The Supreme Court is set to hear a case concerning the removal of safety standards on abortion drugs. Salem Radio Network will have comprehensive coverage Tuesday.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian non-profit legal organization, is arguing against the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to remove previous standards on what the network is calling “harmful” abortion drugs. A press release claims the FDA’s “obvious intent is to fast-track mail distribution of abortion pills to thwart states which have imposed restrictions on abortion following the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade.”
Before the hearing, Salem’s White House Correspondent, Greg Clugston, will be featured on The Hugh Hewitt Show at 8:50 AM ET as protestors gather on the steps of the Court. He’ll also feature interviews with several participants of a planner rally.
Meanwhile, SRN News and Townhall News will feature updates throughout the day Tuesday as court is in session.
Finally, on Wednesday, Salem Radio Network hosts Hewitt, “Officer” Brandon Tatum, Dr. Sebastian Gork, and Eric Metaxas will share their commentary on the case during their nationally-syndicated shows.
It’s official — Americans just can’t get enough football. So much so that FOX will nationally televise the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines spring games this coming April.
According to FOX’s Joel Klatt, FOX will broadcast Ohio State’s spring game on Apr. 13, while Michigan’s game will air on Apr. 20. Both games air at 12 p.m. ET.
???? Spring college football is coming to FOX! ????
Broadcast companies know football brings viewers, which is why they’re aiming for football to be a year-round sport. Between the NFL, college football, the UFL, the revival of the Arena Football League, and now spring games, we’re one step closer to nonstop live football on our TVs.
In what he says is a “dream come true for a proud father,” ESPN baseball expert Tim Kurkjian announced he is starting a new podcast with his son.Is This A Great Game or What will be the name of the father-son baseball podcast the two will produce and the debut day is very fitting – opening day for Major League Baseball on March 28.
After the initial launch, Tim Kurkjian says the podcast will drop each Tuesday during the baseball season.
In a trailer posted on the new show’s website the two discuss how long they have wanted to put something like this together and Tim Kurkjian references this has been in the works for “a good five years.” The elder Kurkjian makes the comment that they had to wait until the younger Kurkjian’s voice was “not quite so high,” to which Jeff Kurkjian replies, “I don’t think you have the right to make fun of anybody’s voice.”
The description offered about the show on Apple Podcasts states, “Hall of Fame Baseball Writer Tim Kurkjian is joined by his son, Jeff, as they chat all things baseball. Each week you will hear from one of the sport’s most storied experts on the history of the game and how it pertains to today. Plus, every week they will be joined by a guest. Without a question, there will be plenty of father-son prodding throughout the show.”
The St. Louis Cardinals are sticking with Bally Sports Midwest for 2024 but reports indicate the team wants more streaming options this season compared to last. According to a story from STL Today, the Red Birds are “eager” to give their fans more options to watch games outside of the pay-TV bubble.
Recent words from Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III indicate that the industry is changing and that the Cardinals want to make it easier for fans to watch games. “We’re in this transition period, where the business is changing and we’re trying to sort of reinvent the distribution model,” DeWitt said. “I think you’ll have an expanded array of options for getting our games in the future. I just don’t know exactly what those options will be. But I think from a fan’s standpoint, they’re going to be better off.”
The uncertainty surrounding the Cards’ television home stems from the instability of Bally Sports RSNs, owned and operated by Diamond Sports Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcasting. Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in a well-publicized manner but still managed to hold on to broadcast rights for MLB, NHL, and NBA clubs for this season. While this season’s broadcasts are accounted for, what happens past that is still anyone’s guess.
DeWitt has said that, come what may, the Cards are ready to take hold of their broadcasting future. Whether they team up with another local sports team like the Blues, combine forces with other MLB teams that Bally Sports RSNs have cast aside, or go the Cubs/Yankees route and dedicate an entire channel to themselves, the Cardinals know they have plenty of options. In DeWitt’s mind, the main point of a direct-to-consumer offering is to eliminate blackouts.
“This is happening everywhere, and we are an example,” DeWitt said in Jan. “That’s why we have to fix the eyeball problem first, and then the economics will flesh out. But we’ve got to fix that problem where somebody wants access to our games and can’t get it.”
Philadelphia sports talker Anthony Gargano is set to make his debut on PHLY Sports, two months after it was announced a settlement had been reached in a lawsuit involving Gargano and his new employer, BSN Media, and his previous employer, Beasley Media Group. According to a post on X, The Anthony Gargano Show will begin on Thursday, March 28 and air at 9 a.m. ET.
Gargano, a former host on The Fanatic was sued on September 18, for breach of contract and breach of duty of loyalty while BSN Media was accused of tortuous interference with Gargano’s contract.
BSN Media operates PHLY Sports, a site dedicated to all things Philadelphia sports. They launched in early September with a video which announced their new lineup. In the video, Gargano’s image and name were used along with the words “coming soon.” Upon its release, Gargano was suspended from The Fanatic. The suit alleged Gargano was under contract with Beasley through Oct. 7, 2024.
When the lawsuit was first filed, ALLCITY Network CEO Brandon Spano had told The Philadelphia Inquirer, “At the moment, we are trying to determine exactly what that involvement looks like as we navigate his contractual situation with the Beasley Media Group. What we can promise is that Anthony will be involved in many aspects of the network and at some point, fans will be able to watch him and listen to him on PHLY.”
Back in October, an injunction agreement between the host and Beasley Media Group meant Gargano would depart from the station. He also agreed to not produce, promote, or distribute any sports media content in the Philadelphia market for six months.
Parents behaving badly at youth sporting events has become a problem throughout the nation. New Jersey 101.5 is planning a special programming event to combat the issues.
On Thursday, March 28th at 7 PM ET, the Townsquare Media-owned station will present Don’t be a Bad Sport, a special town hall hosted by the station’s Eric Scott.
“Participating in youth sports can benefit our kids in so many ways,” Scott says. “Unfortunately, the actions of just a few parents can spoil the experience for everyone.”
In addition to the behavior of adults at youth sporting events, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled sports-related injuries from young athletes an “epidemic.”
A panel of doctors, athletic executives, and youth sports leaders will be on hand to discuss the problems associated with youth sports ahead of the spring baseball and softball seasons.
The town hall event will be broadcast on New Jersey 101.5, and will also be made available on the station’s website and app, with a video stream being provided on YouTube and Facebook.
As the Boomer & Gio morning show was in the midst of a break on WFAN and CBS Sports Network, Giannotti walked out of the studio to the newsroom and looked at a bulletin board where the station’s schedule is posted. While reading what was posted, he noticed an article cut out from a recent edition of Newsday featuring Chris Oliviero, Audacy New York market president, who is responsible for overseeing the company’s cluster of New York City radio stations. Giannotti recognized that he had participated in a Q&A with Newsday reporter Neil Best and read the response to a question he was asked about his morning program.
After Best asked about the new midday and afternoon programs within the station lineup, he followed up by confirming if “the top-rated morning show is mostly a given,” referring to its consistent success in the marketplace. In the most recent Nielsen XTrends quarterly ratings book, Boomer & Gio attained a 12.1 share on the quarter among Men 25-54, a 2.4-point year-over-year improvement. In response, Oliviero levied a comparison between the station’s morning show and NBC when it had The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
“They had the franchise. They had the institution,” Oliviero said in the article. “You didn’t have to worry about 11:30 at night. I don’t have to worry about 6 o’clock in the morning.”
From that answer, Best asked if that will remain the case until co-host and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason retires from the role. Oliviero then affirmed that Esiason is not going to retire from WFAN, stating that he will not allow it. While he understands that Esiason is busy, he believes that the WFAN job is “foundational for him” and something that he genuinely loves.
Giannotti led the next segment with a discussion about the article after he discovered that the show had not discussed it while he was on vacation last week. Esiason did not realize the station had a bulletin board in the newsroom with a schedule on it, leading Giannotti to explain where it is located before sharing what Oliviero said in the Newsday article.
“Apparently – what a great piece of leverage that you have here – apparently he’s not going to let you retire,” Giannotti said, “so if that is the case…” The station then played a soundbite of Esiason demanding to be paid, leading to laughter in the studio.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with him,” Esiason replied. “It goes all the way back to him and Mark [Chernoff] selecting me and Craig, and I’ll never forget that and I do owe him a debt of gratitude without question.”
Late last week, NBC News announced former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel was joining the network as a political analyst. Radio host Hugh Hewitt thinks she should appear as often as possible.
McDaniel made her first appearance for the network on Meet the Press Sunday. During her conversation with moderator Kristen Welker, the former Republican chair argued she only claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” against former President Donald Trump because she was the head of his political party.
“When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team, right? Now I get to be a little bit more myself,” McDaniel said.
Many at NBC News, especially those at MSNBC, pushed back against the network’s decision to hire McDaniel, who had been a vocal critic of the mainstream media during her tenure leading the political party. In response, MSNBC President Rashida Jones reportedly informed staffers McDaniel would not be appearing on the cable news channel.
Salem Radio Network host Hugh Hewitt — who has worked alongside NBC News staffers for previous Presidential debates — believes the network should utilize McDaniel often as a bridge to voters who may have left the network.
“The addition of (Ronna McDaniel) to (NBC News) is the first step back into trying to speak to the GOP on a regular basis,” Hewitt wrote in a post to X. “The former RNC Chairwoman should be on (Meet the Press) as often as possible in a long overdue effort to try again to regain the center of the Sunday show audience.”
The addition of @RonnaMcDaniel to @NBCNews is the first step back into trying to speak to the GOP on a regular basis. The former RNC Chairwoman should be on @MeetThePress as often as possible in a long overdue effort to try again to regain the center of the Sunday show audience.
Former Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd lampooned NBC’s decision to hire McDaniel during her debut episode, telling Welker the network owed her an apology. He added that the former RNC chair had subjected journalists to “character assassination” during her tenure.
Each year I start the BSM Summit with a video that highlights some of the key areas of conversation for our two-day show. The theme this year revolved around change, and the frequent misconceptions the media industry battles in the press. To check out the video, click here. My thanks to Travis Williams, and Jim Cutler for doing an excellent job on it.
After the video played, I welcomed attendees to NYC, thanked our partners, and delivered my opening message. I began by raising awareness of something important that too many talent, programmers, and media professionals ignore – the continued decline of radio advertising. TV has this issue too thanks to the rise of streaming.
I see and hear a lot of the same things now that I did in 2015 when I started consulting. It’s concerning. Many stick to what they know, and focus on what matters to them personally, failing to see how the world and the industry are changing. I’ve seen folks obsess over content and ratings, but show little interest in digital, innovation, and growing revenue. That’s a mistake.
We can debate who’s a better talent, the best behind the scenes employee, and which graphics are sharpest. That’s all subjective. Long term, is a company going to prefer a manager who can analyze ratings, content and talent or a leader who creates new paths forward while improving revenue? That requires doing more to help grow a business beyond attending sales meetings and rejecting/approving pitches.
What BIG ideas do you bring to the table to lift revenue? How much time do you invest in analyzing the costs and creating multiple ways to generate revenue to make your ideas valuable? Are you involved in the sales process? Pulling off a charitable bowling event, golf tournament or live weekday remote isn’t hard. Delivering a local version of the ESPYS, Comedy Central’s ‘Roast’ or Barstool’s ‘One Bite Pizza Fest’ is. The difference, some make a minor dent, and some make a major impact.
I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit from the start. It’s a strength of mine. I started at a small station that powered off at sundown. I ran boards, set up remotes, did play-by-play, hosted shows, handled production, and sold advertising. To land a weekend show, I had to have three sponsors. I sold four to protect myself. I learned how necessary it was to build relationships, and help clients deliver results. It’s how I run BM today. People will stay in business with you if you care and help them grow.
The more you understand business and can boost the bottom line, the greater your security. I know many sharp leaders who are well versed on ratings, content, talent, etc. but don’t invest time in learning business or increasing their education. If you had to put your own money on the line and turn a risk into a reward, could you? It’s easy to tell a boss or company ‘we have to think big and take risks’. That’s just noise. If I asked you to spend 5K of your own money on spots on your radio station, and turn it into 20-25K, could you? Would you believe in your message, idea, and ability to deliver results enough to pull it off?
Doing the same thing in the future just leads to more revenue decline. We have to find dollars in other areas, and explore new territory. Is that podcasting, social media, streaming or AI? Maybe. Aside from growing your audience, and your sales team being more skilled selling digital, where is most of your revenue coming from? Most rely on traditional advertising. To move a 15 billion dollar industry closer to twenty billion than ten billion, we need more innovation and bigger ideas.
I strongly disagree with folks who say ‘everything has already been done.’ If executives thought like some talent and programmers, we’d all be screwed. It reminds me of the scene in Moneyball where Billy Beane’s scouts are trying to fix the Oakland A’s problem by treating it like it’s business as usual.
To put it in perspective, WFAN has been a strong brand for sports radio. It’s consistently in the top 10 for revenue among all stations, and usually the #1 or #2 sports radio brand. Yet according to BIA Financial, the station produced 50.6 million in 2007, 41 million in 2012, and 32 million in 2022.
Keep in mind, this is one of sports radio’s success stories. Most brands would kill to have WFAN’s revenue. Other markets are working with less. If the story of the past 15 years is an 18 million dollar drop, how would you project the next 15 years? You’d expect to lose more, right? Well, if you’re up top, that’s not what you want to hear. You’re going to want to see a plan for growth.
But where are extra dollars going to come from if radio advertising is maxed out? Innovation, ideas, and revenue-first leaders are going to matter much more than content and ratings evaluators.
I showed a few examples at the Summit of WWE introducing a show called SPEED which features 5-minute matches. Two radio outlets in Nashville have rolled out AI powered radio stations. Rob Parker in Detroit has launched an All-Black sports radio lineup, and perhaps the best example of innovation, MLB introduced the Pitch Clock. Even 107.7 The End in Seattle launched a two-minute promise years ago, never going away for more than two minutes.
What’s our Pitch Clock idea or two-minute promise? Few would say baseball isn’t better and faster now thanks to the pitch clock. How are we doing the same for our business, and making it more exciting and necessary for advertisers to want to be part of it?
AI is going to be a big part of the future. Is there a way to use it to make a difference with archiving, imaging, website content, sales processes, endorsement reads, updates, text alerts, etc.? Is your brand leader an expert at it and using it to introduce innovative ways to elevate your business?
Some innovations will be good. Some won’t. But we have to find new ways to do current things better. The revenue report card isn’t rosy. It’s up to us to change the story, and that won’t happen if we keep doing and saying the same damn things.
Tim Bronsil: I’m used to being the publisher not the subject so it was a nice surprise when Point to Point Marketing’s Tim Bronsil wrote ‘Who Is the Jason Barrett For Music Formats?’ It’s a good read that examines music radio’s need for an annual event. A few industry sites still cover music radio but formats are less followed since All Access shut down. I don’t want to consult music brands. However, I could host an event and cover the industry well if I wanted to. It’s interesting. To do that, we’d have to hire a staff and have the right type of advertising support. I never say never, but we’ve got more than enough on our plate right now.
Who is the Jason Barret for Music Formats? ????We have lots to talk about in the music industry. Jason has laid out a template for success. @sportsradiopd @BSMStaff @PTPmarketinghttps://t.co/aq4592P5Rt
Matt Cundill: Anytime I can learn something new, I’m grateful to whoever passed it along. This week that’s Matt Cundill. I read Matt’s newsletter last week where he shared that he went to see Real Madrid play at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. While there he discovered that a video scoreboard didn’t exist inside the venue. Why? It isn’t needed. People are so focused on the action that nothing else matters. It made me instantly think of live shows/games, and if what we do is strong enough to keep people from seeking out distractions. Good stuff, Matt.
Ken Carman & Anthony Lima: Ken and Anthony landed an interview last week with Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore). During the discussion, McDonald shared that Adam Sandler had wrote the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2. That news spread like a wildfire across the nation. Carman’s patience, and ability to ask short-precise questions allowed McDonald to open up, resulting in him sharing a secret. Nice job fellas!
Christopher McDonald ('Shooter McGavin'): Adam Sandler showed me first draft of 'Happy Gilmore 2'; it's in the works, fans demand it https://t.co/Kd60mLXej6
Rece Davis: I hate putting Rece on this list but sports betting is a risky venture. Given how much time was spent recently on the Shohei Otani situation, the attempt to interject a joke labeling sports betting ‘risk-free investing’ was poorly timed. To Rece’s credit, he went on social media Sunday and clarified that he was going for a tongue-in-cheek comment. It just goes to show that even the best miss the mark sometimes.
"You know what? Some would call this wagering, gambling; the way you've sold this, I think what it is, is a risk-free investment," said ESPN's Rece Davis after an ESPN Bet segment with Erin Dolan. pic.twitter.com/257daMIBON
Michael Kay: Michael Kay has been good to me for years. He does a great job on his radio show and calling Yankees games, just spoke at our Summit, and has been a key figure in NYC sports media for decades. I’m a big fan of Michael, but the Pucik has to go. He deserves credit for paying off a bet, but I’m sure all involved with 98.7 ESPN NY and New York Yankees telecasts will be happy when that brutal brown chin strap goes away. Now let’s sell a shaving company a sponsor opportunity and shave that thing off live on the air.
Just days after announcing that former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel would serve as a political analyst for the network, a slight shift in her duties has been revealed.
According to The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC President Rashida Jones told employees McDaniel won’t be contributing on-air to the network’s shows.
NBC News saw quick and intense backlash for its decision to hire McDaniel as a political commentator.
“Ronna McDaniel is a proven liar, and has no place in an honest and objective conversation about the future of this country,” DNC chair Jamie Harrison wrote in a statement after his counterpart was hired by the network.
A frequent critic of the mainstream media, McDaniel had previously claimed the 2020 Presidential election was “rigged” against former President Donald Trump. During her first appearance for NBC during Meet the Press Sunday, McDaniel reversed her stance, claiming “When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team, right? Now I get to be a little bit more myself.”
After her interview with current moderator Kristen Welker, former moderator Chuck Todd blasted both the network and the former RNC chair for her “credibility issues.”
“Look, there’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News are uncomfortable with this,” Todd said. “Because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.”
Ronna McDaniel defended her decision to join NBC News, and her record, by stating she joined the network in hopes of busting down media “echo chambers”, while adding “I think you should trust me.”
