Home Blog Page 1655

How SKOR North in Minneapolis Seized The Moment on the Night of the NFL Draft

Jason Barrett
-
0
How SKOR North in Minneapolis Seized The Moment on the Night of the NFL Draft

Last Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings entered the NFL Draft with the eleventh pick. A draft night trade with the New York Jets helped them move up to ten, which is where they selected Michigan Quarterback J.J. McCarthy. In most cities, folks get excited for the draft but there’s usually a different energy picking players in the top five versus spots ten through twenty. Yet in Minneapolis, something looked and felt very different.

The Fillmore in Minneapolis served as the location for SKOR North‘s NFL Draft party. Phil Mackey, Judd Zulgad and Declan Goff broadcasted their hit program ‘Purple Daily‘ throughout the first round of the draft, and the question heading into the event was ‘could a digital show with a minimal radio presence sell out a 1,000+ seat venue on draft night, especially if the Minnesota Vikings weren’t picking until #11?’

The answer was a resounding yes.

Not only did SKOR North sell out the 1000+ seat venue, another 79,000 (and growing) watched the draft party online. The execution on-site and on social was perfect, and the follow up afterwards is an example of what sets winning brands apart.

Video clips hit social from the start of the night to every tense moment leading up to the Vikings selection. AJ Fredrickson and Artis Woods captured the on-site reactions after the Giants picked Malik Nabers at 6 and when the Falcons took Michael Penix at 8. Another video clip hit social media too after Minnesota landed #10 from the Jets. The best reaction video though came when the franchise selected Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy with the 10th selection. The social team was locked in again too after the Vikings chose Dallas Turner at #17.

Then came the production and on-site support. Adam Van Conant and Mike Weber made sure the program sounded good. Pat Laeger, Tim Krueth, and Trevor Groebner along with additional camera staff made sure the show was brought to life through video on-site and online. VIP check-in and on-site flags were managed by Ross Brendel along with Jason Stormer, Kristi Gavin, Kait Haag, Peter Nomeland, Camille Eckhodff, Bailey Hess, Kelsey St. John, and Donnella Johnson taking care of other on-site needs.

On-air contributions were made as well. Jessi Pierce handled crowd interviews and reactions, Tyler “Forno” Forness and Myles Gorham offered draft analysis, and Mackey, Zulgad and Goff informed, entertained, and fired up the fanbase on stage. They all wore branded shirts too to help drive brand awareness and on-site and online merchandise sales.

It extended to the sales side of the operation too. Bernie Laur and the sales team sold on-site client branding and took care of their clients, while Matt Stengel managed the partnership with The Fillmore. Kwik Trip served as the presenting sponsor of the show with video logo display provided online. Others were incorporated into the on-site content including Northern Fire Grilling & BBQ Supply who served as the official sponsor of the show’s ‘hot takes desk‘. Additional sponsors included Fulton Brewing, Element Hotel, Cry Baby Craig’s Gourmet Hot Sauce, PoppedCorn, and Thr3 Jack.

My favorite part of this story and the unsung hero of the event was Katie Greenhill. Hubbard Broadcasting’s senior designer created and designed logos, t-shirts and billboards to make sure the brand was ready to seize the moment as it unfolded.

It was impossible to know who the Vikings would select so Greenhill designed five different t-shirts (Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, Bo Nix and J.J. McCarthy). The second the selection of McCarthy was made, SKOR North had merchandise ready to monetize the moment. Taking advantage of the opportunity outside the venue required additional steps too. Within an hour of the Vikings choosing McCarthy, SKOR North debuted a J.J. to J.J. billboard across every digital board in the Twin Cities.

THAT is what seizing the moment looks like. Not only was SKOR North on point on the air, on-site, and on social media, but they were visually displayed across the city and ready to monetize the opportunity.

I did a search over the weekend of the local sports radio brands that were connected to the 9 picks in the NFL Draft (Chicago-Washington-New England-Arizona-Los Angeles-New York-Tennessee-Atlanta) that went before Minnesota. Only one, 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. was selling merchandise tied to the draft pick of their local team (nice job CK). One was still featuring a shirt of a player who left a local franchise two years ago.

Do sports format professionals want to make supplemental income? How many times do we have to talk about radio revenues being down, and brands needing to find other ways to increase profitability? This was one of the easiest things to prepare for and capitalize on. All you had to do was use the color’s of the local team, design something good that doesn’t create a trademark issue, and hit social and the airwaves promoting it. Your fans will go into their wallets for your products if they’re cool and available quickly.

If you don’t believe me, go check BarstoolSports.com. They had shirts ready for Caleb Williams and the Bears, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, and Drake Maye and the Patriots. Fanatics was ready too with jerseys for all of the key players minus Marvin Harrison Jr.. Striking while the iron is hot is vital. Unfortunately in this case, many didn’t even plug the iron in.

At the 2020 BSM Summit, Erika Ayers-Badan (then Nardini) said that when it comes to merchandising, you’ve got to understand pace and be on top of it. Consumers won’t wait for anything. Having a structure that’s nimble is also important. You can’t expect to run things through five corporate checks and balances, and expect to maximize demand. Additionally, you have to understand that some things won’t work. However, the ones that do will more than make up for the ones that didn’t.

Being fully transparent, I consulted SKOR North back when it was being built. The pandemic ended our partnership but I hold Dan Seeman, Phil Mackey, and the folks at Hubbard Broadcasting in high regard because they do great work. Five years ago, the brand could not have created this type of success. They had to learn rapid digital execution, and connect their best talent to the market’s biggest sports brand (Vikings). Sales also had to learn how to monetize a product that wasn’t reliant on AM radio ratings. Plus, the behind the scenes crew had to get better at video and social media, and that required trial and error. Now, the brand is humming.

SKOR North set out to revolutionize the way fans consume Minnesota sports content. Five years into a brand switch, they don’t have Nielsen ratings to show they’re a force but one look inside the Fillmore or at their podcast performance or YouTube channels and you can see they’ve tapped into something special.

Being successful requires vision and leadership. It also takes others behind the scenes stepping up to make sure every aspect of the execution is on point. That involves thinking ahead and diving in quickly to capitalize on opportunities. SKOR North has become a successful business, and in the process has proven that you can generate podcasting and non-traditional revenue on a local level. It simply comes down to vision, teamwork, creativity, preparation, and being nimble enough to deliver success. Others in the sports format should be paying attention.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thumbs Up

KMOX: I’m sure other brands are doing this too but I haven’t seen them promoted so Steve Moore and his crew are getting the credit. What a cool technological enhancement from Apple TV. This is a great example of audio and video working together to benefit the viewer.

Stacey Kauffman: When the non-compete news came down this week I looked around at industry reactions. You might’ve expected management types to blast the decision but that’s not how Audacy San Francisco Market Manager Stacey Kauffman responded. Her commentary on LinkedIn was spot on. I’d encourage more folks leading companies and brands to read it. Just a well thought out, smart perspective on a complex issue. I’d also recommend reading Dave Greene’s column.

Joe Hunk: We all lose perspective in this industry at times. So when a great reminder is passed along it can be very helpful. I stumbled across a tweet this week from 104.5 The Zone afternoon’s producer. Joe Hunk shared his genuine appreciation for what he was able to do due to working in the industry. The next time you’re frustrated and contemplating a different career path, go back and read this tweet.

Thumbs Down

Mark Madden: 15 years ago I might’ve cared about a tweet like this. Now, I don’t. BSM will always have critics who make assumptions and spew incorrect facts. Hey Mark, I don’t consult Audacy, and they don’t pay us to write these reports. One glance at our past week of content and you’d see we cover a lot of markets and groups. If you want to be included, have your folks share the information. If they don’t, then don’t whine to me about why you’re left out.

Taylor Swift: I’m not hating on Taylor, I’m actually putting her in this section for creating too catchy of an album. As a 50-year old man, who’s not in her target demo, I shouldn’t be walking around my house with Taylor Swift melodies stuck in my head. Yet that’s been the case the past few days due to the release of The Tortured Poets Department. Before you take aim at yours truly for that admission, go listen to that album once or twice and tell me it doesn’t get stuck in your head too. Judging from the recent record she broke on Spotify, plenty are in the same boat as me.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What’s Brewing?

On Friday, I posted on LinkedIn that we are going to be adding in a few different areas soon. I’m working on something exciting that’s going to make waves, but I’m not ready to spill the beans just yet. However, if you love to write, have a passion for the media business, understand the industry, are well connected, enjoy what we do, and thrive working remotely, email me. I’m not looking for a sports or news media columnist. This will be more of a business editor/reporter/news writer role.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

BNM Summit

Speaker Announcement Update: We are bringing our news media conference to Washington D.C. on September 4-5, 2024. It’s going to be excellent. 14 speakers were already announced, and I’ll be revealing a few more additions later this week on Barrett News Media. The plan is to share that news and the addition of our After Party sponsor on Thursday May 2nd.

If you are planning to attend and haven’t bought a ticket or if you’re planning to be a sponsor, don’t wait until the last minute. Demand has been high for this one. To learn more visit BNMSummit.com.

Eavesdropping: Pat McAfee’s Draft Spectacular with Bill Belichick

Dave Greene
-
0
Eavesdropping: Pat McAfee’s Draft Spectacular with Bill Belichick

I knew I wanted to eavesdrop in on some NFL Draft programming for this feature and I was quite intrigued when I saw both Nick Saban and Bill Belichick were going to be on. Initially I set out to drop in on both throughout the night, but then something incredibly strange happened, and that was Pat McAfee’s 5th Annual Draft Spectacular with Bill Belichick.

I wanted to catch the very beginning of the show, but two things prevented me from doing that. One, they started earlier than advertised and two, there was no audio on the feed for the first several minutes.

As the live audio starts working McAfee, Belichick, and Tone Digs, clad in a cowboy hat, are working on a makeshift draft board. They were using Field Yates’ player rankings. Belichick is talking about how the boards are put together. He also shows how to read them. For the first time you see that Coach Belichick is going to bring something a little different to the table.

As they move from the draft board to their set, McAfee is standing next to Bill Belichick, Darius Butler and AJ Hawk, while Ty Schmit, aka ‘Mad Mel,’ is in character (impersonating Mel Kiper, Jr.) standing next to ‘Boston’ Connor Campbell who sports a mullet and was wearing a tuxedo.

Sometimes in life, things get worse before they get better, and this was one of those times. Oz Pearlman, known as ‘Oz the Mentalist’ comes out and starts wrapping a large mail envelope around Campbell’s waist. You had to see it to believe it.

“Buckle up, Bill, it’s gonna be about seven hours of this,” McAfee said.

And then, all of a sudden, something else happened. The show settled in and off we were on a magical ride over the next four (not quite seven) hours. You couldn’t turn away from it.

Belichick first dissects some film of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He talks about what they had that are things coaches look for in NFL quarterbacks, such as footwork and accuracy. He compares this to the top quarterbacks this year and says, “They all have things they need to work on.”

The first pick is made, and McAfee goes to ‘Mad Mel’ for comment. The impersonation was spot on, and it was funny. Then, out of nowhere, comes analysis from Belichick and it is unlike what you have seen before. He says Caleb Williams reminds him of Russell Wilson and shows some film with both positive and negative plays. Belichick himself had picked video clips that backed up the points he was making.

Over the next few picks, no matter what was happening around him, Belichick delivered the goods. His film breakdown is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. He is not speaking over people’s heads; he is explaining what he is looking at. One hour in and Belichick is looking like he is going to be great at this media thing. He speaks clearly and as a fan you are learning about football watching and listening to Bill Belichick.

He also drops in some humor here and there. One line was, “We’ll see about that,” when it is mentioned Drake Mayo compares himself to Josh Allen.

At times there is a circus going on, but McAfee did an excellent job of being the ringleader. Meanwhile Belichick just had fun with it and analyzed the heck out of what was happening when it was time.

Adam Peters, the Washington Commanders GM, joins the show as the first off-site guest. It had been a hot topic this past week that their pick, Jayden Daniels, might not have appreciated being brought in with a group of quarterbacks recently and McAfee hit Peters with a question about that topic immediately.

Then Peters took a question from ‘Mad Mel’ and said he can’t take it seriously. Again, a funny, light moment. Then, you see something that will become more and more obvious as the night goes on, which is the level of respect people in the NFL have for Bill Belichick. As excited as the group was to have Peters on, you got the feeling Peters was more excited to be on with Belichick. Belichick also fired a great question at Peters asking if they might consider trading back into the first round.

Later you get Belichick’s honest surprise with the Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. He does add, “Having two good quarterbacks is never a bad thing.”

As the middle part of the first round continues, you notice how incredibly well-prepared Belichick was. Additionally, Belichick showing how the draft board works as you go through the round is gold. This is information football fans have always wanted, it’s innovative, it’s different and it’s really good.

The next guest who comes on is Pat McAfee Show regular Aaron Rodgers, sporting a tremendous moustache. As the interview is going on I couldn’t help noticing the smile on the face of McAfee. He had to be thinking to himself, ‘Holy sh**, I have Aaron Rodgers facetiming into a draft show I am hosting next to Bill Belichick.’

At one point Belichick tells Rodgers how much he appreciates him and looks forward to not coaching against him. In keeping with the theme of paying respect to Belichick, Rodgers says, “…These days, everybody’s the GOAT…it should be reserved for the very, very few who actually are the greatest of all time and Bill, I don’t want to embarrass you, but you are the GOAT.”

At the same time, while a variety show is going on around him, Belichick seems to be having a blast and now you also find out that he is booking guests for the show as well. McAfee says Belichick is texting Sean Payton live on the show while a magic trick is being performed. This is definitely not your grandpa’s draft coverage.

Before Payton comes on, Indianapolis GM Chirs Ballard dials in and pays the ultimate compliment to Belichick as the interview wraps up. McAfee says to Ballard, “Anything to say to Bill?” Ballard replies, “Coach Belichick when you come back in the league, go in the NFC.”

Then Payton makes his appearance and what you notice is that with Belichick on, the answers seem different. It’s not a coach talking to the media, it’s a coach talking to another coach. Payton really breaks down why the Broncos were so interested in Bo Nix. He then talks about some deals he had worked out on draft day with Belichick in the past and says it is not the same with the new crop of younger coaches and GMs.

Belichick is now just absolutely on a roll. McAfee points this out, and the coach says, “It’s the Draft Spectacular not the Draft Mediocre,” and then soon is seen bowing down doing the ‘we’re not worthy’ for the magic tricks being performed by Oz.

Each time you think the show is going to get completely out of control, McAfee brings it back and they go right back into the draft analysis.

As the later picks happen in the first round you get some great moments such as Belichick getting fed up with what to call defensive lineman who rush the quarterback. “Can we ease up on the ‘Edge Rusher’ it’s a ‘Defensive End,’ he says.

Almost three hours in and McAfee shares they are getting in trouble for giving out the picks before the commissioner announces them. This leads to some funny moments as Belichick is seeing who the picks are on social media but is having trouble not talking about them on the air before they are supposed to. Belichick is as energized as when he started the show.

The rest of the show carried out as expected. You had ‘Mad Mel’ yelling at Roger Goodell to make a pick, then later he pounds on the desk and screams, “Fu**, fu**, fu**, fu**” when his team, the Green Bay Packers, selects Arizona lineman Jordan Morgan, then later reveals he may have broken the hand. You get Belichick calling out directions to the producer while rolling film on the players and you also got him saying, “Can we take a look at the board,” one time when the rest of the cast was getting out of control.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell makes a visit, gets a question that includes the words “works his di*k off,” and of course he pays homage to Belichick. And then you get even more magic as Barry Sanders walks on the set. ‘Mad Mel’ was so excited to be standing next to Sanders he completely broke his character. Belichick is incredibly complimentary of Sanders and says, “Of all the players we’ve had to cover, nobody was harder than you…Thank God we had LT…nobody was harder to defend…and a better person than a player.”

At this point the first round is winding down. As the final players are selected, McAfee starts to wrap up and says, in reference to the show and Belichick, “We got better this year. You know why – because your old ass was here…You were awesome here.”

The whole team looked ready to go and Belichick seemed like he could keep going. He tells a great story about trying to reach Randy Moss in 2007 to let him know they had traded for him and how Moss hung up on him the first two times he called not believing it was him.

“Tonight was awesome…You crushed it,” McAfee said.

“Is there any chance I could be on your show during the Fall?” Belichick asks McAfee.

“You mean like Mondays?” McAfee says as the show finishes.

Learning there would be more of this to come was the best way possible to end the night.

Cox Media Group EVP Rob Babin Sees a Bright Future for Radio

Krystina Alarcon Carroll
-
0
Cox Media Group EVP Rob Babin Sees a Bright Future for Radio

As concerns grow about the changing media landscape Executive Vice President and head of radio for Cox Media Group Rob Babin believes the future is bright.

“I think it’s very bright. I think for broadcasters it’s very bright as well. For me, I can’t sleep because I’m living without thinking about the optimistic future we have and all the opportunities,” he told Barrett News Media over a Zoom call.

Over the last 23 years, he’s helped Cox navigate through some of the most challenging sales and marketing times of our generation. Of note in 2008 as local advertisers were cancelling commercial spots, Babin and his team called them back in turn helping the station and local stores stay afloat during the financial crisis.

“Let’s go to the client. Let’s understand the challenges. What we began to realize were some of those contracts of home builders are drying up, right? And while they may have been advertising, they weren’t really focused on consumers.”

Babin and his team began to hold seminars for local business owners to repurpose and refocus their services. “I met with the president of the Metro Atlanta Automotive Dealer Association because, back then, car sales were really plummeting. Dealerships were in trouble. So I met with the president on behalf of WSB Radio to say, ‘Ok, how do we help? How can I run PSAs to educate consumers on now’s the time to buy cars?’”

Babin met with several businesses like this to help support them, and in turn, his station, during 2008 and 2020 when businesses were struggling. “We’re still continuing to do it. And I think we deepened our partnership.”

He noted being FCC-licensed does not stop at radio talent but stretches to advertising as well. “We have to remember our job is to ensure that we serve the public.”

In Atlanta, radio stations have served the public for 102 years and Babin believes the durability comes from evolving with the medium. “We’ll have to evolve it. We have to continue to think about how do you connect audiences. With artists. We needed to continue to think about what we’ve always done, right? Local events that help the local markets come together.”

It’s the industry resiliency that is what makes him look so positively on the future of radio. “I think that we are — as an industry — taking ownership of that and asking the questions. Tough questions. How do we continue to capitalize on our local audiences, our content, our advertising services, and put our feet on the street in the markets.”

Babin does have one caveat when it comes to the future of radio: Artificial Intelligence.

“My concern is ensuring that our airwaves remain free and clear to the public, and we continue to sustain the trust that what you hear on the airwaves are, in fact, real people, and the content is actually independent of any central AI machine, if you will.”

Long before he was an industry veteran, Babin’s career first stemmed from love and a dream. “I love what I do. This is what I wanted to do since I was a kid.” He often moved a lot as a child, but radio was always there. While his counterparts in the 80s were making mixtapes, he was making commercials. He lived all over the world, including France and Germany, before deciding on Southeastern Louisiana University.

While in school, he got a job at a family-owned station reading the Swap Shop and the daily obituaries. It’s this connection that gave him more passion “to hear the callers really rely on a radio station, (and) really look at the radio station as a close friend, as a family member. And that’s where I became really passionate about the business.”

From there he worked B2B selling copiers, before hearing an ad on — you guessed it — the radio.

“I was driving in 100-degree weather in south Louisiana, and I heard an ad on 100.7 The Tiger, my favorite radio station, for an advertising sales position. And I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I literally got in a car and drove to the radio station. Went into the station, asked for the general sales manager. She interviewed me on the spot and hired me. So that began my career in radio sales.”

He moved to a few other family-owned stations, all of which were bought by larger conglomerates. Before Babin took the leap into Cox, he wanted to make sure he was going to the right place.

“I wanted to find a company that I wanted to actually look and spend time to say, ‘Alright, what’s the right company I need to join?’ And I read about Cox Radio, and we didn’t have Cox Radio in New Orleans. But we had all of the different books and magazines about Cox Radio and their focus on people and community. And I knew for sure this is the company I want to join.”

Babin has taken every opportunity he could to accomplish his dream. His advice for those wanting to live their dreams is simple. “ If you have a dream, do something. Doing makes a dream come true.” He later added, “I want them to know that there is absolutely a path, as long as they understand themselves, to give themselves the opportunity to take risk and to know that it’s micro steps that get you to where you want to be.”

Babin said of his role in the industry, “We’re building businesses for advertisers, by helping them with marketing solutions. And when the businesses in our community are strong, that means people are strong in our communities, and we can hire them.

“And then the overarching community itself, the fact that we are life-saving information, that we are the connector to resources of our community, I can’t imagine a better career or profession than broadcasting. Yes, it’s been tough. Yes, it will continue to be tough, but we’re going to make sure this business continues for the next hundred years.”

Nielsen Can Avoid Recent Criticism With One Simple Move

Dr. Ed Cohen
-
0
Nielsen Can Avoid Recent Criticism With One Simple Move

After thinking more about last week’s column, I left something out. It was so much fun to find a connection between Nielsen Audio and the Kardashians that, even with some solid questions to ask your Nielsen rep, something else may have been overlooked.

The reference is to Nielsen Audio’s change to reuse samples in the diary markets. Nielsen followed the rules in terms of informing the client base. A release was sent informing subscribers of the “enhancement” allowing me to craft a Kardashian analogy. Nielsen also included the change in the Presurvey Bulletin, which is a Media Rating Council (MRC) requirement and must be published prior to the start of the survey. 

For many years, this has meant publishing the document on the day before the start of the survey period. While the Presurvey Bulletin is not exactly gripping reading, it’s usually very short and if you are a Nielsen subscriber, you can find it in the portal. Separate ones are issued for PPM (the day before each survey “month” starts) and for diary (each quarter).

Unlike some of the online chatter I’ve seen, I did not condemn Nielsen for the change. I raised some questions and perhaps just a bit conspiratorially, suggested that Nielsen’s new private equity overlords were looking for ways to cut costs. Nonetheless, I’m still holding back on any negative pronouncements.

What I do want to see from Nielsen is the study that shows what may happen when some households are used multiple times in the survey. One of the requirements of the ratings business is that methodological changes are tested in advance to find out how the estimates (your ratings) will differ from the standard methodology. Long ago, Arbitron used to be fairly open about sharing their studies with the industry, although when I began there, I found a few in our research library in Columbia that I never knew existed.

This is one of the biggest changes in diary methodology in some time. The diary redesign project took place in the mid-’80s and the diary you know and love (perhaps “love” is not the best choice of words) has been around for nearly 40 years. There have been more recent changes to the instructions and the examples to ensure that diarykeepers know that they can include satellite and online listening, even if some of it doesn’t count as radio listening in the Nielsen edit rules. 

At one time in the mid-2000s, we tested a diary with multiple columns for satellite, internet, and “other” beyond just AM and FM. “Other” proved to be very limited in testing although I clearly remember one person in the test claiming that they were listening to God or another Christian deity and checked the “other” box. 

We presented the results to the NAB’s COLRAM committee and Dick Jenkins, then with EMF, was a member. He had a good laugh when I told him that the entry could not be credited to the local EMF station. By the way, the diary changes worked but the software changes would have been major and expensive, not only for the diary, but also reporting. Lots of moving parts would have been affected.

Here’s my request: Nielsen, release the study. No, this doesn’t rise to the level of freeing Nelson Mandela or President Reagan in Berlin saying “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”.  Put the study out there for all of us in the industry to review and raise questions. It might shock Nielsen Audio, but those of us who know something about how rating surveys work might even agree and publicly support Nielsen Audio’s methodology change, not that anyone’s support or objections will change anything. 

The premise of this column is that such a study exists. I’d be shocked if the change was not tested, but you never know. Nielsen Audio, just put the data out there and let us take a look.  We can safely assume that a large portion of the client base will never read a research study with p values and scads of data tables. 

A few of us will and speaking for myself, I’d like to review it. Any study would have been shared with the MRC staff and perhaps presented to the MRC Radio Committee and that’s fine, but it needs more sunlight than that limited group.

Anyone for a protest march? Picket signs saying “Free the Diary Reuse Study?” OK, I didn’t think so, but it’s in the industry’s best interests to know what we can expect from this change.

Let’s meet again next week.

Amazon Prime Video Reportedly Set to Land NBA Package

BSM Staff
-
0
Amazon Prime Video Reportedly Set to Land NBA Package

After a report earlier today from John Ourand of Puck said ESPN and the NBA “have essentially come to terms on a package,” a new report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand says Amazon Prime Video will be one of at least three main players in the overall NBA media rights package.

Marchand reports the NBA and Amazon “have the framework of a deal,” and that it will include “significant regular season and postseason games, perhaps even conference finals.” With the current agreement expiring after next season, it is expected the Amazon deal would start in 2025-26.

Ourand’s reporting suggests Warner Bros. Discovery has had “productive” talks with the league. Marchand mentions NBC and WBD potentially battling to be the third partner or the potential of the NBA partnering with four outlets. It is believed ESPN will have around 20 regular season games cut from its package to make room for at least an additional partner, but Disney will keep the NBA Finals on ABC.

The expectation is that new NBA media rights deals will be for a 10-year period. The league is looking to grow on the $2.6 billion average per year it is getting now from ESPN and TNT Sports.

Mark Simone: Why is CNN Trying to Going Back to Its Pre-Chris Licht Days?

BNM Staff
-
0
Mark Simone: Why is CNN Trying to Going Back to Its Pre-Chris Licht Days?

CNN made some widespread changes under the direction of former CEO Chris Licht. 710 WOR host Mark Simone believes the network is trying to re-write the changes since Licht’s departure.

Former CNN contributor Jeffrey Toobin has been seen on the network recently, after departing the network after his high-profile gaffe on a Zoom call with The New Yorker. Additionally, former media reporter Brian Stelter has appeared on the network after being fired by Licht as part of a partisan cleansing project in his early days leading the cable channel.

During The Mark Simone Show, the WOR host questioned if CNN was returning to “the bad old days.”

“Quietly in the last few weeks, they’re all coming back. There’s new people running CNN for the parent company. And a lot of people have noticed Jeffrey Toobin is back. He’s made 20 appearances. In the last couple of weeks on CNN, Don Lemon has reappeared. That little wormy guy, Brian Stelter, has all of a sudden made a bunch of appearances on CNN,” said Simone. “Everybody’s worried CNN is going back.”

Simone then noted that CNN has bigger problems on its hands, stating that cable TV — as CEO Mark Thompson said — is facing an existential crisis.

“I hate to say it, but cable news, the numbers are going down. Network TV? The numbers are dropping all the time. How many people do you think watch network TV in America? 25 million. That’s it now. 25 million tatch network TV,” stated Simone. “How many listen to AM talk radio? 63 million. Total AM/FM radio? 159 Million.”

Bob Ramsey Leaves 590 The Fan KFNS; Headed to KTRS

BSM Staff
-
0

Longtime St. Louis sports talk radio host Bob Ramsey has left 590 The Fan KFNS and is headed to News/Talk station KTRS. Ramsey has been hosting in mid-mornings with Frank Cusumano and previously hosted in mid-afternoons with Nate Lucas.

Ramsey has been on the air in St. Louis since 1992 and was one of the original sports talkers in the market. He was there when 1380 AM launched in St. Louis as its first all sports station and he was also on board at the launch of Hubbard’s 101 ESPN, the dominant sports station in the market for the past decade.

Ramsey is also the voice of the Saint Louis University Billikens and has held that position for over 35 years. He previously called games for the St. Louis Cardinals.

“He fits our demographics, he’s married with three children,” KTRS GM Mark Dorsey told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Bob can branch out of sports, he’ll fit right in a news-talk-entertainment format. This is a way for us to show Bob’s other talents, he knows about much more than sports. He’s a hidden gem.”

Sports Media Weighs in on NFL Draft Coverage

BSM Staff
-
1
Sports Media Weighs in on NFL Draft Coverage

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was something to behold. A reported 275,000 people were on site in Detroit with coverage carried by ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, the NFL Network, SiriusXM and numerous YouTube pages and other digital outlets. In addition, there was the debut of Nick Saban as a full-time member of the College GameDay crew along with Bill Belichick doing a show with Pat McAfee and a host of characters that somehow turned out to be magical. Sports media had plenty of reaction to the night.

BSM reached out to several hosts asking their thoughts on the draft coverage, wondering which outlet they watched on or any feedback about what they saw.

Mad Dog Sports Radio morning drive host Damon Amendolara said, “We’re incredibly lucky as football fans to have three networks to choose from, all of which do a comprehensive job of covering the Draft. I think NFL Network has a fantastic crew working on it. I specifically love Charles Davis’ insight all season long on college prospects.

“For the bulk of my viewing this year I opted for ESPN. Some of it is probably subconscious remnants of watching it growing up on Saturday afternoons when it was only on ESPN. But I also enjoy Mel Kiper’s authority in the space. Draft analysts are all guessing, so the idea that Kiper created the industry of draft analysts gives him gravitas in my mind. I also think Greeny does a nice job of setting up picks and discussion points and then getting out of the way for his analysts to dig in. Plus, Louis Riddick does a nice job of having strong opinions without it being a hot take. I also generally like ESPN’s football game coverage, so the graphics, wide shots, and produced pieces are tight and professional. So as a blend, I tend to lean on ESPN for my draft coverage.”

101 ESPN in St. Louis morning host Dan McLaughlin said he flipped around throughout the night but spent most of the time watching ABC. “I was curious how Nick Saban would do on that type of show. You already knew the College GameDay crew would be awesome as usual, but adding Saban just brought another element to it. I thought he was great, huge addition for them.”

Dave Rothenberg from DiPietro & Rothenberg on ESPN New York said, “I watched the draft on ESPN, I’m a creature of habit and that’s what I’ve been doing for 30 years plus. I considered ABC, but they just don’t have Mel Kiper, Jr. The ESPN coverage is always informative, and this year was no different.

SportsRadio 610 in Houston afternoon drive host Ron Hughley said he watched on ESPN and added, “I really enjoyed the draft, it had everything you want in terms of entertainment. Maintaining my interest, even with me knowing what would happen at the top of the draft, all the while having that element of surprise (especially the Penix Jr. selection). The draft was what the league is about, THE QUARTERBACK, STUPID (shoutout to James Carville)”

Brendan Wiese, Sports Director for KTRS St. Louis said, “I actually thought the ESPN broadcast felt really stale. They miss [Chris] Berman or [Trey] Wingo as the host. When I flipped from ESPN to ABC, it was like a breath of fresh air. [Nick] Saban seems like a natural and comes from a place of real credibility. It probably helps that the GameDay crew already has the built-in chemistry.”

Others took to social media and expressed their NFL Draft coverage thoughts:

97.1 The Freak in Dallas to Change Format; Mike Rhyner and All Other Hosts Let Go

BSM Staff
-
1
97.1 The Freak in Dallas to Change Format; Mike Rhyner and All Other Hosts Let Go

A report from Athlon Sports’ Richie Whitt says Dallas radio station 97.1 The Freak, which changed to a sports/hot talk format less than two years ago, will make a programming change due to low ratings. The report says an emergency meeting was held this morning with the staff and those present did not have positive feelings coming away from it.

One source told Whitt, “The staff is going to be let go,” while another said, “We all see the writing on the wall. It could all come down today.”

Whitt has now spoken with afternoon host Mike Rhyner and confirmed the 73-year-old and all other hosts have been let go. Speculation is the station will return to a rock format. Rhyner told Whitt, “…This thing didn’t end well, but I had a lot of fun along the way, and it rejuvenated me.”

97.1 The Freak launched on October 3, 2022, and Rhyner, a longtime host at Dallas sports radio station The Ticket was the first voice heard. Dallas has been a very successful market for sports stations and The Ticket was built on branching out outside of sports.

The Freak, owned by iHeartMedia, has been featuring a lineup of The Downbeat with Mike Sirois, Danny Balis and Kevin Turner from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. followed by The Ben and Skin Show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Ben Rogers and Jeff ‘Skin’ Wade and The Speakeasy with Mike Rhyner, Jeff Cavanaugh and Julie Dobbs in afternoon drive.

The station is also home to the Dallas Mavericks who are getting set for Game 3 of their playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers later tonight.

Updated: The Ben & Skin show has posted the following message to their X account:

No formal announcements have been made by iHeartMedia. BSM will update this story as more information becomes available.

Joe Rogan: ‘Way More People Listen’ to Joe Rogan Experience Than Watch CNN

BNM Staff
-
0

It’s no secret CNN has struggled in the ratings in recent years. Now, they’re being mocked by Joe Rogan for his audience being larger than the former cable giant.

During a discussion with comedian Akaash Singh on The Joe Rogan Experience, the comedian asked Rogan what it was like to see CNN air his conversation about the usefulness of medications against COVID-19 in 2021 after he announced he had contracted the virus.

At the time, Rogan accused the network of altering the color of the video clip to make him appear more weakened by the virus than he actually was. CNN denied that accusation and fact-checkers failed to verify the claims.

“That’s crazy if you think you’re going to make me look yellow. The video’s still on my Instagram, you f—ing idiots,” the podcast host said. “Everybody can see what I really looked like.”

However, Rogan said he wasn’t concerned by the coverage from CNN, because he believed in his own audience.

“They didn’t understand that I have way more people that listen to my podcast than they have. Way more,” he said.

Last month, Spotify quietly unveiled podcast metrics that showed The Joe Rogan Experience had nearly 15 million followers. On YouTube, Rogan has more than 16 million subscribers. During the month of March, CNN finished in third place in the cable news ratings behind Fox News and MSNBC. For the month, the network averaged 601,000 viewers in primetime, and 402,000 total day viewers.

1...1,6541,6551,656...2,889Page 1,655 of 2,889