitch of the game for a home run.
On another recent edition of Quick Pitch, Labar donned glasses and played the role of a teacher calling out members of the Dodgers in class. She repeated pitcher Walker Buehler‘s name several times in the mold of Ben Stein’s memorable teacher role in the film Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off. “Buehler, Buehler, Buehler,” she repeated. It was a funny turn.
Labar recognizes her role as host of Quick Pitch. She does not make many critical comments or bold statements on baseball, but she adeptly presents the highlights and graphics, calling attention to the statistical anomalies and coincidences akin to baseball. She is a host in the utmost sense of the word. Game results might be the reason people are tuning into Quick Pitch, but Labar is the reason they are staying and enjoying the program.
On a recent episode, she was talking about the streaking Minnesota Twins and referenced the 1991 Twins team that won the World Series. In detailing what was going on in 1991, she mentioned that a VCR cost $400. The youthful Labar stopped herself and deadpanned, “Wait, what’s a VCR?”
On the May 4th edition, Labar wielded a light saber with Star Wars-like music in the background talking about “May the Fourth Be with You” celebrations throughout baseball. Subsequently, she made mention of the Kentucky Derby and closed the show by riding off the set on a makeshift horse.
Listen, a lot of this stuff is a little bit hokey, and I’m sure the producers and Labar work on these comedic routines in production meetings. Still, for the powers-that-be at MLB Network to have the confidence in Labar to deliver the goods says something about her talent. Moreover, for a relative newcomer to be willing to take those chances is refreshing.
With Labar at the helm, Quick Pitch has evolved from a solid baseball highlight show to an unpredictably fun spectacle. The show is still not totally host driven, but all the features, soundbites, graphics, stats, and highlights are enhanced with Labar as the front person.
I was skeptical as to whether Quick Pitch could maintain its quality, especially with the departure of Santos to MLB Network’s Intentional Talk program, but it is alive, well, and quite possibly better than ever. Santos, Lauren Gardner, and other MLB Network talents still fill in on Quick Pitch, but it has squarely become Labar’s show.
There are a lot of really good young sports personalities out there including Drew Scott, Kendra Andrews, Kayla Burton, and many others. With her creativity and fearlessness, Labar is putting herself not only on this list, but perhaps at the top of it. Quick Pitch is definitely an early season winner, and Labar is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.
Following an awkward exchange with Caitlin Clark at her introductory press conference as a member of the Indiana Fever, Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyel has been suspended two weeks without pay. Doyel will also not be permitted to cover Clark or the Fever over the summer, although he may reportedly still write columns about the team. The incident took place upon Doyel making a heart sign with his hands towards Clark and stating that they would “get along just fine” if she started doing that towards him. On a recent episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast through The Volume with Nick Wright, Cowherd does not believe that Doyel should have been suspended.
Cowherd explained that the media has regularly tried to protect people who do not need it and proceeded to outline that he can say that Anthony Edwards reminds him of Michael Jordan because he leans into it. Within his remarks, he did acknowledge that he thought what Doyel did was weird but proceeded to articulate that Clark did not need the protection of the media because of her strength and toughness. Nick Wright, who is a colleague of Cowherd’s at FS1, gave his perspective of Doyel since he knows him.
“If you’ve been around him, you can see, ‘Oh, he wasn’t trying to be creepy,’” Wright said. “He’s just, I think, well meaning but a little awkward at times,’ and that’s what came across…. But if you had never met him, you might be like, ‘What the hell is wrong? Who is this guy?’”
Cowherd asserted that Serena Williams was the best tennis player he had ever seen and acknowledged her as Roger Federer’s equal both emotionally and in the sport. Attaining that level of recognition and prestige, he averred, is representative of “the ultimate respect for women’s athletes.” Wright then explained that conversations surrounding women’s sports have turned to discussions he classifies as “dumb,” something that he views as progress and momentum in the right direction.
“The ‘Who’s the G.O.A.T. of this?’ is the dumbest, but it is also [something that] gets people riled up [and] people have opinions,” Wright said. “In my whole career leading up to that, we would only be talking about women’s sports in such a bespoke way – it wouldn’t be that – but now it’s just like sports. Like, ‘Hey, is she the best? Is she going to suck as a rookie?’ Like it’s just regular, stupid sports talk.”
Wright believes that Clark is going to make an immediate impact in the WNBA, but said that it would be “patronizing and insulting if people don’t rip her.” In fact, he perceives it becoming more ingrained within discussions on their respective FS1 programs.
“There is a level of – this just sounds silly – but equality of criticism that I do think now is going to come to the WNBA,” Wright said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a direct, straight, linear growth, but I do think they now have enough star power that it is going to be a topic.”
Last season, the WNBA averaged 505,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and CBS during its regular season. The WNBA Finals averaged 728,000 viewers per game, which was up 36% compared to the previous year. No WNBA game has surpassed 1 million viewers in 16 years; however, the recent WNBA Draft on ESPN recently averaged 2.45 million viewers, the largest audience for any WNBA event in 23 years.
The league recently approved charter flights for its players and is looking to “at least double” its broadcast deals that are currently worth a reported $60 million per year. In late April, the league inked a three-year deal with The E.W. Scripps Company to televise Friday night games on ION. It also reached a two-year extension with Amazon Prime Video for a 21-game slate each year, including the championship matchup within the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“It will arrive this year,” Cowherd said of the WNBA, “and it will arrive because the discussions will be authentic and critical, not flowery and protective, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Over the last several months, Shannon Sharpe has appeared on the Monday and Tuesday editions of First Take on ESPN as the show continues to experience ratings growth. April 2024 marked the 21st consecutive month of year-over-year growth for the morning program, which regularly includes featured commentator Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim. The show has utilized a “Stephen A. against the world” format since the departure of Max Kellerman in which a variety of contributors appear every week.
Sharpe, who also founded Shay Shay Media and hosts both the Club Shay Shay and Nightcap podcasts in collaboration with The Volume, is reportedly on the verge of signing a multi-year contract extension with ESPN. News of Sharpe’s potential extension, which is believed to be a four-year deal, was first reported by Richard Deitsch of The Athletic.
Under the new contract, Sharpe would continue to appear on First Take regularly and could also include him being implemented in NFL programming. This follows a seven-year stint as one of the original members of Undisputed on FS1 alongside host Skip Bayless. The Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and three-time Super Bowl champion played 14 seasons in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
A deal has yet to be signed, but a source has informed Deitsch that indications are it will be completed soon. Sharpe had previously inked a contract extension with ESPN to continue appearing on First Take on Mondays and Tuesdays through the end of the NBA regular season. Additionally, ESPN presented a live show from Sharpe’s alma mater, Savannah State University, where he achieved an illustrious collegiate career on the Tigers football team and had his jersey retired. Sharpe has also taken part in live shows from the University of Colorado Boulder and NRG Stadium for the CFP National Championship.
Sharpe has previously attributed his weekly spot on First Take to Smith wanting to have him on the show. During an appearance on Club Shay Shay, Smith explained that one of the reasons he wanted to implement him on the show was so the industry could not wonder what he may have done wrong.
Ever since Jon “Stugotz” Weiner did not get hired as the new program director of WFAN in New York City, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz has occasionally rebranded itself as WFAT. For this outlet, Weiner works as the program director and curates the sound of the show, with host Dan Le Batard stating at the top that the guest list was centered on the Big Apple.
One of the guests who joined the program on Thursday morning was SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio and MLB Network host Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. Outside of these endeavors, Russo appears on ESPN for Wednesday editions of First Take. Weiner was thrilled to see him on a Thursday, exclaiming that he invented the sports talk industry.
Le Batard began the interview by asking Russo about the significance of what the New York Knicks are doing in the NBA Playoffs, taking a 2-0 series lead over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Russo responded by mentioning several notable championship-winning sports teams in years past in the New York area and then began to divulge into the basketball history of the city. He made mention of the City College of New York point-shaving scandal, claiming that it diminished the fandom of college basketball in the area.
Additionally, he explained that the Knicks had joined the NBA a few years prior and struggled in their first 25 years before drafting Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Willis Reed. This led Le Batard to cut him off after show contributors Jeremy Taché, Jessica Smetana and Chris Cote all said in his ear, “What the f**k is happening?”
“I’ve seen this happen to Stephen A. Smith and I’ve seen it happen to Max Kellerman,” Le Batard said. “You get on First Take – and he’s been doing radio for years – but you get specifically on First Take and you got 45 minutes of news but you’ve got to talk for two hours. All of a sudden, you’re a hijacker. You’re somebody who can’t stop talking. Tell me I’m wrong – Russo, tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re right,” Russo replied.
After Le Batard said that Russo was the greatest and articulated that everyone thought he would eventually stop talking, Smetana revealed that her grandfather was a manager of one of the teams that played CCNY. Russo was astonished to learn this and then continued by outlining how this year’s Knicks team appeals to New York City. Within his answer, he spoke about the hustle with which the team plays, along with offensive rebounds and the star power of guard Jalen Brunson.
“Dog, let’s be honest here for a second,” Jonathan Zaslow said, who was co-hosting The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz in studio. “Watching that broadcast last night, true or false, you would have thought that Reggie Miller was undefeated against the New York Knicks in his career?”
Russo stated that Zaslow made an excellent point, to which multiple people began to break out in laughter because of the resemblance between their two voices. As all of this was occurring, Russo outlined how the Knicks’ nemesis is more so Michael Jordan, whose dominance as part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty made it difficult for the team to be subverted.
“It’s more Jordan than Reggie, and Reggie loves this, but Reggie’s almost taken too much credit for being the ultimate quote-unquote ‘Knick killer,’” Russo said. “Take it easy Regg, geez.”
A day after announcing the addition of former VICE News correspondent Isobel Yeung, another reporter from the defunct outlet is joining CNN.
Former VICE correspondent Meena Duerson is joining the network and will be based in New York.
She has plenty of news media experience. Before joining VICE, she spent 8 years at NBC’s Today show as an editorial director. She also worked at the New York Daily News and ABC News.
Additionally, the network has announced Mike Valerio is joining as a new Asian-based international correspondent.
An eight-time Emmy Award winner, Valerio was previously a national correspondent for CNN Newscource based in Los Angeles.
“We are delighted to welcome Mike to CNN International to cover the many important stories from the Asia Pacific region.” said Senior Vice President & Managing Editor APAC, CNN International, Ellana Lee. “Mike’s versatility, his experience in the political sphere, and his strong background in investigative reporting will provide fresh insights to regional events in this dynamic part of the world.”
