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Report: Ernie Johnson to Remain at TNT Sports No Matter Outcome of NBA Media Rights Negotiations

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Report: Ernie Johnson to Remain at TNT Sports No Matter Outcome of NBA Media Rights Negotiations

Earlier in the week, The Wall Street Journal reported that NBC was preparing to make a $2.5 billion bid in an effort to reacquire television media rights to the National Basketball Association. Presuming that the league wants to forge ahead with three rights packages – two of which have reportedly been agreed to with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and Amazon Prime Video – it would leave Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT/TBS) out of the mix. TNT Sports is the home of the acclaimed studio program, Inside the NBA, featuring Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. With the possibility of Warner Bros. Discovery losing media rights to the league, there has been speculation surrounding the future of the program.

While appearing on Wednesday’s edition of The Really Big Show on ESPN Cleveland, Barkley revealed that he had an opt-out clause in his contract in case the company lost rights to the NBA. Sources recently told Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal that Johnson “would stay at Turner” regardless of what happens with the NBA media rights. Johnson is currently the lead studio host for coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, and he also has been a play-by-play announcer and studio host for the MLB on TBS property.

As the league continues to expand its media portfolio, Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly has the ability to match such an offer, although it would more than double the approximately $1.2 billion it has reported to have been paying within its current NBA media rights deal. Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav stated in November 2022 that the company does not need the NBA and would be disciplined in negotiations.

“My bet is that Zaslav will overpay to keep it, goes ballistic to keep it,” a source told Sports Business Journal. “But I think NBC is the front-runner right now or just got in the front. I don’t know if Adam Silver’s doing that to make Zaslav come in with a big number. It’s got to be big. Like, it’s got to blow NBC’s number away.”

Even so, the source does not seem to believe that the package will be equivalent to what the company currently has, potentially with less games during the regular season and playoffs. In fact, the source conjectured that Zaslav would need to “pay out through his nose” in order to reacquire media rights to the league and prevent NBC from possessing the winning bid.

Dan Patrick: ‘You’ve Got to Be Willing to Ask a Tough Question’

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Dan Patrick: ‘You’ve Got to Be Willing to Ask a Tough Question’

Over the years working in New York City, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo has been present at several press conferences with key figures in New York sports. Being within the No. 1 media market in the world and hosting afternoon radio with Mike Francesa, Russo was willing to ask difficult questions to team personnel and would sometimes be reprimanded and/or simply ignored. Nonetheless, he always maintained his courage and confidence in these situations and recalled some of his more memorable moments while appearing Thursday afternoon on the Dan Patrick Show.

The prompt to discuss these incidents followed discussion about the NBA Playoffs, including the rivalry between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers that will continue with Game 6 on Thursday night. Russo began by remembering how New York Knicks head coach Pat Riley was participating in a press conference after the team’s narrow Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals. With speculation that Riley was going to be leaving the organization after four years as its head coach, Russo decided to broach the topic in the season-ending press conference.

“I asked him, ‘Pat, is this it? Are you done?’ You know me – I love to ask those questions in those press conferences in those days – open up my big, fat mouth,” Russo said. “But I asked him that and he didn’t give me an answer…. I felt so bad for the poor guy because we all knew that he was leaving and he was only after four years and they had not won a championship yet.”

Russo remembered another moment at a press conference with a New York head coach when Bill Parcells decided to leave the New England Patriots to coach the New York Jets. Attending a press conference on Long Island, he remembers Parcells calling in and being put on speakerphone in a large auditorium, thus presenting audio difficulties. Even though he was about 100 yards away, Russo asked Parcells if what he was doing was fair to the Patriots when he was under contract with the team.

“He said, ‘Who is that? Who is that?,’ and he got mad,” Russo recollected. “So I went down to the speakerphone on the [stage] there, [and] I said, ‘Bill, can you hear me now for crying out loud!”

Patrick responded to Russo’s answer by reminiscing on his years working in New York and how he had also attended press conferences featuring Riley and Parcells. Within his remarks, Patrick said that he was once “dressed down by Parcells in one of his press conferences,” to which Russo stated that it was “a badge of honor.”

“Yes, because it’ll humble you,” Patrick said. “You’ve got to be willing to ask a tough question, but be willing with whatever repercussions are going to happen, and I remember Parcells saying, ‘How many games have you coached?,’ and I said, ‘Uh, none,’ and he goes, ‘Exactly.’”

Channing Crowder Loses Tooth On Air for Second Time in Two Weeks

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Channing Crowder Loses Tooth On Air for Second Time in Two Weeks

During a segment on Wednesday’s edition of the Hochman and Crowder afternoon drive show on 560 WQAM, co-host Channing Crowder lost his tooth live on the air. Crowder, who was formerly a linebacker on the Miami Dolphins, was responding to a story told by executive producer Alejandro Solana about morning host Joe Rose meeting former quarterback Dan Marino. As Marino was trying to conceal his identity, Rose shouted that Marino was there and “booked it out.”

Crowder understood his sentiment, recalling that he and his family were at Universal Orlando and ended up running into former linebacker Zack Thomas. People seemingly recognized Crowder in the park, and he almost felt compelled to do to Thomas what Rose had done to Marino. As he explained that he wanted to say, “No, the hell with my autograph, that’s Zack Thomas,” one of his teeth fell out on camera and was quickly discerned by Solana. The tooth ended up falling on his foot massager in his remote studio.

“Crowder, did it not just pop out?,” Solana said. “He’s searching for it – he’s searching for it.”

Hochman asked his co-host what was going on with him, to which he replied that the people on the show were making him yell. From there, he confirmed that it was the same tooth that had fallen out two weeks ago while discussing Haley and Hanna Cavinder returning to the University of Miami women’s basketball team next season. Solana then conveyed that he observed Crowder trying to catch his tooth as it flew out, looking to pull it in so it would not be noticed on the show.

“What a weird affliction to have that your teeth keep popping out,” Hochman said.

“I tried to glue it myself,” Crowder replied. “I don’t think that Gorilla Glue did it.”

Hochman then advised Crowder to see a professional and articulated that he was excited to watch the video of him losing his tooth live on the air. Solana later mentioned that he may implement a sound effect whenever Crowder loses a tooth during the show.

“You remember Rick Ankiel, the pitcher? All of a sudden, he couldn’t throw a strike,” Hochman said. “If you’re a talk show host and your teeth just keep popping out, like that’s the yips.”

Hochman explained that he is usually looking at other things during the show and revealed that Solana was trying to get his attention earlier in the segment in such a manner that he thought Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had signed an extension. Conversely, he was trying to inform everyone on the show that Crowder had lost another one of his teeth.

“You were trying to forge ahead on whatever it is you were trying to tell us,” Solana said, “but I’m like, ‘No, bro. Let me interrupt you.’”

Road Trippin’ Podcast Joining Wondery, ThreeFourTwo Productions

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Road Trippin’ Podcast Joining Wondery, ThreeFourTwo Productions

Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Allie Clifton have announced that they are bringing their Road Trippin’ podcast to Wondery and ThreeFourTwo Productions, posting weekly episodes to the platform beginning next week. JJ Redick, who is the co-founder of ThreeFourTwo Productions and hosts both The Old Man and the Three and Mind the Game podcasts, and also serves as a color commentator on ESPN, will appear as a guest on next week’s debut episode with the new business setup.

“Road Trippin’ is officially partnering up with Wondery and ThreeFourTwo Productions to bring you the next chapter of our podcast,” Clifton said in a video revealing the news. “We are coming on board with your team and your crew, JJ, and we are super, super excited to be a part of your family.”

The program first came into existence during the 2017 NBA season and previously signed a deal with Uninterrupted, an athlete empowerment brand co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Jefferson and Frye were previously teammates on the Cavaliers while Clifton was the sideline reporter for FOX Sports Ohio.

In the early episodes of the program, players from the team would often appear as guests, including the aforementioned James, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Korver, along with NBA legends such as Bill Walton and Tim Duncan. What initially began as a way to pass time while traveling on the road has turned into a media venture that continues to grow.

“We will be publishing weekly,” Clifton said. “It’ll still be the Road Trippin’ show as it has gotten us from Day 1 as the first-ever player-driven podcast.”

In response to Clifton’s statement, Redick explained that repeating something does not make it true. He thought that everyone will be happy if they acknowledge that he, Clifton, Jefferson and Frye were all “pioneers in the athlete podcasting space.”

Frye revealed that he was okay with it, but it was preceded earlier in their conversation by Jefferson saying that he perceived their show as the first of its kind to take flight. Nonetheless, everyone involved expressed their excitement to forge ahead with the new partnership and continue the expansion of the program.

“Our goal is to record on Tuesday and drop Wednesday mornings,” Clifton said. “You can still catch us on YouTube – obviously follow us on X, on Instagram [and] on TikTok. That was our announcement.”

Steve Stone: Give John Schriffen ‘A Couple Minutes, He Has Been Here a Month’

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The Chicago White Sox have been taking a beating lately. The team is off to a horrific 6-25 start to the season, following up on last year’s 61-101 record. In the broadcast booth, things aren’t much better. White Sox fans were critical of the organization when they let Jason Benetti leave to take the same position with the Detroit Tigers, and it hasn’t been the easiest start for his replacement John Schriffen who is now working with analyst Steve Stone.

Schriffen is known for a very upbeat style of broadcasting. In his own words when he visited with 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel show shortly after getting the job, he said, “I’m going to bring the heat. I’m bringing the energy. As soon as there is a crazy play, you are going to hear it, you are going to feel it. Im a passionate person.”

Some fans have complained on social media about the new announcer getting overly excited, for any reason, when a team is only winning 20% of its games. Then there was fan backlash after a walk-off win for the White Sox over the Rays had Schriffen say, “Say it with me. Say it proud. For all the haters, South Side, stand up!” Some people took that to be a shot at the team’s fans, but Schriffen has explained he meant people outside of Chicago making jokes about the team’s start to the season.

Schriffen’s broadcast partner, former big league pitcher Steve Stone, joined the Mully & Haugh Show with Mike Mulligan and David Haugh and talked about what has happened. Haugh said he thought Schriffen “has been more polarizing early on than maybe I expected,” before asking Stone his thoughts.

“As far as John is concerned, I think he’s off to a pretty good start. And as far as polarizing is concerned, he has said he didn’t mean White Sox fans. He wants to make himself accessible to White Sox fans and you have to take a man at his word, that wasn’t his intention. So, in a day and age where we are just a little too sensitive about what people say, ‘Oh, he said that and he said that’ I mean, we gotta lighten up, folks. My partner has a lot of enthusiasm and I understand that many of the things he says might not land the way he would like them to land. But you’ve got to give him a couple minutes. He has been here a month. I love the fact that he comes to the park on a daily basis with a great deal of enthusiasm. He certainly wants the Sox to win and he certainly gets excited when they do win, although quite obviously not as frequently as we would like…We will see what happens. Right now, there are so many plusses that if you don’t like a word he says here or a word he says there I think that is nitpicking.

Tavis Smiley Brings Show to 11 New Stations

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Tavis Smiley Brings Show to 11 New Stations

Tavis Smiley has announced an expansion of his syndicated talk radio show to 11 new markets throughout the nation.

The self-titled show will now be heard on the following stations and markets:

  • Milwaukee (WNOV-AM)
  • Detroit (WGPR-FM)
  • Orlando (WHPB-FM)
  • Montgomery (WUMO-FM)
  • Albuquerque (KMGG-FM)
  • Jonesboro (KLEK-FM)
  • Flint (WFOV-FM)
  • Marshall, TX (KBWC-FM)
  • Benton Harbor, MI (WVBH-FM)
  • Muskegon, MI (WUVS-FM)
  • Natchez (WMIS-AM)

“The show’s expansion into media markets across the United States, including heritage stations in key battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin, represents the continuation of our vision for this innovative, unapologetically progressive programming,” said Smiley.

“We will continue to provide our growing listener base with enlightening and empowering programming geared toward African Americans and other citizens of color, and we will cover topics that other radio shows are too timid to discuss.”

The program originates from KBLA 1580 in Los Angeles, a station Tavis Smiley is attempt to purchase.

Bias at NPR to Be Examined By House Republicans

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Bias at NPR to Be Examined By House Republicans

After charges of political bias at NPR were brought forth by now-former editor Uri Berliner last month, a group of House Republicans want to investigate the matter further.

In a letter to NPR CEO Katherine Maher, Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) shared that the recent reports were troubling because of the outlet’s lack of representation of one side of the political aisle.

“The Committee has concerns about the direction in which NPR may be headed under past and present leadership,” the Representatives wrote. “As a taxpayer-funded, public radio organization, NPR should focus on fair and objective news reporting that both considers and reflects the views of the larger U.S. population and not just a niche audience.”

“it is incomprehensible that the nation’s public radio — supported by taxpayer funding — would choose to allow political ideologies to override journalistic principles of truth, accuracy, and objectivity.”

The group is also asking the organization to provide Congress with details on the political affiliation of its news staff. It has also requested information on how many registered Republicans have served on its board of directors in the last half-decade.

After Berliner’s op-ed, NPR colleagues pushed back against the insinuation that the organization was rife with political bias. Maher admitted that the allegation was a distraction, but added that she was committed to serving the American public as a whole, and not just overtly liberal listeners.

CBS Golf Analyst and PGA Tour Winner Peter Oosterhuis Has Died

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CBS Golf Analyst and PGA Tour Winner Peter Oosterhuis Has Died

Peter Oosterhuis, who competed on six European Ryder Cup teams and spent 17 years covering the Masters for CBS, has died just one day before turning 76. Oosterhuis had announced in 2015 he was battling early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Oosterhuis debuted on the PGA Tour in 1975 and was a touring pro through 1986. He tried to make a comeback in 1993 on the European Tour but did not make the cut in any tournaments he entered. His lone win on the PGA Tour came in the 1981 Canadian Open.

In 1994 he was hired by Britian’s Sky Sports to cover the PGA Tour. He also worked for the BBC and Golf Channel. In 1997 he joined the CBS golf team on a full-time basis. In 2010 he went back to part-time and worked five or so events per year which included the Masters and PGA Championship.

His final event for CBS was the 2014 PGA Championship.

Jessica Casano-Antonellis Named Senior VP of Communications for New Sports Streaming Service

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Jessica Casano-Antonellis Named Senior VP of Communications for New Sports Streaming Service

The newly formed sports streaming service, created by a partnership between ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has announced Jessica Casano-Antonellis as their Senior Vice President of Communications. In her new position, Jessica will oversee all communication efforts for the upcoming platform and will be a vital member of the joint venture’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to CEO Pete Distad.

“Jessica’s extensive experience in the direct-to-consumer streaming space makes her the perfect fit for this role,” said Pete Distad, CEO. “Her track record of navigating complex global launches and leading transformational narratives for notable brands positions her as a trusted advisor as we embark on this exciting journey.”

“It’s a privilege to join Pete at this stage in the joint venture’s development and to be part of building something destined to delight sports fans,” said Jessica Casano-Antonellis. “It’s rare to get the opportunity to come in at the ground floor, and I can’t wait to get to work bringing the new streaming service to market this fall.”

Jessica is now part of the joint venture, having previously worked at SiriusXM as the Senior Vice President of Communications. During a time of significant change for the audio company, she was in charge of their corporate communications and publicity efforts. Before her time at SiriusXM, Jessica held the position of Vice President of Communications for Disney+ and Hulu at The Walt Disney Company, where she oversaw communication strategies for their streaming initiatives worldwide. She also has experience leading global communications for Vimeo, an online video platform owned by IAC.

FuboTV and Other Streamers Write Congress About Disney-Fox-WBD Sports Streaming Venture

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FuboTV and Other Streamers Write Congress About Disney-Fox-WBD Sports Streaming Venture

A report from Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter says FuboTV is leading a group which includes DirecTV, Dish Network and Newsmax in trying to get Congress to take a look at the proposed sports streaming joint venture between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The yet-to-be-named Disney-Fox-Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service has been hyped as a revolutionary force in the pay TV industry, which has been struggling due to a rise in cord-cutting. However, the group of streaming platforms spearheaded by FubuTV is concerned about their ability to provide live sports content with this new competition on the horizon.

The three companies announced the joint venture in early February. In that release, the description of the joint venture was ” to build an innovative new platform to house a compelling streaming sports service. The platform brings together the companies’ portfolios of sports networks, certain direct-to-consumer sports services and sports rights – including content from all the major professional sports leagues and college sports. The formation of the pay service is subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements amongst the parties. The offering, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2024, would be made available directly to consumers via a new app. Subscribers would also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu and/or Max.”

Below is the full letter sent to Congressional leaders:

Dear Chairs & Ranking Members:

We are writing to urge your Committees to hold hearings on the future of competition in pay-TV. Recent developments in the pay-TV market–including the programming giants’ new joint venture, a streaming TV service that would control 80% of national live sports broadcasts–raise serious competition concerns that call for Congress’s immediate oversight.

The JV between Disney, Fox, and Warner is expected to launch this fall, in time for the next NFL and college football seasons. In addition to controlling 80% of all national live sports broadcasts, the JV will control approximately 55% of all live sports (regional and national). We cannot think of any scenario in the history of the United States where consumer interests have been served when such an important industry–here, access to live sports–is effectively controlled by three programming giants which decided to combine forces instead of competing against each other.

Worse yet, these same programming giants enforce anticompetitive and inflationary contract restrictions on distributors that will insulate the JV’s streaming service from head-to-head competition because these contract restrictions prohibit competing distributors from offering consumers their own “skinny,” live sports bundle. However one measures it, the JV will eventually dominate the distribution market for live sports and will drive out competition, leaving consumers captive to the JV for live sports–unless Congress and regulators intervene.

When one vertically integrated company has the power and incentive to drive out its competitors–as this JV will–policymakers have previously stepped in to protect competition and consumers. For example, in the 1992 Cable Act, Congress enacted new program access rules that prevented vertically integrated cable operators from discriminating against new entrants in the pay-TV business, namely the then-nascent satellite TV providers trying to compete with cable.

We are at the same inflection point now. The JV partners demand that their competitors offer “big fat bundles” of programming (as described by Disney’s CEO) that include many unwanted but expensive channels, while their own JV service offers a much skinnier package consisting only of “must have” sports channels. Americans love their live sports and entertainment, and they expect Congress to ensure competition and choice in accessing these shows. We thus urge you and your colleagues to hold hearings as soon as possible on the future of pay TV.

Sincerely,

FuboTV Inc., DirectTV, American Economic Liberties Project, Open Markets Institute, DISH Network, Newsmax, Inc., Sports Fan Coalition, Electronic Frontier Foundation

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