Ryan Hurley is joining Audacy as the brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, Barrett Sports Media has learned. Hurley will be assuming the role of lead content executive for both brands, succeeding Spike Eskin as he prepares to depart Audacy New York. Eskin will be returning to Audacy-owned SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia to work as a co-host in afternoon drive alongside Ike Reese and Jack Fritz.
“Ryan knows radio, sports and New York, making him a triple threat to take the reins of WFAN, which continues to be the city’s most influential and dominant sports platform,” Chris Oliviero, New York market president at Audacy, said in a statement. “In addition, with Infinity Sports Network, Ryan will have a major impact on the sports conversation nationwide. All of us at Audacy are excited to welcome him to the team.”
“I am excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join this legendary station,” Hurley shared. “The term ‘dream job’ can get thrown around a lot, but as someone who grew up listening to The Fan religiously, this is exactly what this is. There is an incredible team here led by Chris Oliviero, and I look forward to this journey ahead with them.”
Hurley joins Audacy after working at ESPN for 19 years in a variety of different roles spanning several areas of the audio business. In 2004, he began in an entry-level marketing and promotions position at 1050 WEPN-AM in New York City. From there, he produced various programming and was eventually named the executive producer of The Michael Kay Show. Hurley worked on the afternoon drive show for over six years where he was responsible for helping to plan the show, coordinating with talent and booking guests. He was promoted to the role of assistant program director of ESPN New York in 2012, contributing to daily station operations, scouting of on-air talent and working across programming.
Five years later, Hurley became the program director of the outlet, a role he held as the station entered a local marketing agreement with Good Karma Brands. Hurley was part of ESPN layoffs mandated by The Walt Disney Company last summer geared towards enacting cost-cutting measures. Before joining ESPN Radio, he graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in audio and radio.
Additionally, David Mayurnik has been named the assistant brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network and will report to Hurley. Mayurnik served as the producer for the New York Yankees Radio Network and news operation manager of WCBS Newsradio 880 starting in 2005. When CBS Sports Radio launched, he joined the national outlet as an executive producer and was later named its program director. Mayurnik started working in radio at WFAN as a tape operator in 2000 and graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey.
I’m writing this while on a flight to Las Vegas for the NAB Show, where I’ll spend the next few days talking and listening to folks discuss the future of the media business. Curtis LeGeyt and his team do a fantastic job with this event. Technology will be on full display, relationships will be extended in hallways and restaurants, and ideas and insights will be shared on stage by many operating corporately, and in local markets.
I’ve always enjoyed attending and speaking at this show because I have access to more information than most. That doesn’t make my opinions or wisdom better, it just means it doesn’t come from one source. I’ll get to share some of my thoughts on Tuesday when I join Fred Jacobs, Mitch Rosen, Rod Lakin, John Mamola and Matt Nahigian for a session titled, “Changing The Game: Creating Unique Sports Radio Programming.” I’ll also be appearing with new RAB CEO Michael Hulvey on the ‘Radio on Main Street’ podcast.
I’m privileged to consult many brands across the country. Most of my focus is on radio, but that’s not the only space I’m in. There are groups I work with that you have no idea about. News is part of my mix too. My access to various companies allows me to stay educated and see things that others only read about.
Because I see and hear so much, and I study brands, content, and audience habits, it drives me crazy hearing folks preach the same things they did a decade ago. Some leaders view the industry through one company lens, and don’t take advantage of opportunities to attend and learn at places like the NAB Show. I’ve never understood that. Why stay the same when opportunities to get better exist? What you believe works and doesn’t isn’t often seen the same by others. This is especially true when comparing the big three (Audacy, Cumulus and iHeart) to smaller groups.
But this isn’t just an executive or corporate issue. It happens with programmers, talent and agents too. I hear a lot of the same complaints but don’t see a lot of proof of a better way forward. Whether it involves discovering talent, measurement, generating revenue, mastering social media, getting talent paid or using artificial intelligence, what are your solutions?
The media business is constantly evolving. Many new brands have emerged, and they see opportunity where traditional outlets don’t, especially in digital. Growing a brand and business requires more than playing the hits, chasing meters, and sharing posts on LinkedIn. It takes adding skills you don’t have, building programming for different platforms, growing revenue beyond traditional ways, and most importantly, getting out of your own way. If you don’t have all the answers, that’s ok. Acting like you do is a bigger issue.
We have never had more real estate to work with to connect audiences and advertisers. However, we don’t take full advantage of it because many aren’t masters of multiple spaces. We also create goals that sound good in conference rooms yet lack the strategy and insight to be executed. I hear this a lot when websites, podcasts, YouTube, social media and newsletters are mentioned.
Because I love this industry so much, I defend it frequently. Print outlets love to portray our business in a negative light. Even the trades prioritize coverage of revenue projections, stock prices, investments in technology, etc., things that matter less to listeners, viewers, content creators and programmers. With so much attention on the industry’s lack of growth, it often looks like we’re steering a ship towards a tsunami.
My hope is that I’ll leave the NAB Show, smarter, inspired, and more confident in where we’re headed. Optimism is sometimes hard to find in terrestrial outlets, but this is an exciting time for the media industry. Capitalizing requires new skills, a wider focus, creativity, and forward-thinking leaders. Let’s put our time and energy into identifying solutions rather than spewing the same old narratives.
University of Florida: State of the art equipment, tons of space, on-site operations for the SEC Network, a weather network to cover the entire state of Florida, ownership of Gainesville’s leading sports radio station (WRUF), excellent hands-on training, and students who want to learn, and possess passion and desire to make a mark on the business. It was great to see so many invested on campus in the future of the industry. It’s easy to see why Florida’s track record of developing successful broadcasters is stellar.
Thanks for the visit and assistance. Everyone is more knowledgeable and better equipped because of it! https://t.co/OlFFolSiDn
Chris Oliviero: Audacy New York’s top boss has always had a sharp programming mind, and when faced with making moves to guide his brands forward, he’s often passed the test with flying colors. He’s doing it again with the naming of WFAN’s new program director. The news becomes official at 9am ET today. Once the name is revealed, I’ll update this space to provide proper attribution. The bottom line, WFAN made a great hire.
Dave Portnoy: Betting on sports often produces losses but Portnoy lately has been on a hot streak. The Barstool Sports owner hit last week on the NCAA Championship game, and again this weekend with the Masters. Over the past four months he’s generated over 5 million dollars in winnings. What’s next, Dave?
Guys I don't think people realize what we are witnessing. To come into #themasters as the world's #1 and the hottest gambler on the planet. To have a bullseye on your forehead and still win with ease? We may never see a 4 month stretch like this again. #eprestheallknowingpic.twitter.com/Pq7jkq87FE
NCAA Championship Game Start Time: I understand that the game between UConn and Purdue took place in Arizona, but there’s no reason for a national championship game to start at 9:20pm ET. Given how much TV networks pay, and taking into account the viewing habits of sports fans, losing audience on a Monday night over a late start time makes little business sense. Hopefully this gets figured out in the future.
No national title game, in any sport, should ever start at 9:20 pm. Idiotic.
AEW: Airing behind the scenes footage of an incident involving CM Punk made sense eight months ago. Doing it last week was pointless. Any momentum gained is tied to a talent no longer in the company, and having an arena full of people chanting a former talent’s name does little for anyone on the current roster. Just a strange decision that provided little upside.
A tradition unlike any other, indeed. It was yet another mesmerizing Masters tournament this past weekend when Scottie Scheffler took home his second green jacket. The weekend weather was perfect, and the golf was spectacular. I spent a lot of my weekend eavesdropping in on Masters Radio from SiriusXM.
Listening to golf on the radio is a bit sentimental for me. One of my best friends, Jay Randolph Jr., was a PGA Tour Radio broadcaster, and sadly we lost Jay to liver cancer in November 2022. He had worked with many of the voices I was listening to this weekend and in a weird way I felt very connected to him listening to the Masters on the radio versus hearing the audio from CBS.
I can’t say enough good things about the way the Masters is presented on radio. From tuning in early and hearing David Marr III setting the scene for the day along with Craig Stadler and Scott Simpson to hearing the starter introduce Tiger Woods to hearing the crew throughout the day as the leaders worked their way around the course, it was, in a word, masterful.
There are many voices you hear while listening and it’s obvious none of them would rather be anywhere else. That’s the overall feeling you walk away with when listening to the Masters Radio team – they love golf, they love this tournament, and they’re having the time of their lives painting the picture for the audience.
The knowledge of course, is off the charts. Whether it’s little nuggets of statistical information, historical facts or on-course reporters giving reads of a green, the Masters Radio team knows their golf and you walk away a smarter golf fan when listening to what they have to say.
As the players at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday began to tee off, around 2:15 p.m. CT, host Taylor Zarzour had a terrific introduction before turning things over to one of the best parts of Masters Radio, lead voice Mike Tirico.
As the Masters music played in the background, Zarzour said, “From the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, this is the Masters on SiriusXM. Why is it that we love this place so much? Maybe it’s because of its breathtaking beauty…maybe it’s the fellowship at Augusta National, without any electronic devices, you are your most present here. The conversation seems more meaningful. You are where your feet are.
“Or maybe, ‘YES SIR!’ the man that made that collection of words famous is Verne Lundquist, in one of his many calls we will never forget. Verne made it during what I think we love the most, the second nine on Sunday at Augusta. Today is his final assignment in an illustrious career. Wouldn’t it be fun if he had one more memorable call? If so, we will press play on it during this final round broadcast led by Jeremy Davis and his fabulous production team.
“On the air we have some Masters veterans as analysts. I wish you could see Johnson Wagner’s passion when an eagle was made. And if the Masters had an accent, Steve Melnyk would be speaking it. The best on-course commentators in golf are here with John Maginnes stationed at Amen Corner, Brian Katrek in the middle of holes 15 and 16, and the great Maureen Madill is headed over to 17.
“And then there is the very best in the business at doing this, who is an even better teammate, the voice of the Masters, Mike Tirico.”
I planned to write my own description, but I think Zarzour nailed it. Tirico did as well, saying, “Taylor, that’s awesome man, that sets the scene so perfectly and I think shapes the thoughts of so many of us as we drive into the property here on Sunday.”
While the broadcasters were all on their A-game, so too were the producers and sound engineers. As I said before, they don’t miss anything. Whether it be the sound of the club hitting the ball, the conversations between caddies and players, the atmosphere of the birds and the patrons, it is all blended exceptionally well. And when something big happens, the passion of the announcer’s voice along with the noise from the crowd is mixed perfectly.
The broadcasters gave every player at the top of the leaderboard their just do. The more you listened, the more you learned about Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau as they made their way around the course. You caught every step of their rounds with Maginnes, Katrek, Madill and Johnson Wagner walking the course with them. And nobody is better at giving you the storylines than Mike Tirico.
Tirico is one of those voices where if you hear it, you know the event is a big one. His voice leading the way on Masters Radio makes it sound even bigger than it is, if that is even possible. He not only gives exceptional commentary, but he is terrific bringing in the other broadcasters in and out of the conversation. And, as one can imagine, he is as prepared as possible, a virtual golf and Masters encyclopedia.
As the leaders got past ‘Amen Corner’ and the tournament started to reach its climax, you could feel the emotion through the microphones.
As Scottie Scheffler led by two and then hit his second shot on 14 to within two feet of the hole, Tirico had an excellent play-by-play call, followed by a very subtle response from Steve Melnyk, who simply said, “There’s a reason he’s No. 1.”
As Scheffler putted out and took a three-shot lead, Tirico added, “He’s that close to a second green jacket in three years.”
At that point in the broadcast, Zarzour took over and Tirico moved to a setup next to the 18th green and as he did Zarzour mentioned it was from there Tirico had called Tiger Woods’ win exactly five years prior.
As Tirico and Johnson Wagner take over the call from near the 18th green at around 5:25 CT, the leaders head to the 16th hole with Scheffler leading by three.
As analyst Steve Melnyk wrapped up his time in the booth, he praised Scheffler for his play and made a statement about second place finisher Ludvig Aberg saying, “Ludvig is the new young face of the golf world.”
Maureen Madill doubled down as she told Tirico that some of the younger golfers who challenged Scheffler this weekend were like a zoom call where they are waiting to come into a meeting. “I think Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa are in the major waiting room,” she said.
As Scheffler started to wrap up his second win at Augusta, Brian Katrek had the call of his putt on the 16th hole: “…On the way, up to the cup and in. There are no more questions, Scottie Scheffler can put one arm in the jacket right now. Birdie at 16, he is 11 under par and he leads by four.”
Tirico was bringing it all home as he described Scheffler and his caddie Ted Scott walking up the 18th fairway. “The crescendo builds as Scheffler gets close to the 18th green,” he said and then brilliantly went silent and let the crowd noise takeover.
As Scheffler pitched to within a few feet, Tirico said, “Scottie Scheffler’s gonna do it again.”
As Scheffler wrapped up his championship, Tirico said, “Scheffler, over the ball, shuffles the feet, Scottie Scheffler the putter back and in! Scottie, Scottie, he’s done it again. Scottie Scheffer, for the second time in three years is the Masters Champion.” He later added, “Only eighteen men now have won multiple Masters and the latest is Texan Scottie Scheffler.”
Golf on the radio is not easy. It’s made even more difficult when you are trying to blend together a number of voices and sounds to truly maximize the coverage. I can’t imagine it being done any better than the way Masters Radio on SiriusXM did it this weekend.
As the media industry gathers in Las Vegas for the NAB Show, Barrett News Media was able to catch up with some key speakers this week including Director of News and Programming at KNX News 97.1 FM, Alex Silverman. His talk is going to be focused on emergency preparedness for stations, something he’s worked under several times.
From reporting on disaster zones to managing a team during a catastrophe, Alex Silverman has worked through some of the toughest stories of our time, and it all began as a childhood dream.
“I always wanted to be in radio. Ever since I was a little kid, there was just something about it. Something about the power of audio and being in the car with my parents, listening to audio. It just made me feel like that was what I wanted to do with my life,” Silverman told BNM over a Zoom call.
While he never made it to be a sportscaster, he did attend Syracuse and worked at both a local news station and the school’s radio station. Silverman said, “[At the school station] I became their chief engineer and operations guy, and later, general manager. That’s where I started learning the technical engineering side of broadcasting and those are kind of the two worlds that I’ve been in ever since.”
From The Orange he went to Seattle, followed by stops in New York and Philadelphia before moving out to LA.
Alex Silverman will speak on planning and enacted emergency procedures using examples from his own career including covering Hurricane Sandy and COVID.
“I’m also going to be bringing in John Kennedy, who is Audacy’s Senior Vice President of technical operations, who oversees disaster planning for all 230 plus of our stations.”
Silverman went on to say, “I’m going to be talking about my experiences, and he’s going to be sharing some of his experiences, particularly things like Hurricane Katrina, which is probably the best example of a station actually having to implement its disaster plan for a long period of time and serving the community that way.”
Additionally, the pair will speak on how to know and what to do if you have a plan that might be faulty and not cover all you need.
“From my experience, sometimes what happens is the engineers and the technical people will put a plan together and it’s a really good plan on paper, but it doesn’t always take into account everything that is needed on the content side. Which is why collaboration between the technical side and the content side is so important,” Silverman said.
With his career straddling both the technical and content side, Silverman has learned how to pivot in emergencies including during COVID.
“When I was in Philadelphia, we had a studio at our transmitter site. But it couldn’t do all the things we needed it to do if we actually had to go there and we actually had to continue providing information to the public.
“As soon as we had that disaster plan in place, now we actually have to think about it. If one person gets COVID, the days when we thought that way, we have to abandon the facility, right? Okay. How are we going to do that? We’ve got to figure out how to get satellite feeds for our networks into this emergency studio at a different location. We have to figure out how to get phone calls and the app our reporters use. All those things.”
To get the full scope of how to plan for a disaster Alex Silverman believes, “Sometimes it’s not really thought about unless there is that collaboration between all the stakeholders at the in the newsroom.”
Throughout his career, the KNX News 97.1 FM leader has seen significant changes in the radio landscape.
“Just in the time that I’ve been in the business, the technology we use in radio has changed so dramatically. We used to — if we wanted sort of broadcast quality audio from a reporter in the field — carry around a clunky device. And now reporters will use an app on their phone and they’ll sound like they have studio quality audio.”
Alex Silverman also believes technology is changing the way radio is delivering content, “because we can’t just deliver it to them over the normal broadcast channels. We have to be everywhere. We have to communicate to people that we’re on all of these platforms.”
He believes the key for everyone to succeed on all platforms is to ensure we have good content. “Where I see the future of this business, it’s reliant upon people wanting the content, no matter what platform they are getting it on. So if somebody gets into their car and the first thing they see is CarPlay, we want them to be thinking ‘I’m gonna turn on 97.1.’”
For those looking to follow in Silverman’s footsteps, it’s simple. He believes this is an interesting time to be in the media. “A lot of people see it as a scary time because so many things are changing constantly. But there will always be a need for good content.”
He also noted how critical it is for those who want to be in the industry to be a true journalist.
“It’s a really critical time right now. We don’t have enough people who actually want to go into audio and video media to do real journalism. It was much easier to recruit journalists when I became a manager several years ago than it is now.
“So I would say anybody who has a real passion for true journalism, getting to the facts, letting the audience decide for themselves how to interpret those facts. There are so many there going to be so many opportunities. No matter what the platform is.”
Last week, I started this column by confessing that I read too much radio, TV, ratings, and advertising trade press. Same goes for email ads.
LinkedIn sends emails regularly suggesting entries that might be interesting to me. Most of the time, the posts aren’t all that engaging, but last week, I was rewarded with a good use of my time against the power washing that needs to be finished or a paper deadline in my Middle East international relations class at Western Kentucky that will be here sooner than I expect (don’t worry, Dr. Kiasatpour, my paper will be submitted on time!).
The initial post was from someone I don’t know, but George Ivie, the head of the Media Rating Council (MRC) and a longtime friend, had responded. It concerned digital advertising and while much of the conversation was beyond my knowledge, it was instructive.
For example, among the many three-letter acronyms I’m aware of, I had never heard of MFA, or at least not in this context (admit it, your mind probably came up with something “not safe for work” or for broadcasters, “not safe for on-air” too!). MFA is “Made for Advertising” and refers to certain websites that have numerous display ads. Often, these websites run a ton of ads, sometimes by spoofing a legitimate website.
In the case discussed on LinkedIn, the publisher was Forbes magazine, a venerable title that has been around for over a century. If you happened to go www.forbes.com, everything was fine. As I understand it, there was also a www3.forbes.com URL that ran any number of ads. According to the report from Adalytics, an online ad quality and transparency platform,
“Forbes appears to have set up a dedicated sub-domain – called www3.forbes.com, which appears to have a very different ad-serving experience relative to the “normal” www.forbes.com sub-domain. A reader viewing an article on the normal sub-domain may see about 3-10 ads in an article, whereas reading the www3 variant exposes the reader to approximately 201+ ad impressions in a single page view session.
“Several experts assert that this “www3.” subdomain of Forbes can be classified as “Made for Advertising” or “Made for Arbitrage” (MFA). One consumer was shown 27 New York Times subscription ads and 201+ ads total while viewing a 52-slide slideshow on the “www3.” Forbes subdomain. The New York Times paid an effective cumulative CPM of $60.39 to serve ads to that one consumer.”
Part of the LinkedIn discussion revolved around MRC’s digital standards concerning Invalid Traffic (IVT) and Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) and how there may be a loophole in the standards. Ron Pinelli, another friend from his days auditing the Arbitron system who is now a senior vice president at MRC and well-versed in these matters, replied concerning how MRC handles these issues.
Why write about some LinkedIn “back and forth” that not many of us fully understand? While over 200 ads in a slideshow is over the top and to me, even up to ten ads with one article seems a bit much, this isn’t my reason for raising this issue. When we talk and write about how to improve radio, we invariably bring up spot load. I’ve not seen anyone defend the current spot loads on most commercial stations, yet this torrent of display ads on a website dwarf just about anything on radio.
And when was the last time anyone talked about “invalid traffic” on radio? Advertisers pay for spots and they run. Yes, mistakes are made from time to time and makegoods are run and our stop sets are often far too long. Perhaps this is “apples and oranges”, but the various digital advertising options are loaded with ads, oftentimes extremely annoying pop-up video ads that take away from what you were trying to access. While it’s fair to go after some radio stations for their heavy spot loads, let’s talk about the consumer experience for online…it might be much worse!
What advertiser would want to run their ad in that kind of environment? Let’s go back to the oft-used John Wannamaker quote that about half of his advertising was wasted, he just didn’t know which half. For the 21st century, perhaps the quote can be “Some of my digital advertising is fraudulent, but I just don’t know which part”.
Oddly enough, when I searched on Google to get the exact Wannamaker quote, one option was a newsletter from Forbes. You should have seen how many ads popped up!
According to Deadline, the film will detail how Scott shattered preconceived notions of how on-air talent were expected to look, talk, act, and think. It’ll also highlight how hip-hop and Black culture were brought into the sports media mainstream.
“Stuart Scott transcended broadcasting, journalism, sports and culture in ways that we’re only beginning to really understand and appreciate now,” said Andre Gaines. “He made his mark on so many people, especially young black men, and his legend has only grown since his passing. The opportunity I’ve had now to examine his life, visit his home, get to know his daughters Taelor and Sydni, and understand how incredibly vast and rich a life Stuart lived, I can only hope that audiences find the same catharsis I’ve already experienced in making this film.”
Vice President and Executive Producer of ESPN Films Marsha Cooke added, “We pride ourselves on telling the stories of true originals who changed the world, and Stuart epitomized that in so many ways. This film is the perfect tribute to a man who touched lives in front of and behind the camera. Andre Gaines has begun crafting a film that will shine a new light on who Stuart really was–from his relationship with Taelor and Sydni to the many people who saw the world differently just from spending time with him. The film will be Stuart through and through–funny, smart, edgy, touching, and transformational.”
Scott passed away at the age of 49 in January 2015 following a battle with cancer. His style and memorable catchphrases helped ESPN attract new fans, influence broadcasters, and put a modern twist on the network’s signature show.
The 30 for 30 film will explore his rise up the ranks at ESPN, his influence on media and culture, the pain of a divorce and his fight with cancer that ultimately took his life. Scott’s daughters Taelor and Syndi will also lend their voices to the tribute to their father.
As golfers tee off from Augusta National for the 88th playing of The Masters, ESPN averaged 3.17 million viewers for its coverage of the opening round on Thursday. This is the most-watched first round since the 2015 edition of The Masters drew 3.22 million viewers, a final national number that does not include out-of-home viewing. ESPN began broadcasting coverage of The Masters in 2008 after USA Network had covered the first two rounds since 1982. The average of 3.17 million is the fourth-highest on record, only being surpassed by the iterations of the tournament held in 2015, 2009 and 2010. Ratings for the tournament were first reported by Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch.
The opening round of the tournament last year averaged 2.51 million viewers, making this year’s broadcast a 26% year-over-year increase. Furthermore, the 2024 Masters opening round was up 12% from 2022 when it attained an average of 2.82 million viewers. ESPN was able to achieve this total despite initial play being delayed by rain; however, it was able to present several top golfers on the course including Tiger Woods, who had to complete his first round on Friday morning before playing a full second round of golf.
Coming into Friday, LIV golf pro and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was at the top of The Masters leaderboard with a 65 at seven under par. PGA Tour pro Scottie Scheffler sat in second with a 66 and six under par. Consumers are able to watch The Masters throughout Friday utilizing ESPN+, Masters.com or The Masters App in addition to the linear telecast at 3 p.m. EST.
Scott Van Pelt, Curtis Strange, Michael Eaves and Geoff Ogilvy are broadcasting live from Augusta National throughout the tournament, bringing fans key moments, interviews and analysis. The network also aired coverage of the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday afternoon, which drew an average of 650,000 viewers on the network and featured Sean McDonough, Curtis Strange and Marty Smith on the call.
ESPN is broadcasting The Masters for the 17th consecutive year, coverage of which is preceded by Welcome to the Masters hosted by Laura Rutledge with features, interviews and tournament highlights. ESPN Deportes is also broadcasting from Augusta National with announcers John Stucliffe, Hernán Rey and Matias Anselmo. The third and final rounds will be aired in Spanish on ESPN Deportes from 5 to 6 p.m. EST on Saturday and 5 to 7 p.m. EST on Sunday.
Cynopsis held its 2024 Sports Media Awards ceremony on Thursday night in New York City, revealing winners across a variety of different categories. In addition to awards within categories, Cynopsis also granted standalone honors to different professionals in the sports media space. The ceremony was hosted by Colin Cosell, public address announcer for the New York Mets, New York Riptide and several Division I college teams. You can find a list of the winners for the 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards below:
Navigator Award
Carolyn Tisch Blodgett
CEO and Founder | Next 3
Trailblazer Award
Keith Dawkins
President | Harlem Globetrotters and Hersch and Entertainment Studios
Engagement Innovation Luminary Award
Nickelodeon | CBS Sports
Kyle Moffat | Senior Director, Unscripted Development | Nickelodeon
Jennifer Bryson | Vice President, Production – Tentpoles, Events, Music & Specials | Nickelodeon
Shawn Robbins | Executive Producer/Coordinating Producer | CBS Sports
Excellence in Media Luminary Award
YES Network
Jared Boshnack | Vice President, Productions | YES Network
Brands of the Year
Carmax
Brandy Everhart | Director of Media & Partnerships | Carmax
The award-winning series, Voices, from FOX Sports that features diverse sports stories that impact community and culture will be returning to the air with a new episode on FOX this Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m. EST. Hosted by FOX NFL reporter Kristina Pink, the presentation will honor legacies within sports that have paved the way for future generations, including Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Madison Hammond, Caitlin Clark and Camryn Bynum.
Ahead of Jackie Robinson Day on Monday, April 15, FOX Sports is commemorating the 77th anniversary of his MLB debut that broke the color barrier. Former Major League Baseball pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia will make a special appearance with an essay tribute to Robinson within the episode.
Additionally, the show will provide a profile on Reggie Jackson’s Mr. October Foundation, which is focused on providing access to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for underserved youth in several communities. Aside from its work in New York City, Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis, the organization also cultivates pathways of employment.
Voices will highlight Angel City FC defender Madison Hammond, who is the first Native American to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Throughout the segment, it aims to display the historic representation and how she is a role model to aspiring indigenous female athletes around the world. Iowa Hawkeyes point guard and NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader Caitlin Clark will be highlighted through a vignette as well. The presentation will include her run to the national championship and her greater effect on women’s sports.
Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and the work he performs through the Bynum Faith Foundation in the Philippines will also be promulgated. The organization brings awareness regarding community hardships and provides long-term support and disaster relief with the goal of restoring hope, faith and love to underserved communities both in the Philippines and in the United States. Bynum recently introduced Camp Beezy, a program that makes the sport of American football accessible to young athletes in the Philippines, and will be part of the episode as well.
Voices will also feature a look into the history and culture of marching bands at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). This part of the show features interviews with band leaders from Tennessee State University and Virginia State University, along with performances from both schools. Moreover, Florida A&M University (FAMU), Southern University, Alabama State University, Norfolk State University, Jackson State University, Langston University, Texas Southern University and Morgan State University will be included in the performances.
NFL legend and the subject of the “Trial of the Century”, O.J. Simpson, died Wednesday. NewsNation host Dan Abrams had mixed feelings about the situation.
“O.J. Simpson died today and, for me, it’s actually an incredibly odd day, because I covered every day of both his criminal and civil cases from inside the courtroom, and there weren’t many of us,” theDan Abrams Livehost said. “The reality is his cases jumpstarted my career, and yet he was a murderer. It’s sort of a troubling reality I’ve always had to live with.”
Abrams went on to say that he began working as a courtroom correspondent for Court TV at the age of 27, when he was thrust into covering the Simpson case. He shared that he was unaware of what the court proceedings would mean to the nation and also his career.
“I had no sense that I was about to devote the next two years of my life to covering the trial of a generation,” said Abrams.
He concluded by noting that he wasn’t feeling sorry for Simpson’s family on the day of his death, as much as he felt empathy for the families of the victims Simpson was accused of murdering.
“At the end of the day, it’s also true the deaths of two totally innocent people helped make my career, and I have guilt about that. I always have,” he admitted.
“So today I’m not thinking about the family of O.J. Simpson. I’m thinking about the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown. It breaks my heart that I benefited my career so much as a result of their loved ones being killed by O.J. Simpson.”
